Build, Upgrade, And Repair Your Computer : Revised And Updated Edition

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference for someone new to building
Review: Although a revised edition would be a big help, this book walks you through many of the upgrades a home user could accomplish by themselves. I built my first home PC (an AMD K6-II 350 system) with the use of this book and found it to be exteremly helpful. Up and running with a license to learn. I've gone on to building several more for family and friends and all are still running well. A good all around reference.

Rating:
Summary: This book saved my life!
Review: Here I was, a woman who 2 years ago didn't know how to turn a computer on let alone know how they worked. After taking classes and getting just a little bit brave, I decided to buy. A friend, male, suggested I build my own. Ha! I'll show him. I happened on "Build Upgrade Repair Your Computer" and away I went. I have now successfully built a total of 6 computers. The step by step pictures helped as much as the easy to read, and understand, instructions. I color- tabbed the pages and loaned my copy to many friends who in turn purchased their own copies. Alas, the last person to borrow my copy has lost it. I am replacing my dog-eared friend with a new copy. Thank you Mr. Harris for bringing this over 50 female into the wonderful world of computers.

Rating:
Summary: Now in a newly revised and fully updated edition
Review: Now in a newly revised and fully updated edition, Build, Upgrade, And Repair Your Computer by do-it-yourself computer hardware experts Mike and Tony Harris is a useful and "user friendly" instructional guide to purchasing and assembling the hardware necessary to personally building a computer tailored to suit particular and individual needs. Individual chapters articulately address learning the basics of computer jargon, choosing the best software and hardware, precise and specific manipulations with screwdrivers, troubleshooting, and a great deal more. Build, Upgrade, And Repair Your Computer is very highly recommended, especially for the upbeat, take-control, self-reliant, computer enthusiast.

Rating:
Summary: Experience Necessary...LOTS
Review: The problem with very knowledgeable authors is that they fail to see things from a broader perspective, and they have no idea that what they know is quite a lot. This is a very inadequate book for the new PC builder. The first chapter titled "Computer Talk" explains terms to people who already know a good deal of it, and it just explains the slang terms or buzz words. One should already know DOS, for example. The book WILL get you to put a PC together, BUT will leave you on a deserted island when for example you have a dead or defective component somewhere. What will you do when you have to flash your BIOS? What's that? It does not tell you half of what to do when you have a problem after turning it on! Who do you call for tech support? After paying for tech support, you will have easily spent more than the price of a prebuilt PC. Experience is necessary before opening this book. It is a prerequisite. Maybe I'll write a book for the regular person if and when I REALLY learn how to build & upgrade my PC. But it won't be from this book.