Customer Reviews (1)

Worth Double the Money
This book is well worth the money, since it not only told me more about my BIOS, it did a more thorough job of explaining some of the fundamentals of hardware for me than did some of my A+ certification books, as well as the half-dozen tomes on "Upgrading and Repairing" of various ilk. Introducing some of the finer points, going over things for those with older PC's, as well as the more recent technological improvements, this book is worth twice the price, but don't tell the publisher and get it at a bargain price. The BIOS is not as complicated a creature as it at first appears to be, and this book will help anyone, from novice to an upper/intermediate user, fix common problems, as well as understand the hardware in their computer better than they would have thought possible, in plain language. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A personal computer is made up of multiple physical components of computer hardware, upon which can be installed an operating system and a multitude of software to perform the operator's desired functions.The motherboard is the main component inside the case. It is a large rectangular board with integrated circuitry that connects the rest of the parts of the computer including the CPU, the RAM, the disk drives (CD, DVD, hard disk, or any others) as well as any peripherals connected via the ports or the expansion slots. Computer Hardware course is very important for all because in the future most of the work will be done by the computer. ... Read more

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Essential skills for IT professionals

Mike Meyers A+ Guide to PC Hardware Lab Manual, Second Edition features 40-plus lab exercises that challenge you to solve problems based on realistic case studies and step-by-step scenarios that require critical thinking. You'll also get post-lab observation questions that measure your understanding of lab results and key term quizzes that help build vocabulary.

Customer Reviews (2)

IT Queen
For the price this was a good buy. Being a student, books are quite pricy. Therefore finding books at an affordable price is very important. I would recommend this seller.

School Book
I received the book on time and it was in the condition stated. I have not begun classes so I can not rate the content yet. ... Read more

Product Description

Practice the IT Skills Essential for Your Success

• 60+ lab exercises challenge you to solve problems based on realistic case studies
• Step-by-step scenarios require you to think critically
• Lab analysis tests measure your understanding of lab results
• Key term quizzes help build your vocabulary

In this lab manual, you'll practice:

• Working with CPUs, RAM, and motherboards
• Installing, partitioning, and formatting hard drives
• Working with portable PCs, PDAs, and wireless technologies
• Installing, upgrading, and troubleshooting Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP
• Installing sound and video cards
• Managing printers and connecting to networks
• Implementing security measures
• Preparing for safety and environmental issues
• Establishing good communication skills and adhering to privacy policies

Customer Reviews (5)

Great deal
I needed this for my A+ Hardwear Class the college book store were selling the used book twice of what i payed here....I pucrchesed the book from an amazon seller and i recieved the book in a week . The book is in a great condition and i am very satisfied .....

PC Lab Manual
Bought this book to be used in class I would be taking at the local Technical College.This is edition 2 and the school has edition 6.There is not any difference in the two.It is very informative and gets you involved in the practicle aspects of computer maintenance.Would recommend this lab book for any new wanna be computer tech.It is easy to understand but takes some studying.

Good book
I very happy with this book because it help me with step-by-step process to work all the labs that are in the book. This is an excellent source to work toward your CompTIA A+ certification.

Good book
I am having a difficult time finding the best study material for the A+. Mike has wrote books and produced excellent video instruction. This book is well written. Prepare to send many hours studying this book and other material you may find.

A companion book is just that
honestly I've hardly used it. I do need it for my class but it's a companion with the book. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Biotech Equipment Update, published by Worldwide Videotex on February 1, 2010. The length of the article is 473 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: ENDOGASTRIC ANNOUNCES KEY PATENT ISSUED.
Author: Unavailable
Publication: Biotech Equipment Update (Newsletter)
Date: February 1, 2010
Publisher: Worldwide Videotex
Volume: 18Issue: 2Page: NA

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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This book constitutes the proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Artificial Evolution, held in Strasbourg, France, in October 2009. ... Read more

Product Description

Near seven years ago, a short while before his death in 1844, John Sterling committed the care of his literary Character and printed Writings to two friends, Archdeacon Hare and myself. His estimate of the bequest was far from overweening; to few men could the small sum-total of his activities in this world seem more inconsiderable than, in those last solemn days, it did to him. He had burnt much; found much unworthy; looking steadfastly into the silent continents of Death and Eternity, a brave man's judgments about his own sorry work in the field of Time are not apt to be too lenient. But, in fine, here was some portion of his work which the world had already got hold of, and which he could not burn. This too, since it was not to be abolished and annihilated, but must still for some time live and act, he wished to be wisely settled, as the rest had been. And so it was left in charge to us, the survivors, to do for it what we judged fittest, if indeed doing nothing did not seem the fittest to us. This message, communicated after his decease, was naturally a sacred one to Mr. Hare and me. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Quite interesting
John Sterling (1806-44) led a short, but fascinating life in early 19th century Britain. John's father was a well-known editorialist for the Times, and he himself became a member of the Apostles at Cambridge during a time of great intellectual and religious ferment. He became a radical in the cause of freedom, while he later became an Anglican curate and then an author. Plagued by ill health, he traveled around the world of his era: to the Caribbean, Madeira, France, and Italy. And, along life's paths, he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Thomas Carlyle and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Overall, he was a man of varied abilities, and varied pursuits.

