Desktop buying tips

Purchasing a home or business computer can be a big and sometimes costly decision. Below is a listing of helpful suggestions on what to look for and what to ask when purchasing a new computer.

New vs. refurbished or used

If you are looking to save money buying a used or refurbished computer can save you money. A refurbished computer is a computer that has been returned to the company has been checked out as good but cannot be sold again as new. All major computer manufacturers have a refurbished section showing all their available refurbished products. Buying one of these computers instead of a new computer can save you hundreds of dollars.

In addition to refurbished computers individuals and companies for various reasons also sell their used computers. When buying these look out for the following.

• Verify it has no physical damage by inspecting the ports as well as the inside and the outside of the case.
• Make sure you pay for what you are getting. See the scam section below for additional details.
• Make sure computer comes with any CD's for the operating systems or programs that are promised to be installed.
• Realize that many computer manufacturers will not transfer the computer warranty from the old user to you.

Mac vs. PC

The decision between buying a Macintosh and PC computer running Microsoft Windows is always a heated debate. See our Mac vs. PC document for a list of advantages and disadvantages of both of these systems if you're still not decided.

What to look for

When purchasing a computer it is likely that you are going to have a general idea of what you may like in the computer or how you would like to configure the computer. Below is a listing of the various components likely to be found in a computer and recommendations and tips when considering any of the below components.

Case

The case or chassis is often overlooked when buying a new computer. Below are some things to think about regarding the case.

1. Do you want a desktop or tower case?
2. Will the case fit on top of or below your desk?
3. Will the drives be accessible or will they be positioned the way you want them to be positioned?
4. Does the case support the standards of motherboards, for example, the ATX motherboard standard? This is important if you want to upgrade the computer in the future.

CD media

Most newer computers today have an included disc burner in the computer. If you want to make your own CD's or DVD's make sure the computer supports it.

Hard drive

The hard drive will be the destination of all your files and information. Make sure you get a hard drive with plenty of available space and runs at speeds that don't slow the overall computer down.

Memory

Memory is one of the more important purchasing decisions on a computer. The more memory in the computer, the more efficient the computer is capable of running.

Modem

Depending on how you plan on connecting to the Internet the Modem may not be that important of a buying decision. Most users today are using broadband Internet, which does not require a modem. However, if this is not available in your area make sure your computer includes a modem.

Network card

Almost all computers today have a network card or network option on the motherboard. The network card allows you to share files between computers in your home and connect to a broadband Internet connection.

Processor

The computer processor is and will always be one of the most important considerations when purchasing a computer. Today, with multiple CPU/Processor manufacturers, it may be more confusing as well as more cost efficient to look at all options for computer processors.

Sound card

Today, the standard sound cards that are included with a computer are sufficient for almost all computer users. However, if you plan on doing sound editing or mixing make sure to look at the sound cards capabilities.

Video card

For computer gaming the video card has become one of the most important factors behind memory and processor. If you plan on gaming with your computer make sure your video card GPU and video memory meets the requirements.

Brand of computer

There is no such thing as a computer manufacturer who has a perfect history with all its users. Therefore when it comes to recommending one brand over another it would be impossible for us to say who's better than the other. Instead we'd suggest relying off the below considerations.

Add-ons

All computer manufacturers give you the option to buy additional accessories when buying a new computer. Keep the below in mind before buying these add-ons.

• Make sure your buying accessories you actually need. For example, almost all new computers will include a keyboard and mouse. Also, if you're upgrading from an older computer many of your older peripherals and accessories may be compatible with the new computer.
• If you're buying your computer online, check elsewhere. Many accessories available through the computer manufacturer are sold at a premium price.

Documentation

Most manufacturers today are reducing the amount of documentation included with their computer and substituting that documentation for online documentation. Make sure the documentation found online appears to be sufficient and that software and driver downloads are available if needed.

Hardware

As mentioned in the above what to look for section, make sure the hardware included with your computer meets your needs.

Return

If the computer is purchased at a local retail store, can the computer be returned if unsatisfactory to that store or does it have to be sent to the computer manufacturer? If the computer is purchased online or through a mail order can it be returned if unsatisfactory?

Service

1.  Is the service onsite, meaning a technician will come to your location to replace or fix a bad component. If the service is onsite, is it for the complete time of the warranty?
2. If onsite is not offered, what is and for how long?
3. Can the computer be taken to a local service center? If yes, what is the closest authorized service center?
4. What is the time frame the service takes to occur? For example, if the computer has a bad component, what is the time it takes for a technician to come onsite and replace that component, or if sent in how long does it take? Finally, if that time frame is not acceptable, what is the company willing to do, for example, are they willing to provide you with a loaned computer.

