Good advice before buying a computer
They are very light brown or black or silver or sometimes other colours. Some have flashing lights and transparent panels so you can see inside them, even if you keep them where you cannot look inside.
They are the home computers (or PCs meaning Personal Computer) that a majority of homes in the western world have.
Yet, even though they are so common they are also a source of heartache to many owners. Unlike a television or other gadget that performs a simple and dedicated task, the PC is used for anything from writing letters to books, making simple calculations to solving complex equations, from playing simple basic games to becoming a simulator to train you as an airline pilot, to being able to remember last weeks shopping list to storing the latest edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica, to being able to use the internet to get a good deal for a holiday in Margate to find profound information on any subject known to man.
This might sound too good to be true but it is actually rather an understatement of what the most basic new PCs can do, and many older ones too.
The problem with a machine that can do so much is that it has to be told exactly what it has to do.
If you buy a DVD player you know that you are getting a machine that plays DVDs. If you buy a video recorder and player you know you are getting a machine that will do just the things you bought it for.
When you buy a PC you get a machine that has to be told, or programmed, to do the things you want it to do. To make life a bit more complicated it even has to be told in the first place what to do with the things you tell it to do after you have brought it.
You do not normally think about this. You buy a PC from the shops or a private PC builder or a friend or from an ad in a shop window. You switch it on and after about two minutes the monitor displays a pleasant picture and icons and menus on the screen provide seemingly magical access to programs you want to use. If you want to add some programs you may buy a CD containing the appropriate program that you insert into the PCs CD or DVD drive and with amazing ease the program is installed after following a series of simple instructions displayed on the monitor.
Without you realising it your new PC has had a number of programs installed before you bought it, in order to make all the other programs that you may buy, work. These programs are called the operating system and 95% of all PCs have an operating system designed by the American company Microsoft Corporation. This collection of programs is called Windows. Windows operating systems have been developed over a number of years and for home PCs they have included Windows 3.0, Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, Windows95, Windows98, WindowsMe, Windows2000 and WindowsXP. Windows95 and Windows98 have different versions too. There are other Windows operating systems, old and new, such as WindowsNT and others are also being developed, the latest is Vista which has only recently been released.
The programs, which are installed on a computer, are called software and the parts of the computer you can touch and use, such as the keyboard and mouse are called hardware. Not surprisingly, software has to be designed to work in co-operation with the hardware of a PC. Nowadays operating systems need special programs to be added to Windows to enable all the hardware to work properly. These special programs used to be installed on a CD that accompanied a new PC. They have a special name, drivers.
All the programs installed on a PC are stored in a special device called a hard disk or hard drive. Hard disks are an amazing feat of modern engineering that are about the size of a paperback book and can store incredible amounts of information.
Inside a hard drive are a number of disks coated with a magnetic material. The disks rotate and devices called heads move across the disks pulsing them with electricity to write instructions and sense instructions that have already been written to the disks. Each little instruction is incredibly and microscopically small. Like the tape in a tape recorder, the instructions can be changed.
This gives rise to two problems. Sometimes authentic instructions get changed when they should not and hard disks wear out. When a hard disk wears out or instructions get changed the whole PC will stop working and the PC is said to have crashed. When instructions have changed so badly that the PC crashes or programs do not work properly we say the data has been corrupted.
What this means for the average PC user is that either they will need to have a new hard disk fitted and the operating system and drivers will have to be installed as they were at the factory or the instructions on a corrupted but good hard drive will have to be installed all over again. This is often done through a process that first removes all previous instructions, called formatting, so that all programs can be reinstalled, as they were when the computer left the factory or PC builder.
So, in practical layman terms what does this mean?
Absolutely essential information!
Here you are, a few days, weeks, months or years after you have brought your shiny smart new PC and the system crashes. Either a new hard disk need programming or the old one needs to be formatted and reprogrammed.
And this is where the crunch comes!
A few years ago a PC purchased from a large High Street retailer would have a number of CDs supplied with the PC. These would have included a CD with an operating system, a CD with drivers on it and a CD with other useful programs such as a so called Office program which installed a word processor, spread sheets and other beneficial programs. Some retailers supplied CDs called Restore CDs which would restore the software to the factory condition by following a simple set of instructions, very useful for someone who did not have much know how about PCs.
A PC purchased from a private PC builder would be supplied with an operating system CD and a driver CD. The buyer would have to pay a bit extra for the operating system CD because some software is licensed but once they had bought the CD they could install the operating system on another PC they owned provided they removed the operating system from the original PC.
