The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide

I have so far bought two editions of this book, the 7th and the 2003 edition. Both books were and are very helpful in the areas that I need them for. A beginner can't ask for a better book to learn about computers, than this line of books. I have no complaints about Marks books, because a person who isn't a computer technician or an IT professional wouldn't want anything that's extremely complicated to start learning about their computer. Marks' books teach you in a way that they not only capture your interest they give excellent examples of the subject at hand. I will continue to buy his books because when I needed help, when I first started out dubbing into computers'and information on how to upgrade and repair them his book at the time was the best information for what I wanted and needed. Any one who's in a more advanced stage of computer repair, would go for the expert information without the Laymens terms. That type of book would defeat the purpose for a beginner or intermediate student. I feel that Mark did exactly what he set out to do, and that was to allow the reader to come away with more information than they started with, each time they read and study his books without feeling intimidated. And that is exactly what his books does. Not to mention the extras' on the CDs', which I thought to be very considerate of him to include them!

.. I felt I should counter the gloomy write-ups I've found here. One frequent complaint is that there's too much old info. Hmm ... how does this aspect ("current-ness") compare with other books on the same subject? i.e. how quickly can the writers/publishers of computer books include current facts and get their books to market before those facts are outdated?In '98, I'd bought the text by Michael Meyers (and bought the Minasi one a year or two later). I remember Michael Meyers saying that it was necessary (or at least useful) to know how PCs came to be the way they are today .. what bits & pieces in them they once had, and how those have been improved to make for a more & more capable PC. Other texts on PC Hardware also see fit to start out with such a development time-line. If complaints about the oldness of the info go beyond the need for a historical base, then I offer no defense. No doubt, the smart buyer will browse & compare with other books.But be sure to note Mark Minasi's easy writing style. It makes for relaxed (if not enjoyable) reading, without short-changing on some really usable stuff you might learn. And one good answer to the outdated info we tend to find in even the latest computer texts is to subscribe to a good magazine.

Initially, I bought this book because of my new position at work. But, as I read more and more of it, I felt more confident about working with a computer's insides, and also about the prospect of building my own 'puter. And I finally did just that; built a Pentium II system. For the most part, it went very smooth, thanks to the wealth of information Mark Minasi provides (knowing how to connect certain cables and finding the #1 pin has made this operation less worrisome). The only negative, was the lack of info. on newer hardware such as the LS-120 drive or AGP, but hey, there's nothing one can do about that. Overall, this is a fine book, to get you from passive user, to "I built my own 'puter" :)

Minasi's writing style is relaxed and fun. This comes about when someone has depth of knowledge on a particular subject and is comfortable with it. The book covers all the areas dealing with PC repair and goes into considerable detail on hard drives. Well worth the investment. Two gnarly thumbs up.

I find most books boring and tedious, so I don't read much, but this book was actually fascinating to me. I read it for hours at a time and the amazing thing is it's a technical book. If you didn't know better you'd think you weren't reading anything technical at all. It's even funny at times. I now use it as my PC bible. I recomend it to anyone who doesn't want to work at learning something useful. -Sen