Software

1. Does the software include Microsoft Office or Corel Suite? These packages allow you to have a word processor and a spreadsheet. For the most users this should be an important consideration.
2. Is it the full versions of the software or is the software a demo, trial, or shareware? Many companies will include programs that will expire after 30-90 days and require you to purchase the full program.

Support

While you can always contact Computer Hope for support, manufacturer support is also an important consideration as if an issue arises with the computer you must be able to contact a support representative.

1. Is support open 24 hours, 7 days a week? If not, what are the hours?
2. Is support open on holidays? If not, what days are they closed?
3. What support options are available? Phone? E-mail? Web? Chat?

Upgrade

While this option may not be considered at first when purchasing a computer, it is an important consideration. When purchasing a computer make sure the hardware you may want to upgrade can be upgraded. Common upgrades for most users today include: Memory, Video card, and Sound Card.

Warranty

Finally, does the computer manufacturer offer a warranty? How long is the warranty? Does the warranty cover both hardware and software issues? 

We highly recommend that a computer only be considered if it has at least an one-year warranty. Many cheap computers only come with a 90-day warranty. Meaning if a part goes bad, you pay for the part as well as the service. This may not be an issue for users who just need a cheap computer and are willing to replace parts and service the computer themselves.

Scams

Unfortunately, like anything, it is possible to be tricked or for computer companies to scam you. Watch out for the below common scams.

1. Make sure you pay for what you are getting - A common tactic is tooverclock the processor, memory, or other component. This can be done by anyone with a little computer knowledge. For example, you may buy a 733MHz processor but instead get a 500MHz.
   
   To determine the processor speed, open the computer and look at the processor itself. Do not look at the processor through a software program or through BIOS as these values can be changed or tricked.
2. Legal software - When purchasing a computer, make sure it was legal purchased and the CD or other disc and its CD-KEY is included. Many end-users or small computer companies who build or sell computers may not provide you with legal copies of the software, which is illegal and may leave you with a fine or the inability to get updates.

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Computer battery buying tips

Main batteries

The main battery is the battery used to

power laptop computers. When looking to purchase a new main battery from a third-party make sure you're getting the correct battery. Verify the below specifications either from the bottom of the battery or from the computer manufacturer.

• Type - Get the right battery: Nicad, NiMH, or Li-ion.
• Manufacturer - Some portables may use a certain manufacturer of battery. Verify if a third-party manufacturer's battery was used. Also, make sure the battery is not proprietary and that it is possible to purchase from a third-party.
• Voltage - Verify the Voltage of battery, this amount can vary depending on the battery.
• mAH - Verify the mAH of the battery, this amount can vary depending on the battery.

Warranty

Before purchasing the battery, see if the battery comes with any warranty and how long the warranty may be. This makes things easier if it's defective that it is possible to return the battery for a new battery or for a refund.

Prices

Prices can vary depending on quantity of batteries, size, and the age of laptop. Below is a list of the most popular batteries and their price range in the U.S. Dollar.

1 NICAD Battery: $80.00 to $150.00
1 NiMH Battery: $100.00 to $160.00
1 Li-Ion Battery: $100.00 to $180.00

Where to buy

Your laptop computer manufacturer is the best first place to get a price quote on a replacement battery. After doing this check any of the links below to get a price quote comparison and find the cheapest solution.

Ebatts.com
Batteries Plus
BatteriesInAFlash
Laptop batteries planet

Charge the battery properly

Once you have received the battery if it includes documentation for how to charge it for the first time make sure to follow those instructions exactly. Otherwise it's recommended that you charge the battery for at least 24-hours before use.

Recycle

See the battery recycling section for further information about properly recycling your old defective battery.

CMOS batteries

The CMOS battery is used to store system information such as the time and date and should be replaced when receiving error "System battery dead", the computer does not keep the time or date, or if you are losing a dramatic amount of time over a period of time.

Before replacing the CMOS battery you need to know what battery the computer is using. This can be done either by opening the computer and locating the battery or through the motherboard or computer documentation. We suggest visiting a local Radio Shack if you've got the battery but can't identify it or to purchase a new battery.

• How to replace the CMOS battery.

Prices

Prices can vary depending on quantity of batteries, size, and the age of laptop. Below is a list of the most popular batteries and their price range in the U.S. Dollar.

