Posts Tagged ‘Hardware’

Holiday Computer Deals – Are They Really a Good Deal?

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

It’s that time of year again. Halloween is over. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and so is Black Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving where most retailers make up for flagging sales during the year.  Pretty soon, the computer manufacturers will be coming out with their deals of a lifetime (or at least the year). Many computers are also coming off lease and will be available on eBay and through other re-sellers.

Are those deals really good deals? Many of them have some” gotchas” you should consider:

1)      Re-sellers provide the computer to you “as is”. If it comes with Windows XP it may not be a good deal if the recipient of your gift expects Windows 7.  By the time they add in the additional cost for Windows 7 ($299 – $319), additional memory, and software upgrades they could spend as much as you did for the gift. If the computer cannot be upgraded with additional memory, you gave a gift with a short lifespan. Do your homework first!

2)      Netbooks (mini-notebooks) are the latest rage, designed to provide the user with mobile access to the internet.  They are small, great for someone who is on the go and doesn’t want to carry a lot of extra weight, and relatively inexpensive. The downside: they are not really designed for much else.

  • Memory is limited to 1GB (gigabyte), the minimum required for Windows 7. After a few service pack or anti-virus upgrades, they could see performance degrade and the recipient of your gift will be looking for a new computer.
  • Most netbooks come with limited software. You may need to purchase an external CD/DVD drive for additional software installs (particularly if downloading software over the internet takes too long). Keep in mind the more software you install, the more memory you will wish you had.

The message is simple. Before you purchase a computer as a gift, understand the recipient’s needs and usage expectations. You don’t want your gift to become the “white elephant” used as door stop or paper weight.

If you have questions, contact your favorite IT service provider or feel free to DM me @ITMinefield on Twitter.

Wishing you safe passage through the IT Minefield!

___________________________________

This topic is discussed in greater detail in Navigating the I.T. Minefield: Straight Talk for the Small Enterprise. To purchase your copy, please visit http://bit.ly/SNL4W.

Leslie Knight is a small business consultant with over 20 years of experience in Information Technology management in Fortune 500 companies.  She applies her experience in Corporate America (saving them millions) to smaller entrepreneurial enterprises. She is also the author of Navigating the I.T. Minefield- Straight Talk for the Small Enterprise.

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Posted in Business, Information Technology, small business | 2 Comments »

Guidelines for Buying a PC from eBay in Light of Windows 7

Friday, November 13th, 2009

I’ve had a few different folks ask about purchasing a “new” laptop or desktop from eBay.  One of the questions also included, “How do I know the software I am getting from a computer from eBay is legal (not pirated)?” So, let’s explore those questions.

Most of the laptops I’m finding from used dealers come with XP installed. If you are going to purchase a laptop or desktop through eBay or some other reseller, you will need to verify that the computer can support Windows7. Otherwise, you’re throwing good money away.

Here’s an actual eBay entry:

DELL LATITUDE D610 LAPTOP+1024+DVD+WiFi+XP-2….

This laptop comes with 1G (gigabyte) of memory and Windows XP with Service Pack2 installed. How can you find out if it will support Windows7? You will need to ask the reseller two questions:

1)      What is the maximum amount of memory the device will support?

  • Windows 7 requires a minimum of 1G. You will probably want to expand to at least 2G to avoid performance degradation.

2)      How large is the hard drive?

  • At a minimum, you need a large enough drive to accommodate what you already have stored plus 16GB.

If the reseller can’t tell you, go to the manufacturer’s website and search for the model name (“Latitude D610 Specifications”).  In this case, the maximum memory is 2GB and the maximum internal hard drive appears to be 160GB (could be more).

Personally, I would not choose this device for a client because it potentially does not have a long useful life. My post on purchasing hardware (http://bit.ly/1Wn0NI) recommends 4GB memory with the ability to expand further to extend the useful life of a device. However, if you are a basic user (e.g. email, surfing the web, basic application use, not application development) a device that expands only to 2GB or 4GB might be perfect for you.

