BKSOUPPC.RVW 940715 SAMS Publishing 11711 N. College Ave., Suite 140 Carmel, IN 46032-5634 317-573-2500 317-581-3535 800-428-5331 800-428-3804 hayden@hayden.com haydenbks@aol.com 76350.3014@compuserve.com "Even You Can Soup Up and Fix PCs", Jones, 1993, 0-672-30343-4, U$16.95 Those who expect to be able to open a computer repair shop on the basis of this book might be in for a disappointment. On the other hand, anyone who is *not* already comfortable with taking the top off the computer--and might need to-- should get this book. In fact, I would very highly recommend this book to anyone thinking of buying a PC, even if you don't think you'll *ever* take the top off. Overall, this is an excellent guide to 80x86 based machines, along with background, components and peripherals. The text is very friendly and accessible, and explains both jargon and concepts well. Hobbyist level users will not find anything here for them, but the vast majority of home and business users will find the content pitched just right. The book is divided into three parts, roughly divided into background, major components and peripherals. Part one has chapters on PC history, where PCs fit in the range of computers, getting inside the case, and maintenance. Part two describes the CPU, memory, drives, mouse, keyboard, monitor, ports and slots. Part three looks at power devices, printers, removable storage, modems, joysticks, video and sound, CD-ROM, scanners and CPU add-ons. There are shortcomings. In taking the top off, Jones advises to turn the power off first--and to unplug the machine. Although PCs are relatively insensitive to static discharge, it is a good idea to leave the machine plugged in so that you can ground yourself while working inside. Given that "souping up" and fixing is often going to involve card swaps and chip pulling, there simply is not enough information about the insides. Generally, the graphics in the book are good, but these topics should have had a *lot* more, including photos rather than drawings. Although the power devices section stresses, correctly, that power bars do *not* give sufficient surge protection, the illustrations of surge protectors look exactly like power bars. And he says you may have to reformat the disk to clean up a virus. Nevertheless, I am very impressed, overall, with Jones' ability to present accurate information at a realistic level for the non-technical computer user. If you are interested in buying a PC, the background here can help to ensure that you get what you really want, and is well worth the price. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994 BKSOUPPC.RVW 940715 ====================== DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (Oct. '94) Springer-Verlag