This book is quite interesting. Carlyle not only paints the portrait of a man in this book, he also paints the portrait of an era. If you are interested in that era, or perhaps in Coleridge, then I highly recommend this book to you. It is relatively short, and yet quite interesting. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (9)

No preamble, I loved it.
What a beautiful little book!

It will only take you a day or two to read, and more importantly, give you a dozen projects you'll be dying to try out. Personally I found about ten I intend to use, twenty I'd like to try, and ten more I wish I'd known about years ago.

The tips include hacks for the BIOS, hardware and the operating system. Some of the tips relate to very old hardware or operating systems, but this is fine since there aren't that many of these tips. The OS tips tend to relate mostly to flavours of windows, but there are enough Linux tips to still make it a worth while read.

Each tip is written in a concise format which provides plenty of information without being long winded, making the book easy to browse and use.

If the last chapter, covering configuring a new computer (anti-virus, malware and firewalls) was first, I'd recommend this book to be distributed with any new computer. Regardless, this is a great book that anyone will get value from.

Overclocking CPU (Hack 21) at your own risk
Overclocking CPU (Hack 21) is not as easy as adding more memory or upgrading the hard disk.If you have nothing to lose, you might think about overclocking the CPU.Manufacturers may not honor the warranty on an overclocked CPU. The modifications may also void the warranty on the motherboard and other components (such as video card & hard drives).
To increase performance of your PC:I would first try to add more memory (Hack 30), and then try to replace the hard disk with a faster (& larger) one (Hack 58).

OK book, but lacking in content
The title of this book should be "Windows PC Hacks" since 99% of the hacks are Windows based.If you no longer use Microsoft products (like me), this is not a very good book for you.

If you are no longer new to PCs and want to know a little more about the inner workings of your PC, you will probably enjoy this book.

If you've built several PCs already, you already know 90% of what's in this book and won't care about the other 10%.

100 Hacks to Make PCs Do What You Want
This is a fascinating book that is filled with 100 clever, important hacks for today's modern PCs. More, better, faster, cheaper, easier, cooler, safer:All these and more capture our desire to understand and get the most out of our investment in PCs. From making a PC boot faster, to improving its reliability, to using multiple operating systems, to being able to recover quickly when something goes wrong, the PC hacks in this book will improve your PC experience and make you a lot more computer-savvy.

You can read the book from cover to cover, but each hack stands on its own, so you can also browse and go to the different sections that most interest you. If there is a prerequisite you need to know about, a cross-reference will guide to the right hack.

Since you will be hacking your PC, you are seriously encouraged to for follow three basic tenets of PC ownership:Back Up, Back Up, and Back Up.While the hacks are not intentionally designed to harm a PC system, life with a PC is not a matter of if your system will crash, but when.

Pay careful attention to the details and precautions for each hack. Not all hacks will work with all PCs or installed hardware. After you have done your backup, it will be to your benefit to gather all your manuals and driver disks or visit the web sites for your PC and peripheral vendors to get current documentation and drivers.

If your PC or any of its components are under manufacturer's warranty, you should think twice or three times about the impacting of hacking on it. If a hack could void your warranty, you will probably want to wait until the warranty expires, before trying it.

Getting down to the bare bones...
A lot of books on the market take you through the inner-workings of Windows, Linux, [insert favorite OS here].However, there are very few out there that go deep inside the PC itself and get down to the hardware level.In "PC Hacks", the author takes us inside the PC to look at what can be done at the hardware level to tweak system performance and stability.

First off, this book is not for the novice user.If you are not willing to "risk a little" then you should not attempt the hacks set forth in the book.Many of them, if not performed precisely, can cause serious damage to your system -- some could even cause permanent hardware damage (such as overclocking your CPU).However, for those who are brave -- the rewards and adventure that await are well worth it.

Covering topics such as upgrading your power supply, changing CPU voltage (overclocking), moving and changing disk partitions, even overclocking your video card (that was even a new one for me!) will have most dedicated PC geek up to all hours trying out different settings and tweaks.

Even if you aren't ready to start messing with the voltage, the book provides a good handbook on topics such as "Why should I worry if my paging (virtual memory) file is fragmented?" and "Do I need to upgrade by BIOS?" that even middle-of-the-road users might fight well worth reading up on.There are a number of items that the author talks about that are merely informational, but could really come in handy the next time your system decides to stop functioning the moment you need it to the most.

