Installing the DVD

The DVD accompanying this book is playable on both a standalone DVD player (DVD player attached to your television/home theater system) and a DVD drive installed in or connected to your PC.

Standalone DVD Video Players

To play the videos on this DVD, insert the DVD into your standalone DVD video player and navigate the menus using your DVD player's remote, just as you would do with any DVD.

Note

The DVD is region-free. The extra features using Internet (Web) links are not active links; you must enter the specified URLs into your Web browser directly. Extra features and Windows Media Playerformatted videos are also available on Scott's Web site at www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com.

PC-Based DVD Drives

To play the DVD video content, do the following:

1. Insert the DVD into your PC's DVD drive.

2. Run your previously installed DVD player application and select Play.

3. Navigate the DVD menus as you would any standard DVD video.

Most DVD drives include a decoder/player application. If you do not currently have a DVD decoder/player installed on your system, you can do one of the following:

• Play the disc in a standard set-top DVD player.

• Use an existing DVD decoder with Windows Media Player 9 or later (visit www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia).

• Purchase a DVD decoder to use with Windows Media Player.

• Purchase a complete decoder/player combination, such as PowerDVD by CyberLink (www.gocyberlink.com), or WinDVD by Intervideo (www.intervideo.com).

Here's how to access the Technical Reference files, previous editions of the book, and any other files on the DVD-ROM:

1. Insert the DVD into your PC's DVD drive.

2. Open My Computer.

3. Right-click the icon for the DVD drive containing the disc.

4. Select Explore.

5. Navigate through the folders and files just as if you were viewing files stored on your computer's hard drive.

Note

Many of the documents included in the Extras section of the DVD are in PDF format, which requires Adobe Acrobat to view. Acrobat is freely available at www.adobe.com.

System Requirements for DVD-ROM Video

The minimum system configuration is as follows:

• Intel Celeron/Pentium or AMD Duron/Athlon processor, 400MHz

• Windows 98 Second Edition, Me, 2000, or XP

• 64MB of RAM (Windows 2000 and XP require 128MB of RAM)

• 4MB graphics card, 800x600 resolution, 16-bit color

• Direct Soundcompatible sound card

• 4X DVD-ROM drive (UDMA enabled)

• Direct Showcompliant DVD decoder/player software installed

• Direct X 7.0

• Internet Explorer 5.0