This has all changed.
Nowadays a new PC will have the restore software installed on the hard disk. The installation process may be activated by a floppy disk or by keyboard operation.
Either way it puts the restore process at risk. If the hard disk fails outside the warranty period of the PC tough. If the restore data gets corrupted outside the warranty period tough. You can buy an operating system CD quite easily, but the driver CD is another matter!
To their credit Microsoft operating systems actually include drivers on the CD and on some older PCs, Windows will have all the drivers the system needs. More modern systems usually need some drivers in addition to Windows drivers and if you do not have them on an independent CD you are going to have a PC that is severely limited in what it can do after reinstallation of the operating system. Some people would say this is a scam because it forces a PC owner to have their system restored at the place of purchase and very expensive it can be.
One or two PCs with this arrangement do have the facility for the owner to make backup CDs from which the system can be restored at a later date, but these are few and far between and the need for the procedure and how to do it is not apparent to the buyer who has just bought their first PC.
There is an old saying in the modern PC industry. There are two types of people with hard disks, those whose hard disks have failed and those whose hard disk will fail. Dismal as this sounds, it is actually perfectly true.
The need to be able to restore the software on a PC is critical, even if you are one of those lucky and careful people who does not install programs unsuitable for your particular PC, who does not visit internet websites notorious for having viruses lurking on them and who maintains their PC carefully and in consequence extend the life of their hard disk and the integrity of their software.
The reality of home computing is that children are very conversant with using PCs. But, children are children and they will experiment, install software lent by friends, visit all sorts of web sites and do just about everything that will cause the family PC to need all it is software reinstalling every few weeks. Some adults are just the same.
So, being able to restore the software on your PC is a basic necessity.
Let us imagine you have owned your PC for thirteen months which means it is just outside the retailers warranty period. Your eight year old son or daughter finds a CD in a cereal packet and installs an exciting Star Wars type game on the PC you use to work from at home. The CD, it is claimed, will run on any PC but after it has been installed on your PC, lo and behold your system crashes.
What are you going to do?
The first thing you might do is read the manual that came with the PC when you bought it. You follow the step-by-step instructions that tell you to put a floppy disk, supplied with the PC, into its floppy drive and restart the computer. The restore process begins but halts because the restore information on the hard disk has been corrupted. In desperation you disconnect the PC and take it to the store you bought it from. The assistant is very helpful but does not understand why the system will not restore. Fortunately the store has a technical department and they try to restore it, but cannot - because the restore information has been corrupted. They do however sell you a new operating system and wish you luck with restoring the PC, after charging you heavily for the advice.
You manage to install the operating system but find you can no longer hear any sound from it and other features do not seem to work either. This is because you do not have a driver CD that was never supplied with the PC in the first place. You now have a potentially expensive choice to make.
Probably the best way forward is to find a local PC builder who may have stored many different drivers which they have in stock and they find one which they already have and download some others from the internet. Another bill, sorry.
All this might apply in like fashion if you have bought a second user PC and it has been supplied without any restore CDs. Second user computers are notorious for being sold without restore or system CDs!
This is a scenario all too common. How can it be avoided?
It may be too late for your existing PC, although a good PC builder ought to be able to supply you with any drivers you need for future restores.
But, if and when you purchase your next PC you will be wiser than before. If you have never bought a new PC and are reading this before buying one, take careful note of the information and advice now being offered.
The reasons that new PCs are sold with all the restore information on the hard disk are to do with marketing and profits. PC manufacturers and retailers have a fiscal arrangement with Microsoft so that all the restore information is quickly and easily installed on the hard disk and is sold with a licensed and genuine Windows operating system. Some large retailers gain from this too because when a PC owner has problems with restoring the software on their PC they obtain business in restoring PCs.
So what now?
The advice given here is two fold. If you purchase a PC from a large store insist on seeing the restore CDs and making sure they will be in your possession before you commit any money to the store. If the salesperson will not show you the CDs, have nothing to do with the store! They will be very persuasive in telling you that restore is reliable using the process without restore CDs, but you will be persuaded at your cost.
The better alternative is a local PC builder. You are advised to research who the better PC builders are just as you would if seeking a builder or driving school. Having found a reliable PC builder - and that might be a small business with a handful of employees or a one man business, ask if the restore or system CDs will be supplied with the PC. Make sure you see them and they are in your possession before you take the PC home. You will also need to ask if the deal includes an operating system and if the operating system CD will be supplied with the PC.
