PC Hacks

Description:

Intel-and AMD-powered PCs--which account for more than 90% of all personal computers--are powerful and expandable, and operating systems like Windows and Linux do a great job of running well on this hardware. But to maintain maximum stability and predictability, these operating systems don't push the hardware to its limits.

That doesn't mean you can't.

PC Hacks shows PC users like you how to get the most out of your hardware and software to make your PC experience more satisfying than ever. You don't need another collection of simple tips and command-clicks; you need PC Hacks, where you'll find proven techniques for enhancing performance and preventing problems with your PC hardware. This step-by-step, hack-by-hack guide, with invaluable tips and tricks throughout, will get you hacking the system board, CPU, BIOS, peripherals and operating system--everything but the unhackable power supply!

In PC Hacks, Jim Aspinwall, the Windows Helpdesk columnist and feature editor for CNET.COM and author of three books on PC maintenance, delivers basic to advanced hacks for overclocking CPU and video cards, tweaking RAM timing, selecting the best performing components, and much more. He includes suggestions for reusing an old PC to off-load work from newer systems as well as ways to prevent security hacks. He also offers many tips for avoiding common mistakes--and for getting the system back up and running if something does go wrong.

PC Hacks combines of the bestselling Hacks series style with the world's most popular computing hardware. Presented in a clear and direct format and covering both Windows and Linux operating systems, PC Hacks ensure that you'll hack and tweak your way to the best performance possible out of your trusty PC.

 

Credits  
Preface  
Chapter 1. Basic System Board Hacks 
       1. Lock Others Out of Your Computer  
       2. Bypass the BIOS Password  
       3. Recover a BIOS That Won't Boot  
       4. Boot Faster  
       5. Display a Boot-Time Graphic  
       6. Configure Boot Device Order  
       7. Set Your Clock Back  
       8. Avoid the Legacy USB Option  
       9. Hack an Unhackable BIOS  
       10. Upgrade Your Flash BIOS  
Chapter 2. Basic System Board Setup 
       11. Step Away from the Legacy Device  
       12. Manage Devices  
       13. Configure Serial Ports  
       14. Configure Parallel Ports  
       15. Configure Sound Cards  
       16. Configure SCSI Host Adapters  
       17. Configure Network Cards  
       18. Reeducate Plug and Play  
Chapter 3. CPU Hacks 
       19. Get More Power  
       20. Identify Your CPU  
       21. Which CPUs Are Hackable?  
       22. Which System Boards Are Hackable?  
       23. Determine Your CPU Speed  
       24. Keep It Cool  
       25. Control CPU Clock Speed from the BIOS  
       26. As Goes Voltage, So Goes Speed  
       27. Set the CPU Multiplier  
       28. Unlock Your CPU Multiplier  
       29. Check the Vents  
Chapter 4. Memory Hacks 
       30. Install More RAM  
       31. Recognize Memory Limitations  
       32. Install the RAM Your Operating System Needs  
       33. Tame the Windows 95 and 98 Cache  
       34. Manage the Paging File  
       35. Manage Windows System Resources  
       36. Force Windows 98 and Me to Swap Less  
       37. Pin the Kernel in RAM  
       38. Speed Up Your RAM  
       39. Enable Memory Interleave for Via Chipsets  
Chapter 5. Disk Hacks 
       40. Partition and Format Wisely  
       41. Determine Your Filesystem  
       42. Create a New Partition with NT, 2000, XP, and 2003  
       43. Create a New Partition with PartitionMagic  
       44. Merge Partitions with PartitionMagic  
       45. Convert FAT to NTFS  
       46. Create or Delete NTFS Partitions from the Recovery Console  
       47. Fix the Master Boot Record on FAT Partitions  
       48. Fix the Master Boot Record on NTFS Partitions  
       49. Fix the Partition Boot Sector on NTFS Partitions  
       50. Fix GRUB or LILO Boot Problems  
       51. Format Your Disk  
       52. Change Logical Drive Letters  
       53. Restore DOS Bootability  
       54. Rescue a Blown 2000 or XP Installation  
       55. Fix the Windows 95 File-Caching Bug  
       56. Avoid the Delayed-Write-Caching Blues  
       57. Detect Drive Failure Before It Happens  
Chapter 6. Disk Drive Performance Hacks 
       58. Choose the Fastest Hard Drive  
       59. Use an 80-Wire Cable  
       60. Upgrade Your IDE Interface  
       61. Kick It Up a Notch with Serial ATA  
       62. Get the Fastest IDE Driver for Intel Chipsets  
       63. Get the Fastest IDE Driver for Via Chipsets  
       64. Speed It Up with RAID  
       65. Speed Up DOS with SMARTDRV  
       66. Speed Up Windows with VCACHE  
       67. Linux's Drive Performance Booster  
Chapter 7. Video Hacks 
       68. Get off the PCI Bus  
       69. Upgrade from Built-in Video  
       70. Don't Expect Much from AGP Aperture Size  
       71. Choose the Correct AGP Mode  
       72. Overclock Your nVidia Adapter  
       73. Overclock Your ATI Radeon  
       74. Overclock Anything  
Chapter 8. I/O Device Hacks 
       75. Let Windows Tell You About I/O Card Conflicts  
       76. Break the Rules with LPT Ports  
       77. Break the Rules with COM Ports  
       78. Rewire Your COM Ports  
       79. Boost COM Port Performance  
       80. New Uses for an Old Port  
       81. Use USB for Peer-to-Peer Networking  
       82. Get the Most out of USB  
       83. Install the Driver Before You Install the Hardware  
       84. Please Continue Anyway  
Chapter 9. Boot-Up Hacks 
       85. Make a Bare Disk Bootable  
       86. Configure a Multiboot System  
       87. Multiboot with Third-Party Utilities  
       88. Speed up Operating System Installation and Maintenance  
       89. Access NTFS Files from Other Operating Systems  
       90. Give Your XP Installation Access to the Recovery Console  
       91. Hack the Windows 95/98/Me DOS Startup  
       92. Hack the MS-DOS Configuration File  
       93. Hack the MS-DOS Startup File  
       94. Hack the Windows NT/2000/XP Boot Loader  
Chapter 10. Configuring a New PC 
       95. Clone Your Hard Disk  
       96. Move Applications and Settings from One PC to Another  
       97. Protect Your PC from Viruses  
       98. Protect Your PC from Malware  
       99. Surround Yourself with a Firewall  
       100. Do Your Backups  
Index