Introduction | p. 1 |
Foolish Assumptions | p. 1 |
About This Book | p. 2 |
Conventions Used in This Book | p. 2 |
How This Book Is Organized | p. 3 |
Icons Used in This Book | p. 5 |
Where to Go from Here | p. 5 |
Can I Really Do This? | p. 7 |
What's in a Computer, Anyway? | p. 9 |
Anyone Can Assemble a PC | p. 10 |
PCs Are Built with Standard Parts | p. 14 |
Understanding Your Computer's Components | p. 14 |
Connecting Your Computer Components | p. 19 |
What Type of PC Should I Build? | p. 23 |
Interrogating Yourself on Your Computer Needs | p. 23 |
Answering Your Computer-Needs Questions | p. 25 |
Getting Your Hands on the Special Stuff | p. 30 |
Picking Up the Parts | p. 36 |
Building Your PC | p. 43 |
Building the Foundation: Your Case and Motherboard | p. 45 |
A Case Is Not Just a Box | p. 46 |
Your Best Friend Is Your Motherboard | p. 54 |
Grab Your Screwdriver and Install That Motherboard | p. 57 |
I Laugh at Pesky Wires! | p. 60 |
A Bag of Chips: Adding RAM and Your CPU | p. 65 |
FYI about CPUs | p. 66 |
Your Monster Needs a Brain | p. 68 |
Add RAM Until the Mixture Thickens | p. 73 |
Time to Meet Your Bus Slots | p. 76 |
Fire That Puppy Up! | p. 78 |
The Three PC Senses: Your Ports, Mouse, and Keyboard | p. 81 |
Pursuing Your Port Preferences | p. 82 |
Of Keyboards, Mice, and Men (And Women) | p. 87 |
Installing a Port Adapter Card | p. 92 |
Connecting Built-in Ports | p. 94 |
Connecting Your Keyboard and Pointing Thing | p. 95 |
Check It Once, and Check It Twice! | p. 96 |
Images 'R Us: Adding Video and Your Monitor | p. 97 |
I'm Okay, You're a Video Card | p. 98 |
Staking Out Your Visual Territory | p. 107 |
Installing a Video Adapter Card | p. 114 |
Connecting a Built-in Video Port | p. 116 |
Connecting Your Monitor | p. 116 |
Hey, I Can Finally (Kind of) Boot! | p. 117 |
Make Room! Your Hard Drive and Other Storage Devices | p. 121 |
"Be Vewy Quiet ... I'm Hunting for Hawd Dwives!" | p. 122 |
The Ancient Floppy Still Lives--and Why | p. 127 |
Don't Forget Your Controller Card | p. 128 |
Backing Up Your Data | p. 129 |
Selecting a Tape Drive | p. 130 |
Hey, You Just Removed Your Media! | p. 131 |
Connecting Your Drive Controller | p. 134 |
Installing Your EIDE Hard Drive | p. 135 |
Installing Your 31/2-inch Floppy Disk Drive | p. 137 |
Installing Your Internal Tape Backup Drive | p. 138 |
Setting Up Your PC and Configuring Your Hard Drive | p. 139 |
Formatting Your Hard Drive | p. 140 |
Adding the Fun Stuff | p. 143 |
Putting the Spin on CD-ROM and DVD | p. 145 |
Discovering the Details about CD-ROM and DVD | p. 146 |
What You Need to Know about DVD | p. 153 |
What You Need to Know about CD and DVD Recorders | p. 155 |
Installing Your EIDE CD-ROM or DVD Drive | p. 160 |
Loading Drivers and Testing Everything | p. 162 |
Let Your PC Rock! | p. 163 |
Sorting Out Sound Card Basics | p. 164 |
Uhh ... Is This Microphone On? | p. 170 |
Speaking of Speakers | p. 173 |
The Subwoofer: Big Dog of Computer Speakers | p. 175 |
Putting Together Your PC Sound System | p. 176 |
Modems and the Call of the Internet | p. 181 |
A Modem Primer for Real People | p. 182 |
Will That Be a Card or a Case? | p. 187 |
Time to Face the Fax | p. 188 |
Let Your Modem Speak! | p. 191 |
Installing an Internal Modem | p. 192 |
Connecting an External Serial Modem | p. 193 |
Connecting an External USB Modem | p. 194 |
Installing Software and Testing Your Modem | p. 195 |
Adding the Advanced Stuff | p. 197 |
Attack of the SCSI Monster | p. 199 |
Do I Really Need SCSI? | p. 200 |
Figuring Out SCSI (Or, "It Sounds So Simple!") | p. 201 |
Your SCSI Shopping List | p. 208 |
Installing Your SCSI Card | p. 210 |
Adding an Internal SCSI Device | p. 211 |
Connecting an External SCSI Device | p. 212 |
Installing Software and Testing Your SCSI Adapter | p. 213 |
Troubleshooting Your SCSI Devices | p. 214 |
So You Want to Add a LAN? | p. 215 |
Adding the Network Advantage | p. 216 |
Deciding Which Network Architecture Is Best for You | p. 218 |
Collecting What You Need for an Ethernet Network | p. 223 |
There Are Always Exceptions! | p. 227 |
Installing Your Network Interface Card | p. 230 |
Connecting a Coaxial Cable | p. 231 |