For those "old timers" out there, this book comes close to the old Norton books of the mid 1980's that explained what went on under the hood of early PC's.For the younger users, it is a terrific way to explore the true "hobbyist" side of computing and tweaking a system much like a car enthusiast tunes his engine. ... Read more

Product Description

This book constitutes the refereed joint proceedings of eleven European workshops on the Theory and Applications of Evolutionary Computation, EvoWorkshops 2009, held in Tübingen, Germany, in April 2009 within the scope of the EvoStar 2009 event.

The 68 revised full papers and 23 revised short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 143 submissions. With respect to the eleven workshops covered, the papers are organized in topical sections on telecommunication networks and other parallel and distributed systems, environmental issues, finance and economics, games, design automation, image analysis and signal processing, interactive evolution and humanized computational intelligence, music, sound, art and design, continuous parameter optimisation, stochastic and dynamic environments, as well as transportation and logistics.

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Biotech Equipment Update, published by Worldwide Videotex on February 1, 2001. The length of the article is 510 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: COMMUNITY HOSPITAL MIGRATES TO BROADBAND DIGITAL IMAGING.
Publication: Biotech Equipment Update (Newsletter)
Date: February 1, 2001
Publisher: Worldwide Videotex
Volume: 9Issue: 2Page: NA

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Bio-Inspired Models of Network, Information, and Computing Systems (Bionetics). The event took place in the city of Avignon in December 2009. Bionetics main objective is to bring bio-inspired paradigms into computer engineereing and networking, and to enhance the fruitful interactions between these fields and biology. The program of the conference includes applications of various paradigms that have their origin in biology: population dynamics, branching processes, ant colony optimization. The 19 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected and cover a broad range of important issues in areas related to bio-inspired technologies. ... Read more

Product Description
This book constitutes the proceedings of the International Conference on Information Computing and Applications, held in Tangshan, China, in October 2010 ... Read more

Product Description
This book constitutes the proceedings of the International Conference on Information Computing and Applications, held in Tangshan, China, in October 2010. ... Read more

Product Description
Essential Skills for a Successful IT Career Mike Meyers, the leading authority on CompTIA A+ training and certification, has helped hundreds of thousands of people master CompTIA A+ PC technician skills-and now he can help you, too. Completely updated for the new CompTIA A+ standards, Mike Meyers' CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs, Second Edition will help you pass the CompTIA A+ certification exams and become an expert hardware technician. Inside, you'll find helpful on-the-job tips, end-of-chapter practice questions, and hundreds of photographs and illustrations. Learn how to: Work with CPUs, RAM, and motherboards Install, partition, and format hard drives Work with portable PCs, PDAs, and wireless technologies Install, upgrade, and troubleshoot Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP Install sound and video cards Manage printers and connect to networks Implement security measures Understand safety and environmental issues Establish good communication skills and adhere to privacy policies The CD-ROM features: Eight full practice exams covering CompTIA A+ Essentials and Exams 220-602, 220-603, and 220-604 One hour of LearnKey video training featuring Mike Meyers teaching key CompTIA A+ topics Electronic copy of the book Complete exam objective map for all four exams List of official CompTIA A+ acronyms Useful tools and utilities for PC technicians Each chapter includes: Learning objectives Photographs and illustrations Real-world examples Try This! and Cross Check exercises Tech tips, notes, and warnings End-of-chapter quizzes and lab projects ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

very detailed book
i mainly bought this book for my college class that I needed. that was the only reason stopping me from buying the third edition one. overall, another book book from mike meyers.

Not worth the money
This is a book required at a local college where I attend. I've been dealing with computers for about 13 years, now, and can unequivically state that while the text may have some things I didn't know, it is completely off it's rocker. It tells would-be techs to do things that they would NEVER do because they aren't trained to do it safely.

For instance, Mr. Meyers tells techs to open up power supplies and check things inside. For one, there are capacitors that store enough electricity that if you touch them, you could seriously injur yourself. Another case in point is that Mr. Meyers tells techs to "short" the jumpers of of the "On" switch to see if the case switch is working or "needs replaced." Absolutely no tech would do that due to the chance of crossing the wrong the pins; this would destroy the motherboard and possibly any component connected to it--pretty much any component inside the case. Not to mention that the "On" switch in a case is afixed to the case, itself, and can't be replaced.

These are just a few of the problems with this text. When it comes to the networking component, they get even worse. (I'm A+, Network+, CCNA, and CCNA-Wireless certified. Trust me when I say that there are some serious issues with his networking chapter.)

Mr. Meyers does have a knack when it comes to making the reading easy, however. There are much better books that have a very hard time presenting the material in an easy-to-read format because of the technical information necessary to get the job done. A case-in-point that I can think of is "Upgrading and Repairing PCs." I believe they are up to the 13th edition, now, and is a monstrous book at 1000+ pages. Not an easy read but INCREDIBLY better than this book.