You might already have an operating system CD that you have previously purchased and this could be installed on the PC as part of the deal.
Using a PC builder has a number of advantages. A PC builder is usually able to advise you on the specification of your new PC and will take into account the way you anticipate using it. You might build up a relationship with the PC builder who may be happy to give you some advice about your PC, providing you do not try to spend hours on the telephone every time you have a minor problem. A local PC builder can more easily upgrade your PC when you find you need additional hardware or software, which most PC owners do from time to time (usually so their children or husbands can use the latest flight simulator). A local PC builder will build their business on their reputation and will want that to be good, a real plus for the customer.
Another more subtle plus for using a PC builder is they can be flexible in the choice of operating systems and software installed on a PC. The reality of software development is that some software simply will not work on some operating systems. Operating systems such as Windows2000 and WindowsXP are very stable, but sometimes software costing hundreds of pounds, which your business relies on, will not work with them because they have been designed to work on Windows9x series operating systems.
One or two PC builders may do part exchange deals with customers who have bought PCs from them. If they do not do part exchange deals they are still a good proposition however.
Some other points
Apart from the problems that may be caused with the restore process information being on the hard drive, there is another unfortunate tendency coming into the PC market at the moment. Some new PCs are being sold without a floppy disk drive. The argument behind this practice is that modern PCs are usually supplied with CD writers as a minimum standard and devices called Flash Pens can be inserted into USB (Universal Serial Bus) connectors on the PC and large amounts of data can be recorded on either of these devices. For convenience, almost all new PCs have front panel USB connectors to make the use of flash pens easier.
If CD writers and flash pens had been available when the PC industry started this might have been a fair argument. The problem is that many people and businesses hold vast amounts of data on floppy disks already. It is not uncommon for some to have data deposited on literally hundreds of floppy disks.
In addition to this many schools and colleges allow their students to do their homework on a home PC and print it at their school or college. The convention has been for the student to transfer the data from the home PC to the school or college computer using a floppy disk. If this now sounds like a veritable mess it is! It is also worth bearing in mind that PCs are not the only devices that use floppy disks. Electronic pianos, for instance, also use floppy drives making it possible to play MIDI files downloaded off the Internet.
Make sure your new PC has a floppy disk drive fitted.
In fairness, perhaps in about ten years time when all PCs will have front USB connectors as standard there might be a case for disposing of the floppy disk drive. In the meantime it will only be fair to all PC owners to give a long forecast time of the demise of the floppy drive so that all necessary data can be transferred onto other storage devices and the situation where the school or college computer does not have the same input device as the home PC has become history.
One of the strengths of the large stores is that they are able to offer extended warranties on PCs. This can be useful for the novice type PC user, but extended warranties do have certain disadvantages to be born in mind.
If you buy a washing machine, extended warranties are a good investment. This is because basic washing machines have not really changed that much in the last twenty or more years. True, they might have an electronic controller and incorporate a spin dryer and tumble dryer, but a basic washing machine has not fundamentally changed and is unlikely to do so.
The same is not true of PCs. The capacity and speeds of PCs are changing very rapidly. A few years ago the speed and capacity of a PC was doubling about every eighteen months. It is probably faster than that at present, but even if and when the rate of change of PCs slows down in one respect it will broaden in other respects. It is now possible to buy PCs that will record programmes direct from a television broadcast or videotape, which can display information on separate monitors and can communicate with other PCs through networks in the home or office. That is not all and there is much more to come.
If you are tied to a five-year extended warranty period you will be well advised to enquire it the warranty can be transferred to a new PC if you decide to invest in a model with greater capability in two years time. We suspect the salesmans response will vary between the slightly obscene and humorous.
Most of what has been said so far concerns new PCs. There are however a lot of good second user PCs that can give good service for a number of years. If you are a first time computer buyer and you are starting your PC experience with a second user PC here are just a few tips to help you find a decent PC. Like second hand cars, there are better and worse deals with second user PCs.
Second user PCs
There are a number of sources from which second user PCs may be bought. These will include small shops where you will probably find PC building on the premises. Computer fairs have many second user PCs for sale, but be careful, like car auctions, you need to know what you are buying. Shop window and newspaper adverts always have advertisements for second user PCs, but again be careful. It may be possible to buy a computer from a business, college or school when they upgrade their PCs. There are precautions here that need to be explained. They will almost certainly have no operating system and parts of the system that operate when the PC is switched on before the operating system takes control may be password protected. You may be lucky enough to be given a computer by friends or family.