Connecting a Twisted Pair Cable | p. 232 |
Turning Things On | p. 232 |
Life in the Fast Lane with Broadband | p. 235 |
Figuring Out Whether You Need Broadband | p. 236 |
Comparing Communications Technologies | p. 237 |
Figuring Out Those Connection Charges | p. 240 |
Locating an Internet Service Provider | p. 241 |
Input and Output: Scanners, Cameras, Video Capture, and Printers | p. 243 |
The Wide, Wonderful World of Scanners | p. 244 |
Digital Camera Details | p. 251 |
Digital Video Capture: Its Time Has Come | p. 254 |
One Word: Printers, Printers, Printers! | p. 255 |
Installing a Scanner or Printer with a Parallel Port Interface | p. 260 |
Installing a Scanner, Capture Device, or Printer with a USB Connection | p. 261 |
Other Power User Play Toys | p. 263 |
Live, Via Satellite: The Internet! | p. 264 |
Reading a Pesky Macintosh Disk | p. 268 |
Conversing with Quake | p. 268 |
Even People like You and Me Need Internet Security | p. 269 |
Hey, I Can Get TV and FM Radio on My PC! | p. 270 |
Store Digital Data the Old-Fashioned Way--On Paper | p. 271 |
Backing Up to the Web | p. 273 |
Will You Move the Joystick, or Will It Move You? | p. 273 |
The Part of Tens | p. 275 |
Ten Reasons Not to Buy a Retail PC | p. 277 |
It Just Plain Costs Less to Build Your Own PC! | p. 278 |
Recycle Used and Scavenged Hardware | p. 278 |
Avoid the Monster Myth | p. 279 |
Encourage Freedom of Choice! | p. 279 |
Enjoy the Learning Experience | p. 280 |
Spare Yourself the Shipping and Repair Hassles | p. 280 |
Dodge Bundled Software Costs and Get What You Want | p. 281 |
Avoid the Computer Sales Experience | p. 281 |
Select the Brands That You Prefer | p. 282 |
Get the Full Warranty for Each Part | p. 282 |
Ten Tools and Tasks for a Power User's PC | p. 283 |
Forget Your Mouse | p. 284 |
Guard That Power Supply! | p. 284 |
Back Up, Back Up, Back Up | p. 285 |
Diagnostics Software to the Rescue | p. 286 |
Stick Your Keyboard in a Drawer! | p. 286 |
Stop the Spread of Viruses | p. 287 |
Organize Your Software | p. 288 |
Use the Power of Your Voice | p. 288 |
Everyone Needs a Good Image Editor | p. 289 |
Keep It Clean! | p. 289 |
Ten Important Assembly Tips | p. 291 |
Read the Instructions First! (Rule Number One) | p. 291 |
Build the Perfect Workspace | p. 292 |
Keep Track of UTOs (Unidentified Tiny Objects) | p. 292 |
Make Sure That You Have Everything You Need | p. 293 |
Yell for Help If Necessary | p. 293 |
Use a Magnetic Screwdriver | p. 294 |
Start Your Own Parts Box | p. 294 |
Take Your Time: The Zen of Assembly | p. 295 |
Don't Cover Up Too Quickly | p. 295 |
The Cable Rule: Check and Double-Check | p. 296 |
Ten Ways to Speed Up Your PC | p. 297 |
Defragment Your Hard Drive | p. 297 |
Get SCSI (Speed Demons Love SCSI) | p. 298 |
Install More RAM | p. 298 |
Crank Up the CPU Steam | p. 298 |
Keep Your Backgrounds Plain | p. 299 |
Install a Fast CD-ROM or DVD Drive | p. 299 |
Remove Resident Programs | p. 300 |
Accelerate Windows with Your Video Card | p. 301 |
Use a Native File System | p. 301 |
Don't Forget That Turbo Button! | p. 302 |
Ten Things to Avoid Like the Plague | p. 303 |
It's "Refurbished" for a Reason | p. 304 |
Looking for an Antique? Buy a Pentium II CPU | p. 304 |
Never Depend on Floppies | p. 305 |
Help Stamp Out Unnecessary Passwords! | p. 306 |
Honor Thy Friend's Copyright | p. 306 |
Your PC Is Not a Kindergarten | p. 306 |
Don't Jump on the Pirate Ship | p. 307 |
Keep Out of Monitors and Power Supplies | p. 307 |
Don't Lease a PC for the Long Haul | p. 308 |
Keep Track of Version Numbers | p. 308 |
Appendixes | p. 309 |
Choosing Your Operating System | p. 311 |
Become Your Own Consultant! | p. 311 |
"But, Wait--I Collect Operating Systems!" | p. 313 |
DOS: The Old Workhorse Lives On | p. 314 |
OS/2 Warp: The Original 32-Bit Wonder | p. 315 |
Windows 95/98/Me: Thanks for the Memories | p. 317 |
Windows 2000: Microsoft's First String | p. 317 |
Windows XP: The King of the Hill | p. 319 |
Linux: It's Not Just for Techno-nerds! | p. 322 |
Before You Install Your Operating System | p. 324 |
Glossary | p. 327 |
Index | p. 341 |
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