PC Hacks

Rating:
Summary: Getting down to the bare bones...
Review: A lot of books on the market take you through the inner-workings of Windows, Linux, [insert favorite OS here]. However, there are very few out there that go deep inside the PC itself and get down to the hardware level. In "PC Hacks", the author takes us inside the PC to look at what can be done at the hardware level to tweak system performance and stability.

First off, this book is not for the novice user. If you are not willing to "risk a little" then you should not attempt the hacks set forth in the book. Many of them, if not performed precisely, can cause serious damage to your system -- some could even cause permanent hardware damage (such as overclocking your CPU). However, for those who are brave -- the rewards and adventure that await are well worth it.

Covering topics such as upgrading your power supply, changing CPU voltage (overclocking), moving and changing disk partitions, even overclocking your video card (that was even a new one for me!) will have most dedicated PC geek up to all hours trying out different settings and tweaks.

Even if you aren't ready to start messing with the voltage, the book provides a good handbook on topics such as "Why should I worry if my paging (virtual memory) file is fragmented?" and "Do I need to upgrade by BIOS?" that even middle-of-the-road users might fight well worth reading up on. There are a number of items that the author talks about that are merely informational, but could really come in handy the next time your system decides to stop functioning the moment you need it to the most.

For those "old timers" out there, this book comes close to the old Norton books of the mid 1980's that explained what went on under the hood of early PC's. For the younger users, it is a terrific way to explore the true "hobbyist" side of computing and tweaking a system much like a car enthusiast tunes his engine.

Rating:
Summary: overclocking safely done
Review: Aspinwall takes you on an exploration of a PC that some users never venture into. His hacks tend to be hardware oriented. But there is one hack that is very well known in many computer books. Though it is usually so effective in improving system performance that he probably felt it prudent to include in this book. Namely, adding more RAM. Simple and cheap to do.

The other hacks are more involved. Overclocking is heavily discussed. With warnings to install adequate cooling. Intel and AMD are leery of encouraging overclocking. Possibly because you might melt your computer doing so. Liability considerations. But if you carefully follow the author's guidelines, you should do fine.

Of the software hacks, there are somewhat more that relate to the Microsoft operating systems, than to linux. Fans of the latter might grumble, but it's a fair assessment by the author of the market realities.

Rating:
Summary: Playtime for hardware and OS junkies...
Review: Do you like to play around in your PC's BIOS settings? Do you run your computer without a cover so you can mess around with the hardware inside? If so, you'll like PC Hacks by Jim Aspinwall (O'Reilly).

Chapter List: Basic System Board Hacks; Basic System Board Setup; CPU Hacks; Memory Hacks; Disk Hacks; Disk Drive Performance Hacks; Video Hacks; I/O Device Hacks; Boot-Up Hacks; Configuring A New PC; Index

As you can tell from the list of chapters, there's a heavy emphasis on hacks that involve tweaking hardware settings or upgrading core components. Many of the hacks have performance in mind, like Boot Faster (#4) or Speed It Up With RAID (#64). Other hacks allow you to use little known Windows tools to set system options, like Let Windows Tell You About I/O Card Conflicts (#75) and Convert FAT to NTFS (#45). If you're into overclocking your PC devices, you'll have a great time here as the author covers everything from overclocking CPUs to video cards. He also warns that it's possible to completely toast your machine if you push the limits too far, so these things might not be the best tricks to mess with on a critical PC. I'd suggest getting a second-hand machine that you can destroy (if it comes to that), and see what you can do by following the tips in this book.

As with all Hacks books, there are 100 tips to play with. Some may not apply to you, and others may be worth the purchase price of the book by themselves. But that's part of the fun with the Hacks series. If you don't like the one you just read, keep going. The next one may solve a problem you've been struggling with for years.

A very good book for those who want to eke out every last drop of performance from their system, or for those who are more interested in how the operating system works instead of just running applications.

Rating:
Summary: Overclocking CPU (Hack 21) at your own risk
Review: Overclocking CPU (Hack 21) is not as easy as adding more memory or upgrading the hard disk. If you have nothing to lose, you might think about overclocking the CPU. Manufacturers may not honor the warranty on an overclocked CPU. The modifications may also void the warranty on the motherboard and other components (such as video card & hard drives).
To increase performance of your PC: I would first try to add more memory (Hack 30), and then try to replace the hard disk with a faster (& larger) one (Hack 58).

Rating:
Summary: OK book, but lacking in content
Review: The title of this book should be "Windows PC Hacks" since 99% of the hacks are Windows based. If you no longer use Microsoft products (like me), this is not a very good book for you.

If you are no longer new to PCs and want to know a little more about the inner workings of your PC, you will probably enjoy this book.

If you've built several PCs already, you already know 90% of what's in this book and won't care about the other 10%.

Rating:
Summary: A book for anyone
Review: This book contains a vast amount of information that is really useful to anyone at any skill level. The tips and hacks are explained so that even a novice could utilize them. As well, along with the basic troubleshooting techniques covered by the book there are more advanced guides to doing anything from formatting a hard drive to trouble shooting a boot sector failure.

PC Hacks is a book that I recommend everyone add to their PC troubleshooting library.

Rating:
Summary: Basic PC Hardware Maintenance and Customization
Review: This book is more basic than the other hacks book. While the others cover offbeat issues around a topic this one offers straightforward solutions to every day problems. These including flashing your BIOS, adding more RAM or more power, dual booting and managing partitions. There are a few advanced topics thrown in, like overclocking and hacking startup performance.

This distinction is relevant because I fear some buyers may not buy the book because the Hacks books are generally geared towards professionals. Not so in this case. I think this book is a practical purchase for anyone looking for DIY maintenance on a PC.

If you are looking to build a new PC then be sure to check out O'Reilly's "Building the Perfect PC".

Rating:
Summary: 100 Hacks to Make PCs Do What You Want
Review: This is a fascinating book that is filled with 100 clever, important hacks for today's modern PCs. More, better, faster, cheaper, easier, cooler, safer: All these and more capture our desire to understand and get the most out of our investment in PCs. From making a PC boot faster, to improving its reliability, to using multiple operating systems, to being able to recover quickly when something goes wrong, the PC hacks in this book will improve your PC experience and make you a lot more computer-savvy.

You can read the book from cover to cover, but each hack stands on its own, so you can also browse and go to the different sections that most interest you. If there is a prerequisite you need to know about, a cross-reference will guide to the right hack.

Since you will be hacking your PC, you are seriously encouraged to for follow three basic tenets of PC ownership: Back Up, Back Up, and Back Up. While the hacks are not intentionally designed to harm a PC system, life with a PC is not a matter of if your system will crash, but when.

Pay careful attention to the details and precautions for each hack. Not all hacks will work with all PCs or installed hardware. After you have done your backup, it will be to your benefit to gather all your manuals and driver disks or visit the web sites for your PC and peripheral vendors to get current documentation and drivers.

If your PC or any of its components are under manufacturer's warranty, you should think twice or three times about the impacting of hacking on it. If a hack could void your warranty, you will probably want to wait until the warranty expires, before trying it.