CMOS coin battery: $1.00 to $10.00
CMOS RTC battery: $2.00 to $20.00

Bridge batteries

The bridge battery is a small battery that holds a charge for a sufficient amount of time while swapping between main batteries. If you believe that this battery is defective or bad, it is recommended that you contact your laptop manufacturer for a replacement part.

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Computer application buying tip

Purchasing a software application or program can be a big consideration, especially when purchasing advanced and usually expensive programs such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop. When considering purchasing these programs it is important that you or your staff be familiar with the program and are sure it's going to be capable of what you need it to do.

On this page we've listed different considerations to think about before buying a computer software application

 Competition

Before buying any application make sure there is not a competing program that may be cheaper or even free. If available and something that's capable of doing what you want it to do this could save you hundreds of dollars.

A good example of such a program is OpenOffice and Corel WordPerfect that would be a competitor to Microsoft Word. Both programs are an excellent choice for a word processor but can be a considerable price difference. In the case of OpenOffice, it's 100% free.

Documentation

Make sure proper documentation is included. Many programs today will include on-line documentation that is more than sufficient. However, it is also useful to obtain a manual or user guide for the software program or application.

Licenses

If you are a company who plans on having software programs used by its employees (more than one person), you need to consider licensing options. It is required that for each computer a product is installed onto that it have a software license. If a company purchases the program and shares it with all its employees without the proper licensing, this would be illegal and can cause your company to face a criminal lawsuit.

Price

Look at your overall price and shop around. Because a software price can change often, you can sometimes save hundreds of dollars on expensive software. If possible, do not purchase directly through the company; many times, the company's price doubles a retailers price.

Be cautious of OEM software. Many resellers will sell a program as OEM, which requires you buy a computer or motherboard. OEM software is software that is included with large manufacturers' computers and only includes either just a CD or a slim manual and CD. This is not what you would find at a retail store. This option is not a bad option, it is only important that you are aware of what you are getting.

Package

Look at the overall software package. How many CDs or diskettes are included, what inserts and documentation is included, and is there any bonus or extra software included?

Media

Today, the majority of software is included on CDs and DVDs. When looking at a program, make sure you have an acceptable drive that's able to read the media, While not common today, an example of why this is important is it's better to receive one CD instead of 32 floppy diskettes.

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Hacking rules

Hacking rules :-
1. Never damage any system. This will
only get you into
trouble.
2. Never alter any of the systems files,
except for those
needed to insure that you are not
detected, and those to
insure that you have access into that
computer in the
future.
3. Do not share any information about
your hacking
projects with anyone but those you'd
trust with your life.
4. When posting on BBS's (Bulletin
Board Systems) be as
vague as possible when describing your
current hacking
projects. BBS's CAN be monitered by
law enforcement.
5. Never use anyone's real name or real
phone number
when posting on a BBS.
6. Never leave your handle on any
systems that you hack
in to.
7. DO NOT hack government computers.
8. Never speak about hacking projects
over your home
telephone line.
9. Be paranoid. Keep all of your hacking
materials in a safe
place.
10. To become a real hacker, you have to
hack. You can't
just sit around reading text files and
hanging out on
BBS's. This is not what hacking is all
about....

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10 Command Prompt Tricks and Hacks

cmd trick

The Windows Command Prompt tool, and many  of its commands, might seem boring or even relatively useless at first glance, but as anyone who has ever used the Command Prompt very often can tell you, there's much to love!

Below are several Command Prompt tricks and other Command Prompt hacks that I guarantee will get you excited about many of the mundane sounding Command Prompt commands like telnet, tree, or robocopy... okay, robocopy sounds pretty cool.

Some of these Command Prompt tricks and hacks are special features or uses of the Command Prompt itself, while others are just neat or relatively unknown things you can do with certain commands. Enjoy!

1. Use Ctrl-C to Abort a Command

Just about any command can be stopped in its tracks with the abort command: Ctrl-C.

2.If you haven't actually executed a command, you can just backspace and erase what you've typed, but if you've already executed it then you can do a Ctrl-C to stop it.

Warning: Ctrl-C isn't a magic wand and it can't undo things that aren't undoable, like a partially complete format command. However, for things like the dir command that seem to go on forever or questions you're asked at the prompt that you don't know the answer to, the abort command is an excellent Command Prompt trick to know.

