This is one of “those” questions, I believe.  If you’re looking at buying a computer, you may be asking yourself this question: new or used?  I know there are many people with strong opinions that fall into both sides.  I think this question can actually have a different answer depending on what your need is.  Does that sound wishy-washy?  Let me know AFTER reading the rest of the article!

I think there are two questions you can ask yourself to help you determine which direction you should go.

(1) How much experience do you have with computers?

I see this as an important question for several reasons.  First of all, if you need a computer in order to learn some of the basics, such as surfing the web, doing email, writing papers, and perhaps uploading and sharing photos, then you may want to begin with something a little less expensive, at least until you learn enough and are able to use it to its fullest potential.

The trick here is to find someone you trust who will be able to find you a refurbished computer that, one, will last long enough that you get some use out of it, and two, will be good enough to suit your needs.  The idea here is to get something you can train on, and THEN move up to a newer, more robust machine.

However, if you are more experienced, you probably, one, know what it is that you need, and two, be able to use it to its fullest already and may actually want something more robust.

(2) What do you need it for?

The needs really do determine what kind of computer to get.  If all you need is something inexpensive that you can do school papers on, you’ll be wasting your time on the new gaming computer.  All you really need is to be able to run a word processor and a printer (and perhaps the internet and email).

Now, if you are getting into graphics design, photo or video editing, gaming and/or game design, etc. etc., you’ll be needing something more.  If you are needing a bit more than the basics, a newer model is probably for you.

Those are two major questions to ask yourself.  You’ll also want to think about such things as finances, being, how much can you afford.  You’ll also need to consider a few things when looking for a refurbished system:

(1) If you need it, get some help from someone you trust.

(2) Buy it from a place where you can test it out first.  Ebay or Craigslist are probably not the best places for a newbie to buy a used system.

(3) Check to see what kind of wear and tear there is already.  Signs of excessive use (or misuse) or signs of exposure to elements can indicate what kind of machine you are looking at.  Look for crack and excessive scratching, staining, etc. and take them as signs you may want to find something else.

(4) Some places offer some sort of warranty.  For instance, a good reputable refurbished computer salesman will offer a month’s warranty.  You want to make sure you’re not getting a lemon.

As I said earlier, find someone you trust to help you because they can find a store THEY trust and you’re life will be SO much easier because of it.  ALSO, if you have some more used computer buying tips, help us out in the comments!

On the move a lot?

If you are like me, then your life is busy.  It seems everyday is crazy and there’s always someplace to be!  Home, work, church, family, friends – there’s always something going on somewhere.  Sometimes that makes it difficult to get things done.

You need the tools to do what you need to do!

Have you ever found yourself in a place where you did not have with you the tools to get done what you needed to get done?  If you’re on the go a lot then this has probably happened.  Well, it happens to the best of us!

Well, this same thing happens in the “computer world.”

If you are away from home, sometimes you end up in a place without the programs to accomplish what you need to.  I know for me there are specific things I do most often on the computer and I think it may be similar for a lot of people.  Here’s a list of my most common tasks:

• Photo editing
• Web browsing
• Typing (commonly known as “word processing”)
• Chatting (more specifically instant messaging)
• Some web design

Sure, I do more than just these, but these are the tasks I do the most.  These tasks require specific programs that aren’t necessarily found on every computer I come into contact with.  That can be quite the handicap!

Enter portable applications!

With portable applications, this problem is solved (or at least minimized)!  Did you know that there are programs out there designed specifically to be run from a portable hard drive?  They’re known as “portable applications” or “portable apps.”  That means that you can carry a program you need to use right on your thumb drive to be used on almost any Windows machine you come in contact with!  In a previous post I wrote about a classic example of such a program: Portable Firefox.

The PortableApps.com Suite organizes your needed portable apps into one handy portable program menu!

Since discovering the PortableApps.com Suite, my digital life has become extraordinarily easier!  The PortableApps.com Suite includes programs for almost all of my computing needs and more are being added as time goes by!  The makers have been taking open source software and engineering them to be portable!  Now I have programs in my pocket for almost anything I do so I don’t have to worry about being on a PC without the ability to do what I need to!

Best of all, PortableApps.com Suite is easy to use!

The PortableApps.com Suite is accessible by an icon in the Windows taskbar:

Then up pops the menu:

Click the program you want to use and open it does!  As you can see, there is a program for almost anything, even including a game or two!  Some of the programs I use constantly are:

• Portable Firefox, of course!  Carry all of your bookmarks and extensions with your very own copy of Firefox (now you never have to use IE again!)
• FileZilla Portable is a very handy FTP program so I can upload files for my website projects from any PC connected to the internet!
• Lightscreen Portable is a small, easy program for capturing screen shots when I want to put together a quick tutorial!
• CoolPlayer+Portable is a small and easy to use music player.  It even remember the song you left off on!
• OpenOffice Suite always comes in handy for typing, number crunching, and putting together presentations!
• IrfanView is a small photo editor I am beginning to use when I’ve got to do some quick tweaks on the fly!
• GIMP Portable is the all-so-famous graphics design program meant as an open source replacement for Adobe Photoshop!

There are more programs, too.  Explore a bit and see which ones you find yourself needing.  As you can see, most of my PC tasks are covered by the PortableApps.com Suite!  Check it out to see if it’ll meet your needs too!

