[PCWorld]

Post your comments for 28 pieces of computing advice that stand the test of time here

[AlKube]

Very good points and reminders. I'm saving your article. Thanks.

[DanielRogers]

Great list... but I disagree about extended warrenties, atleast with laptops.
I don't worry about my laptop for the first 2 years, but it is the 3rd or 4th year that worries me.

With every laptop I have bought for the past 8 years has always needed a repair which justified the cost of the warrenty. My iBook, the worst computer I have ever owned, needed repairs 6 times, 1 time for the display, 2 times for the DC jack, and 3 times I ordered a replacement power supply. My netbook needed 2 new power supplies and 2 DC jacks replaced. My Compaq laptop needed a new hard drive and new power supply. My current laptop, Lenovo, needed the USB 3.0's replaced. I am more than sure I came out ahead when it came to costs.

The only crappy thing about extended warrenties is that you typically are without your computer during repairs longer than if you take it to a local shop. Apple was great, I usualy was just without my iBook for 3 days. Netbook and Compaq usually took 2 weeks. Lenovo was about a week. Local shops usually quote me a day or two if they aren't swamped.

[ArnabGanguli1nzt]

"Skip the extended warranty

Don't be a sap. Extended warranties are designed to prey on your fear that the hardware you just purchased is already on its death bed. From a return-on-investment perspective, extended warranties almost never pay off—except for the companies that sell them. "

I grossly disagree, be it Laptop or desktop. What on the earth were u thinkinh. gr8 list. But hw com u assume that in 3 years time (yes if u r investing on a 300-600$ notebook or desktop, u need to be able to use it for 3-5yrs for productivity or else u just buy it for fancy. Well if u buy it for productivity and peace of mind u will go for a branded one so doesn't matter in extending that peace of mind to another 2years for say 40-60$. and u can bet todays product will certainly fail at least i being in this industry for 8 years can, and this minimal amount will certainly give u peace of mind. Or else we can make ourselves DIY Desktop and i know PC World site is of gr8 help to that and also enjoy cheaper and vendor warranty. but for business and productivity purpose i beg to differ with ur opinion. rest of all gr8 list.

[WalterLuffman]

I'll agree with DanielRogers about the extended warranty. My laptops have never given trouble in their first couple of years, but have had problems (granted, usually minor) later in their working life. Since I also have a home-built laptop as my "power-user" machine, I don't tend to replace laptops frequently. An extended warranty kept me from trashing my current HP G60 when it had video trouble; nearly two years later, I'm still using it because I was able to get it fixed under extended warranty. The extended warranty is now expired, and I want a faster, thinner, lighter laptop; but I'll probably keep this one as a backup and coffee-table computer that's more convenient for simple tasks than the desktop box. In my case, the extended warranty paid for itself.

[ronin7752]

An excellent collection of advice! One of the best I've seen!

Re: Buy last years hardware... The older the hardware is when you buy it, the sooner it will need upgrades and/or become obsolete. I tell my customers to think of the amount they pay as (generally) an indicator of how long the technology will be viable -- so find a reasonable mid-point between "clearance table" and "state of the art".

[LiveBrianD]

Quote

"Skip the extended warranty Don't be a sap. Extended warranties are designed to prey on your fear that the hardware you just purchased is already on its death bed. From a return-on-investment perspective, extended warranties almost never pay off—except for the companies that sell them. " I grossly disagree, be it Laptop or desktop. What on the earth were u thinkinh. gr8 list. But hw com u assume that in 3 years time (yes if u r investing on a 300-600$ notebook or desktop, u need to be able to use it for 3-5yrs for productivity or else u just buy it for fancy. Well if u buy it for productivity and peace of mind u will go for a branded one so doesn't matter in extending that peace of mind to another 2years for say 40-60$. and u can bet todays product will certainly fail at least i being in this industry for 8 years can, and this minimal amount will certainly give u peace of mind. Or else we can make ourselves DIY Desktop and i know PC World site is of gr8 help to that and also enjoy cheaper and vendor warranty. but for business and productivity purpose i beg to differ with ur opinion. rest of all gr8 list.

In general, it seems that most things either fail immediately (because they were defective), or last for several years without a problem. Chances are that, by the time it fails, the extended warranty will have ended anyway.

[edelbrp]

Regarding a power backup, I would recommend a multi-purpose jumper pack for your car. Obviously it can come handy to jump start a car, but they can come with an air-compressor, flashlight, 12V cigarette plug, 110V AC inverter, etc. I've used mine more for keeping my Internet and WiFi going when the power goes out than for anything else.

Also, take the time to experiment with settings to see what eats up battery time. For example, I found dimming the screen as much as possible and closing all unused browser windows can really help.

[pcampagna]

I have to say ANYTHING that looks like a computer, BUY the extended warranty. Did it with the iPad, iPhone, macbook, iMac, etc, etc. Pays for itself the first time you use it.

Now if you are planning on throwing it out in a year, no, but the warranty has saved me more than you can imagine when I do something stupid. Not always the manufactures fault, but that can happen too and not having it is going to cost you a lot more than paying up front for the warranty. I recomend Squre Trade. They do not have as many limitations as the manufactures extended. Meaning with the iPhone, it doesn't matter if you damage it with water, where apple won't pay for water damage. NEVER buy a carrier warranty. That is a RIP OFF. ie Verizon, AT&T etc. (at least for an iPhone/ iPad.

