Index_B

B

background programs, 291–292, 292

backup generators, 5

Backup or Restore window, 129–130, 129–130

@Backup, 428

Backup Type, Destination, and Name dialog box, 130, 130

backups, 123–124, 124

for application data, 212, 214

drive images. See drive images

emergency, 427–428

for imminent hardware failures, 232

limitations of, 128–129

need for, 125–128, 127

for prevention, 86–87

for replacing damaged files, 320, 328

restoring, 413–416, 413–415

running, 129–130, 129–130

for starting from scratch, 401

timing of, 130–131

types of, 124–125

bad BIOS data files, 197

bad installations, 143

ball lightning, 4

banks of memory, 30, 199

barebones setup approach, 256

baselines, 294

Basic Input/Output System. See BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)

batteries

CMOS, 27, 170

in UPSs, 276–277, 276

BBSs (bulletin board systems), 374

beep codes, 165

benchmarks, 303–304

beta testing, 193

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), 45

for ACPI support, 61, 63

beep codes in, 165

for boot error messages, 170

in boot process, 22–23

for devices, 233

EZ-BIOS overlay for, 106, 402

for hard drives, 424, 430–432, 432

helper programs for, 402

information about, 46–47

for motherboard upgrades, 205

for power management, 46, 255

reverting to default settings, 258–259

roles of, 47–48

settings for, 46

troubleshooting, 145

upgrading, 194–195

operation of, 195–197, 196

problems in, 197–198, 198, 208

removing, 198

BIOS Setup

for drives, 240

for upgrades, 196

BIOS Shadowing setting, 259

blue “I” in Event Viewer, 155

blue screen of death

from bad installations, 161

dealing with, 229–230

reporting, 226

boot disks, 97, 196

for boot problems, 174–175

uses for, 97–99, 99

for Windows 98, 103–105, 103–104

for Windows XP, 99–102, 99–102

boot.ini file, 100

boot problems, 169

Advanced Options menu for, 178

boot disks for, 174–175

clean boots for, 175–177, 175–177

display problems in, 173

drive-related errors in, 171–172

keyboard-based errors in, 170–171

last known good configuration for, 183–184

Recovery Console for, 184–190, 185, 187, 189

resources for, 173–174

Safe Mode for, 178–183, 180–181, 183

from System Restore, 190

virus warnings in, 172

boot process, 21–24

boot sector viruses, 83

BOOTLOG.TXT file, 145–146, 146

Bootsec.dos file, 100

bootup screen in troubleshooting, 145

broadband, 35

bulletin board systems (BBSs), 374

burning smells, 167

bus-mastering drivers, 424

bus settings, 46

bus slots, 27

buying PCs, 416

extended warranties for, 418

tips for, 417–418