Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

resource-full book, but little for the average computer user

Do you know how to get to Mouse Properties in the control panel without instructions? If not, then you might not be able to follow half the material in this book.

Examples of Annoyances addressed in this book:
"I replaced my CMOS backup battery just a few months ago, but I still see occasional CMOS battery errors..."
"I updated my BIOS and need to clear the CMOS RAM, but my motherboard lacks the proper jumper..."
"I want to overclock my PC..."
"Will my system crash if two PCI devices share the same IRQ line?"
"I tried to install DDR333 DIMMs along with my existing DDR400 DIMMs... I thought the modules were compatible..."
"I ran the System File Checker for Windows XP and got a DLL cache error."

There are a few easier topics that an average computer user like me can find useful and understandable ("My CD-RW drive refuses to eject my audio CD."), but the examples above are typical of the difficulty level of the content.

I'm a big fan of the Annoyances series, and this is a book meant for those who are keenly interested in computers, so I'll make sure to go back and read it after I've accumulated more knowledge. In the meantime, it'll serve as a standby reference to consult if a particular hardware problem comes up.

Awesome
This is one of the most useful books I have ever bought.I had three particular problems in mind, and I wasn't buying this book specifically for them; it was more for reference.But I opened it up and it had clear, concise, and easy instructions for doing what I needed- much better than the information I had gotten through hours of internet searches into the problems.

This is a must own for any PC owner, ESPECIALLY if you have Windows.

Interesting resource for hardware hackers
I liked this book, but that's easy because it's a topic that interests me. If hardware hacking is something that you enjoy you will probably find a lot to like in this book. Because in general it's all about the tips and tricks.

That being said this book, like all of the Annoyances books, is not a complete reference. You won't find the list of PC cards, but you will find tips on how to fix flaky USB connections and the like.

A great book to have around "just in case"...
O'Reilly has a series of Annoyances books on the market, and I recently had a chance to review the PC Hardware Annoyances book by Stephen J. Bigelow.It's a really good book with an enormous number of tips and tricks to fix misbehaving computer components.

Chapter List:
Desktop Annoyances: Setup Annoyances; Keyboard Annoyances; Mouse Annoyances; Startup Annoyances; BIOS/CMOS Annoyances; Memory Annoyances; Processor Annoyances; Card and Port Annoyances; Maintenance Annoyances
Laptop/PDA Annoyances: Setup/Startup Annoyances; Battery Annoyances; LCD Annoyances; PC Card Annoyances; PDA Annoyances; Maintenance Annoyances
Graphic Annoyances: Configuration Annoyances; Driver Annoyances; Upgrade Annoyances; Desktop Annoyances; Monitor Annoyances; 3D Annoyances; Video Capture/Playback Annoyances; Player Software Annoyances
Sound Annoyances: Configuration Annoyances; Setup Annoyances; Speaker Annoyances; CD Audio Annoyances; Music Player Annoyances
Hard Drive Annoyances: Configuration Annoyances; Performance Annoyances; Maintenance Annoyances; Backup and Restore Annoyances
CD/DVD Drive Annoyances: Configuration Annoyances; Performance Annoyances; Playback Annoyances; Recording Annoyances; Rewriting Annoyances; Burning Software Annoyances; DVD Player Annoyances
Network Annoyances: Configuration Annoyances; Modem Annoyances; Cable Annoyances; DSL Annoyances; Wireless Networking Annoyances; General Networking Annoyances; Printer and File Sharing Annoyances; Firewall Annoyances
Printer and Scanner Annoyances: Setup Annoyances; Performance Annoyances; Maintenance Annoyances; Color Printer Annoyances; Paper Annoyances; Scanner Annoyances
Index

As you can see, Bigelow covers a lot of ground in the book.I almost view this as a combination between a Hacks book and a compilation of questions asked by readers.And in fact, the compilation angle is pretty accurate.O'Reilly solicits annoyances from a number of sources, and these submissions make up a large part of what the author writes about.The questions can range anywhere from pretty basic ("my cursor skips all over the screen, and the mouse doesn't seem to be controlling it very well") to pretty advanced ("I get an HPF9XDR0 error whenever I try to print to my HP printer"), and Bigelow covers all of them with complete and often humorous information.In between the annoyance/fix entries, you will find a number of warnings, tips, and tools that will make your interactions with your hardware much more error-free.

