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CIPS Connections
World-renowned Hardware Expert and
Authority on Data-Recovery
This week, Stephen Ibaraki,
I.S.P., has an exclusive interview with the universally esteemed Scott Mueller,
considered the most authoritative, and trusted hardware voice with a highly
respected international reputation. As president of Mueller Technical Research,
he spends upwards of 25-weeks on the road each year, as an eminent training
expert in PC hardware, operating systems, and data-recovery techniques. Scott is a world-renowned author,
distinguished teacher, and highly sought-after speaker. His book “Upgrading and
Repairing PCs” is an international best seller with more than 2.3 million copies
sold—a figure rare in the computing publishing field, making his book the
highest selling essential guide in the history of hardware publishing. His
latest edition is now available. Scott’s other recent works include “Upgrading
and Repairing Laptops”, “Repairing PCs Video Training Course”, and “Upgrading
and Repairing Servers”. Scott has taught hardware repair
in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe including for Fortune 500 corporations,
innumerable agencies, governments, entrepreneurs, PC repair professionals, and
major hardware/software corporations. His numerous outstanding articles have
appeared in many publications including the prestigious Forbes, and Investors
Business Daily. Together with valued appearances with TechTV, he is a
top-ranking industry expert for the media. Discussion: Q: Scott, as a foremost expert in
hardware, we are most fortunate to have you taking time out to do this
interview. A: Thanks for asking, as usual, I
am greatly honored by the request! Q: The last time we talked, you
were working on the last round of modifications to the Grand Cherokee. How is
this project coming along? A: Unfortunately, no progress has
been made on any of my vehicle projects, mainly due to the fact that we’ve
moved! If you’ve ever moved both your home and business twice in one year (and
lived out of boxes in temporary housing during the in-between time), you will
know that it isn’t much fun. My main project since our last interview has been
just moving, setting up a new office (including wired and wireless networks),
plus moving our home, garage, etc. Once I’m unpacked and organized, I’ll finish
up the Jeep, and move on to finishing the Road King. Q: Can you share your top five
tips from the latest edition of “Upgrading and Repairing PCs?” A: 1) Power supplies are still
the most failure prone component in a modern PC. Keep a high quality spare on
hand, or consider replacing the cheap stock unit included with your system with
something more powerful and of higher quality. 2) Make backups! These days
people have more and more data than ever on their systems, often including
irreplaceable digital photos and videos. If you don’t backup, you are asking to
lose it all, often when you least expect it. 3) Stick with systems built using
industry standard components, so you will be able to easily upgrade or repair
them in the future. 4) Change one thing at a time
when troubleshooting a problem. 5) Stick with popular types of
hardware and software, this makes support and troubleshooting much easier as it
is far more likely that somebody else has the same problems you do, and may have
already figured out a solution. Q: Your recent book, “Upgrading
and Repairing Laptops,” is a “must read” and garnering considerable attention.
What are the ten most compelling reasons why our audience should purchase this
book? A: 1) Laptops sales are growing
at rates far exceeding desktop systems, and new capabilities such as wireless
networking are making laptops the system of choice for many users. More and more
people are using laptops as their only system. My book shows the reasons why a
laptop may or may not be the best type of system for you. 2) Laptops are by nature more
proprietary in their design and construction than desktop systems, and it is
important to know what components can or cannot be easily replaced or
upgraded. 3) Laptops are much more
expensive to purchase than a desktop with similar processing power, knowing the
differences between all of the choices on the market can save you a lot of money
when purchasing a new system. 4) Laptops are much more
expensive to upgrade or repair than desktop systems, knowing how to remove and
replace internal components can save you a lot of money by doing the work
yourself. 5) Taking apart a laptop (and
putting it back together) is not nearly as intuitive as it is on a desktop
system, and is normally much more complicated. My current laptop system contains
more than 85 screws of 8 different types! My book will show you how most laptops
can be successfully taken apart and put back together, and even includes a video
CD you can watch that shows the process in detail. 6) Wireless networking is one of
the reasons that many people purchase laptops; my book explains the ins and outs
of the different types of wireless networks available. 7) Since laptops are expensive,
proper care is important. My book shows you how to care for and maintain your
system so it will last. 8) There are a lot of marketing
terms and hype used to sell laptops, my book explains the differences between
actual components (such as the Pentium M processor) and a marketing “brand”
(such as Centrino). 9) When you are on the road and
have problems, the resource guide contained in my book will give you the
emergency service and repair phone numbers to call for most of the popular
manufacturers. 10) Any normal technician can
work on desktop systems, distance yourself from the rest by adding laptop
servicing to your repertoire. Q: Now share your five valuable
gems from the book. A: 1) The video CD included with
the book shows in detail how to disassemble a typical laptop system. 2) The book explains in detail
the differences between mobile and desktop processors. Some laptops actually use
desktop processors; I explain why this can either be good or bad. 3) Learn why many so-called wide
screen displays actually show less information than standard screens, and why
extremely high resolution displays may actually not be a good thing (pixels per
inch). 4) Laptop batteries are very
expensive; learn how to properly care for the batteries in your system so that
they will last as long as possible. 5) My book includes detailed
error code listings from all of the major manufacturers, which can be very
helpful when boot failures occur. Q: Tell us more about your work
with Mueller Technical Research—vision, mission, strategies and goals, major
projects, future prospects. A: My mission is to continue
writing the most in-depth, accurate, meaningful, and yet easy to read and
understand books covering the latest computer hardware and technology. Q: Please comment on your
articles and work for the media. A: I did several articles for
Maximum PC magazine last year, and would like to write more articles for them
and possibly other magazines in 2004. Q: What are the most compelling
issues facing IT professionals, hardware administrators, and system integrators
today and in the future? How can they be resolved? A: 1) Keeping up with the latest
technology and jargon. Q: List the ten best resources
for IT professionals. A: 1) My books. Q: What kind of computer setup do
you have? A: I have close to 20 systems
in-house, but my current main system is a ThinkPad R40 with several upgrades and
modifications. Q: Scott, we enjoyed your
thoughtful answers. Thank you again for your time, and consideration in doing
this interview. A: Thanks so much for the
opportunity!
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