| | | Copyright |
| | | About the Author |
| | | Acknowledgments |
| | | Tell Us What You Think! |
| | | Introduction |
| | | | How This Book Is Organized |
| | | | Conventions Used in This Book |
| | | | Let Me Know What You Think |
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| | | Part I. Before You Upgrade |
| | | | Chapter 1. Hardware Basics for the Absolute Beginner |
| | | | Getting to Know Your Personal Computer System |
| | | | Your PC's System Unit The Mother Ship |
| | | | Inside the Case |
| | | | Microprocessors: The Main Engine |
| | | | Computer Memory: Temporary Storage |
| | | | Hard Disk Drives: Long-Term Storage |
| | | | Diskette Drives: Portable Storage |
| | | | CD Drives: Storage on a Disc |
| | | | DVD Drives: Even More Storage on a Disc |
| | | | Keyboards: Fingertip Input |
| | | | Mice: Point-and-Click Input Devices |
| | | | Video Cards and Monitors: Getting the Picture |
| | | | Sound Cards and Speakers: Making Noise |
| | | | Modems: Getting Connected |
| | | | Network Devices: Sharing Files and Peripherals |
| | | | Printers: Making Hard Copies |
| | | | The Operating System: Windows to the World of Computing |
| | | | Understanding the Startup Process |
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| | | | Chapter 2. Preparing Your System for an Upgrade |
| | | | To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade That Is the Question |
| | | | What to Upgrade |
| | | | Before You Upgrade |
| | | | An Upgrade Roadmap |
| | | | What to Do if the Upgrade Goes Wrong |
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| | | Part II. Essential Hardware Upgrades |
| | | | Chapter 3. Ports Ahoy: Upgrading System Inputs |
| | | | What Ports Can You Add? |
| | | | Buying a Port Expansion Card |
| | | | Upgrade #1: Adding a New Port Card |
| | | | Upgrade #2: Adding an External USB Hub |
| | | | Upgrade #3: Adding Ports to a Portable PC |
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| | | | Chapter 4. Bigger Is Better: Upgrading System Storage |
| | | | Understanding Hard Disk Drives |
| | | | Upgrade #1: Adding an External Hard Drive |
| | | | Upgrade #2: Adding a Second Internal Hard Drive |
| | | | Upgrade #3: Replacing Your Existing Hard Drive |
| | | | Upgrade #4: Adding an Internal Floppy or Zip Drive |
| | | | Upgrade #5: Adding a Memory Card Reader |
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| | | | Chapter 5. Optical Tricks: Upgrading CD and DVD Drives |
| | | | Understanding Optical Storage |
| | | | Upgrade #1: Adding an External CD or DVD Drive |
| | | | Upgrade #2: Adding an Internal CD or DVD Drive |
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| | | | Chapter 6. You Must Remember This: Upgrading System Memory |
| | | | Understanding Computer Memory |
| | | | Upgrade #1: Adding RAM to a Desktop PC |
| | | | Upgrade #2: Adding RAM to a Portable PC |
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| | | | Chapter 7. Point and Click: Upgrading Mice and Keyboards |
| | | | Upgrade #1: Installing a New Mouse |
| | | | Upgrade #2: Installing a New Keyboard |
| | | | Upgrade #3: Installing a Wireless Mouse or Keyboard |
| | | | Upgrade #4: Installing a New Joystick or Game Controller |
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| | | | Chapter 8. The Paper Chase: Upgrading Printers and Scanners |
| | | | Understanding Printers |
| | | | Upgrade #1: Installing a Printer |
| | | | Upgrade #2: Installing a Scanner |
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| | | | Chapter 9. The Big Picture: Upgrading Video Cards and Monitors |
| | | | Understanding PC Video |
| | | | Upgrade #1: Replacing Your Monitor |
| | | | Upgrade #2: Replacing Your Video Card |
| | | | Upgrade #3: Adding a Second Video Card and Monitor |
| | | | Upgrade #4: Adding a TV Tuner Card |
| | | | Upgrade #5: Adding a Video Capture Card or Device |
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| | | | Chapter 10. Pet Sounds: Upgrading Sound Cards and Speakers |
| | | | Understanding PC Audio |
| | | | Upgrade #1: Connecting New Speakers |
| | | | Upgrade #2: Replacing Your Sound Card |
| | | | Upgrade #3: Upgrading to a New External Sound Box |
| | | | Upgrade #4: Adding an Audio Interface Box |
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| | | Part III. Upgrading For Specific Applications |
| | | | Chapter 11. Play It Loud: Upgrading for Digital Music Playback and Recording |
| | | | Understanding Digital Audio |
| | | | Application #1: Listening to CDs and Digital Music Files |
| | | | Application #2: Downloading Music from the Internet |
| | | | Application #3: Ripping Music from a CD |
| | | | Application #4: Burning Your Own Music CDs |
| | | | Application #5: Transferring Digital Music to a Portable Audio Player |
| | | | Application #6: Listening to Internet Radio |
| | | | Application #7: Playing a Digital Piano or Synthesizer |
| | | | Application #8: Setting Up Your Own Home Recording Studio |
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| | | | Chapter 12. Slides and Prints: Upgrading for Digital Photography and Picture Editing |
| | | | Application #1: Downloading Photographs from a Digital Camera |
| | | | Application #2: Scanning Photo Prints |
