Terms and Conditions:

Michael Karbo wrote:This book is protected by copyright. It has been published in many European countries but never in English language. Therefore I desided to upload it to the Internet. It is free to use as it is for personal, non-commercial use. All rights belong to Michael Karbo. You may not in any way copy the contents.

From the Preface:

This guide is written in easy language and contains a lot of illustrations. It should therefore not be too difficult to understand the content. However, I am assuming that the reader already has some practical experience with PC's and is familiar with the most basic computer jargon (bits, bytes, RAM, etc.). I have also assumed some knowledge of Windows and the various system tools. Most PC's can easily be dismantled without needing special tools, and you should at least take the "lid" off your PC so that you can familiarise yourself with the electronics, preferably with a torch in hand. I'm not expecting you to immediately launch off into the complete disassembly of your PC into its individual pieces. You are welcome to do this, but at your own risk.

However, I would like to give you enough insight into and confidence about your PC's workings that you would dare to upgrade your PC, for example, with a new hard disk or more RAM. And if you should end up building your next PC yourself, I would be more than satisfied.

Structure of this guide:

My explanations will shift from descriptions of the big picture to much more detailed analysis – and back again. After focusing on chips deep inside your PC, we may change perspective to more general and holistic observations, only to dig down again into the centre of some or other small circuit. My goal has been to keep my explanations at the popular level, and easy to understand – all the way through.

As I mentioned, this guide can be a great support tool for people who simply wish to build PC's themselves. But my goal is more specifically to communicate a holistic understanding of the various components of a PC and its data sets, the logical system they are part of, and the technological developments in the field. It is very useful to have this insight, whether you are a programmer, support person, educator, or just a "super user".