Jim Aspinwall is the coauthor and author of four books about computers and networking. His writing spans not only books but feature articles and how-to columns for a handful of PC magazines and web sites, including Computer User, PC World, and CNET.com. His journey into the digital world began at a humble grass roots, learning the nuances of bits and bytes as a communications system and field service engineer when raw logic was truly raw logic in the 70s and the 8008 processor was programmed with paper tape and Teletype machines. From cross-country, arm-lengthening toolbox-toting he moved to more desktop- and keyboard-bound roles in support engineering helping transition minicomputer and microcomputer systems from research labs through production to customers. Acquiring his first “turbo XT” PC in 1986 and totally baffled by a blank DOS prompt, he sought out the mentoring of a good friend to lead him gently into the PC abyss from where he has yet to surface. That mentoring led to his first collaborative work about PCs published in 1990, to his first COMDEX experience, and to his first real job working with PCs full-time for DiagSoft: supporting, testing, and marketing PC diagnostic software.

Jim’s experiences (and writing about them) with the PC have been nonstop ever since: from the low-level workings of PC guts and how components, vendors, and software work together (or not), to supporting corporate clients. Jim was much of the “PC sense” behind Quarterdeck’s TuneUp.com, Computer Support Technologies’ RescueMe, and Aveo’s Attune online PC support tools. Today he still bears the torch of trying to re-create TuneUp.com so all PC users can get expert help and tools. Jim lives in Silicon Valley, California, with his wife, Kathy, who is also working in high-tech (in fact they met through a request she made of their company help desk for remote access support to the company network). When he’s not at the keyboard or hammering together some mini-remodeling project you will probably find him climbing any one of several Bay Area radio towers, installing and repairing amateur radio systems for public service/disaster communications.

No book can begin or be completed without help from numerous resources and the keen eye of several talented individuals. A hacks book is no different, as it draws from many people and their challenges with whatever topic we’re addressing. While there are many, many sharp minds who have shared knowledge and ideas towards this work, three individuals stand out as much for their unwitting role as contributors as for their constant and severe challenges to me to make this book better topic by topic and word by word:

Scott Spanbauer allowed me to write a few words with him for PC World, and because of his reputation and quality work I suggested he become one of the technical reviewers on this project. Not only did Scott review the heck out of what I’d written (I’m still trying to get the red ink off my monitor), he at least inadvertently if not intentionally contributed a lot of guidance, ideas, and pure hacks to this project. Look for Scott in PC World and other venues and enjoy!

Lincoln Spector, a cowriter when I was still writing my Windows columns, brings not only a reputation for having a keen user’s-perspective eye but a tremendous sense of personality to technical subjects. I wanted Lincoln on-board as another technical editor, and I got that and much more. Adding a hack suggestion here and there, he also had questions about other possible hacks and spawned more and better entries. If you get a chance, thank him for his contributions and do look up his “Gigglebytes” columns!

Brian Jepson of O’Reilly turned out to be more than a project editor, and I swear he encouraged Scott and Lincoln to be merciless with their reviews, and then joined right in with them at my expense, but to the betterment of this work. Having good editors is both a blessing and a curse, but all for the better. They make you work your butt off and then hand you back clean, polished, presentable material you don’t mind showing your friends and family, can be especially proud of when it appears on store shelves, and be happier still when someone takes a copy off the shelf and home with them. Brian contributed more than editing and project management; he contributed several hacks of his own and greatly refined the ones I humbly submitted.

First, to my friend Rory, whom I met over ham radio. He taught me what a PC is and what to do with it, providing knowledge and whetting an appetite no one else could. We took a leap of faith together concocting our first PC book, The PC Users Survival Guide (M & T Books). (I think his response to my “We’re going to write a book about this” was “Who’s we?”) We made it through another project. Troubleshooting Your PC (Wiley), breaking new ground for all involved, driving inspiration, and creating a momentum that anything is possible, doable, and enjoyable. I carry that spirit of friendship with me every day and am blessed to know such a good person. No amount of “thank you’s” can ever fully express my gratitude, but I do thank you very much!

Kudos to Mike Todd, another early mentor and PC community builder. Working with Mike on The Source and other early online systems gave me a sense of belonging and worth to the greater worldwide community of PC users and technology. Today others manage and participate in spin-off communities, but Mike is a pioneer who truly created the first online PC forums. He deserves unique credit for a lot of what has become the helpful PC community spirit we enjoy on the Web today. That community spirit has been apparent in two of our collaborative PC works with Rory, of which we are very proud. I am quite thankful for the opportunity to work with and be inspired by such talents.

Speaking of pioneers, there is Gordon Kraft, founder of DiagSoft. Gordon had the guts and tenacity to gather together some of the sharpest programmers around and literally create the PC diagnostic and utility software business we all benefit from today. He also had the fortitude and tolerance to take me into the fold and let me be a little crazy in our efforts to support our customers and create exciting new products. PC support by remote control was fermented in our minds and created at our hands. Gordon didn’t exactly create a PC monster in me, but he did feed and nourish it. While he’s been hoping to “capture my brain on disk” (the PC skills part, that is), I’m still trying to sort it all out and index it. Hopefully I’ve done well with this work.

For further inspiration, and for trying to keep my name on the cover of something on store shelves besides the National Enquirer, Judy B deserves armloads of credit and appreciation. As my acquisitions editor she literally handed me two previous book projects, IRQ, DMA & I/O (MIS:Press), a brain dump of PC configuration references, and Installing, Troubleshooting and Repairing Wireless Networks (McGraw-Hill). No one seems to buy or read either of them, but they were fun projects made most enjoyable by her upbeat encouragement and friendship throughout.

Along the winding, wandering journey of my PC “career” have been many exceptional, talented, skilled, motivating, and inspiring people: the “crews” at DiagSoft and Quarterdeck, two of the finest software companies ever; the people behind the ideas of further automating tech support and PC help at TuneUp.com, CST, and Aveo; the amazingly sharp and inspired but I think as yet unfulfilled talent at Phoenix Technologies/Award Software who make the code that starts our PCs every day; and all of the vendors and products in between Acronis and Xircom. Every one of you gives us something to challenge us and something to accomplish every day that we use our PCs. And, of course, to the millions of users around the world, from the hundreds I fix PCs for (and the ones I do it with—Marina, Richard, Kevin, Jeremy, Philip, Nopporn, and David) every day to those who correspond occasionally by email seeking answers. The PC significantly changed at least a part of our world; I’m just here trying to make some of it better.

Significant acknowledgment goes to Robert Luhn, one of my editors of several years with Computer User and CNET, someone I consider a good friend and certainly a generous mentor in encouraging, promoting, and extending my usefulness as a writer. Without Robert’s insight, suggestions, recruitment, and probably no small selling job, this book and many of my other contributions to PC users would not have been possible. Thanks for believing in me!

Last and certainly not least, in fact perhaps the greatest credit goes to my wife, Kathy. She must think I stretched this project out as an excuse to avoid the growing list of home improvement projects, but honestly I didn’t. She “signed up” for only a couple months of me living in my “cave,” paying more attention to my herd of keyboards and PC parts than anything else, but little did she or I know that my editors and tech reviewers were determined to get the best and most out of me. I hope you know how much I appreciate you and how proud I am to have you in my life!