| | | | Application #3: Editing Digital Photographs |
| | | | Application #4: Printing Digital Photographs |
| | | | Application #5: Sharing Digital Photos Over the Internet |
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| | | | Chapter 13. Everyone's Gone to the Movies: Upgrading for TV Viewing and Digital Video Editing |
| | | | Application #1: Viewing Television Programs |
| | | | Application #2: Viewing DVD Movies |
| | | | Application #3: Editing Movies from a Digital Camcorder |
| | | | Application #4: Editing Movies from an Analog Camcorder |
| | | | Application #5: Creating Your Own DVD Movies |
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| | | | Chapter 14. Fun Is Good: Upgrading for Enhanced Game Play |
| | | | Application #1: PC Gaming |
| | | | Application #2: Network Gaming |
| | | | Application #3: Online Gaming |
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| | | Part IV. Upgrading Your Entire System |
| | | | Chapter 15. Connect the Dots: Upgrading to a Wired or Wireless Network |
| | | | Understanding Networks |
| | | | Upgrade #1: Creating a Wired Network |
| | | | Upgrade #2: Creating a Wireless Network |
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| | | | Chapter 16. The Faster the Better: Upgrading Your Internet Connection |
| | | | Understanding Broadband Internet |
| | | | Upgrade #1: Connecting to DSL Internet |
| | | | Upgrade #2: Connecting to Digital Cable Internet |
| | | | Upgrade #3: Connecting to Digital Satellite Internet |
| | | | Upgrade #4: Sharing a Broadband Connection |
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| | | | Chapter 17. Opening New Windows: Upgrading to Windows XP |
| | | | Why Windows XP? |
| | | | Which Version for You? |
| | | | Can You Make the Upgrade? |
| | | | Upgrade #1: Windows XP Typical Upgrade Installation |
| | | | Upgrade #2: Windows XP "Clean" Installation |
| | | | Upgrade #3: Updating Your Copy of Windows XP |
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| | | | Chapter 18. The Big Switch: Upgrading to a New Computer |
| | | | Choosing the Right PC for Your Needs |
| | | | Where to Buy |
| | | | Migrating Your Old Files and Settings to Your New PC |
| | | | Getting Rid of Your Old PC |
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| | | Part V. Preventing PC Problems |
| | | | Chapter 19. Simple Steps to Keep Your System in Tip-Top Shape |
| | | | Basic Hardware Maintenance |
| | | | Let Windows Tune Up Your System |
| | | | Using Third-Party Utilities |
| | | | Preparing a PC Survival Kit |
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| | | | Chapter 20. Protecting Your Computer from Viruses and Internet Attacks |
| | | | Dealing with Computer Viruses |
| | | | Dealing with Internet Attacks |
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| | | Part VI. Troubleshooting Common Problems |
| | | | Chapter 21. How to Deal with a Finicky PC |
| | | | Common Causes for Common Problems |
| | | | Dealing with Upgrade Problems |
| | | | Basic Troubleshooting Tips |
| | | | Using Windows Troubleshooting Utilities |
| | | | Turning Back Time with System Restore |
| | | | Managing the Windows Registry |
| | | | Upgrading for Bug Fixes |
| | | | Resorting to Repair |
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| | | | Chapter 22. What to Do When Your Computer Doesn't Start or Freezes Up |
| | | | Dealing with System Startup Problems |
| | | | Troubleshooting Windows Startup Problems |
| | | | Dealing with Windows-Related Startup Problems |
| | | | Dealing with System Freezes |
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| | | | Chapter 23. What to Do When You Can't Access Your Disks |
| | | | Dealing with Hard Drive Problems |
| | | | Dealing with CD-ROM or DVD Problems |
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| | | | Chapter 24. What to Do When Your Mouse or Keyboard Won't Work |
| | | | Dealing with Mouse Problems |
| | | | Dealing with Keyboard Problems |
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| | | | Chapter 25. What to Do When Your Printer Won't Print |
| | | | Understanding Potential Problems |
| | | | Dealing with Printer Problems |
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| | | | Chapter 26. What to Do When Your Display Looks Funny |
| | | | What Can Give You Bad Video |
| | | | Dealing with Video Problems |
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| | | | Chapter 27. What to Do When Your Sound System Doesn't Sound Right |
| | | | What Can Cause Bad Sound |
| | | | Dealing with Audio Problems |
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| | | | Chapter 28. What to Do When Your Files Are Lost or Corrupted |
| | | | Why Files Go Bad |
| | | | Dealing with File Problems |
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| | | | Chapter 29. What to Do When Your Network or Internet Connection Starts Acting Up |
| | | | Dealing with Network Problems |
| | | | Dealing with Internet-Related Problems |
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| | | | Chapter 30. What to Do When You Receive a Windows Error Message |
| | | | Understanding Common Error Messages |
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| | | Index |