Hardware article and Tip

Most of us purchase used computers for the main reason that they can be purchased for a very lesser amount. When doing so
there is a high risk of purchasing a stolen computer
which can be passed off as a used computer. The incidence of purchasing a stolen computer is more when they are got in the name of used computers from third party computer dealers like the computer dealers online or from a theft store or from a pawnbroker who has no idea about the history of the computer he is selling.

Following measures can be taken to avoid buying a stolen computer:

One of the safe measures while buying used computer is to buy through a credit card or check payment rather than making cash purchase. If the seller insists on cash payment
the purchaser can be very sure that the computer may be a stolen one. Also stolen computers are sold at very low prices. If the buyer has good knowledge about the price trends of computers in the market
he can for sure find out if the computer sold as a used computer is of a genuine kind or not.

The place of buying used computer is of outmost importance as a reputed dealer or seller will have a well-established location. They do not sell on the streets. Hence
it is better to avoid buying used computers from the street side shops
which may be fly by night shops. Such sellers attract the buyers with the pricing or heavy discounts or even freebies along with the computers. If the buyer is not sure about the computer
he can very well ask for the documents pertaining to the computer or can find out if receipts are issued for the purchase. The best method of finding out is to check the serial number of the used computer that can be done with the help of the local law enforcement personnel.

The buyer has all the rights to ask the seller about the reason for the sale of the used computer
where it was purchased and nature of payment made initially. If the buyer is satisfied
he can go ahead with the purchase
else should move on to the next seller. Normally
one can find out if the seller is genuine or not through his body language.
A person selling illegal things will show frenzied movements
will agree even for a rock bottom price with even a small amount of profit for him
mostly will not have a decent language
will try to sell in haste
will always be looking around to find out if someone is watching him and will not have an eye contact while selling and so on.

Such kind of illegal sales of used computers happen as the illegal seller has the facility to advertise free of cost. Also posing as a private seller there is no need to provide a VAT receipt
which makes him free of any legal action being taken against him. Hence it is not advised to buy a used computer without a cash receipt provided by the seller.

Laptops can be sent back to the manufacturer if the purchaser finds the screen of the laptop scratched or with a minor blemish
or if it is an unwanted present to him or if the packaging of the laptop is dented etc. Such laptops are inspected
tested again for quality and repackaged by the manufacturer and sold for a very less price. Such laptops are called as refurbished laptops.

Factory refurbished laptops:

The laptops in the factory undergo rechecking for any manufacturing defect by passing through various stages of examination. Then
when no fault is found
the hard disk of the laptop is reformatted and again the operating system is loaded. It is again made to work for less than 4-5 hours time to check for any defect and the parts are replaced if they are found to be defective. The refurbished laptop is then updated with a new serial number to mark it as a factory refurbished laptop. Such factory refurbished laptops are of high quality available to the consumer at a lesser retail price. Such refurbished laptops can be got from almost all the renowned brands. However the process carried out for the restoration of laptops may differ from company to company. The main aim is to make the laptop run again efficiently as it used to be previously.

Custom refurbished laptops:

These are repaired laptops which are reassembled to match the customer’s preference. It gives an opportunity to get a complete laptop solution at a very affordable price to the customer. The utilities offered by the customer refurbished laptops are got at a cost of a used laptop. It also avoids the necessity to upgrade immediately
which is not the case with the standard laptop. It allows the customers to have preferences in terms of selecting the features like the screen size
processor speed requirements
multimedia
memory capacity
hard drive size
optical drive
graphics
accessories
Bluetooth etc.
When purchased in bulk
custom refurbished laptops are the best option as it combines both functionality and price advantage together. Additional benefits can be availed through promotional offers and discounts from the manufacturers.

Advantages of purchasing refurbished laptops:

The refurbished laptops are of high quality as they are checked for high standards of performance at each level of examination done. The consumer can get a branded
quality laptop of a latest model at a very less price compared to the retail price. More over discounts are offered to military personnel
senior citizens and students who can maximize their savings by purchasing a refurbished laptop. The refurbished laptops can be selected from renowned brands available in the market at a lesser cost. Such refurbished laptops are also got with 1 year warranty which can be extended up to 3 years. The warranty period supports replacement of parts and maintenance required by the laptop. Hence purchasing such laptops are very reliable. The refurbished model laptops enable the customers get more features at a lower cost. When the purchaser is bent on buying the latest
trendiest laptop
but cannot afford to buy a new one he can go for a refurbished laptop to get satisfied.

It is very important to check a used computer thoroughly before buying it as it may lead to problems in the future. A hard drive will not show any outward signs but may be deteriorating. The same way the needle can suddenly slip and can cause scratches on the disc ultimately leading to memory loss as used computers can fail any time. If they are checked
the faults which may occur can be known. Let us first see the possible faults which may occur while purchasing a used computer.

Hard disk failures can happen due to heavy wear and tear over a period of time. The read and write heads of a hard disk are used to retrieve or recode 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 disk increases. Faulty sectors of the hard disks can be found out only if a full surface scan is done on the used computer. The scanning time depends on the capacity and size of the hard disk of the used computer. Many skip this procedure due to the time consuming process of scanning the whole disk and end up purchasing a used computer with a faulty sector.

Monitors need to be checked for any faults. The malfunctioning of a monitor is called a “dry joint” which results in the monitor not working after getting warmed. This can be checked only if the monitor is made to work for at least 20 to 30 minutes after switching on the computer.

Next is to look for any possibilities of the central processing unit getting freezed. Normally all the central processing units have a fan and heat sink for keeping the unit cool. Over a period of time the fans may not work properly due to the accumulation of dust and dirt resulting in over heating of the central processing unit and even leading to stopping from functioning. While buying a used computer the fan needs to be checked and if any abnormal sound is heard
it is not good for purchase.

The used computer may have a higher possibility of getting crashed and freezed due to the usage of the operating system for a good number of years. There may be a cache or RAM fault due to the over exposure leading to loss of data. To increase the performance of the computer and to avoid crashing
the operating system of the used computer can be reinstalled with a new operating system or a fresh one.

While checking the used computers for any faults
it is good to disconnect the network connection if any present before performing the tests. Also it is advisable to check the drives like the CD or DVD by opening and closing them and also playing something on the drives to see how they work. 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 disk size the CMOS setup can be gone through and 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. Checking should be done to see if all the passwords are erased before purchasing a used computer.