Upgrading and Repairing Laptops, Second Edition By Scott Mueller Publisher: Que Pub Date: December 16, 2005 Print ISBN-10: 0-7897-3376-5 Print ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-3376-4 Pages: 912 Table of Contents | Index Scott Mueller has gone where no computer book author has gone before right past all the warranty stickers, the hidden screws, and the fear factor to produce a real owner's manual that every laptop owner should have on his desk Upgrading and Repairing Laptops, Second Edition shows the upgrades users can perform, the ones that are better left to the manufacturer, and how to use add-on peripherals to make the most of a laptop This second edition has been updated to include: The latest processors and motherboards Complete assembly and disassembly information Updated memory standards Upgrading your hard drive to increase performance Changes in networking and firewalls The included DVD contains one-of-a-kind video showing just what's inside a portable PC If you have ever wondered what goes on inside your portable PC, how to upgrade/repair it, or how to live on the road with it, this is the one must-have book of the year! Upgrading and Repairing Laptops, Second Edition By Scott Mueller Publisher: Que Pub Date: December 16, 2005 Print ISBN-10: 0-7897-3376-5 Print ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-3376-4 Pages: 912 Table of Contents | Index Copyright About the Author Acknowledgments We Want to Hear from You! Introduction Laptops or Notebooks? Book Objectives A Personal Note Chapter 1 Portable Systems Background Defining the Portable Computer Evolution of the Portable Computer Advantages of Laptops The Problems of Using Portables General Solutions to Laptop Problems Chapter 2 Portable PC Overview: Types and Features Types and Classes of Portable Computers Major Features Chapter 3 System Maintenance and Assembly Preventive Maintenance Maintenance Tools Upgrading and Repairing Laptops BIOS Setup Dealing with Passwords Chapter 4 Processors Mobile Processor Features Mobile Processor Packaging Processor Features Intel Mobile Processors AMD Mobile Processors Chapter 5 Motherboards Form Factors System Bus Types, Functions, and Features Types of I/O Buses Motherboard Components System Resources Plug and Play Chapter 6 Memory Memory Standards How Much Memory? Memory Speed Memory Types Memory Modules Memory Upgrades Chapter 7 Power AC/DC Power Supplies Batteries Fuel Cells Power Management Chapter 8 Expansion Card Buses PC Cards (PCMCIA) ExpressCards High-Speed External Connections Low-Speed External Connections Chapter 9 Hard Disk Storage Hard Drive History and Advancements Areal Density Hard Disk Drive Operation Basic Hard Disk Drive Components Hard Disk Features The ATA (IDE) Interface ATA Standards ATA Features Serial ATA Chapter 10 Removable Storage Removable Media Optical Disc and Drive Technology CD-Based Optical Technology DVD Technology Optical Disc Formats CD/DVD Read-Only Drives and Specifications Removable Magnetic Storage Devices Floppy Drives Flash Cards and Digital "Film" Memory Devices Chapter 11 Graphics and Sound Video Display System Video Display Interfaces Laptop Audio Hardware Chapter 12 Communications Modems Types of Cellular Systems Network Connections Connecting on the Road Moving Data Between Two Systems Communications Security Chapter 13 Keyboards and Pointing Devices Laptop Keyboards Windows Keys Running Windows Without a Mouse Keyboard Technology Keyboard Troubleshooting and Repair External Keyboard Recommendations Pointing Devices External Pointing Devices Wireless Input Devices Chapter 14 Portable System Accessories Carrying Cases Docking Stations Port Replicators Slabs or Slices Internal Device Bays Accessory Power Sources Communications Data Storage Security Devices Input Devices Output Devices Presentation Equipment Special Interfaces Navigation Laptop Screen Accessories Notebook Stands Where to Buy Chapter 15 Software and Operating Systems The Boot Process Installing the Operating System Laptop Data Recovery Chapter 16 Problem Solving and Troubleshooting Basic Troubleshooting Guidelines Top Troubleshooting Problems Chapter 17 Portable Resource Guide Documentation Repair Parts Manufacturer Tech Support Appendix A List of Acronyms and Abbreviations A B C D E F G H I JK L M N O P Q R S T U V WX YZ Appendix B Glossary Appendix C Key Vendor Contact Information Index Copyright Upgrading and Repairing Laptops, 2nd Edition Copyright © 2006 by Que Corporation All rights reserved No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein International Standard Book Number: 0-7897-3376-5 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2005925004 Printed in the United States of America First Printing: December 2005 08 07 06 05 4 3 2 1 Trademarks All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized Que Publishing cannot attest to the accuracy of this information Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark Warning and Disclaimer Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied The information provided is on an "as is" basis The author and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book or from the use of the CD or programs accompanying it Bulk Sales Que Publishing offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity for bulk purchases or special sales For more information, please contact U.S Corporate and Government Sales 1-800-382-3419 corpsales@pearsontechgroup.com For sales outside the United States, please contact International Sales international@pearsoned.com Associate