The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Upgrading, fixing, & tweaking PCs Major Keary

Another title in the same series, How to Connect, picks up the communications thread and provides more detailed information designed for beginners. It is well presented and the illustrations are of a high order. Recommended for novices intending to buy a modem or toying with the idea of getting an Internet account.

The most comprehensive how-things-work title is Sams's The Winn L. Rosch Hardware Bible, now in its third edition. Encyclopaedic in scope, it covers everything from IBM's original PC to Pentium-based equipment. There is a wealth of technical data along with descriptions of how components and systems work. The most complete collection of information about PCs in the one book that I have seen; a must for libraries (there is a copy available for loan in Melb PC's book library), technicians, and hardware course trainers. Anyone with an ongoing interest in hardware and technical aspects of how computers function will find it an invaluable reference.

For novices

The Dummies and Complete Idiot series are somewhat similar; they are - by computer book standards - inexpensive, and generally written without any assumptions about the reader's level of knowledge. Authors vary in how they apply the particular laid-back house style, but in general these books are good confidence builders and often contain a surprising depth of information.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying & Upgrading PCs is an excellent entry point for anyone about to buy a first computer and an invaluable guide for parents under pressure to provide one for a student. It dehypes the sales and advertising jargon, explaining in plain language the essential component parts of a computer (processor, video, memory, disks, etc.) along with add-ons (printers, modems, CD-ROM drives, ...) Clear illustrations help the novice recognise different kinds of ports, slots, disk drives, and so on. This is not a hands-on repair/upgrade book, but a guide - and a very good one - for beginning users and intending users.

Upgrading & Fixing PCs for Dummies from IDG assumes the reader is using a computer; it seems to be designed for people who have already bought a system and need guidance on upgrading and fixing. It is not a hands-on manual, but describes what does what, upgrade options, and elementary troubleshooting and fixes. Printers, modems, and so on are also covered. The language is easy to follow and there is some sound advice. The illustrations are very good. A valuable guide for users with minimal experience, and a useful reference for even the experienced and seasoned.

Easy Upgrading and Troubleshooting from Que is for novices. It devotes a couple of pages to a most practical purpose: a worksheet in which the user enters details of hardware and various settings, such as CMOS settings, port interrupts, hard disk information, and memory information.

The book is a good introduction to computer hardware and common problems. Well illustrated with interesting and helpful margin notes, its level of technical information and the way in which it is presented is impressive. The topics range from identifying and making a check list of what is inside your computer (noting hard disk type, switch settings, etc.), cleaning, common technical terms (there is also a good glossary), and basic trouble-shooting techniques covering installing cards, printers, mice, modems, monitors, memory, sound cards, CD drives, and even tape drives. Each installation topic has its own troubleshooting section. It is also a valuable guide for simple maintenance routines.

Problem solving

There is usually a direct relationship between the perceived seriousness of a problem and the user's level of know-ledge. The most vexing difficulties often have simple remedies, but the user needs to know something about diagnostic tests that may isolate or identify a cause. If outside advice has to be sought, particularly by way of dial-up help or vendor technical support, it will be more effective if you are prepared with information likely to be asked for by the experts.

Most upgrade-cum-fix books contain troubleshooting sections, but there is one that is specifically about problems and is worth having on hand as a ready reference. It is also quite easy to read.

PC First-Aid Kit from Addison-Wesley is well-named and contains a wealth of information about common problems and likely solutions. A useful feature is its list of the most common questions put to the user when technical support is sought.

Written in non-technical, easy-to-understand language it is wide ranging and has much useful information. Apart from hardware problems there is advice on software-related disasters, such as lost files, accidentally deleted files, accidental format, and so on. It also has some coverage of peripherals and other things that hang off the computer (printer problems, keyboard and mouse malfunction, monitors, video, and so on).

The layout is quite clever, problems being presented in a symptom-diagnosis format with advice about an appropriate fix. There is a good explanation of AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS that tells the reader what the lines mean and how to create and modify them. The most important DOS commands are also explained. Common error codes are listed along with some of the important beep signals. This is a really useful reference to have available as a first port of call for help.

The book comes with a disk containing McAfee's virus program, a CMOS save and restore utility, a disk scan utility, file undelete utility, and Xtree Easy (a cut-down version of Xtree Gold, but quite effective). The utilities are pretty basic, but better than nothing and a lot cheaper than the big name ones

A copy of OOPS! The PC Problem Solver is in the Melb PC library; it is published by QUE and is another good - and entertaining - guide to recovering from various kinds of disasters.

Hands on

I have one criticism of all the hands-on, how-to-do-it books. Some operations are made to seem simple when, in fact, they can be quite complex. It is not the physical fitting of some component, but getting it to work that causes frustration. CD-ROM drives and hard disks are prime examples. Nevertheless, there are some well-illustrated books for those who want to take a screwdriver to their machines.

Technical illustrations come in a variety of forms, each of which has its own merits. It is, for example, a waste of effort to print high resolution full-colour photographs on unsuitable paper stock. Photographs, unless expertly made (the taking is just one aspect of technical photography) can be poor illustrative material. For anyone interested in excellence, the photographic illustrations in QUE's Upgrading Your Mac Illustrated is the best example of the art that I have seen in a computer book.

A practical alternative is computer-generated art, such as that used in a Jamsa Press publication, Rescued by Upgrading Your PC. A well-presented introduction to upgrades, with plenty of illustrations, it is a good guide to getting inside and recognising what's what and where things belong. Don't take the claims on the back cover, such as "Add memory ...", too seriously; there is novice-level information about memory, but nothing is said about parity and non-parity SIMMs or other variations. On the subject of memory it offers some good advice, "I strongly recommend that you let your computer retailer add memory ... for you".

Hardware novices who want to know more about adding peripherals (modems in particular), how hard disks are organised, and the basics of system fine tuning should find it helpful and easy to understand. There is a good trouble-shooting section and useful information about installing new software, device drivers, common conflicts, and system fine tuning. A good confidence builder.

Keeping Your PC Alive from New Riders is quite different. It uses no colour apart from subject headings and the occasional boxed text, and fits a lot more information in by using smaller print for the text. Full of useful information, it also has a very good section on troubleshooting and provides a number of simple diagnostic tests.

The general emphasis is on add-ons, upgrades, and system enhancement. The language is clear with no undue jargon. The depth of information is quite impressive and there are some gems that don't appear in other titles. A good reference to have on hand.

The most comprehensive reference is QUE's Upgrading and Repairing PCs. Now in its fourth edition - it has grown to over 1500 pages - it covers all models from the early PC to modern Pentium-based systems. It is a virtual encyclopaedia and contains many tables of data - there is even a table of IBM Technical Manuals and Updates - and diagrams.

A chapter deals with System Teardown and Inspection; teardown suggests the vigorous approach some of us are tempted to use in the face of frustration, but the text and excellent diagrams reveal that it means no more than opening the case and removing various components.

Each BIOS system has its own beep codes (sometimes called audio POST codes). They are all listed; if your Phoenix BIOS sends a group of beeps, 4-4-3, it means the math coprocessor test has failed.

There is good advice and discussions on a number of issues, which is useful for anyone wanting guidance on a particular upgrade path. An essential reference for technicians, and a good read for those who really want to know about their equipment. It is the best source of information about memory configuration that I have seen.

The bottom line

There is no best book on upgrading etc.; each person has to make a personal choice in the light of experience and individual needs. The titles mentioned should be browsed well before buying. Some of those mentioned would make good gifts for the person who has everything, except a solution to his or her computer problems.

Reprinted from the July 1995 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

[About Melbourne PC User Group]