Within Ron Gilster’s 800 page PC Repair Bench Book is a get-in, get-out Power Pack guide that covers hardware such as motherboards, storage devices, and printers. The book also includes a CD Rom that contains a host of utilities which many users may wish to try.  On the CD you will have access to topics such as understanding and repairing motherboards; updating and optimizing memory and aging systems; diagnosing common PC problems and performing routine maintenance; Installing and configuring system upgrades; working safely with the electrical components of a PC; Troubleshooting peripherals, storage systems and devices, sight and sound systems, and more.

While his book may not meet the demands of those technicians looking for the latest fixes or for those readers (especially those outside of the US) looking to work on legacy PCs it present facts, concepts, processes, and applications for repairing PCs that many will find useful. Additionally, for those readers who are experienced, this book is a decent study tool for the A+Exam and since it covers such a wide-range host of issues this book would make a good addition to a technical library.

In general, I found the language Mr Gilster chose to use easily understandable, his organization of the material sensible and the included photos and diagrams helpful. I further found that the information in the book covered most of the basic problems that a repair technician may encounter while out in the field. It also gave practical and informative advice to diagnose problems the tech may incur. For the non-tech user Mr. Gilster has used terminology that is sure to assist them in attempting to explain a computer glitch to a technician who enjoys speaking in computerese.  Therefore if you are a PC technician and time means money you couldn’t go wrong in purchasing Ron Gilster’s PC Repair Bench but remember that it is not intended for work on Legacy PCs.

[tags]book review, PC Repair Bench, Ron Gilster, Legacy PCs, optimize memory, diagnose PC problems, Repair motherboards[/tags]