Publisher Greg Wiegand Acquisitions Editor Todd Green Development Editor Todd Brakke Managing Editor Charlotte Clapp Project Editor Tonya Simpson Copy Editor Chuck Hutchinson Indexer Rebecca Salerno Proofreader Susan Eldridge Technical Editors Werner Heuser David L Prowse Publishing Coordinator Sharry Lee Gregory Multimedia Developer Dan Scherf Book Designer Anne Jones Page Layout Julie Parks Dedication To Lynn: Your artistry, skill, tenacity, and intelligence still blow me away, even after all these years! About the Author Scott Mueller is president of Mueller Technical Research (MTR), an international research and corporate training firm Since 1982, MTR has produced the industry's most in-depth, accurate, and effective seminars, books, articles, videos, and FAQs covering PC hardware and data recovery MTR maintains a client list that includes Fortune 500 companies, the U.S government and foreign governments, major software and hardware corporations, as well as PC enthusiasts and entrepreneurs Scott's seminars have been presented to several thousands of PC support professionals throughout the world Scott personally teaches seminars nationwide covering all aspects of PC hardware (including troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and upgrade), A+ Certification, and Data Recovery/Forensics He has a knack for making technical topics not only understandable, but entertaining as well; his classes are never boring! If you have 10 or more people to train, Scott can design and present a custom seminar for your organization Although he has taught classes virtually nonstop since 1982, Scott is best known as the author of the longest running, most popular, and most comprehensive PC hardware book in the world, Upgrading and Repairing PCs, which has not only been produced in more than 15 editions, but has also become the core of an entire series of books Scott has authored many books over the past 20+ years, including Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 1st through 16th editions; Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows; Upgrading and Repairing PCs: A+ Certification Study Guide, 1st and 2nd editions; Upgrading and Repairing PCs Field Guide; Killer PC Utilities; The IBM PS/2 Handbook; and Que's Guide to Data Recovery virtual real mode (defined) virus checkers 2nd 3rd virus/spyware infection viruses antivirus software 2nd defined boot sector virus defined vises visible surface determination Visioneer Strobe XP 100 2nd VMM (Virtual Memory Manager) voice recognition microphones voltage regulator defined volume troubleshooting 2nd volume (defined) Volume Boot Record (VBR) 2nd volume control sound cards 2nd speakers 2nd VOPT (Golden Bow) VPN (virtual private network) VPN (Virtual Private Networking) 2nd VxDs (virtual device drivers) Index [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] wafer (defined) wait states (defined) WAN (wide area network) 2nd backbone (defined) defined war driving warm boot defined watts speakers waveform audio sampling 2nd 3rd 4th WCDMA (Wideband CDMA) WD-40 Web sites Adaptec Anvil Case Anvil Cases Belkin Brenthaven Case Logic CompactFlash Association CompuTrace Cyberlink DirectX DVD Forum DVD+RW Alliance Keithley Instruments Laptop Desk Laptop Travel LPT.com Magellan's Margi 2nd Mobile Planet MultiMediaCard Assocation PC99 Design Guide PCI-SIG 2nd Philips Intellectual Property and Standards Raytek Samsonite Stay Online Targus TuxMobil user forums Valence Technology Zero Halliburton Ztrace Webcams (defined) Websites 3Com Corp ABIT Computer Acer America Adaptec Alienware Amazon.com AMD America Online American Megatrends American Power Conversion 2nd American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Apple Computer Asus Computer ATI Technologies, Inc Belden Wire and Cable Black Box Corporation Borland Byte Runner Technologies Cables to Go Canon USA, Inc Centon Electronics, Inc CompUSA, Inc CompuServe Computer Discount Warehouse Corel Systems Inc Creative Labs, Inc Crucial Technolgies D-Link Systems, Inc D.W Electrochemicals Dell Computer Corp DTK Computer Duracell, Inc Elitegroup Computer Systems Epson America, Inc Exabyte Corp Fedco Electronics, Inc FIC (First Internation Computer of America) Gateway, Inc Giga-Byte Technology Hewlett-Packard Hitachi Americ Hitachi Global Storage Technologies IBM Corporation Imation Enterprises Corp Infineon Technologies Intel Corp Invesys Powerware Division Iomega Corp Jameco Computer Products JDR Microdevices Jensen Tools, Inc JVC Professional Products Company KeyTronicEMS Kingston Technology Labtec Enterprises, Inc Lexmark LG Electronics Linksys LMS Logitech MAG InnoVision Matrox Graphics Maxell Corporation Maxtor Corp McAfee.com Micro Firmware, Inc Micron PC, LLC Micron Technologies Microsoft Corp Mitsumi Electronics Corp MSI Computer Corp NEC Technologies, Inc NEC-Mitsubishi Electronics Display of America, Inc Netgear Inc Novell, Inc NVIDIA Ontrack Data International PC Power and Cooling, Inc Philips Electronics Plextor PNY Technologies Proview Technology Quantum Corp Rambus, Inc Roxio Software Samsung Electronics Seagate Technology Silicon Image SiS (Silicon Integrated Systems) SONICblue Sony Corporation SOYO Tek, Inc Supermicro Computer, Inc Tekram Technologies Toshiba America Tripp Lite Manufacturing Tyan Computer Corp U.S Robotics Ultra-X, Inc Veritas Software VIA Technologies, Inc Western Digital Corp Zoom Telephonics websites C-Media Cirrus Logic Creative Digi-Key ESS Technology Jensen Tools Mouser Electronics Newark InOne Radio Shack RealTek SoundMAX VIA Technology