Desktop buying tips

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.

• Case buying tips page.

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.

• Standard CD-ROM buying tips
• CD-R or CD-RW buying tips
• DVD buying tips

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.

• Hard drive buying tips

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.

• Memory buying tips

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.

• Modem buying tips

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.

• Network card buying tips

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.

• CPU and processor buying tips

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.

• Sound card buying tips

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.

• Video card buying tips

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

Watch out for the below scams and tricks when buying a computer.

1. Make sure you pay for what you are getting - A common tactic is to overclock 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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Tips Buying Computer application

Tips Buying Computer application

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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How to download or save a YouTube video to my computer?

How to download or save a YouTube video to my computer?

YouTube has been designed to only allow users to watch and view videos on their website. Many users want to save their favorite videos to their computer so they can watch them without being connected to the Internet or so they can watch them on other devices. Below are the steps required for downloading and watching YouTube videos on your computer for free.

Note: These steps are for saving a YouTube video and not saving only the audio of a YouTube video to an MP3 file. How to watch a video or movie on a DVD disc is also not covered on this page.

Saving YouTube video as a video file on your computer

Today, there are many websites that allow you to enter the URL of the video you want to save to your computer and get a link to download the file. Below is a simple three-step process to download any YouTube video.

Note: If you are at a school or job that is blocking YouTube, these steps may not work.

1. First, go to the YouTube page containing the video you want to save. When you've found the page, press Ctrl + L on your keyboard to highlight the text in the address bar, and then Ctrl + C to copy the Internet address.

2. Once this address has been copied, paste that URL into the text field below by clicking inside the box and pressing Ctrl + V on your keyboard. Then, click the Download Video button.

3. If done properly, a new window will appear displaying a preview of the video, (as shown below) along with the Download links. For most users, we suggest downloading the MP4 format. Other available formats may include FLV, 3GP, and WebM. Once you have selected your format, click the appropriate download link.

After the file has been downloaded, it will be available in your downloads folder.

What about a private video?

You cannot download private videos because the YouTube download service will not have the necessary rights to access the video.

I still can't download a video

If after following the above steps, you do not get a preview like our example, make sure that the link you are using works by opening the page in a new window. Once verified as working, try the above steps again. If the steps continue to not work, try refreshing this page by pressing the F5 key on your keyboard and following the above steps again. If that still does not work, try one of the other YouTube download sites below.

It is only saving as audio and not video

Make sure you are choosing the "MP4 360p" or "MP4 480p" option from the download link. If you choose "Audio MP4 128", it only downloads the audio and not the video. If you did choose the right download link to download the file, it is very likely that the player you are using does not have the necessary codec for video files. Download the free VLC player for your computer and try to play the video file from within VLC and not the player you are currently using.

YouTube bookmarklet

If you plan on downloading several videos, use the Computer Hope YouTube bookmarklet. See our bookmarklet page for more information about bookmarklets.

Other YouTube download sites

In addition to using the above box to convert your videos, there are also other websites and services that allow you to download YouTube videos. Below are just a few of our favorites.

Caution: These services can be used to save any flash videos online and can be used to save adult-related videos, which means when viewing these pages, you may be subjected to adult-related content.

http://www.savefrom.net/http://www.savevid.com/
http://keepvid.com/

Watching a FLV video on your computer

If you saved the file as a .flv file, you need a player that supports .flv files. Below are a few suggestions.

VLC media player
http://www.videolan.org/

Windows Media Player
Microsoft Windows users also have the ability of playing FLV files in Windows Media player with the right codec. Downloading and installing the CCCP codec installs the necessary codec to play FLV files, as well as other codecs you'll likely need in the future.

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How to watch March Madness (even without cable)

How to watch March Madness (even without cable)

Games will be streamed online and through the NCAA March Madness Live app. There's even a trick to gain access to the games without a cable subscription.

It's that time of the year again. The time when Internet speeds begin to slow and productivity dips. Yup, it's March Madness time. Millions of people will tune in online and over-the-air to watch the best college basketball teams in the nation go head-to-head.

There's a total of 67 games, which will be broadcast across CBS (the parent company of CNET), TNT, TBS and TruTV starting on Tuesday, March 17. The championship game is scheduled for Monday, April 6, on CBS.

Here's how you can tune in on your devices:

Computer

Don't have time to sit on the couch and enjoy the games? Head over to the NCAA's March Madness Live website, where you will be able to stream all 67 games live. You may be wondering what's the catch? While games airing on CBS can be accessed for free on the Web, you will be required to enter credentials from a participating cable or satellite provider to watch games on TNT, TBS and TruTV. The NCAA is offering a limited preview for people without a cable subscription, although it's unclear how long it will run (likely only a few hours or even minutes).