If you are given a computer accept it with gratitude, otherwise these hints may help you to get a good deal.
Ask to see the PC turned right off for a minute or so and then ask for it to be started. You will see a number of different displays appear on the monitor before the operating system takes control. What is happening is that the PC is checking that all the basic working parts are installed and working before the operating system runs. This process is called boot up, or usually just boot. Look out for any dubious messages that might be displayed during boot.
There is a part of the PC you may need, or someone may need to alter called the BIOS (Basic Input Output System). Sometimes it is impossible to get into it because it is possible to make access available only if you know a password. Ask to see if the BIOS can be accessed.
Look at the display on the monitor. Is it even slightly out of focus? If it is, even if you buy the PC throw the monitor away, it will affect your eyesight! New modern tft screens have become quite inexpensive lately.
When the operating system takes over note if any messages are displayed about missing files. This is not necessarily a problem if you have the back up software to reinstall everything again but it does indicate that the owner has not been too careful in removing old programs.
Be careful to check that you are being given the restore CD or the system disk, the CD with the drivers on it. If they cannot be found look at some more PCs.
Find out how much memory (RAM) the PC has. These days a minimum ideal would be 128 megabytes (Mb) of RAM for Windows9x operating systems, although 256 is better (1 megabyte = 1000 bytes). If there is even more, so much the better, you can never have too much RAM. If you anticipate using the PC for processing the photographs from a digital camera 256 MB is a bare minimum, although 512 Mb would be better. If you are going to use the PC to process DVDs then 1024 MB or RAM will be necessary (actually, 1 gig of RAM). Operating systems need to be borne in mind. WindowsXP will run on 256 MB Ram, but we reccomend 512 MB. Vista needs 1028 MB Ram and ideally a seperate graphics card.
Find out how big the hard disk is. If you want to run WindowsXP you will soon have problems using a hard disk much less than 15 gigabyte (1 gigabyte = 1000 megabytes). It will just about run on 10 gigs but you will be very restricted on what other software you can then use. 80 gigs is currently the minimum size hard disk on most new PCs.
Find out how fast the processor is. It is a bit hard to say what to settle for here. If you anticipate playing lots of games and frequently using the internet then you will be advised to look for a minimum speed round about 1000 megahertz. If you know for sure you are only going to use the PC for mainly word processing then processor speeds as low as 266 megahertz will be quite adequate using Windows9x. New PCs often have processor speed as high as 3+ gigahertz.
The majority of modern PCs are constructed in the form of what is called a Tower. This means it is sited near to the monitor but not under it. Most towers are easily accessible for maintenance. If you can, have a look inside and see how dusty it is. Sometimes internal cooling fans get clogged up with dust and this can cause overheating. The other type of PC case is called a desktop and is designed to have the monitor sit on top of it. This may be a consideration influencing where you plan to put the PC at home.
Ask if the PC has USB ports. Most modern printers, scanners and other devices are designed to connect to a PC through a USB connector. Broadband Internet connection is usually through a USB connector, although it can be connected through another type of connector called an Ethernet connector.
Ask if the PC has a modem installed. If it has, make sure the driver CD for the modem is also available. If the driver CD is not available but the PC seems to be a good buy, the modem could easily be changed, as new modems are not terribly expensive. You will not need a fitted modem for broadband Internet, which is now the most common form of internet access.
Research the price of second user PCs. These days new good high performance PCs are inexpensive compared to what they cost ten years ago. This means that you ought to be able to find a good PC with a reasonable performance at a favourable price.
Research the after sales support you may require. Some companies charge fair sums of money per minute for telephone support. A seeming cheap PC bought at a car boot sale might need more spent on it remedially than buying a new PC to start with. Visit the big retail shops and view the list of prices they charge for certain specific remedial tasks on a PC.
Be aware of the Piggy In The Middle price trap. Everyone will be constrained by how much they can afford when buying a PC. The cost of a new PC has come down so much that there is a point at which it is better to wait a few weeks longer and save to be able to buy a new PC than spend on a second user PC costing about two thirds the price of a new PC. The falling prices of new PCs have brought the prices of second user PCs right down in consequence.
In conclusion
This is a far from comprehensive guide to buying a PC but it will hopefully make you aware of some of the pitfalls of buying new and second user PCs. In particular we would want to emphasise again the need to be able to restore a PC whether bought new or second user. We may be promoting the small PC builder over the high street retailer but that is because we believe that is where the best deals come from. Good luck with your new PC.