Most used devices, purchased from a reseller, will only come with the Windows operating system installed. The reseller should provide you with the original installation disks and license information for Windows.  However, if one comes with other software installed, the reseller needs to furnish the original disks and license information as well. If using eBay, only purchase from a “Top-rated seller”. These sellers have a good reputation in the eBay community.

Keep in mind, you’re still going to have to upgrade to Windows 7 sometime.

If you have questions, contact your favorite IT service provider or feel free to DM me @ITMinefield on Twitter.

Wishing you safe passage through the IT Minefield!

___________________________________

Purchasing hardware is discussed in greater detail in Navigating the I.T. Minefield: Straight Talk for the Small Enterprise. To purchase your copy, please visit http://bit.ly/SNL4W.

Leslie Knight is a small business consultant with over 20 years of experience in Information Technology management in Fortune 500 companies.  She applies her experience in Corporate America (saving them millions) to smaller entrepreneurial enterprises. She is also the author of Navigating the I.T. Minefield.

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Posted in Business, IT, Information Technology, Upgrade, Windows, small business | 5 Comments »

Help! I Need New Hardware for Windows 7!

Friday, November 13th, 2009

The posts about Windows 7 have generated some interesting questions on purchasing new hardware: Which manufacturer? How much memory and hard drive? What about eBay? etc. I’ll try to address those questions here.

If you read the “Short Rant on Hardware Manufacturers” (http://bit.ly/1RSmoo ), you know I’m not particularly fond of any of them. Very little differentiates one computer from another. So, get the best price you can that meets your requirements.

When determining which desktop, laptop or server to purchase, ask:

1)      How long do I expect to keep the hardware before upgrading again?

2)      How long has it been since my last hardware upgrade?

3)      How much hard drive am I using now compared to when I first bought the device?

These are the questions I ask as I develop migration plans for my clients and friends.

The goal of every small business owner is to extend the useful life of hardware as much as possible. I have one client who has hardware that was purchased with Windows ME and then upgraded to XP. The hardware is around 9 years old. They have extended the useful life of their computers and server as far as possible.

Since my clients tend to not upgrade often, my advice is to purchase hardware that will allow you to add RAM (memory) over time. How much memory? I am advising clients to purchase 4GB (gigabytes) initially. Why? Windows 7 requires a minimum of 1GB…that’s just for Windows 7. By the time you add the other software you have been using, you probably need 2GB. The cost difference between 2GB and 4GB is less than $100 in most cases…cheaper than a service call to order more memory and install it.

I am also advising them to consider hardware that has a maximum expansion capacity greater than 4 gigabytes. Why? Once again, to extend the useful life of the computer. If they purchase 4GB initially and that is the maximum a unit can support, they have to replace the unit once the memory is exhausted. The difference between a desktop model that has a maximum capacity of 4GB and one that can expand to 8GB or 16GB is often less than $400. That cost is substantially less than buying a new unit.

All of the major computer manufacturers will provide the hardware specifications online at their sites. They will also allow you to compare the features of their device models such as maximum memory and hard drive supported.

What about eBay? The same principles apply. You will need to do a little more homework to discover how much memory the desktop or laptop will support. If the seller can’t tell you, go to the manufacturer’s website and search for the device model.

If you have any questions ask your favorite IT service provider or feel free to DM @ITMinefield on Twitter.

Wishing you safe passage through the IT Minefield!

___________________________________

Purchasing hardware is discussed in greater detail in Navigating the I.T. Minefield: Straight Talk for the Small Enterprise. To purchase your copy, please visit http://bit.ly/SNL4W.

Leslie Knight is a small business consultant with over 20 years of experience in Information Technology management in Fortune 500 companies.  She applies her experience in Corporate America (saving them millions) to smaller entrepreneurial enterprises. She is also the author of Navigating the I.T. Minefield.

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Posted in Business, IT, Information Technology, Upgrade, Windows, small business | 2 Comments »