The Complete PC Upgrade & Maintenance Guide 11e + CDx2 - Hardcover

Minasi, M

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0782128009 ISBN 13: 9780782128000

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2001

Synopsis

This guide shows how to prevent PC disasters and fix them when they occur. Included are: QuickStep sections with step-by-step lists for installing and upgrading essential PC hardware; a hardware vendor resource guide; and 600 megabytes of videos from a 1999 Mark Minasi seminar on CD-ROM.

About this title

Review

There seem to be two rules for technical PC books: first, they should be thicker than an award-winning milkshake, and second, they must be ever-so-slightly out of date. Both are inevitable qualities, considering the complex and fast moving nature of the IT industry, and The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide is a perfect example of the genre.

In terms of thud-factor, this Eleventh Edition is taking no prisoners--there are no fewer than 1,575 pages, and just in case you thought that not quite sufficient, author Mark Minasi also appears in one of two included CD-ROMs, explaining how to upgrade and install a variety of common PC components during a 60-minute video. Content-wise, it's already looking like fantastic value for the price.

Look a little closer at the content though, and much of it is really targeted at PC enthusiasts who don't mind a bit of chatty reminiscing--in fact, just about the first 200 pages are entirely devoted to relatively ancient PC history and standards long-gone. Then again, once you've delved into the past, there's still over 1,300 pages of relevant material, detailing every aspect of PC upgrading you can think of.

But as mentioned, the IT industry moves at an often terrifying pace, and despite Minasi's best efforts to casually refer to the latest technologies, various details give away the fact they are taken from forward-projections at the time of writing. This isn't an exclusive criticism of Minasi's book, but one at technical IT bibles in general.

If you are after the latest news and information, head for monthly magazines, or better still, enthusiast's Web sites. If however you are after a comprehensive look at PC hardware, how it works and more importantly, how to fix it, this book is an invaluable reference, and complements regular visits to hardware Web sites. --Gordon Laing

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0782128009
• ISBN 13: 9780782128000
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 1632