| Introduction |
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1 | (4) |
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2 | (1) |
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Who Should Read This Book? |
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3 | (1) |
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Conventions Used in This Book |
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3 | (2) |
| I PC Maintenance |
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5 | (20) |
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6 | (10) |
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Dust: Your PC's Worst Nightmare |
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6 | (1) |
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Cleaning the Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse |
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7 | (1) |
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Cleaning the Front and Back of the PC |
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8 | (3) |
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Cleaning the Power Supply |
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11 | (2) |
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13 | (3) |
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16 | (1) |
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Dealing with Hard Disk Errors |
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17 | (8) |
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Understanding Hard Drive Health States |
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19 | (2) |
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Repairing a Drive Manually |
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21 | (4) |
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25 | (16) |
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Deleting Unnecessary Files |
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26 | (1) |
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Defragmenting Your Hard Disk |
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27 | (2) |
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Repairing, Updating, and Uninstalling Programs |
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29 | (4) |
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Repairing a Software Installation |
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29 | (1) |
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30 | (2) |
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Uninstalling Windows 8 Apps |
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32 | (1) |
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Uninstalling Desktop Programs |
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32 | (1) |
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Checking for Windows Updates |
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33 | (3) |
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Configuring Automatic Updates |
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33 | (2) |
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Checking for and Installing Updates Manually |
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35 | (1) |
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36 | (3) |
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Installing Plug and Play Devices |
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37 | (1) |
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Using Action Center to Complete a Device Install |
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38 | (1) |
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39 | (2) |
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41 | (20) |
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42 | (9) |
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Backing Up File Versions with Windows 8's File History : |
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42 | (2) |
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Backing Up Files in Windows 7 |
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44 | (2) |
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Backing Up Files in Windows Vista |
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46 | (2) |
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Backing Up Files in Windows XP |
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48 | (3) |
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Setting System Restore Points |
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51 | (2) |
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Creating a Windows 8 Recovery Drive |
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53 | (2) |
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Creating a System Image Backup |
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55 | (3) |
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Creating a System Repair Disc |
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58 | (3) |
| II Troubleshooting and Repair |
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4 Understanding Basic Troubleshooting |
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61 | (10) |
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Determining the Source of a Problem |
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62 | (2) |
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Did You Get an Error Message? |
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62 | (1) |
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Did You Recently Change Any Windows Settings? |
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62 | (1) |
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Did You Recently Change Any Application Settings? |
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63 | (1) |
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Did You Recently Install a New Program? |
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63 | (1) |
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Did You Recently Install a New Device or Update a Driver? |
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64 | (1) |
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General Troubleshooting Tips |
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64 | (1) |
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64 | (1) |
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More Troubleshooting Tools |
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65 | (6) |
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Running the Windows Troubleshooters |
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66 | (1) |
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Running the Memory Diagnostics Tool |
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67 | (2) |
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Checking for Solutions to Problems |
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69 | (2) |
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5 Troubleshooting Device Problems |
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71 | (10) |
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Troubleshooting with Device Manager |
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72 | (2) |
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Troubleshooting Device Driver Problems |
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74 | (7) |
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Basic Device Driver Troubleshooting |
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74 | (2) |
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Tips for Downloading Device Drivers |
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76 | (1) |
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77 | (1) |
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Rolling Back a Device Driver |
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77 | (4) |
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6 Recovering from Problems |
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81 | (22) |
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82 | (7) |
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Restoring a Previous Version of a File in Windows 8 |
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82 | (2) |
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Restoring a Backed-Up File in Windows 7 |
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84 | (2) |
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Restoring a Backed-Up File in Windows Vista |
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86 | (2) |
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Restoring a Backed-Up File in Windows XP |
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88 | (1) |
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Accessing the Windows 8 Recovery Environment |
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89 | (5) |
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Accessing the RE via PC Settings |
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89 | (1) |
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Accessing the RE via a Recovery Drive |
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90 | (1) |
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Accessing the RE via Windows 8 Install Media |
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91 | (1) |
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Navigating the Recovery Environment |
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91 | (3) |
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94 | (1) |
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Recovering Using System Restore |
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95 | (2) |
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Refreshing Your Windows 8 PC |
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97 | (1) |
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Resetting Your Windows 8 PC |
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98 | (1) |
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Restoring a Windows 8 System Image |
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99 | (4) |
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7 Troubleshooting Your Network |
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103 | (14) |
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Repairing a Network Connection |
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104 | (1) |
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Checking the Connection Status |
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104 | (2) |
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Checking Connectivity with the PING Command |
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106 | (1) |
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General Solutions to Network Problems |
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107 | (6) |
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Turning On Network Discovery |
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109 | (2) |
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Updating the Router Firmware |
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111 | (2) |
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113 | (1) |
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Troubleshooting Wireless Network Problems |
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114 | (3) |
| III PC Upgrades |
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117 | (22) |
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118 | (3) |
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Setting Up Your Work Area I |
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121 | (1) |
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122 | (3) |
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123 | (1) |
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Keeping Your Components Safe |
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124 | (1) |
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Opening the Computer Case |
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125 | (2) |
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127 | (4) |
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Working with Expansion Cards |
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131 | (8) |