3. Run Command Prompt as an Administrator Automatically2. View a Command's Results One Page (or Line) at a Time

Ever run a command, like the dir command, that produces so much information on the screen that it's almost useless? You're not alone.

One way around this is to execute the command in a special way so whatever information is generated is shown to you one page, or one line, at a time.

To do this, just type the command, the dir command for example, and then follow it with the pipe redirection operator and then the more command.

For example, executing dir /s | more will generate the thousands of lines of results that you expect from the dir command, but the more command will pause each page of results with -- More -- at the bottom of the page, indicating that the command is not done running.

Just press the space bar to advance by page or press the Enter key to advance one line at a time.

See Command Prompt Trick #7 below for a different solution to this problem.

Many commands require that you execute them from an elevated Command Prompt in Windows - in other words, execute them from a Command Prompt that's run as an administrator.

You can always right-click on any Command Prompt shortcut and chooseRun as administrator but creating a shortcut to do the same thing can be a huge time saver if you're a frequent Command Prompt power user.

To complete this Command Prompt trick, just create a Command Prompt shortcut on the desktop, enter the shortcut's properties and then select the Run as administrator box located in the Advanced button on theShortcut tab.

4. Become a Command Prompt Power User with Function Keys

The fact that the function keys actually do something in the Command Prompt is maybe one of the best kept secrets about the tool:

F1: Pastes the last executed command (character by character)
F2: Pastes the last executed command (up to the entered character)
F3: Pastes the last executed command
F4: Deletes current prompt text up to the entered character
F5: Pastes recently executed commands (does not cycle)
F6: Pastes ^Z to the prompt
F7: Displays a selectable list of previously executed commands
F8: Pastes recently executed commands (cycles)
F9: Asks for the number of the command from the F7 list to paste

Command Prompt Trick #17 is full of arrow key shortcuts, a few of which are similar to these function key tricks.

5. Hack the Prompt Text

Did you know that the prompt itself in the Command Prompt is completely customizable thanks to the prompt command? It is, and when I say customizable, I mean really customizable.

Instead of C:\>, you can set the prompt to any text you want, have it include the time, the current drive, the Windows version number, you name it.

One useful example is prompt $m$p$g which will show the full path of a mapped drive in the prompt, alongside the drive letter.

You can always execute prompt alone, without options, to return it to its sometimes boring default.

6. Get Help for Any Command

Believe it or not, the help command does not provide help for every Command Prompt command. However, any command can be suffixed with the /? option, usually called the help switch, to display detailed information about the command's syntax and often times even some examples.

I doubt that the help switch is the coolest Command Prompt trick you've ever heard of, but it's hard to disagree that it's one of the more useful.

Unfortunately, neither the help command nor the help switch offer much in the way of explaining how to interpret the syntax. See How To Read Command Syntax if you need help with that.

7. Save a Command's Output to a File

An incredibly useful Command Prompt trick is the use of redirection operators, specifically the > and >> operators.

These little characters let you redirect the output of a command to a file, giving you a saved version of whatever data the command produced in the Command Prompt window.

For example, let's say you're about to post a computer problem to an online forum and you want to provide really accurate information about your computer. An easy way to do that would be to use the systeminfo command with a redirection operator.

For example, you might execute systeminfo > c:\mycomputerinfo.txtto save the information provided by the systeminfo command to a file. You could then attach the file to your forum post.

See How To Redirect Command Output to a File for more examples and a better explanation of how to use redirection operators.

8. View Your Hard Drive's Entire Directory Structure

I think one of the neatest little commands is the tree command. With tree, you can create a kind of map of your computer's directories.

9.Execute tree from any directory to see the folder structure under that directory.

Tip: With so much information, it's probably a good idea to export the results of the tree command to a file. For example, tree /a > c:\treeresults.txt, just as explained in Command Prompt Trick #7.

10. Copy From the Command Prompt9. Customize the Command Prompt Title Bar Text

Tired of that Command Prompt title bar text? No problem, just use the title command to change it to whatever you like.

For example, let's say your name is Maria Smith, and you want to express your ownership of the Command Prompt: execute title Property of Maria Smith and the Command Prompt's title bar will change immediately.

The change won't stick, so the next time you open Command Prompt the title bar will be back to normal.

The title command is usually used to help give a custom appearance in script files and batch files... not that I'm saying titling it with your name isn't a good idea!

As you may or may not know, copying from the Command Prompt is not as easy as copying from other programs, which is part of the reason why saving a command's output to a file, Command Prompt Trick #7, is so handy.