WEP (Wireless Equivalent Privacy) 2nd Western Digital Corp contact information wheeled carrying cases 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th White Book CD format Wi-Fi Alliance wireless standard 2nd Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) 2nd Wi-Fi5 Alliance wireless standard wide area network (WAN) 2nd backbone (defined) defined Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) cellular system WIN.COM file (Windows 9x/Me boot process) 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th WinBook Windows 2000 Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) 2nd boot process 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th large icons Power Meter applet shutdown problems 2nd 3rd troubleshooting 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Windows 2000/XP operating systems drive letter assignments 2nd Windows 98 Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) 2nd installing 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th large icons MSConfig program Task Scheduler Windows 9x boot process 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th troubleshooting 2nd Windows 9x/Me operating systems drive letter assignments 2nd 3rd 4th Windows Briefcase Windows CE PDAs 2nd Windows Device Manager 2nd Windows Direct Cable Connection (DCC) 2nd Windows Display Properties dialog box Windows HyperTerminal Windows keys 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Windows Me Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) 2nd boot process 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th installing 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th large icons MSConfig program System Restore 2nd 3rd Task Scheduler troubleshooting 2nd Windows NT boot process 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th Windows NT operating systems drive letter assignments 2nd Windows operating system diagnostic software Windows operating systems drive letter assignments 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Windows passwords 2nd Windows Recycle Bin 2nd 3rd Windows XP Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) 2nd boot process 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th DualView 2nd 3rd installing 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th large icons MSConfig program Power Meter applet processor policies 2nd 3rd 4th Service Packs 2nd 3rd shutdown problems 2nd 3rd System Restore 2nd 3rd Task Scheduler troubleshooting 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th updates 2nd 3rd Winmodems 2nd Wintel wire American Wire Gauge (AWG) wire cutters wire frames (defined) wire precompensation (defined) wire strippers wired LANs 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th wired networking 2nd Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP) 2nd wireless input devices 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) wireless LAN encryption 2nd 3rd 4th 5th wireless LANs 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th wireless local area network (WLAN) (defined) wireless modems 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th wireless networking 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th Wireless USB (WUSB) 2nd 3rd 4th 5th wires twisted pair wires defined WISPs (wireless Internet service providers) Wistro Wistron (Acer) WLAN (wireless local area network) (defined) word length (defined) workstation (defined) World Wide Web (WWW) (defined) WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) 2nd WPA standard 2nd WPA2 standard 2nd wrap plugs 2nd writable CDs 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th 38th 39th 40th 41st 42nd 43rd 44th 45th 46th 47th 48th 49th 50th 51st 52nd 53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th 58th write protect (defined) WUSB (Wireless USB) 2nd 3rd 4th 5th WWW (World Wide Web) (defined) Index [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] X-ray machines 2nd 3rd 4th 5th X2 modem standard x86 processors (Intel) xD-Picture Card 2nd Xeon processors defined XGA (Extended Graphics Array) interface 2nd 3rd XModem XON/XOFF Xplore Technologies Index [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] Y adapter Y-connector Y-mouse Yellow Book Yellow Book CD format YModem Index [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] Z-buffering 2nd Zero Halliburton zero insertion force (ZIP) sockets zigzag inline package (ZIP) ZIP (zero insertion force) sockets ZIP (zigzag inline package) Zip drive Zip drives 2nd Zip 100 Zip 250 Zip file (defined) zipping (defined) ZModem ZoneAlarm firewalls zoned recording (defined) Zoom Telephonics contact information zoomed video (defined) Zoomed Video (ZV) Ztrace zTrace ZV (Zoomed Video) ... including Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 1st through 16th editions; Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows; Upgrading and Repairing PCs: A+ Certification Study Guide, 1st and 2nd editions; Upgrading and Repairing PCs Field Guide;... I also use this site to tell you about some of the other fantastic Upgrading and Repairing products, including these: Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 16th Edition Upgrading and Repairing Networks, Fourth Edition Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows Upgrading and Repairing Servers... least 2 hours of free video training included in each of the recent editions of Upgrading and Repairing PCs, and Upgrading and Repairing Laptops Scott has always included unique video segments with his books, rather than using the same clips