McFedries, P: Fixing Your Computer Absolute Beginner's Guide

Tool ...67 Checking for Solutions to Problems ...69 5 Troubleshooting Device Problems ...71 Troubleshooting with Device Manager ...72 Troubleshooting Device Driver Problems ...74 Basic Device Driver Troubleshooting ...74 Tips for Downloading Device Drivers ...76 Updating a Device Driver ...77 Rolling Back a Device Driver ...77 6 Recovering from Problems ...81 Restoring Backed-Up Data ...82 Restoring a Previous Version of a File in Windows 8 ...82 Restoring a Backed-Up File in Windows 7 ...84 Restoring a Backed-Up File in Windows Vista ...86 Restoring a Backed-Up File in Windows XP ...88 Accessing the Windows 8 Recovery Environment ...89 Accessing the RE via PC Settings ...89 Accessing the RE via a Recovery Drive ...90 Accessing the RE via Windows 8 Install Media ...91 Navigating the Recovery Environment ...91 Booting Up in Safe Mode ...94 Recovering Using System Restore ...95 Refreshing Your Windows 8 PC ...97 Resetting Your Windows 8 PC ...98 Restoring a Windows 8 System Image ...99 7 Troubleshooting Your Network ... 103 Repairing a Network Connection ...104 Checking the Connection Status ...104 Checking Connectivity with the PING Command ...106 General Solutions to Network Problems ...107 Turning On Network Discovery ...109 Updating the Router Firmware ...111 Troubleshooting Cables ...113 Troubleshooting Wireless Network Problems ...114 III PC Upgrades 8 Basic PC Repair Skills ... 117 What Tools Do You Need? ...118 Setting Up Your Work Area ...121 Playing It Safe ...122 Keeping Yourself Safe ...123 Keeping Your Components Safe ...124 Opening the Computer Case ...125 Making Cable Connections ...127 Working with Expansion Cards ...131 Understanding Expansion Slot Types ...132 Installing an Expansion Card ...135 9 Buying PC Parts ... 139 Researching Parts Online ...140 Checking Out Product Reviews ...140 Performing Price Comparisons ...143 Researching Retailers Online...145 Buying Parts Online ...147 Returning Parts Online ...149 Buying Parts Offline ...151 10 Replacing the Power Supply ... 155 Getting to Know the Power Supply ...156 Buying a Power Supply ...158 Removing the Old Power Supply ...160 Installing a New Power Supply ...162 11 Upgrading the Hard Drive ... 167 How a Hard Drive Works ...168 Understanding Hard Drive Specs ...169 The Hard Drive Interface and Throughput ...170 The Hard Drive Form Factor ...176 The Hard Drive Speed ...177 Buying a Hard Drive ...177 Removing the Old Hard Drive ...178 Installing a New Hard Drive ...181 Finishing Up ...182 12 Upgrading Your CD or DVD Drive ... 185 Choosing a CD or DVD Drive ...186 Understanding Disc Capacities ...186 Getting to Know Drive Types ...187 Understanding Drive Speeds ...188 Buying a CD or DVD Drive ...189 Removing the Existing CD or DVD Drive ...190 Installing the New CD or DVD Drive ...193 13 Adding More Memory ... 195 Understanding Memory Specs ...196 The Memory Module Standard ...197 The Memory Type and Speed ...197 The Memory Module Capacity ...198 Determining How Much Memory Is Installed ...198 Determining What Type of Memory Is Installed ...199 Determining How Much Memory You Need ...202 Buying Memory ...205 Pulling Out the Old Memory Modules ...205 Installing the New Memory Modules ...207 14 Updating the Video Card and Monitor ... 211 Assessing Your Video Card Needs ...212 Understanding Video Card Specs ...215 The GPU Chipset ...216 Video Memory ...217 Video Card Connectors ...218 Buying a Video Card ...221 Choosing a Monitor ...223 Setting Up a Multimonitor System ...225 Setting Up Multiple Monitors on Windows 8 ...225 Setting Up Multiple Monitors in Windows 7 ...227 Setting Up Multiple Monitors in Windows Vista or XP ...228 Moving Up to Three Monitors ...229 15 Improving the Sound System ... 233 Understanding Audio ...234 Analog-to-Digital Sound Conversion ...234 The Nature of Sound ...234 How an Analog Sound Wave Gets Digitized ...235 Understanding Sound Card Specs ...236 The Sampling Frequency ...237 The Sample Depth ...238 The Number of Channels ...240 Sound Card Connectors ...241 Buying a Sound Card ...242 Connecting Speakers or Headphones ...245 16 Upgrading the CPU ... 249 Understanding What the CPU Does ...250 Intel or AMD? ...250 Understanding CPU Specs ...251 The Processor Family ...252 The Processor Cores ...253 The Processor Name ...254 The Processor Clock Speed ...255 The Processor Socket ...256 The Processor Cache Size ...258 The Processor Manufacturing Process ...258 The Processor Core Type ...259 Keeping It Cool: Fans and Heatsinks ...259 Buying a CPU ...263 Removing the Old CPU ...265 Installing the New CPU ...267 Installing an Intel CPU in a Socket 1155 Board ...268 Installing an AMD CPU in a Socket AM3 Board ...270 Installing the CPU Cooler ...271 17 Changing the Laptop Battery ... 275 Understanding Laptop Batteries ...276 Getting More Out of Your Battery ...276 Extending Your Battery's Life ...276 Extending Your Battery's Charge ...277 When Should You Replace the Battery? ...279 Buying a Battery ...280 Installing the Battery ...281 18 Upgrading Your Network ... 285 Understanding Wireless Networks ...286 802.11b ...287 802.11a ...287 802.11g ...287 802.11n ...288 802.11ac ...288 Learning About Wireless NICs ...289 Putting It All Together with a Wireless Router ...291 A Buyer's Guide to Wireless Networking Hardware ...293 Purchasing a Wireless NIC ...293 Purchasing a Wireless Router ...295 Index ... 297