How to buy a Used Computer
Be very very quiet,we are hunting for a used desktop computer! If you dont check out that used computer you are thinking of buying you will live to regret your decision.Dont hunt like Elmer Fudd.This article lists out a few points that you should keep in mind while buying a used desktop or laptop computer.

A hard drive will not show any signs but could be going bad. If the computer is a couple of years old the harddrive has had a lot wear and tear. Keep this in mind, used computers can fail any time. If you run chkdisk, the faults which may be in existence can be known. Let us first see the problems before we get really into picking which used computer to buy.

Hard disk failures can happen due to heavy wear and tear over a period of time.Downloading,installling,uniinstalling takes a toll on the disk.Also not defragging often enough can cause over work finding fragmented data. The read and write heads of a hard disk are used to fetch or decode data stored on the hard disk with the help of a disk platter rotating at a high speed. Over a period of time the risk of failure or malfunction of the disk increases.

Faulty sectors of the hard drive can be locked out only if a full surface scan is done on the harddrive.You dont want a hard drive with bad sectors,trust me,i have had several harddrives go that way.When you hear that little mettalic click your going to need a new harddrive soon. Many skip scanning the disk due to the time consuming process of scanning the whole disk and end up buying a used computer with a faulty sector.Dont buy a used computer with a faulty hard drive.

Dont skip any tests of the harddrive as it has a better than average chance of crashing,leaving you without all your software unless you have a backup.Buying a backup system that hooks up to your computer is very cheap and you really need a backup if you buy a used computer.

Monitors need to be checked for any problems. The malfunctioning of a monitor is a good reason not to buy a used computer.A good new monitor is about $100.00 or more.Flat screen monitors are very popular right now and fit in a small space. If you want to check that used monitor,turn it on and check it for about 20 minuter or so.Watch for any flickering or color abnormality.
Next is to look for any possibilities of the CPU freezing up.

 Normally the CPU units have a fan and heat sink.Check for a build up of dust.Dont want any dust bunnies running around your CPU. Cant call Elmer Fudd to shoot them pesky varments.So over a period of time the fan will not work properly due to the accumulation of dust and dirt resulting in over heating.Your CPU will fry and you will have a door stop shaped like a desktop computer. While purchasing a used computer the fan needs to be checked and if any abnormal sound is heard, it is not good.The CPU may already be bad.And we all have heard the horror stories of a CPU gone Bad! Remember that popular porn movie"the CPU does Dallas"?Hehe couldnt resist that.

The used computer may have a higher possibility of crashing and freezing up due to using the operating system for a couple of years.When you install software and run Windows for a while it bloats up in size slowing the computer down. There may be a cache or RAM fault leading to loss of data. To increase the performance of the computer and to avoid crashing, the operating system of the used computer must be reinstalled with a new operating system or a fresh one.

It is reccommended to check the CD or DVD by opening and closing them and also playing a music cd or a dvd movie on the drives to see how they work.Ask how long its been since they were cleaned.

 Monitors of the used computers can be checked for the resolution and brightness by trying different options of color, settings and so on.

To check the hard drive size the CMOS setup can be run, to verify the speed of the processor, cache and RAM the pause button is pressed when it appears on the screen during the booting process. To check the booting process, the computer can be turned on and off a few times and seen how it responds.

Check to see if all the passwords are erased before buying that used computer.To me it seems better to wipe off your harddrive and reinstall everything new.At least you have a fighting chance of enjoying a trouble free (hopefully) used computer.

Good luck with your used computer.

About the Author
Bill Roberts has written articles on desktop computers. This article on how to buy a used computer compliments his website which offers a multitude of options and help for anyone interested in buying the Best desktop computer.

by Bill Roberts - 8-14-09

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Source: http://www.computer-hardwareadvice.com