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Welcome to Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 15th Edition. Since debuting as the first book of its kind on
the market in 1988, no book on PC hardware has matched the depth and quality of the information found in this tome. The 15th Edition continues Upgrading and Repairing PCs role as not only
the best-selling book of its type, but also the most comprehensive and complete PC hardware reference available. This book examines PCs in depth, outlines the differences among them, and presents options for configuring each system.
More than just a minor revision, the 15th Edition of Upgrading and Repairing PCs contains hundreds of
pages of new, revised, and reworked content. The PC industry is moving faster than ever, and this
book is the most accurate, complete, in-depth, and up-to-date book of its kind on the market today.
I wrote this book for people who want to upgrade, repair, maintain, and troubleshoot computers or
for those enthusiasts who want to know more about PC hardware. This book covers the full gamut
of PC-compatible systems from the oldest 8-bit machines to the latest in high-end 64-bit multigigahertz speed PC-based workstations. If you need to know about everything from the original PC
to the latest in PC technology on the market today, this book and the accompanying informationpacked DVD is definitely for you.
This book covers state-of-the-art hardware and accessories that make the most modern personal computers easier, faster, and more productive to use. Inside these pages you will find in-depth coverage of
every PC processor from the original 8088 to the latest Pentium 4, Athlon XP, and Athlon 64.
Upgrading and Repairing PCs also doesnt ignore the less glamorous PC components. Every part of
your PC plays a critical role in its stability and performance. Over the course of this books 1,500+
pages, youll find out exactly why your motherboards chipset might just be the most important
part of your PC and what can go wrong when you settle for a run-of-the mill power supply that
cant get enough juice to that monster processor you just bought. Youll also find in-depth coverage
of technologies such as RDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, graphics, audio cards, AGP, PCI, flat-panel displays,
DVD+/-RW drives, SCSI, USB 2.0, FireWire, and high-capacity removable storageits all in here
right down to the guts-level analysis of your mouse and keyboard.

New in the 15th Edition

Many of you who are reading this have purchased one or more of the previous editions. Based on
your letters, emails, and other correspondence, I know that as much as you value each new edition,
you want to know what new information Im bringing you. So, here is a short list of the major
improvements to this edition:
In addition to the hundreds of pages of detail we have on every PC processor, including all of
those from Intel and AMD, this year weve added even more. Intel has increased the bus
speeds of the Pentium 4, which has further unleashed the technologys extreme potential.
AMD is making the first forays into 64-bit computing on the desktop with the Athlon 64,
using architectures previously limited only to servers. There are new sockets, chipsets, and
motherboards designed to support these chips. Youll also find the straight dope on AMDs latest Athlon XP processors. Although their clock speeds might seem to be lacking, their performance definitely is not. No other PC book on the shelf provides more comprehensive coverage
of the bevy of processors available from AMD and Inteland no other PC book explains just
exactly what youre up against when matching motherboards and RAM to these processors.
Intels newer Pentium 4 processors have Hyper-threading (HT) technology, which makes a
single processor function more like two processors running simultaneously. Youll find out
whether your system has what it takes to support the HT technology processors, along with
higher bus speeds, new types of memory, and more.

