The Computer Geeks - Computer Services

VOL: 001 Issue: 6 - August 2005

Buyer Beware!
By Jeff Bourque
www.thecomputergeek.ca

One of the first questions we ask a client when responding to a 'help me, my computer's dead' service call is:
"Do you have an operating disk?"
Ninety percent of the time the reply is
"I'm not sure if I have that. But my computer came with a manufacturer's rescue disk that's supposed to fix any problem. Is that the same thing?"
OEM rescue disks are fine but what happens when the hard drive is broken or needs to be formatted.
Pre-installed OEM operating systems are common when you purchase a computer from any of the top five manufacturers - whose names shall go unmentioned in order to avoid nasty legal tangles.

This month, the Computer Geek will provide some tips on what to look for when buying a new or refurbished computer.

First Rule

Never purchase a machine without the operating system.

Second Rule:

Budget, Budget, Budget

Determine a price range that's affordable for your circumstances and stick to it!
If you are a first time buyer, keep the budget low, so if problems occur your losses will be minimal.

What type of computer to should I buy!

Let's look at the two basic uses for a computer and the criteria for choosing the right one for each.

Office Use

Home Use

Office Use

Today, all workers depend on computers for basic business functions such as e-mail, word processing for document preparation, business letters etc, accounting and spreadsheet functions, and of course, accessing the Internet for research and information.

To handle the volume of business usage a good office computer should have the following hardware features:

1. Large amount of storage space: 80 GB (Gigabytes)
2. CDRW Drive (CD ReWritable)
3. Secondary storage device: Hard drive or back tape drive
4. Loads of RAM: 256 mb/min (Random Access Memory)
5. Fast Processor: CPU 1.4 GHz/min
6. Flat screen monitor to save desk space!
7. Latest operating systems and business software applications

Brand Name vs Custom Built

Most of the top manufacturers make excellent office computers that are user friendly with good warranties and service repair contracts.

Custom-built machines are best suited for conditions where the usage is heavy duty, such as graphic designers or engineers using Auto Cad programs.

PC or Laptop / Notebook

If you and/or your employees are on the road

or if they frequently take work home, then a notebook or laptop is the way to go. Otherwise the standard PC will be quite adequate.

Home Use

The good old family computer labours under staggering demands these days. Kids want the biggest, fastest machine on the market so that they can download every new game or music program that the Internet offers. This can get expensive (see budget, budget, budget above).

If you are about to purchase your first 'family computer' you first need to realize that you are probably not going to log much time on it for yourself. But when you do get that half hour at midnight you will probably be running the family finances (financial/spreadsheet applications) or planning a family vacation.

Start with a low cost system so that you can train yourself to use it and learn about the basic operating systems that make it run. Because you will be sharing the machine with other family members whose needs are different from your own (after all you are only running the household finances) you may require a little more storage and power to keep the gaming/music addicts happy.

1. Large amount of storage space: 80 GB or 120 GB
2. DVD-RW Drive
3. Lots of Ram: 512 Mb min
4. Fast Processor: CPU 2.4 GHz/min
5. Graphic Card
6. Flat screen monitor to save desk space
7. Latest operating system and security software. That security software should include a program to keep

your children protected from undesirable and dangerous Internet sites and give you monitoring options on their surfing activities.

Brand Name vs Custom Built

Again, most of the top manufactures make excellent, user-friendly computers for home use with good warranties and service repair contracts. The brand names also provide extra software for the family to enjoy.

If you are about to purchase your second home computer or have developed a familiarity with computing at work, a custom built unit might be the right buy.

PC or Laptop / Notebook

Same rules as for business use: if you are on the road, you often take work home with you OR if you are attending school away from home base then a notebook or laptop is the best choice.

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