My over-all review of the book is that an experienced tech would be okay with it because s/he could weed out the stuff that is just plain wrong to get at the gems that most books I've read don't touch on, such as Soft Power in the ATX12V 2.0 standard of power supplies. Anyone else could concievably be making more problems for him/herself.

School Book
I needed the book for school and it served its purpose and it is helping me with school.Thanks.

Great Deal
I needed this book for my A+ Hardwear Class the college book store were selling the used book twice of what i payed here....I pucrchesed the book from an amazon seller and i recieved the book in a week . The book is in a great condition and i am very satisfied....

A+ Guide To Troubleshooting PC's
Bought this book to use in a computer class that I was going to take at the local
technical college.The school uses the 6th edition hard cover and this is the 2nd edition soft cover.Bought the one the school uses and have been comparing the two books.So far they are word for word.Except this book has a reveiw of the chapter at the end of each chapter and review questions for the chapter.The 6th edition just has reveiw questions.This was a used book with software pack unopened and the book was in as new condition as the book store told me.Would by from them again. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Recomendation
This book covers the really weird stuff that can happen and has information that I could find nowhere else.When bad stuff happens on XP this is where I go for the answers.T.Gough

Good advice for the basic user
What a great book title and if you've worked with Windows XP you are sure to have heard it or thought it many times.If you are tired of the strange things that Windows XP does at the most inopportune times then this text is for you.If you are not already a power user with good technical skills at troubleshooting Windows problems but are not afraid to try things yourself then you will find this book one of the best places to start when you have problems.

The author starts with the basics of troubleshooting including common problems, black screens, blue screens, error messages, startup problems, safe mode, and recovery console.From there he then looks at the all too common device driver problems, using the Microsoft knowledge base, and working with the BIOS and registry.

Of course those are just one the many different types of problems that may occur.John Ross also examines other types of problems that may be introduced from the outside including things like viruses and spyware.Each of these subjects is examined and the author details how they affect your system as well as what to do to get rid of the most common ones.Of course the all too common network problems including Internet connections as well as LAN problems are covered as well.

The book ends with a section on troubleshooting and replacing hardware.This text is too basic for the power user but hits the target very well for the new or average user who is unafraid to try to fix problems their self.It's Never Done That Before is a recommended read as a good first level resource for the home user.

Solid troubleshooting information...
I can think of a number of times over the past few years I could have used this book...It's Never Done That Before! - A Guide To Troubleshooting Windows XP by John Ross.This is a solid volume on figuring out what just happened to your computer...

Contents: Troubleshooting Methods and Tools; Types of Windows Problems and Failures; What to Do When Windows Won't Start; Black Screens and Blue Screens; Solving Device Driver Problems; Using the Microsoft Knowledge Base and Other Online Resources; Using System Restore and Other Rollback Techniques; Underneath It All - The BIOS; The Windows Registry - Here Be Demons; Dealing with Individual Programs and Files; Service Packs, Patches, and Other Updates; Viruses, Spyware, and Other Nasties; Internet Connection Problems; Local Network Problems; Dealing with Hardware Problems; Troubleshooting and Replacing Hard Drives; Troubleshooting and Replacing Other Hardware; If All Else Fails... Call Tech Support; Cutting Your Losses - What to Do When Nothing Else Works; Things to Do Now, Before Your Computer Crashes; Device Manager Error Codes and BIOS POST Beep Codes; Free and Inexpensive Security Programs for Windows XP; Index

The nice thing about this book is that it's completely focused on fixing problems.It's not just an add-on to a larger book on how Windows works.As such, you end up getting much more troubleshooting detail that you might see in other books.Ross writes in a conversational style, so you end up with information that doesn't intimidate at the same point in time that you're already stressed out to start with.Even better, it's enjoyable enough to read *before* you end up with problems that bring your computer to it's knees.There's good defensive information contained in there, such as how to back up data and create restore disks (which I still need to do).This can help you minimize the damage in case things go completely south...

I've rebuilt my Windows OS enough times now that I'm not quite as freaked out as I used to be when things went wrong.But a book like this would have been a lifesaver the first time I got a blue screen of death that wouldn't go away.If you don't have any Windows troubleshooting titles in your bookshelf, this might be a good place to start.

Plenty of troubleshooting techniques and tips for resolving common XP programs
If you're frustrated with Windows XP, turn to John Ross' It's Never Done That Before! before calling in the techs. Chapters offer plenty of troubleshooting techniques and tips for resolving common XP programs and many an obscure detail as well. From using XP's built-in troubleshooting tools to handling problems with device drivers and even registry issues and viruses, reach for this before the telephone when troubleshooting: it'll save you a bundle. ... Read more