Note: When using a thumb drive on public computers, there’s always the possibility of a virus being transmitted to the thumb drive.  Use precautions when using unknown or untrusted PCs.  Keep your home computer AND your thumb drive scanned with up-to-date virus software (the PortableApps.com Suite comes with Clamwin antvirus software) and PLEASE check out the Safe Portable App-ing page for more tips!

As a parent, have you ever felt “left behind” or “in the dark” when it comes to today’s technology that our youth are so dependent on?  As you seek to stay connected with your children and to understand what they are up to, I found a blog that I believe can help!

WiredParentPad.com is run by a man named Jamie Pick, who apparently has been in the Information Technology field for 10 years and is a parent of 2 teenage boys.

He describes the mission of his site:

At WiredParentPad, I share my personal experiences, advice, and newsworthy stories related to basically anything we’d consider part of the “information age”.

Some of the articles you may find interesting are:

• 8 Essential Text Shortcut Websites for Parents
• Energy Drinks and Teens – What Every Parent Ought to Know
• Tracking Your Teen’s Progress in School has Never Been Easier
• A Fundamental Guide to Music Sharing for Today’s Parents

If you are a parent of teens or soon-to-be teens, I’d encourage you to keep up with today’s technology and I believe this site can help!  Stop by often (and tell him I sent you)!

Ever run into difficulties with your computer?  You’re not alone!  Sometimes the first inclination is to call someone for help.  Let me share some things that you can try BEFORE calling in the troops (much of it I found on ehow.com so follow the links for more information):

1. Is your computer running slow?  eHow.com has these tips (how to speed up a sluggish computer):
   • Delete old programs
   • Get rid of adware and spyware
   • Clean your start up files
   • Clean your registry
   • Clean your junk and temporary files
   • Defrag your hard drive
2. Try trouble shooting on your own (how to trouble shoot a computer):
   1. Restart the computer
   2. Check your cables
   3. Check the electric power
   4. Make sure the computer and monitor are plugged in
   5. Disconnect peripheral devices and restart the computer
   6. Listen for unusual sounds
   7. Look inside the computer for wires that aren’t plugged in all the way or other faulty connections
   8. Start the computer from an external start-up disk, such as the system software CD that came with your computer

These tips from eHow.com should help you to solve some issues before asking for help.  Also, if you still end up needing help, having done many of these things can help your “techie” friend to get to the bottom of the issue more quickly!

Anything to correct or add?  Please do!

I know that sometimes it is scary on the Internet, especially when we hear all of the horror stories about bank accounts being hacked, viruses rendering computers useless, porn popping up out of nowhere, and so on.  Maybe even you have a story of something terrible happening to you or someone you love online.  Well, don’t worry, we’ve all had to deal with the troubles of the untamed web.  I’ve got a few pointers that you may or may not already know but may help you avoid some of that trouble:

1.  Get anti-virus

2.  Get a filter

There are free internet filters out there and I’ve downloaded and tried K-9 Web Protection and I love it!  It has many filtering options including possibly dangerous sites!  For you parents, it has many options to help you monitor the time and the places visited so you can teach your kids accountability and the importance of it.

3.  Keep OS updated

Your operating system may need periodical updates that patch known security holes.  You should definitely keep up with that!

4.  Keep antivirus updated

I mentioned antivirus programs already but I can’t stress enough the importance of keeping them updated!  Most antivirus programs, including the two I have mentioned, make it possible to schedule regular updates and scanning.  Take advantage of this!

5.  Learn to recognize questionable sites

Keep your eyes peeled for sites that may have unnecessary risks involved with visiting them.  One good piece of advice is covered in the next point:

6.  Stay off adult and hacking-related sites

This point should be an obvious one!  Neither of them are run by individuals with your family’s safety at the forefront of their minds!  Sites involved with teaching hacking techniques are ALWAYS at risk for infecting your computer!  If you have K-9 Internet Protection installed and running correctly, it should keep you from stumbling accross one of these anyhow.

7.  Don’t download something that you don’t know much about (do research)

There are many free games and computer programs out there but not all come with some kind of a cost!  Many come with nifty packages of spy-ware and worse!  Make sure you know what you are downloading.  Do some research and see what others are saying about the site and its downloads.  If your pop-ups are going crazy, think about some possible programs or games you’ve recently downloaded and uninstall them to see if the problem is fixed.  Learn how to DO RESEARCH!

8.  Be careful with strangers

I don’t care how friendly they are or how professional the site seems, BE CAREFUL!  Don’t give out any personal information WHATSOEVER in chat rooms, blogs, social networking sites, you name it!  Potential predators OR hackers can use any little peice of information against you!  Check out his site for some more safety tips with strangers: http://www.stayingsafeonline.com/Social%20Networking.htm

9.  Be vague on non-important forms

There are contact forms on many sites and blogs.  There are forms to be filled out for almost any free service offered online.  Be vague with personal information.  I may give the city and state but never my actual address and I usually give the weatherman’s phone number if it’s not important.  I don’t even give my full last name if I don’t think it’s needed.  All of that is on a need-to-know basis!

Many of these points are probably known but sometimes it’s easy to forget.  Many issues we have with our computers and our identity can be avoided with a little forethought.  And yes, sometimes we need to learn from experience, but why if we don’t have to!

Say tuned because soon I will be writing a post more specifically geared toward child safety online!

Anything I may have missed?  Post a comment or two!