Table of • Contents • Index • Reviews Reader • Reviews • Errata PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition By Barbara Fritchman Thompson, Robert Bruce Thompson Publisher : O'Reilly Pub Date : June 2002 ISBN : 0-596-00353-6 Pages : 804 Slots : 1 Carefully researched and written, PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition is packed with useful and unbiased information, including how-to advice for specific components, ample reference material, and a comprehensive case study on building a PC To the point yet complete, this book provides an enormous amount of timeless information intended for anyone who buys, builds, upgrades, or repairs PCs in a corporate, small business, or home setting PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition By Barbara Fritchman Thompson, Robert Bruce Thompson Table of • Publisher : O'Reilly Contents Pub Date : June 2002 • Index ISBN : 0-596-00353-6 Pages : 804 • Reviews Slots : 1 Reader • Reviews • Errata Copyright Dedication Foreword Preface Audience Organization Conventions We'd Like to Hear from You Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Fundamentals Section 1.1 PCs Defined Section 1.2 PC Components and Technologies Section 1.3 System Resources Section 1.4 Building or Buying a PC Section 1.5 Upgrading a PC Section 1.6 Smart Buying Practices Section 1.7 Things to Do with Old PCs Chapter 2 Working on PCs Section 2.1 Rules to Upgrade By Section 2.2 Tools Section 2.3 General Procedures Chapter 3 Motherboards Section 3.1 Motherboard Characteristics Section 3.2 Choosing a Motherboard Section 3.3 Installing a Motherboard Section 3.4 Upgrading the System BIOS Section 3.5 Our Picks Chapter 4 Processors Section 4.1 Processor Design Section 4.2 Intel Processors Section 4.3 Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processors Section 4.4 Choosing a Processor Section 4.5 Installing a Processor Section 4.6 Our Picks Chapter 5 Memory Section 5.1 Understanding Memory Section 5.2 Memory Access Methods Section 5.3 Memory Packaging Section 5.4 How Much Memory Is Enough? Section 5.5 Memory Selection Guidelines Section 5.6 Installing Memory Section 5.7 Troubleshooting Memory Installation and Operation Section 5.8 Our Picks Chapter 6 Floppy Disk Drives Section 6.1 Diskette Types and Formats Section 6.2 Drive Types Section 6.3 FDD Interface and Cabling Section 6.4 Installing a Floppy Disk Drive Section 6.5 Working with FDDs Section 6.6 Working with Obsolete Diskette Formats Section 6.7 Salvaging Diskette Data Section 6.8 Our Picks Chapter 7 High-Capacity Floppy Disk Drives Section 7.1 High-Capacity FDD Types Section 7.2 Choosing a High-Capacity Floppy Disk Drive Section 7.3 Using an ATAPI Zip or SuperDisk Drive as the Boot Device Section 7.4 Drive Letter Assignment Problems Section 7.5 Our Picks Chapter 8 Removable Hard Disk Drives Section 8.1 Uses for Removable Hard Disk Drives Section 8.2 Cartridge-Based Removable Hard Disk Drives Section 8.3 Frame/Carrier-Based Removable Hard Disk Drives Section 8.4 Our Picks Chapter 9 Tape Drives Section 9.1 Choosing a Tape Drive Section 9.2 Installing and Configuring a Tape Drive Section 9.3 Care and Feeding of a Tape Drive Section 9.4 Troubleshooting Tape Drive Problems Section 9.5 The Dirty Little Secret of Long Filenames Section 9.6 Developing a Backup Strategy Section 9.7 Our Picks Chapter 10 CD-ROM Drives Section 10.1 Compact Disc Fundamentals Section 10.2 CD-ROM Drive Performance Section 10.3 Choosing a CD-ROM Drive Section 10.4 Installing and Configuring a CD-ROM Drive Section 10.5 Cleaning a CD-ROM Drive Section 10.6 Our Picks Chapter 11 CD-R and CD-RW Drives Section 11.1 CD Writers and Media Section 11.2 Writable CD Formats Section 11.3 CD Recording Methods Section 11.4 BURN-Proof Technology Section 11.5 Choosing a CD Writer Section 11.6 CD Writer Software Section 11.7 Installing and Configuring a CD Writer Section 11.8 Updating CD Writer Firmware Section 11.9 Media Issues Section 11.10 Burning CDs Section 11.11 Special Problems and Applications Section 11.12 Writable CD Troubleshooting Section 11.13 Additional CD-R(W) Source Material Section 11.14 Our Picks Chapter 12 DVD Drives