Keep your laptop on top of its game! Find out how to care for your laptop, what can go wrong, and what you can fix. A laptop is much more than a PC that shrank. It has unique needs, and this book shows you how to meet them. You'll discover how to diagnose and fix common problems, replace parts, add external upgrades, and develop workarounds. You'll even get the lowdown on networks, and find out when to repair and when to replace your laptop. Discover how to: treat your laptop properly; identify common problems; know when repair may not make economic sense; install a new operating system; troubleshoot CD and DVD drives; and, add cool peripherals.

Table of Contents

Introduction. Part I: Putting a Computer in Your Lap. Chapter 1: A Field Guide to the Common Laptop. Chapter 2: How to Treat a Laptop. Part II: Explaining What Could Possibly Go Wrong. Chapter 3: Things That Go Bump in the Night (or Day). Chapter 4: When to Repair and When to Recycle. Chapter 5: Surviving Basic Training. Chapter 6: Brain Matters: Memory, Microprocessors, and BIOS. Part III: Laying Hands on the Major Parts. Chapter 7: Easing In to Hard Disks. Chapter 8: Floppy Drives: Relics and Memories. Chapter 9: Going Round and Around: CD and DVD Drives. Chapter 10: Tripping the Keyboard Fantastic. Chapter 11: Putting Your Finger on Pointing Devices. Chapter 12: Seeing the Light: LCDs and Video. Part IV: Failing to Communicate. Chapter 13: Networks, Gateways, and Routers. Chapter 14: Feeling Up in the Air. Chapter 15: Modems: The Essential Translators. Chapter 16: Breaking Out of the Box: PC Cards, USB, and FireWire. Part V: The Software Side of Life. Chapter 17: Installing a New Operating System or Migrating Upwards. Chapter 18: Adding or Removing Software, for Better or for Worse. Chapter 19: Essential Utilities for Laptop Users. Part VI: The Part of Tens. Chapter 20: Ten Quick Solutions. Chapter 21: Ten Essential Dos and Don'ts. Chapter 22: Ten of My Favorite Things. Index.

About the Author

Corey Sandler was the first executive editor of PC Magazine. The author of more than 150 books, he has appeared on local and national broadcasts, including NBC's Today Show.