Smartphone or tablet

Smartphone and tablet owners can tune in through the NCAA March Madness Live app. The same restrictions apply, however, as the website. CBS games will be streamed for free and a participating cable or satellite subscription will be required for the other games. The March Madness Live app is available for Android, iOS, Amazon and Windows devices.

Cordcutters

Don't pay for a traditional cable package? All hope is not lost. As mentioned above, CBS games are streamed on the Web and through the mobile app for free. If you rather watch them on your TV, you can pick up a digital TV antenna to access CBS over-the-air. The hottest clips and highlights from the tournament will also be posted on the official NCAA March Madness YouTube channel.

Another option is the new Sling TV streaming service, which includes access to TBS, TNT, ESPN, Food Network, AMC and more for only $20 a month. TruTV can be added for an additional $5 a month as part of the Lifestyle extra channel package. As noted by Brad Tuttle over at Time, Sling offers a 7-day free trial that you could sign up for prior to tip off and use to watch the first week of games. Alternately, you may want to wait to begin the trial until later in the tournament to see potentially better match-ups, such as the two Final Four games on April 4 on TBS.

Microsoft on Tuesday added Sling TV to the Xbox One. As part of a special promotion for Xbox owners, the company is offering a free month long trial to test Sling. While the trial only includes access to the basic $20 plan (which doesn't include TruTV), it's the easiest way to get access to a majority of March Madness games for free.

Just be sure you remember to cancel the service before the trial is up or you will be automatically billed for the first month. This can be done online or over the phone by calling customer service at 888-909-4087.

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Ugly documents surface in antitrust case that Google settled with FTC

Ugly documents surface in antitrust case that Google settled with FTC

Serious claims, made by FTC investigators, came just months before the commissioners decided against launching an antitrust suit against Google in 2013, according to documents obtained by the WSJ.

Google sidestepped an antitrust lawsuit in the US back in 2013, but newly released documents expose the depth of the accusations against the search giant.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigators issued a sharp rebuke of some of Google's search and advertising practices in a 160-page document handed to their bosses in 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday after documents were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The investigators, who handed the document to the five FTC commissioners who would decide whether to launch an antitrust suit, found in 2012 that the search company's "conduct has resulted -- and will result -- in real harm to consumers and to innovation in the online search and advertising markets."

In early 2013, just months after receiving the report, the FTC commissioners decided against prosecuting Google on antitrust charges and accepted "voluntary" moves on the search company's part to improve some areas of competition in search and advertising.

The FTC and Google reached an accord on a nearly two-year investigation into the search company's practices in January 2013. During the investigation period, Google was required to hand over millions of pages of documents and its executives and key staff gave hours of testimony to the FTC. The government agency had received some complaints from Google competitors, including local-search service Yelp, that the online company was using its powerful position in search and advertising to hurt competition in the marketplace.

The deal between Google and the FTC saw the search company agree to allow companies, like Yelp and others, to remove their search results from certain Google services, like the company's local, travel and shopping pages. Google also agreed to allow advertisers to use data collected in their Google AdWords online ad campaigns for campaigns they had on other services.

"The conclusion is clear," Google general counsel David Drummond wrote at the time. "Google's services are good for users and good for competition."

The FTC was similarly celebratory in its announcement, saying that Google's modifications to AdWords and Search would "ensure that consumers continue to reap the benefits of competition in the online marketplace." All five FTC commissioners voted unanimously to end the Google investigation and accept the deal.

"The evidence the FTC uncovered through this intensive investigation prompted us to require significant changes in Google's business practices. However, regarding the specific allegations that the company biased its search results to hurt competition, the evidence collected to date did not justify legal action by the Commission," Beth Wilkinson, outside counsel to the FTC, said in a statement at the time. "Undoubtedly, Google took aggressive actions to gain advantage over rival search providers. However, the FTC's mission is to protect competition, and not individual competitors. The evidence did not demonstrate that Google's actions in this area stifled competition in violation of U.S. law."

The FTC's commissioners make the final call on whether antitrust proceedings should move forward. They base their decisions on the work of their investigators at the government agency who dig into a company, conduct interviews and seek clarification on key points. The inner-workings of those investigations is unknown and it's unclear how often commissioners heed the advice of investigators.

The Google investigation, which also included concerns over Motorola's ownership of standard-essential patents, centered on four core elements, the Journal reported:

• Did Google illegally favor its own services, like Google Finance?
• Did the company copy other companies' content for its own gain?
• Did the company harm advertisers in their desire to run ad campaigns on other networks?
• Did the company restrict other firms that published its content from working with competitors, like Microsoft Bing?

