So You Found A Good Desktop Computer Deal: Now What? |

So You Found A Good Desktop Computer Deal: Now What?

Posted by | Cheap Desktop Computers | Saturday 11 September 2010 9:41 pm

You Got A Good Desktop Computer Deal.... Now What?

Well, naturally, you are anxious to get it set up so you can do a little internet surfing but first, lets take a look at some things. After all, a good computer deal shouldn't be wasted so lets get a little protection for this little beauty.

Did you remember to get a surge protector? If not, don't plug in the uniy without a surge protector. Any type of power surge can wipe out the processor, even a surge of less than a volt. When you are looking for surge protection, the measurement of protection is called "joules". Look through what is available and select the one with the highest number of joules. If you are going to have more than the basic system, you might even need two protectors. If your system is going to be connected to the internet via phone line, you can find surge protectors that have a jack into which you can plug the telephone cable. Think back and you can probably remember all of the warnings about being on the telephone during a storm.

Various parts of your system get their power, and connect to each other via cords. There will be a bunch of them if you have peripherals such as speakers, printers, scanners, routers and such. I would suggest you route the power cords together and use cable ties to keep them bundled together. Then, I would route the other cables (Probably USB cables.) together based on the direction they are located from the computer. Doing this, will avoid the rats nest looking jumble I have under and behind my system. Your internet connection will use either a telephone cable or a cable modem. I would route this with one of the USB bundles. If you leave the bundle ties a little loose, you can slip additional cables in as you aquire additional units.

Now we are ready to turn power on and get this puppy going! Did your system come with anti-virus software? If it did, chances are it is only a trial period of 30 days or so. You will need anti-virus protection of some sort. Personally, I use Windows Essentials, a freebie that can be downloaded from Microsoft. In today's world there are many ne'er do-wells just itching to hack into your system or any system for that matter. To make things a little more difficult for these idiots, I would suggest you hide your system behind a router. Let me explain....

Just as your home has a unique address so as to make it easy to locate, so does your computer have an address. It is called an IP address (Internet protocol.) It is a unique address for that computer. If a hacker knows what it is, then he/she can get into your system. I recommend connecting your system to a router, and the router to the internet. Routers can be purchased for around $50. Since routers are connected to the internet, they have the unique address. When you connect a computer to the router, then it is assigned a unique address by the router. This address is not visible to the internet, thus providing an additional level of protection. If you connect your beloved spouse's computer to the router and also your teenager, they are also hidden from the internet. Most routers come with 4 ports for connection. Again, most newer ones have wireless output also, allowing you to connect without using a cable, a situation ideal for a laptop, but you cann also equip your desktop computer with a wireless card and connect that way. The wireless signal put out by the wireless router is a radio broadcast. It is available to any device within its broadcast range. This broadcast signal allow you to set up a home network where the various computers in your home can communicate with each other...wirelessly. In order to prevent Joe Schmo, driving by in his pickup from getting to your home network and viewing all of your files, you need to encrypt the signal. The routes will come witn encryption firmware that will encode the signal, decipherable only by a computer having the key. Setting this up is part of the setup of the wireless network.

Finally, at last, we are ready to enjoy this new computer you purchased at such a good desktop computer deal! A final word of caution. Make sure you keep it current by installing all updates put out by Microsoft or Apple depending on your system. Also, if you are relying on the anti-virus that came on your system, make sure you either subscribe to the permanent version, or buy another version. I recommend Norton or Symantec (They are the same.) or McAfee. Now, go to it, and remember if you have any questions, just contact me.