Scott Mueller - Upgrading and Repairing PCs (20th Edition)

800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240

Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 20th Edition

Copyright 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

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.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-4710-3
ISBN-10: 0-7897-4710-5

Editor-in-Chief
Greg Wiegand

Executive Editor
Rick Kughen

Development Editor
Todd Brakke

Technical Editor
Mark Reddin

Managing Editor
Kristy Hart

Project Editor
Jovana San Nicolas-Shirley

Copy Editor
Karen Gill

Indexer
Erika Millen

Proofreader
Mike Henry

Publishing Coordinator
Cindy Teeters

Media Producer
Dan Scherf

Cover Designer
Anne Jones

Compositors
Nonie Ratcliff
TnT Design, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Mueller, Scott.
Upgrading and repairing pcs / Scott Mueller.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-7897-4710-5
1. Microcomputers--Maintenance and repair. 2.
Microcomputers--Equipment and supplies. 3. Microcomputers--Upgrading.
I. Title. II. Title: Upgrading and repairing personal computers.
TK7887.M84 2012
004.16--dc23
2011020605

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing: August 2011

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 DVD or programs accompanying it.

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To Emerson, congratulations on your graduation.

Scott Mueller is the president of Mueller Technical Research (MTR), an international research and corporate training firm. Since 1982, MTR has produced the industrys 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. and foreign governments, major software and hardware corporations, as well as PC enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. Scotts 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; 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 become the core of an entire series of books, including Upgrading and Repairing PCs, Upgrading and Repairing Laptops, and Upgrading and Repairing Windows.

Scotts premiere work, Upgrading and Repairing PCs, has sold well over two million copies, making it by far the most popular and longest-running PC hardware book on the market today. Scott has been featured in Forbes magazine and has written several articles for PC World magazine, Maximum PC magazine, the Scott Mueller Forum, various computer and automotive newsletters, and the Upgrading and Repairing PCs website.

Contact MTR directly if you have a unique book, article, or video project in mind or if you want Scott to conduct a custom PC troubleshooting, repair, maintenance, upgrade, or data-recovery seminar tailored for your organization:

Mueller Technical Research
Web: www.muellertech.com
Email:
Forum: www.forum.scottmueller.com

Scott has a forum exclusively for his readers at www.forum.scottmueller.com. Anybody can view the forum, but posting is only available to registered members.

If you have suggestions or comments about the book or new book or article topics you would like to see covered, send them to .

I must give a very special thanks to Rick Kughen at Que. Through the years Rick is the number-one person responsible for championing this book and the Upgrading and Repairing series. I cannot say enough about Rick and what he means to all the Upgrading and Repairing books. With all that hes been through working on this book, I have a feeling I might be responsible for a few gray hairs. (Sorry!)

Id also like to thank Todd Brakke for doing the development editing for this edition, which was fairly substantial considering all the rewrites and new material. His excellent tips and suggestions really help to keep the material concise and up-to-date.

Special thanks also go to Karen Gill who helped tremendously with the editing and to Jovana San Nicolas-Shirley for shepherding the manuscripts through a tight publishing schedule. Id also like to thank the proofreader, illustrator, designer, and indexer who work so hard to complete the finished product and get this book out the door! They are a wonderful team that produces clearly the best computer books on the market. I am happy and proud to be closely associated with all the people at Que.

I would also like to say thanks to my publisher Greg Wiegand, who has stood behind all the Upgrading and Repairing book and video projects. Greg is a fellow motorcycle enthusiastsomeday, hopefully, we can go riding together.

All the people at Que make me feel as if we are on the same team, and they are just as dedicated as I am to producing the best books possible.

I would also like to say thanks to Mark Reddin, who has become the primary technical editor for this book since the 13th edition. Not only is he extremely diligent in verifying details, but he makes numerous suggestions about additional coverage. His input has been extremely important in helping me to ensure the highest level of technical accuracy and depth of coverage.