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The Pentium 4 previously relied on expensive RDRAM RIMMs. No more! Intel has selected
DDR SDRAM for all its current and future systems. Newer chipsets use dual-channel DDR
memory, which uses two banks simultaneously to match the speed of the processor bus, eliminating a bottleneck and optimizing performance. In Chapter 6, Memory, I not only expand
my content on memory technologies, but also explain the benefits of the newer designs.
Upgrading a Dell PC? Youll find information that will help you confirm whether it uses a
standard or proprietary power supply and avoid turning it into a charcoal briquette when
installing a new power supply or motherboard. If youre purchasing a new Dell or other brand
system, youll learn how to select systems with industry-standard components that provide
maximum compatibility and make later upgrades and repairs much easier and less expensive.
Interested in turning your PC into a hot rod game machine? Read my coverage of audio,
video, and Internet connectivity for the lowdown on supercharging your PC. Inside youll
find new coverage of NVIDIA and ATI video cards.
Use the updated troubleshooting index to track down pesky problems with everything from
IRQ conflicts to audio quality. When your beloved PC is in trouble, head straight to this
index for helpfast. The troubleshooting section has been greatly enhanced and expanded.
As always, we have more new, high-quality technical illustrations. Every year we add, modify,
and generally improve on the hundreds of figures in this book. These new and revised illustrations provide more technical detail, helping you understand difficult topics or showing
you exactly how to complete a task.
Its becoming a DVD world, and Upgrading and Repairing PCs is still leading the charge. Just
like last year, youll find a shiny DVD-ROM plastered to the inside back cover of this book.
On it youll find all the usual stand-bys, such as the Technical Reference and complete electronic versions of prior editions. Rather than give you stale video clips youve seen before, Ive
included 2 more hours of new video with this edition.
Chapter 13, Optical Storage, has been thoroughly reorganized and updated to include the
latest developments in optical drives, especially the DVD rewritables.
Chapter 24, File Systems and Data Recovery, has extensive updates covering the FAT32 and
NTFS file systems. Also included are new tutorials, more information on error messages, and
tutorials on how to recover information.
Although these are the major changes to the core of the book, every chapter has seen substantial
updates. If you thought the additions to the 14th Edition were incredible, youll appreciate the further enhancements and additions to the new 15th Edition. It is the most comprehensive and complete edition since I wrote the first edition 15 years ago!

Book Objectives
Upgrading and Repairing PCs focuses on several objectives. The primary objective is to help you learn
how to maintain, upgrade, and repair your PC system. To that end, Upgrading and Repairing PCs
helps you fully understand the family of computers that has grown from the original IBM PC,
including all PC-compatible systems. This book discusses all areas of system improvement, such as
motherboards, processors, memory, and even case and power-supply improvements. The book discusses proper system and component care, specifies the most failure-prone items in various PC systems, and tells you how to locate and identify a failing component. Youll learn about powerful
diagnostics hardware and software that enable a system to help you determine the cause of a problem and how to repair it.
PCs are moving forward rapidly in power and capabilities. Processor performance increases with
every new chip design. Upgrading and Repairing PCs helps you gain an understanding of all the
processors used in PC-compatible computer systems.

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This book covers the important differences between major system architectures from the original Industry
Standard Architecture (ISA) to the latest in PCI and AGP systems. Upgrading and Repairing PCs covers each
of these system architectures and their adapter boards to help you make decisions about which type of
system you want to buy in the future, and to help you upgrade and troubleshoot such systems.
The amount of storage space available to modern PCs is increasing geometrically. Upgrading and
Repairing PCs covers storage options ranging from larger, faster hard drives to state-of-the-art storage
devices. In addition, it provides detailed information on upgrading and troubleshooting system RAM.
When you finish reading this book, you should have the knowledge to upgrade, troubleshoot, and
repair almost all systems and components.

Is This Book for You?

Yes.
Upgrading and Repairing PCs is designed for people who want a thorough understanding of PC hardware and how their PC systems work. Each section fully explains common and not-so-common
problems, what causes problems, and how to handle problems when they arise. You will gain an
understanding of disk configuration and interfacing, for example, that can improve your diagnostics
and troubleshooting skills. Youll develop a feel for what goes on in a system so you can rely on your
own judgment and observations and not some table of canned troubleshooting steps.
Upgrading and Repairing PCs is written for people who will select, install, configure, maintain, and repair
systems they or their companies use. To accomplish these tasks, you need a level of knowledge much
higher than that of an average system user. You must know exactly which tool to use for a task and
how to use the tool correctly. This book can help you achieve this level of knowledge.
Scott has taught millions of people to upgrade and build PCs. Some of his students are computer
experts, and some are computer novices. But they all have one thing in common: They believe
Scotts book changed their lives. Scott can teach anyone.

Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown
This book is organized into chapters that cover the components of a PC system. A few chapters serve
to introduce or expand in an area not specifically component related, but most parts in the PC have
a dedicated chapter or section, which will aid you in finding the information you want. Also note
that the index has been improved greatly over previous editions, which will further aid in finding
information in a book of this size.
Chapters 1 and 2 of this book serve primarily as an introduction. Chapter 1, Development of the
PC, begins with an introduction to the development of the original IBM PC and PC-compatibles.
This chapter incorporates some of the historical events that led to the development of the microprocessor and the PC. Chapter 2, PC Components, Features, and System Design, provides information about the various types of systems you encounter and what separates one type of system from
another, including the types of system buses that differentiate systems. Chapter 2 also provides an
overview of the types of PC systems that help build a foundation of knowledge essential for the
remainder of the book, and it offers some insight as to how the PC market is driven and where components and technologies are sourced.
Chapter 3, Microprocessor Types and Specifications, includes detailed coverage of Intels Pentium 4
(Prescott, Northwoo, and Willamette), Pentium III, Pentium II, Celeron, Xeon, and earlier central processing unit (CPU) chips. Theres also new and extended coverage on AMDs line of high-performance
Athlon 64 and Athlon XP processors as well as the Athlon, Duron, and K6 series. Because the processor
is one of the most important parts of a PC, this book features more extensive and updated processor
coverage than ever before. I dig deeply into the latest processor-upgrade socket and slot specifications,

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including coverage of Socket 754 for the Athlon 64; 423 and Socket 478 for the Pentium 4; Socket A
for AMD Athlon XP; and older sockets and slots such as Socket 7, Socket 370, Slot 1, and Slot A.
Chapter 3 also tells you how to spot a re-marked processor. These are processors that have been modified by unscrupulous resellers to run faster than their rated speeds. These chips are then sold to the
consumer as faster processors. I show you how to spot and avoid fakes.
Chapter 4, Motherboards and Buses, covers the motherboard, chipsets, motherboard components,
and system buses in detail. This chapter contains discussions of motherboard form factors, including specifications on everything from Baby-AT to the various ATX standards. A chipset can either
make a good PC better or choke the life out of an otherwise high-speed CPU. I cover the latest
chipsets for current processor families, including chipsets from Intel, AMD, VIA, NVIDIA, and more.
This chapter also covers special bus architectures and devices, such as high-speed Peripheral
Component Interconnect (PCI), including the upcoming PCI Express, and Accelerated Graphics Port
(AGP), including the new AGP 8x. Everything from bus speeds for an Intel 850 chipset to the
proper spacing of holes on an ATX motherboard can be found here.
Chapter 5, BIOS, has a detailed discussion of the system BIOS, including types, features, and
upgrades. This has grown from a section of a chapter to a complete chapter, with more information
on this subject than ever before. Also included is updated coverage of the BIOS, with detailed information about BIOS setup utilities, Flash upgradable BIOSes, and Plug and Play BIOS.
See the exhaustive list of BIOS codes and error messages included on the DVD-ROM. Theyre all
printable, so be sure to print the codes for your BIOS in case you need them later.
Chapter 6, Memory, provides a detailed discussion of PC memory, including the latest in cache
and main memory specifications. Next to the processor and motherboard, the system memory is
one of the most important parts of a PC. Its also one of the most difficult things to understand
because it is somewhat intangible and how it works is not always obvious. If youre confused about
the difference between system memory and cache memory; L1 cache and L2 cache; external and
integrated on-die L2 cache; SIMMs, DIMMs, and RIMMs; SDRAM versus DDR SDRAM versus
RDRAM; 60 nanosecond EDO versus PC133 versus PC3200, this is the chapter that can answer your
questions. So, before you attempt to upgrade your PC with Fast Page mode EDO SIMMsrather
than with PC3200 DDR SDRAM DIMMsbe sure you read this chapter.
Chapter 7, The ATA/IDE Interface, provides a detailed discussion of ATA/IDE, including types and
specifications. This covers the Ultra-ATA modes that allow 133MBps operation and why they wont
increase your PCs performance much. Theres also more new content on Serial ATA, the technology
that is beginning to replace the parallel ATA we have been using for the last 15 years.
Chapter 8, The SCSI Interface, discusses SCSI, including the new higher-speed modes possible
with SCSI-3. This chapter covers the new Low Voltage Differential signaling used by some of the
higher-speed devices on the market, as well as the latest information on cables, terminators, and
SCSI configurations. This chapter also includes the latest on UltraSCSI.
Chapter 9, Magnetic Storage Principles, details the inner workings of magnetic storage devices
such as disk and tape drives. Regardless of whether you understood electromagnetism in high
school science, this chapter breaks down these difficult concepts and presents them in a way that
will change the way you think about data and drives.
Chapter 10, Hard Disk Storage, breaks down how data is stored to your drives and how it is
retrieved when you double-click a file.
Chapter 11, Floppy Disk Storage, takes an inside view of the venerable floppy disk drive. You
learn how to properly connect these drives as well as how information is written to a floppy.
Chapter 12, High-Capacity Removable Storage, covers removable storage drives, such as SuperDisk
(LS-120), Iomega Zip, Jaz, and Click! drives, as well as provides all-new coverage of magnetic tape drives.