But what if you do just want to copy a short section of text to the clipboard? It's not too hard but it's not very intuitive either.

Right-click anywhere in the Command Prompt window and choose Mark. Now, highlight with your left mouse button whatever you'd like to copy. Once your selection is made, press Enter.

Now you can paste that information into whatever program you'd like.

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10 Brilliant Command Prompt (CMD) Tricks You Probably Don’t Know About

While talking about the 15 amazing Run Box commands the other day, I mentioned how both Run Box and Command Prompt are treated as a bit nerdy. Well, one might work on Windows without even touching the Run box but you cannot run away from Command Prompt (cmd). No matter how good Windows may evolve on the GUI front, Command Prompt (or more accurately, the Command Line ) was how it all began.

So here are some great tips you can use to make yourself comfortable while working with the Command Prompt. First things first, the shortcut for Command Prompt is cmd and that’s all you need to type in the Run box or the Start search in order to bring it up. Now on to the cool tricks, which might be known ones for the geeky ones among you, but on the other hand, have the potential to incite the a-ha moment for many other everyday computer users among you.

Let’s roll, shall we?

1. Open Command Prompt in a Folder

When you open the command prompt, it opens up in either User or System folder depending upon whether you ran it as administrator or not. Now the thing is, if you want to execute a file in any particular folder, you would have to use the change directory(cd) command to navigate to the folder which can be a problem if the directory is nested way too deep.

To ease things you can open the folder in your Windows Explorer, hold Shift key when you right-click in the folder and select Run command window here  to directly open the CMD prompt with the path to that folder directly.

2. Enable QuickEdit for Easy Copy/Paste

One thing I miss the most in Command Prompt is the ability to easily copy and paste text using the conventional Windows hotkeys. Normally, one would have to use the right-click context menu options to copy and paste text, but if you enable QuickEdit, you can do them using simple shortcuts.

To enable the QuickEdit mode, right-click on the Command Prompt Title Bar and select Properties. In the Properties Window under the Option Tab enable QuickEdit Mode. That’s all; you can now quickly select text by dragging your mouse pointer. Pressing the enter key on the selected text will copy the text to the clipboard, and a simple left click would be enough to paste the text.

3. Run Command Prompt as Admin

Many commands require you to run command prompt as administrator. When you search for CMD in Start Menu, other than selecting Run as administrator from the right-click menu, you can simply press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open it with admin privileges. This trick will work for all the programs installed on your system.

4. See Command History

You can see last used commands in a session using the navigation buttons, but if you would like to see a list of all the commands, you can get it by pressing the F7 button.

Alternatively, you can use the command doskey /history  to list these commands in the command prompt itself.

5. Change Command Prompt Looks

Are you bored with the conventional black-and-white looks of the command prompt and would like to paint it different? We have already covered a guide on how you can customize your command prompt which you can refer to make the changes.

6. Copy Commands Output to Clipboard Directly

Sometimes one might want to copy the output from a command to clipboard, like at times when you get an error, and you want to paste the exact error in email or while chatting with someone.

To store a command output to a clipboard add the command | clip at the end of the command. For e.g. Dir /p | clip

7. Drag and Drop Files to Change Path

If you are already in command prompt, and you want to copy the exact path to a folder or file to run the file or change the present working directory, you can simply drag and drop the file or the folder on the command prompt.

The path of the dropped file or folder will show up in quotes.

8. Run Commands Simultaneously

You can put && between two commands and execute them one after another. The command on the left will execute first followed by the command on the right of the double ampersand.

9. Get Help for Command

Well let’s say you know about a command, but you are not sure how it works. Not a problem, all you need to do is suffix the command with /?  and execute it. If the command is valid, the command prompt will give you all the information related to it.

10. Watch Star Wars in ASCII

For all my nerdy friends who are diehard fans of Star Wars, you can actually watch the Star Wars Episode IV movie in the command prompt. Though it would be in ASCII, it will be fun. To start the movie, open command prompt, type in telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl. and press enter. Don’t forget the popcorns though 

Conclusion

I am sure these tricks will make you a little more comfortable with the Windows Command Prompt. If you are one of our more tech savvy readers who has been relying on the Command Prompt for years, why not share some cool tricks that you’ve got up your sleeve? Chip in with your comments!

Before You Go...

Just wanted to let you know that we've just launched our YouTube Channel where we'll upload awesome video content. Make sure you hit the subscribe button to stay up to date with the new videos we upload every week.

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