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YourHub.com \\ Stuart \\ Stories \\ Tips & Techniques \\ General Tips & Techniques

Parents of College Bound Kids! This Is For You.

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Contributed by: Bill Barrett on 7/31/2007

Still haven't bought your son or daughter that laptop they desperately need for college? Let me pass on a few words of advice. Remember to watch carefully what you're buying. There lots of specials being advertised right now, but with trade-offs in screen size, memory, processor speed, hard drive space, battery life etc.

Here's a few guidelines to follow:
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Processor: Intel or AMD Duo Core Processor (no Celeron or Sempron)
Memory: At least 1024MB (1GB) RAM - 2GB leaves room for growth
Hard Drive: At least 60-80GB
Screen Size: 14"-15" - smaller is too small, larger is too heavy
CD/DVD: CDRW-DVD Combo -OR- DVDRW
Wireless: Built-In Wireless-G Networking
Battery Life: 2-3 Hours or more discharge completely twice a year
Windows: Windows Vista Home/Home Premium, Windows XP

Software: Microsoft Office 2007 Student/Teacher (Sam's Club, BJ's etc)

Printer: HP All-In-One 5610 - More bang for the buck on ink purchases
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When/if you do purchase something new, we strongly suggest a New Computer Setup which should include removing all the proprietary and trial software that comes with new laptop/desktop, disable any unnecessary startup programs, beef up security, assist with installing basic (licensed) software and setting up peripherals (printers, cameras, etc).

Always remind your kids (any age)to stay away from the fun and free stuff, especially Limewire and MYSPACE. The last thing a parent wants to hear is that they're being sued by the RIAA because their son or daughter didn't want to pay $0.99 a song on iTunes.

Remind them to check their Virus Protection and to periodically back up the most important files to a thumb drive or external hard drive (they'll probably be studying too hard to remember).

If your son or daughter goes to school locally, we always recommend you call us here at GatorPC, 287-GATR. If they go to school elsewhere, find a local computer shop or computer guy to check it over once or twice a semester. Regular maintenance can go a long way in prolonging the life of a computer. Check with the campus IT department or call the Chamber of Commerce for recommendations.

We wish all you students and parents, all the best and happy computing!

Bill Barrett
bill@gatorpc.com
772-287-4287 (GATR)
On-Site Computer Support
Networking - Service - Upgrades

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