Trobleshooting Your PC for Dummies
Targeting the snags, glitches, and predicaments cited most frequently by readers, bestselling author Dan Gookin clearly explains how to diagnose and cure common PC problems, whether they originate with software, the operating system, or hardware This updated edition features new, expanded coverage of laptop woes as well as Internet and e-mail issues, broadband connections, spam blocking, and security concerns Provides advice on how to prevent PC problems in the first place and create a safe and secure PC environment Dan Gookin is known for his ability to explain technology in an easy-to-understand and enjoyable fashion; his writing style, name, and reputation are unparalleled in the industry.
About the Author
Dan Gookin has been writing about technology for 20 years. He has con- tributed articles to numerous high-tech magazines and written more than 90 books about personal computing technology, many of them accurate.
He combines his love of writing with his interest in technology to create books that are informative and entertaining, but not boring. Having sold more than 14 million titles translated into more than 30 languages, Dan can attest that his method of crafting computer tomes does seem to work.
Troubleshooting Your PC for Dummies | Format: PDF | 411 Pages |Size: 9 MB |Direct Download | Download Time: 5 Minutes at 256 Kbps.
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Perhaps Dan’s most famous title is the original DOS For Dummies, published in 1991. It became the world’s fastest-selling computer book, at one time moving more copies per week than the New York Times number-one best seller (although, because it’s a reference book, it could not be listed on the NYT best seller list). That book spawned the entire line of For Dummies books, which remains a publishing phenomenon to this day.
Dan’s most recent titles include PCs For Dummies, 9th Edition; C All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies; Dan Gookin’s Naked Windows XP; Buying a Computer For Dummies, 2005 Edition; and Dan Gookin’s Naked Office. He also publishes a free weekly computer newsletter, “Weekly Wambooli Salad,” full of tips, how-tos, and computer news. He also maintains the vast and helpful Web page www.wambooli.com.
Dan holds a degree in communications and visual arts from the University of California, San Diego. He lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he enjoys spending time with his four boys in the gentle woods of Idaho.
How old is your PC?
The older your computer is, the more likely it is to crash. I have no idea why. Systems that run stable for years may suddenly experience a growing number of glitches. It happens so often that I refer to it as “tired RAM.” And, alas, no electronic equivalent of Geritol is available for your PC’s tired RAM.
When your PC gets old, you have to prepare for inevitable quirkiness from it. You can try replacing the parts piece by piece, but eventually you wind up spending more on parts than you would for an entirely new system. No matter how much you love your computer, when it comes time for it to go, let it go.
The average computer lasts between four and six years.
If you’re in business, plan on replacing your PCs every four years. The boost in productivity from the new models alone is worth the expense.
For the home, keep your PC as long as you can. If it still works, great! Even if you do buy a new system, you can still use the old system for the kids to do homework or play games.
I have a “bone yard” full of old computer pieces and parts. It’s not all junk either; recently, I used parts from several old computers to create a file server for my network.
The main problem with older computers: parts! I have an older PC that can only “see” 8GB of hard drive storage, yet the smallest hard drive I can find for sale is 20GB. Oops.
The first things to fail on any old PC are the things that move the most, such as any disk drive, the mouse, or the keyboard.
A failing hard drive is typically the sign of a PC entering its twilight years. You will notice that the disk drive takes longer to access files and that Check Disk (or similar disk utilities) begin to report more disk errors and bad sectors. See Part III for information on what to do next.
Mice can fail long before the rest of the computer. This problem may not be a portent of the PC’s ultimate demise; see Chapter 13 for more mouse ...Get this book for 70% off.
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