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Chapter 13, Optical Storage, covers optical drives and storage using CD and DVD technology,
including CD recorders, rewritable CDs, and other optical technologies. This chapter includes
detailed steps and advice for avoiding buffer underruns, creating bootable CDs, burning music CDs,
and selecting the most reliable media. Theres even extensive coverage of DVD, with everything you
need to know to understand the difference between DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW.
This chapter also tells you which of these the drive you buy needs to have support for.
Chapter 14, Physical Drive Installation and Configuration, covers how to install drives of all
types in a PC system. You learn how to format and partition hard drives after they are installed.
Chapter 15, Video Hardware, covers everything there is to know about video cards and displays.
Learn about how both CRT and flat-panel monitors work and which is best suited for you. If youre
a gamer or multimedia buff, youll want to read about choosing the right 3D graphics accelerator.
The leading technologies are compared, and I help you choose the right card.
Chapter 16, Audio Hardware, covers sound and sound-related devices, including sound boards
and speaker systems. Quality audio has become an increasingly important part of any good PC, and
in this chapter I help you learn which features to look for in an audio card and which types of
audio cards are suited to your needs. I even offer advice that can optimize your systems audio performance for gaming, listening to CDs, and recording and playing MP3 music files.
Chapter 17, I/O Interfaces from Serial and Parallel to IEEE-1394 and USB, covers the standard serial and parallel ports still found in most systems, as well as newer technology such as USB and
i.Link (FireWire). I also cover USB 2.0 and the new FireWire 800!
Chapter 18, Input Devices, covers keyboards, pointing devices, and game ports used to communicate with a PC. I also discuss wireless mice and keyboards.
Chapter 19, Internet Connectivity, compares high-speed connectivity methods that have come to
the home desktop, including DSL, CATV, and DirecPC.
Chapter 20, Local Area Networking, has been heavily updated for this edition to cover setting up
an Ethernet network in your home or small office. I show you how to install NICs, make your own
Ethernet cables, and set up Windows networking services.
Chapter 21, Power Supply and Chassis/Case, is a detailed investigation of the power supply, which
still remains the primary cause of PC system problems and failures. When you buy a new PC, this
undervalued component is the one most likely to be skimped on, which helps explain why its the
source of so many problems often attributed to Windows, memory, and several other components.
Youll also find detailed specifications on the power connectors found in systems from AT to ATX.
Theyre not all built equal, and making the wrong connections can be dangerous to you and your PC.
Chapter 22, Building or Upgrading Systems, is where I show you how to select the parts youll
need for your upgrade or to build a PC from scratch. Then, I walk you step by step through the
process. This chapter is loaded with professional photos that help you follow along.
Chapter 23, PC Diagnostics, Testing, and Maintenance, covers diagnostic and testing tools and
procedures. This chapter also adds more information on general PC troubleshooting and problem
determination. Here, I show you what the prepared PC technician has in his toolkit. I also show
you a few tools you might have never seen or used before.
Chapter 24, File Systems and Data Recovery, covers file systems and data recovery procedures. If
youre a Windows XP user deciding whether to switch to NTFS, or if youre not sure whether you
should upgrade from FAT16 to FAT32, you should read this chapter. If you cant access your drive
because of a corrupted master boot record (MBR) or volume boot record (VBR), youll find information you can use to recover these sectors and regain access to your valuable data.

