About the Author

Mark Edward Soper is president of Select Systems and Associates, Inc., a technical writing and training organization located in Evansville, Indiana. Get more information at the Select Systems Web site at www.selectsystems.com. Mark is a 20-year veteran of the computer industry whose first technical articles appeared in the late 1980s. Mark has written more than 140 articles on topics ranging from computer upgrades to laser printer tips and tricks, Internet access, and new features in Windows for publications such as Maximum PC , PCNovice/SmartComputing Guides , PCNovice , SmartComputing , the PCNovice/SmartComputing Learning Series , WordPerfect Magazine , The WordPerfectionist , and PCToday .

Mark has taught computer troubleshooting and other technical subjects to thousands of students from Maine to Hawaii since the early 1990s. He is an A+ Certified hardware technician and a Microsoft Certified Professional.

This is the second book Mark has written in the Absolute Beginner's Guide series: He is also the author of Absolute Beginner's Guide to Cable Internet Connections . Mark is also the author of Que's PC Help Desk in a Book . Mark has also written for other publishers in the Pearson Education family, including the recent TechTV's Upgrading Your PC , Second Edition for Peachpit/TechTV Press (http://www.peachpit.com) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to High-Speed Internet Connections for Alpha Books.

Mark is the coauthor of Que's Upgrading and Repairing PCs: Field Guide and its predecessors (the Technician's Portable Reference series) and he has also contributed to many other Que books in this series, including Upgrading and Repairing PCs from the 11th Edition to the current 15th Anniversary Edition; Upgrading and Repairing Networks , Second Edition ; Upgrading and Repairing Laptop Computers ; and Upgrading and Repairing PCs , 12th Edition, Academic Edition .

Mark has also contributed to several volumes in Que's Special Edition series, including: Special Edition Using Windows Millennium ; Special Edition Using Windows XP Home Edition ; Special Edition Using Windows XP Home Edition , Bestseller Edition ; Special Edition Using Windows XP Professional ; and Special Edition Using Windows XP Professional , Bestseller Edition . Mark is also a contributor to Platinum Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP .

Watch for details about these and other book projects at the Que Web site at http://www.quepublishing.com.

Mark welcomes comments at [e-mail].