Author of Upgrading and Fixing Computers For Dummies eBook

Andy Rathbone started geeking around with computers in 1985 when he bought a boxy CP/M Kaypro 2X with lime-green letters.

Like other budding nerds, he soon began playing with null-modem adapters, dialing up computer bulletin boards, and working part-time at RadioShack.

In 1992, Andy and DOS For Dummies author/legend Dan Gookin teamed up to write PCs For Dummies.

Andy subsequently wrote the award-winning Windows For Dummies series, TiVo For Dummies, and many other For Dummies books.

Today, he has more than 15 million copies of his books in print, which have been translated into more than 30 languages.

Upgrading and Fixing Computers Contents

Part I: Getting Ready to Upgrade 

• Chapter 1: Start Here First
• Chapter 2: Assembling Your Tools 

Part II: Making Your Computer Work Better 

• Chapter 3: Keyboards, Mice, Game Controllers, and Monitors 
• Chapter 4: Printers and Scanners 
• Chapter 5: Adding More Memory 
• Chapter 6: Adding or Replacing a Hard Drive 
• Chapter 7: Adding a DVD Drive 
• Chapter 8: Fine-Tuning Your Computer’s Sound 
• Chapter 9: Beefing Up Your Computer’s Video Card 
• Chapter 10: Replacing the Power Supply or Laptop Battery 

Part III: Teaching an Old Computer New Tricks 

• Chapter 11: Creating a Home Theater with Windows 7’s Media Center 
• Chapter 12: Upgrading a Computer for Editing Movies 
• Chapter 13: Repurposing an Old Computer 

Part IV: Communications

• Chapter 14: Adding or Replacing a Modem 
• Chapter 15: Linking Computers with a Network 
• Chapter 16: Filtering Out Evil with Firewalls 

Part V: Introducing Parts to Windows

• Chapter 17: Hiring the Right Driver for Windows 
• Chapter 18: Installing or Upgrading to Windows 7
• Chapter 19: Troubleshooting and Fixing Windows 7 
• Chapter 20: Moving from the Old Computer to the New Computer 

Part VI: The Part of Tens

• Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Find Help Online 
• Chapter 22: Ten Cheap Fixes to Try First

Introduction to Upgrading and Fixing Computers For Dummies PDF

You’re no dummy; we both know that. But something about computers often makes you feel like a dummy. And that’s perfectly understandable.

Unlike today’s kids, you probably didn’t grow up with a computer in your kindergarten class, car, or in your back pocket. With this book, you’ll no longer feel uncomfortable when you’re faced with a computer that refuses to work the way it should.

This book doesn’t help you replace your computer’s motherboard or build a PC from scratch using custom-selected parts.

Plenty of more advanced titles out there can help you with those chores. No, this book helps you with the types of upgrade and repair tasks that you’re most likely to encounter today: Upgrading an older PC to run Windows 7, for instance, and making sure that everything works correctly.

Adding a larger hard drive. Upgrading that video card to satisfy the needs of Windows 7 or a new computer game. Making sure your PC’s firewall is turned on and working correctly.

Turning on the security option for your wireless network. And saving money by replacing your PC’s broken parts rather than replacing the entire computer.

Simply put, this book discusses the most common upgrading and repair problems facing computer users today. It explains how to choose the right part to purchase, where to buy it, how to install it, and how to make sure that your computer knows how to put it to work.

About Upgrading and Fixing Computers For Dummies PDF Book

Welcome to Upgrading and Fixing Computers Do-It-Yourself For Dummies. Aimed at people who want to upgrade to Windows 7 or prepare their computers for the latest technology, this book walks you through several tasks:

✓ Step-by-step tasks walk you through installation and repair chores, with a photo or illustration at almost every step.

✓ A new emphasis on how to find and choose the right part for your computer.

✓ An updated visual appendix that explains how to recognize all the ports on your computer and add any ports you may need.

✓ A network installation guide in Chapter 15 helps you configure a network with both wired and wireless devices.

✓ Chapter 18 provides details on installing or upgrading to Windows 7 — even onto a newly upgraded hard drive.

✓ Computer parts need drivers — special software that helps Windows understand how to talk with them.

Without a proper driver, Windows 7 can’t talk to some parts of your computer. Chapter 17 explains when you need new drivers, where to find them, and how to install them successfully 

✓ Windows 7’s Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate editions let you record TV shows onto your PC for later viewing or burning to DVD. The catch? Your PC needs a TV tuner, a device I explain how to buy and install in Chapter 11. 

✓ Now that Windows can record TV shows, a DVD burner comes in particularly handy for saving your movies.

I explain how to buy and install both DVD and Blu-ray drives in Chapter 7. (As a bonus, you can back up your files onto blank DVDs for safekeeping.)

Plus, this edition continues to include the information that hundreds of thousands of people have relied on for 17 years: information about upgrading and fixing video cards, hard drives, CD/DVD drives, memory chips, monitors, modems, printers, scanners, hard drives, and other popular computer parts.

Where to Start

Jump in anywhere. Each chapter is a self-contained nugget of information, keeping you from flipping back and forth between different sections.

Chapters start by introducing each new upgrade and offering tips on buying the right computer parts. A step-by-step installation guide follows, complete with screenshots, illustrations, and/or photographs to keep you on track.

Download Upgrading and Fixing Computers For Dummies Do-It-Yourself in PDF Format For Free.