Section 12.1 DVD-ROM Section 12.2 DVD Writable and Rewritable Section 12.3 Installing and Configuring a DVD Drive Section 12.4 Our Picks Chapter 13 Hard Disk Interfaces Section 13.1 IDE Section 13.2 SCSI Section 13.3 ATA Versus SCSI Section 13.4 Our Picks Chapter 14 Hard Disk Drives Section 14.1 How Hard Disks Work Section 14.2 Choosing a Hard Disk Section 14.3 Installing an ATA Hard Disk Section 14.4 Installing a SCSI Hard Disk Section 14.5 Preparing a Hard Disk for Use Section 14.6 Our Picks Chapter 15 Video Adapters Section 15.1 Video Adapter Characteristics Section 15.2 Choosing a Video Adapter Section 15.3 Installing a Video Adapter Section 15.4 Configuring Video Under Windows 98/Me/2000/XP Section 15.5 Configuring Video Under Windows NT 4 Section 15.6 Troubleshooting Video Adapter Problems Section 15.7 Our Picks Chapter 16 Displays Section 16.1 CRT Monitors Section 16.2 Flat-Panel Displays Section 16.3 Installing and Configuring a Display Section 16.4 Troubleshooting Display Problems Section 16.5 Our Picks Chapter 17 Sound Adapters Section 17.1 PC Audio Types Section 17.2 MIDI Synthesis Methods Section 17.3 Downloadable Sounds Section 17.4 Sound Card Components Section 17.5 Sound Card Characteristics Section 17.6 Choosing a Sound Card Section 17.7 Installing a Sound Card Section 17.8 Troubleshooting Sound Card Problems Section 17.9 MP3 Section 17.10 Our Picks Chapter 18 Speakers and Headphones Section 18.1 Speaker and Headphone Characteristics Section 18.2 Choosing Speakers and Headphones Section 18.3 Our Picks Chapter 19 Keyboards Section 19.1 Keyboard Switch Types Section 19.2 Keyboard Styles Section 19.3 Keyboard Interfaces Section 19.4 Choosing a Keyboard Section 19.5 Configuring a Keyboard Section 19.6 Cleaning a Keyboard Section 19.7 Troubleshooting and Repairing Keyboards Section 19.8 Our Picks Chapter 20 Mice and Trackballs Section 20.1 Mice Versus Trackballs Section 20.2 Mouse Characteristics Section 20.3 Choosing a Mouse Section 20.4 Configuring a Mouse or Trackball Section 20.5 Cleaning a Mouse Section 20.6 Troubleshooting a Mouse Section 20.7 Our Picks Chapter 21 Game Controllers Section 21.1 Game Controller Characteristics Section 21.2 Gameport Interface Section 21.3 Choosing a Game Controller Section 21.4 Installing a Game Controller Section 21.5 Troubleshooting Game Controllers Section 21.6 Our Picks Chapter 22 Serial Communications Section 22.1 Serial Communications Overview Section 22.2 Serial Ports Section 22.3 Serial Cables Section 22.4 Installing and Configuring Serial Port Hardware Section 22.5 Troubleshooting Serial Port Problems Section 22.6 Our Picks Chapter 23 Parallel Communications Section 23.1 Mapping Parallel Ports to LPTs Section 23.2 Parallel Port Types Section 23.3 Configuring Parallel Port Hardware Section 23.4 Parallel Connectors and Cables Section 23.5 Our Picks Chapter 24 USB Communications Section 24.1 USB Characteristics Section 24.2 USB Host Controller Interfaces Section 24.3 Configuring USB Section 24.4 Troubleshooting USB Section 24.5 Our Picks Chapter 25 Cases Section 25.1 Case Characteristics Section 25.2 Choosing a Case Section 25.3 Our Picks Chapter 26 Power Supplies Section 26.1 Power Supply Characteristics Section 26.2 Volts, Amps, Watts, and Regulation Section 26.3 Power Connectors Section 26.4 Choosing a Power Supply Section 26.5 Installing a Power Supply Section 26.6 Troubleshooting Power Supplies Section 26.7 Our Picks Chapter 27 Backup Power Supplies Section 27.1 What BPSes Protect Against Section 27.2 BPS Types Section 27.3 BPS Characteristics Section 27.4 Choosing a BPS Section 27.5 Our Picks Chapter 28 Building a PC Section 28.1 Step 1: Prepare the Case Section 28.2 Step 2: Configure the Motherboard Section 28.3 Step 3: Install the Processor Section 28.4 Step 4: Install the Memory Section 28.5 Step 5: Prepare Drives for Installation Section 28.6 Step 6: Install the Floppy Disk Drive Section 28.7 Step 7: Install Other Drives Section 28.8 Step 8: Install the Motherboard Section 28.9 Step 9: Connect Cables to the Motherboard Section 28.10 Step 10: Install Expansion Cards Section 28.11 Step 11: Perform the "Smoke Test" Section 28.12 Step 12: Install Software Section 28.13 Step 13: Finishing Touches Colophon Index Copyright © 2002, 2000 O'Reilly & Associates, Inc All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Published by O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472 O'Reilly & Associates books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use Online editions are also available for most titles (http://safari.oreilly.com) For more information contact our corporate/institutional sales department: 800-998-9938 or corporate@oreilly.com Nutshell Handbook, the Nutshell Handbook logo, and the O'Reilly logo are registered trademarks of O'Reilly & Associates, Inc Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks Where those designations appear in this book, and O'Reilly & Associates, Inc was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps The association between the image of a scallop and the topic of PC hardware is a trademark of O'Reilly & Associates, Inc While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and the author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein Dedication To my agent, David L Rogelberg No author could hope for a better colleague Robert Bruce Thompson To my parents, Richard Carl "Dutch" Fritchman and Sankie Callahan Fritchman, who gave me the opportunities and guidance to help me succeed Barbara Fritchman Thompson Foreword My job is to persuade you to buy this book, or make you feel you've made the right choice if you've already bought it That's easy because there's not another book like this, and if you do much with computers you need a good reference work on hardware Of course there are massively larger books on the subject, but that's just the point: most of the time you're not looking for a long essay on the subject, you need information, and reliable judgment, both of which Robert Bruce Thompson is highlyI am tempted to say uniquelyqualified to give I can say this with some authority I've never actually met Robert Bruce Thompson face to face, but we've been friends for several years Such is the way with the modern Internet I first "met" him in the dark days after BYTE Magazine was suddenly and unexpectedly folded, and I continued my column on my web site (Shameless self-promotion: www.jerrypournelle.com.) One of the features of both the web site and the column was reader mail, and there soon appeared a corps of regulars, all experts in one or another field, all articulate, and all very generous with their time and effort Robert Thompson stood out among these, and it was soon clear to me that he knew far more about computer hardware than I did That was surprising: I've been in this business since 1978, and while no one can know everything, I thought I knew a good bit about nearly everything I do, too, but Thompson knows more, both in depth and breadth, and that's astonishing He's pretty careful, too Over the years I have found I agree with most of his conclusions, and when we disagree I have to rethink my position, because he's been right at least as often as I have been So You have here a well-written book by someone who understands the subject It's about computer hardware and nearly everyone needs a good opinionated reference work on that subject, provided the opinions are sound, which in Thompson's case they certainly are It's published by O'Reilly, which means it's well edited by editors who resist the temptation ... products are claimed as trademarks Where those designations appear in this book, and O'Reilly & Associates, Inc was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps The association between the image of a scallop and the topic of PC hardware. .. We also have a web site for the book, which includes updated hardware recommendations, buying guides, and articles, as well as errata, archived older material, and so on: http://www.hardwareguys.com We also maintain a message board for the book, where you can read and... convey supplemental information that may not be important to all readers This is an example of a warning Warnings highlight dangerous proceduresthose that may damage you, your hardware, or your data Disregard warnings at your own peril