The "bad" thing about a book like this is that *your* particular annoyance may not be covered.Unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do about that.But the breath of questions covered should give you some insights that can be applied to your problem if it isn't answered directly.This is a book you probably want to have around your bookshelf "just in case" something goes wrong.Very well done. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Computer Security Update, published by Worldwide Videotex on April 1, 2002. The length of the article is 574 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: EASY-TO-USE INTRUSION SCANNER ELIMINATES TROJANS.(Product Announcement)
Publication: Computer Security Update (Newsletter)
Date: April 1, 2002
Publisher: Worldwide Videotex
Volume: 3Issue: 4Page: NA

Article Type: Product Announcement

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description

Countless facial images are generated everyday through digital and cell phone cameras, surveillance video systems, webcams, and traditional film and broadcast video. As a result, law enforcement and intelligence agencies have numerous opportunities to acquire and analyze images that depict persons of interest. Computer-Aided Forensic Facial Comparison is a comprehensive exploration of the scientific, technical, and statistical challenges facing researchers investigating courtroom identification from facial images.

Supported by considerable background material, research data, and prototypic statistical and applications software, this volume brings together contributions from anthropologists, computer scientists, forensic scientists, and statisticians. Topics discussed include:

• Face database collection in 3D
• Error and distinguishing power associated with craniofacial landmarks
• Statistical analysis of face shape variation
• Comparison of instrumentation
• Court admissibility issues
• Missing data
• Computer applications development

Based on the quantification and analysis of more than 3000 facial images, this seminal work lays the foundation for future forensic facial comparison, computer applications development, and research in face shape variation and analysis. Using experimental and real case data, it demonstrates the influence of illumination, image resolution, perspective, and pose angle on landmark visibility. Two DVDs are included which contain the raw 3D landmark datasets for 3000 faces, additional datasets used in 2D analysis, and computer programs and spreadsheets used in analysis and in the development of prototypic applications software.

Customer Reviews (1)

Expert Opinion
Being an expert in the fiekd, specializing in criminal defense with several successful applications and having met in person at least one of the editors I looked forward to the book with great expectations. While the book has some remarkably advanced information on 3D analysis it does not consider the facts found in real life applications when the facial detail comparison must be made between two or more photos, all 2D and one of which usually is a poor quality enhanced frame capture from a surveillance recording. The content of this book is highly academic and lacks real life practical procedural information. It would be helpful in future applications when the 3D equipment will be available and both images being compared were obtained under ideal conditions within a reasonably short time frame, such as national security identification procedures. The 3D camera systems used for most of the book's articles are experimental and not available commercially. The CRCM process we have developed and have used successfully in several criminal defense cases depends on cranial hard tissue landmark identification and percentage based realtive mathematical comparison of the facial details between two or more images. In the CRCM process soft tissue identification is limited to the relative angle of the eye-lid openings and the shape/size of the earlobe. Soft tissue landmark reference points are subject to variation in time and effected by several extreneous factors. I recommend this book only for individuals who have general academic interest in the subject. In that aspect I found it useful. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from PC Business Products, published by Worldwide Videotex on August 1, 2001. The length of the article is 819 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: VISIONEER UNVEILS ONETOUCH 8900 USB COLOR FLATBED SCANNER.(Product Announcement)
Publication: PC Business Products (Newsletter)
Date: August 1, 2001
Publisher: Worldwide Videotex
Volume: 13Issue: 8Page: NA

Article Type: Product Announcement

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more