I’ve done stupid things to my computer, things I would never admit. But I’ve also saved its life and dealt with accidental reformatting (not my fault!). Every PC is different like our fingerprints. We customize options, install applications, remove default settings and do different things to it. So, a solution may not be the same for two PCs experiencing the same problem. This means trying out various workarounds and fixes.

I rarely have trouble addressing the problems I run into with my PC. If I can’t do it, then I go to the other pro in the house whose job relates to tech support. Usually between us, the problem gets solved. On rare occasions, we call the manufacturer. Still, we find found in the book tips that we hadn’t tried. Others in our shoes might find it useful as well and if someone comes to us asking for help, we can loan them the book when we can’t assist.

Throughout the book the authors share horror stories, which are good teaching tools so you can learn the lesson from someone else’s mistake and avoid making your own. Not only are computers covered, but also PDAs, cell phones, digital cameras and scanners. This is a well-rounded book with coverage on theft, backup and recovery, viruses, spam, junkware and fraud.

[Surviving PC Disasters, Mishaps, And Blunders, continued]