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Understanding Expansion Slot Types |
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132 | (3) |
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Installing an Expansion Card |
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135 | (4) |
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139 | (16) |
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140 | (5) |
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Checking Out Product Reviews |
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140 | (3) |
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Performing Price Comparisons |
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143 | (2) |
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Researching Retailers Online |
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145 | (2) |
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147 | (2) |
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149 | (2) |
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151 | (4) |
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10 Replacing the Power Supply |
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155 | (12) |
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Getting to Know the Power Supply |
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156 | (2) |
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158 | (2) |
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Removing the Old Power Supply |
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160 | (2) |
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Installing a New Power Supply |
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162 | (5) |
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11 Upgrading the Hard Drive |
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167 | (18) |
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168 | (1) |
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Understanding Hard Drive Specs |
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169 | (8) |
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The Hard Drive Interface and Throughput |
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170 | (6) |
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The Hard Drive Form Factor |
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176 | (1) |
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177 | (1) |
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177 | (1) |
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Removing the Old Hard Drive |
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178 | (3) |
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Installing a New Hard Drive |
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181 | (1) |
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182 | (3) |
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12 Upgrading Your CD or DVD Drive |
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185 | (10) |
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Choosing a CD or DVD Drive |
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186 | (3) |
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Understanding Disc Capacities |
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186 | (1) |
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Getting to Know Drive Types |
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187 | (1) |
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Understanding Drive Speeds |
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188 | (1) |
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189 | (1) |
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Removing the Existing CD or DVD Drive |
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190 | (3) |
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Installing the New CD or DVD Drive |
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193 | (2) |
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195 | (16) |
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Understanding Memory Specs |
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196 | (2) |
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The Memory Module Standard |
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197 | (1) |
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The Memory Type and Speed |
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197 | (1) |
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The Memory Module Capacity |
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198 | (1) |
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Determining How Much Memory Is Installed |
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198 | (1) |
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Determining What Type of Memory Is Installed |
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199 | (3) |
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Determining How Much Memory You Need |
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202 | (3) |
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205 | (1) |
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Pulling Out the Old Memory Modules |
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205 | (2) |
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Installing the New Memory Modules |
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207 | (4) |
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14 Updating the Video Card and Monitor |
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211 | (22) |
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Assessing Your Video Card Needs |
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212 | (3) |
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Understanding Video Card Specs |
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215 | (6) |
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216 | (1) |
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217 | (1) |
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218 | (3) |
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221 | (2) |
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223 | (2) |
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Setting Up a Multimonitor System |
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225 | (8) |
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Setting Up Multiple Monitors on Windows 8 |
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225 | (2) |
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Setting Up Multiple Monitors in Windows 7 |
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227 | (1) |
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Setting Up Multiple Monitors in Windows Vista or XP |
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228 | (1) |
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Moving Up to Three Monitors |
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229 | (4) |
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15 Improving the Sound System |
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233 | (16) |
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234 | (2) |
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Analog-to-Digital Sound Conversion |
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234 | (1) |
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234 | (1) |
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How an Analog Sound Wave Gets Digitized |
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235 | (1) |
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Understanding Sound Card Specs |
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236 | (6) |
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237 | (1) |
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238 | (2) |
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240 | (1) |
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241 | (1) |
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242 | (3) |
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Connecting Speakers or Headphones |
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245 | (4) |
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249 | (26) |
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Understanding What the CPU Does |
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250 | (1) |
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250 | (1) |
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251 | (8) |
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252 | (1) |
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253 | (1) |
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254 | (1) |
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The Processor Clock Speed |
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255 | (1) |
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256 | (2) |
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258 | (1) |
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The Processor Manufacturing Process |
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258 | (1) |
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259 | (1) |
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Keeping It Cool: Fans and Heatsinks |
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259 | (4) |
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263 | (2) |
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265 | (2) |
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267 | (8) |
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Installing an Intel CPU in a Socket 1155 Board |
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268 | (2) |
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Installing an AMD CPU in a Socket AM3 Board |
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270 | (1) |
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Installing the CPU Cooler |
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271 | (4) |
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17 Changing the Laptop Battery |
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275 | (10) |
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Understanding Laptop Batteries |
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276 | (1) |
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Getting More Out of Your Battery |
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276 | (3) |
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Extending Your Battery's Life |
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276 | (1) |
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Extending Your Battery's Charge |
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277 | (2) |
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When Should You Replace the Battery? |
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279 | (1) |
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280 | (1) |
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281 | (4) |
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18 Upgrading Your Network |
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285 | (12) |
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Understanding Wireless Networks |
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286 | (3) |
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287 | (1) |
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287 | (1) |
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287 | (1) |
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288 | (1) |
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288 | (1) |
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Learning About Wireless NICs |
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289 | (2) |
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Putting It All Together with a Wireless Router |
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291 | (2) |
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A Buyer's Guide to Wireless Networking Hardware |
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293 | (4) |
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Purchasing a Wireless NIC |
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293 | (2) |
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Purchasing a Wireless Router |
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295 | (2) |
| Index |
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