[rje49]

Quote

"Skip the extended warranty Don't be a sap. Extended warranties are designed to prey on your fear that the hardware you just purchased is already on its death bed. From a return-on-investment perspective, extended warranties almost never pay off—except for the companies that sell them. " I grossly disagree, be it Laptop or desktop. What on the earth were u thinkinh. gr8 list. But hw com u assume that in 3 years time (yes if u r investing on a 300-600$ notebook or desktop, u need to be able to use it for 3-5yrs for productivity or else u just buy it for fancy. Well if u buy it for productivity and peace of mind u will go for a branded one so doesn't matter in extending that peace of mind to another 2years for say 40-60$. and u can bet todays product will certainly fail at least i being in this industry for 8 years can, and this minimal amount will certainly give u peace of mind. Or else we can make ourselves DIY Desktop and i know PC World site is of gr8 help to that and also enjoy cheaper and vendor warranty. but for business and productivity purpose i beg to differ with ur opinion. rest of all gr8 list.

[rje49]

What's all that mean in English?

[nubwaxer]

"Label your power bricks"
why don't manufacturers do it? why doesn't the industry standardize to a single type charger and engineer to it? or at least try to make as few chargers as possible that work for all devices of one type of device (i know i've seen printer bricks at 20-30 watts, but couldn't all printer manufacturers agree to a single standard for all)? i think all cars and trucks accommodate the same gas pump nozzle don't they?

[TKOP]

GREAT advice!

[JonTeatxdg]

I think it's a great list of advice, and I agree with skipping the extended warranty. 99% of the issues you'have with desktops/ laptops happen within the first year or two, and the rest of the problems boil down to users misusing the hardware. I recently had to replace a motherboard due to it actually failing. Let't be realistic here I've seen hardware go the rounds, and make it just fine.

[BenjaminHughes]

Quote

"Skip the extended warranty Don't be a sap. Extended warranties are designed to prey on your fear that the hardware you just purchased is already on its death bed. From a return-on-investment perspective, extended warranties almost never pay off—except for the companies that sell them. " I grossly disagree, be it Laptop or desktop. What on the earth were u thinkinh. gr8 list. But hw com u assume that in 3 years time (yes if u r investing on a 300-600$ notebook or desktop, u need to be able to use it for 3-5yrs for productivity or else u just buy it for fancy. Well if u buy it for productivity and peace of mind u will go for a branded one so doesn't matter in extending that peace of mind to another 2years for say 40-60$. and u can bet todays product will certainly fail at least i being in this industry for 8 years can, and this minimal amount will certainly give u peace of mind. Or else we can make ourselves DIY Desktop and i know PC World site is of gr8 help to that and also enjoy cheaper and vendor warranty. but for business and productivity purpose i beg to differ with ur opinion. rest of all gr8 list.

Do the online community a favor and please google "English spelling and grammar." It took me 5 minutes to translate that pithole you call a comment.

[Keinichn]

Quote

"Label your power bricks" why don't manufacturers do it? why doesn't the industry standardize to a single type charger and engineer to it? or at least try to make as few chargers as possible that work for all devices of one type of device (i know i've seen printer bricks at 20-30 watts, but couldn't all printer manufacturers agree to a single standard for all)? i think all cars and trucks accommodate the same gas pump nozzle don't they?

They're different wattages because different printers have different power requirements for the features and hardware in them.

[Swins]

Many of these are great if you are a single user or a small shop...if you run a large enterprise, ignore most of what is posted in this list.

[DConors]

Quote

"Skip the extended warranty Don't be a sap. Extended warranties are designed to prey on your fear that the hardware you just purchased is already on its death bed. From a return-on-investment perspective, extended warranties almost never pay off—except for the companies that sell them. " I grossly disagree, be it Laptop or desktop. What on the earth were u thinkinh. gr8 list. But hw com u assume that in 3 years time (yes if u r investing on a 300-600$ notebook or desktop, u need to be able to use it for 3-5yrs for productivity or else u just buy it for fancy. Well if u buy it for productivity and peace of mind u will go for a branded one so doesn't matter in extending that peace of mind to another 2years for say 40-60$. and u can bet todays product will certainly fail at least i being in this industry for 8 years can, and this minimal amount will certainly give u peace of mind. Or else we can make ourselves DIY Desktop and i know PC World site is of gr8 help to that and also enjoy cheaper and vendor warranty. but for business and productivity purpose i beg to differ with ur opinion. rest of all gr8 list.

You seem to impart all this wisdom and opinion yet "u" spell like a 13 year old AOL chat user. "gr8."

[ReadandShare]

Good write up -- but I think the fear of "free public wifi" is way, way overblown! Free public wifi is much more widely available in many Asian and European countries than here in the US. I use them a lot time in my travels -- and no mishaps. This includes public wifi in China and Russia.

Sure, no one can guarantee safety. The best way to avoid getting mugged is to stay inside your house, lock all windows and bolt the door shut. But think of all the things you miss out! Similar for free public wifi.