PC Upgrade and Repair Simplified (IDG's 3-D visual series) - Softcover

Whitehead, Paul

9780764535604: PC Upgrade and Repair Simplified (IDG's 3-D visual series)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764535609 ISBN 13: 9780764535604

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2001

The premier full–color guide to PC upgrade and repair is back –– and better than ever! Now updated to cover all of the latest technologies, from Pentium III and USB to Firewire and DVD drives, this book remains the easiest guide available for visually oriented PC do–it–yourselfers, with more than 1,000 step–by–step illustrations accompanied by short, to–the–point captions.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

I'm not really into the "3-D Visual Approach" to anything about computers. The world is visually 3-D enough for me. In books, I want text and 2-D illustrations. Yet, I know from reading my e-mail that lots of people like this overly illustrated approach. This book, PC Upgrade and Repair Simplified, is my very first exposure to one of the tremendously popular Maran Graphics titles from Hungry Mind Books. The jacket boasts 6 million satisfied users, which is a huge number of people when you consider there are probably a few more who are unsatisfied yet uncounted.

The book is really lovely, with many colourful illustrations, showing a computer in various stages of disassembly with hands and implements conveniently placed to illustrate proper upgrading procedures. It's exactly what you would expect: little text, lots of pictures. That works fine for, say, pornography, but when it comes to computers I feel people really need more text and tables than cute pictures. Information-wise, the book leaves me wanting more. It's like a lava lamp: pretty to look at but not much in the way of expressing ideas.

Most of the book concentrates on adding or replacing hardware. You see various steps and their corresponding illustrations. So instead of reading, "Plug in the memory module", you see a wonderful Adobe Illustrator-like image of a hand shoving a SIMM into a slot. But that isn't enough. The book rarely mentions anything about the follow-through with the software side of upgrading and installing. The troubleshooting information reads like foam peanuts, i.e., space filler.

On the subject of hard-drive partitioning, this book devotes one paragraph and one illustration. Hey, thanks guys. That really helps. Not! In fact, the illustration next to the disk partitioning, depicting a disk track and sector on a hard drive, is incorrect. Oh well. So much for the simple approach. I mean, this colourful stuff may appeal to a certain group in the computer-book-buying public, but they're really going to leave the four-colour, 3-D PC upgrade table wanting more. --Dan Gookin

From the Back Cover:

Read Less — Learn MoreTM

"I just want to tell you how much I, a true beginner, really enjoy your books and now understand a lot more about my computer." —William K. Rodgers (Spencer, NC, USA)

"Since I have purchased your books, I can honestly say that I do understand some of the mechanics behind this wonderful creation of the computer world." —Allan Black (Woodlawn, Ontario, Canada)

Are you new to computers? Does new technology make you nervous? Relax! You′re holding in your hands the easiest guide ever to PC upgrade and repair — a book that skips the long–winded explanations and show you how things work. All you have to do is open the book, follow the step–by–step illustrations, and discover just how easy it is to repair or upgrade your computer.