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The 15th Edition DVD-ROM

As in the 14th Edition, the 15th Edition of Upgrading and Repairing PCs includes a DVD-ROM that
contains as much valuable content as youll find in the pages of this book.

Video
This DVD contains more than 2 hours of professional-grade video, playable in either your DVD drive
or standalone DVD player! It includes the following:
PC System Layers and BIOS Basics (26:00). This segment describes the architectural layers inside
a PC, which is especially important to know when trying to differentiate hardware problems
from software problems. The essentials of the BIOS are also covered, including what is in the
BIOS, where the BIOS is stored, and the function of the BIOS in the system.
BIOS Setup (23:32). In this segment the BIOS Setup program in the motherboard ROM is covered in detail, including how to access the Setup program, where the Setup program is stored
as opposed to where the information read and written by the program is stored, and how it all
works together in a PC.
Physical ROM (20:46). The motherboard and other ROM chips are covered in detail, including
the various types of ROM chips used, how they work, and how the software (also called
firmware) they contain can be upgraded.
What Is a PC (24:11). This segment covers PC-ness. For example, what makes a particular personal computer a PC and not a Macintosh or other type of personal computer? Also discussed are the business and market realities of the PC from a component perspective, such as
from where the components originate, what the industry-standard governing choices are, and
finally which companies really control the PC from both a software and hardware perspective.
The ATA Interface (14:39). Although most people know the internal drive interface in most PCs
as IDE, this segment shows the nature of what is really called the ATA interface. The physical
and electrical nature of the interface is discussed from a nuts-and-bolts perspective, including
the connectors, cables, jumpers, and drives. In addition, the performance and limitations of
the interface are discussed, as well as the evolution of ATApast, present, and future.
Memory (16:15). Over the years, memory has become more complicated with many more types
of chips, modules, and speeds to consider. This segment shows all the types of memory used in
a PC, shows their similarities and differences, and discusses the various levels of performance
they provide. Also discussed is how to select, configure, and install the best memory for a
given system.
Optical Drives (12:12). This segment shows optical drives in detail, including the various types available, how they work from a nuts-and-bolts perspective, and how they are connected to the system.
If you enjoy these video segments and want to see more, a full 6-hour version with many more segments like these is available in Scotts Upgrading and Repairing PCs Video Training Course! The video
training course packs in a total of 6 hours of live video training similar to Scotts world-renowned
4-day seminars. For more information on the Upgrading and Repairing PCs Video Training Course,
please visit www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com. If you have any comments on these videos or are
interested in an in-depth, hands-on seminar featuring all these topics and more, please contact Scott
directly via scottmueller@compuserve.com.

A Sneak Peek at My Newest Project!

Upgrading and Repairing LaptopsFor the first time ever, youll see a laptop disassembled (something
your warranty most certainly doesnt cover). This exclusive clip is taken straight from Upgrading and
Repairing Laptops, Scotts all-new book. Available Winter 2003!