According to the documents obtained by the Journal, the investigators found that Google's control over search caused "harm to many vertical competitors" across the travel, shopping, local and finance industries. The investigators also found that Google forced companies to allow the search giant to use their content in search results or face an outright ban on its search engine, and made it difficult for advertisers to share data on other platforms.

The documents reveal that Google was accused of stealing content from Amazon, TripAdvisor and Yelp to bolster its competing services. In the case of Amazon, for instance, Google allegedly copied the e-retail giant's sales rankings and placed them on its own shopping service to rank items. Google also allegedly copied Amazon's reviews for those products.

After allegedly discovering a similar move, TripAdvisor and Yelp asked Google to stop its activity. The search company quickly denied the request and threatened to remove their services from search, according to the Journal's report.

"It is clear that Google's threat was intended to produce, and did produce, the desired effect," the investigators wrote, according to the Journal, "which was to coerce Yelp and TripAdvisor into backing down." The Journal also claims that the report includes a message sent by Google telling competitors that it would "extract the fruits of its rivals' innovations."

Despite such accusations, the FTC investigators stopped short of seeking an antitrust lawsuit on the way Google was giving preferential treatment to its own services over competitors. The FTC investigators did, however, argue that the company was doing harm to competition and violated the law, according to the Journal.

In its statement in January 2013, the FTC did not directly comment on those alleged claims, but did acknowledge that Google's "Universal Search," which puts the company's own services front and center ahead of competitors, "may have had the effect of harming individual competitors." However, the commissioners argued that the preferential treatment "could be plausibly justified as innovations that improved Google's product and the experience of its users."

The commissioners also lauded Google's decision to allow third-parties to remove their content from its different sites, allaying FTC concerns.

Implications across the pond?

Despite the FTC's ultimate decision to not launch an antitrust lawsuit against Google, the newly revealed documents could have an impact on the company's current investigation by the European Union.

Google has been embroiled in an antitrust investigation in the EU since 2010 over claims that it may be providing preferential treatment to its own services. Google has tried on three occasions to settle the deal, but European regulators have each time decided against accepting an accord.

Last year, for instance, Google proposed a tentative settlement that would have forced the company to display search results for all services, including its own, in the same way. The company wouldn't have been required to pay a fine.

In September, European regulators, who had preliminarily agreed to the idea, said that they had received "fresh evidence" and "solid arguments" from 20 formal complaints. Those complaints, which came from competitors like Microsoft, prompted the regulators to send Google back to the drawing board.

"We now need to see if Google can address these issues and allay our concerns," said Joaquin Almunia, who was the EU's competition commissioner at the time. If Google's response doesn't satisfy the commission, the "logical next step is to prepare a Statement of Objections," Almunia said, referring to formal charges.

Google has several rivals that take issue with its ability to promote its services, including travel booking sites such as TripAdvisor, Expedia and Hotwire, and shopping sites TheFind and Foundem. All of those companies are members of FairSearch, a consortium of companies, mainly from the US, that have lobbied EU officials for greater regulation on Google and the ways it integrates its own services into search.

Google has argued that search engines are no longer just a list of links to other sites and the company should be allowed to provide relevant information without forcing a user to leave its pages. Google now has weather reports, medical information and calculators, among other tools, baked into its search pages.

"Larry Page, our co-founder, has always believed that the perfect search engine would 'understand exactly what you mean and give you back exactly what you want,'" Google senior vice president of global communications Rachel Whetstone said last year. "Initially, 10 blue links were the best answer we could give. But now we have the ability to provide direct answers to users' queries, which is much quicker and easier for them."

So far, Google's arguments has been unable to allay EU regulators' concerns. Indeed, there is a possibility that the current investigation into the company's search could only get worse and extend to another dominant Google platform: Android.

The FTC documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal were not meant to go public. The Wall Street Journal said that the FTC requested the documents back, but the news outlet refused. Whether that will result in the EU taking a tougher stance against Google is unknown.

Regardless of the nature of the leak, Google responded on Friday, reiterating to CNET that it was found to have not engaged in any wrongdoing and the companies cited in the document are doing just fine.

"After an exhaustive 19-month review, covering nine million pages of documents and many hours of testimony, the FTC staff and all five FTC commissioners agreed that there was no need to take action on how we rank and display search results," Google's current General Counsel Kent Walker said. "Speculation about potential consumer and competitor harm turned out to be entirely wrong. Since the investigation closed two years ago, the ways people access information online have increased dramatically, giving consumers more choice than ever before.

And our competitors are thriving," Walker continued. "For example, Yelp calls itself the 'de facto local search engine' and has seen revenue growth of over 350 percent in the last four years, TripAdvisor claims to be the Web's 'largest travel brand' and has nearly doubled its revenues in the last 4 years."

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