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Summary: Some used computers already have software installed. Learn about buying used computers with software installed on them in this free video on consumer electronics.
Views: 1,187 | Tags: buying, computer, consumer, PC, electronics, computers, mac, buy, used, software, specs, desktop
About the Expert
Don Procunier Don Procunier opened The Friendly Computer in Cottonwood, AZ nearly two years ago and has made it a successful computer sales and repair store.
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Questions & AnswersOn behalf of expertvillage.com my name is Don with Friendly Computer's and I'm here to talk today about buying used computers. Now, one thing we've stressed continuously is the used computer market is definitely a buyer be aware kind of market. One of the big things I really want to caution everybody about is making sure that the computer you're purchasing has legitimate legal licensed software. One way you can tell is on any XP or above machine, there will be a product key sticker for a Microsoft similar to this one that'll actually have the version of the software that's licensed and everything. If you've got that then you know that your operating system is good. Beyond that if it has additional software installed on it, the owner should be able to provide you with the discs and or the product keys that were used to install that software. Running illegal software is something that can cause a lot of problems and at some point Microsoft can shut down some of the function. So rather than having to spend more money later to update the software to get it legal make sure it's legal from the start. Another thing I want to warn you about is that if you have the opportunity try to get a professional to look at the machine if you're not sure about it. Most computer shops have a reasonable fee, then you can bring in a used computer and just have them do an overall system check, make sure things are running okay. It may cost a little bit up front but it may save you a ton of money from making mistakes. Also, remember if you buy a used computer it is used, therefore it's going to need a little tender loving care. The first thing you might want to do would be to open it up and clean the dust out of the inside. You want to make sure that you're running disk fragmentation. Make sure and put a good virus program on it and when you do that let the program do a complete scan of the drive. Do these things to make sure that it is ready to go from the start and it would be equipped to serve you a lot longer than if you neglect them. Always remember to perform basic maintenance and basic cleaning on any machine, even a new one on some kind of a schedule. With an old one just make sure it's a little more frequent and it'll last a lot longer.
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