Scott Mueller - Upgrading and Repairing PCs

21st Edition

Scott Mueller

800 East 96th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240

Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 21st Edition

Copyright 2013 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: 978-0-7897-5000-6
ISBN-10: 0-7897-5000-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data in on file.

Printed in the United States of America

Second Printing: July 2013

Editor-in-Chief
Greg Wiegand

Acquisitions Editor
Rick Kughen

Development Editor
Todd Brakke

Managing Editor
Sandra Schroeder

Project Editor
Mandie Frank

Copy Editor
Sheri Cain

Indexer
Erika Millen

Proofreader
Gill Editorial Services

Technical Editor
Chris Crayton

Editorial Assistant
Cindy Teeters

Media Producer
Dan Scherf

Designer
Anne Jones

Compositor
Bronkella Publishing

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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In memory of Mark Reddin. His wonderful technical input and insight over the years have made a tremendous impact on this and many other books. You will be missed.

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 ten 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 more than 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 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 helped to keep the material concise and up-to-date.

Special thanks also go to Sheri Cain, who helped tremendously with the editing, and to Mandie Frank, for shepherding the manuscripts through a tight publishing schedule. Id also like to thank the proofreader, illustrator, designer, and indexer, who worked 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 also want 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 like to thank both my wife Lynn and my son Emerson for helping to produce the DVD that comes with the book. Emerson did the camera work, and Lynn did all of the editing, rendering, and DVD production using the very machine that you see me build in the video. I hope you enjoy the DVD as much as we enjoyed producing it.

Many readers write me with suggestions and even corrections for the book, for which I am especially grateful. I welcome any and all of your comments and even your criticisms. I take them seriously and apply them to the continuous improvement of this book. Interaction with my readers is the primary force that helps maintain this book as the most up-to-date and relevant work available