Description: Introduction. How This Book Is Organized. Conventions Used in This Book. Menu Commands. Shortcut Key Combinations. Other Commands. Web Page Addresses. Special Elements. Let Me Know What You Think. I. BEFORE YOU UPGRADE. 1. Hardware Basics for the Absolute Beginner. Getting to Know Your Personal Computer System. Your PC's System Unit-The Mother Ship. Inside the Case. Microprocessors: The Main Engine. Computer Memory: Temporary Storage. Hard Disk Drives: Long-Term Storage. Diskette Drives: Portable Storage. CD Drives: Storage on a Disc. DVD Drives: Even More Storage on a Disc. Keyboards: Fingertip Input. Mice: Point-and-Click Input Devices. Video Cards and Monitors: Getting the Picture. Sound Cards and Speakers: Making Noise. Modems: Getting Connected. Network Devices: Sharing Files and Peripherals. Printers: Making Hard Copies. The Operating System: Windows to the World of Computing. Understanding the Startup Process. 2. Preparing Your System for an Upgrade. To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade-That Is the Question. What to Upgrade. Before You Upgrade. Pre-Upgrade Checklist. Assembling an Upgrade Toolkit. Creating a System Hardware Report with Device Manager. Print a More Detailed Report with Microsoft System Information. Backing Up Your Data. Setting a System Restore Point. An Upgrade Roadmap. Upgrading from the Outside. Upgrading from the Inside. Using the Windows Add Hardware Wizard. Configuring System Settings. What to Do if the Upgrade Goes Wrong. II. ESSENTIAL HARDWARE UPGRADES. 3. Ports Ahoy: Upgrading System Inputs. What Ports Can You Add? Buying a Port Expansion Card. Upgrade #1: Adding a New Port Card. Upgrade #2: Adding an External USB Hub. Upgrade #3: Adding Ports to a Portable PC. 4. Bigger Is Better: Upgrading System Storage. Understanding Hard Disk Drives. Understanding Hard Drive Specs. Disk Drive Manufacturers. Upgrade #1: Adding an External Hard Drive. Upgrade #2: Adding a Second Internal Hard Drive. Installing the Drive. Partitioning and Formatting with Windows XP. Partitioning and Formatting Pre-Windows XP. Upgrade #3: Replacing Your Existing Hard Drive. Upgrade #4: Adding an Internal Floppy or Zip Drive. Upgrade #5: Adding a Memory Card Reader. Understanding Flash Memory Storage. Installing a Memory Card Reader. An Alternate Type of Flash Memory: USB Drives. 5. Optical Tricks: Upgrading CD and DVD Drives. Understanding Optical Storage. CD Formats. DVD Formats. Shopping for a CD or DVD Drive. CD and DVD Drive Manufacturers. Upgrade #1: Adding an External CD or DVD Drive. Upgrade #2: Adding an Internal CD or DVD Drive. 6. You Must Remember This: Upgrading System Memory. Understanding Computer Memory. Types of RAM Modules. Types of Memory Chips. Specifying Memory. Memory Manufacturers.

Please Wait