Be Prepared Before Buying Software
Before you go to the store to buy software
write down your computers specifications.
You'll need the type and speed
of the processor. How much ram your
computer has. What kind of video card?
How much disk space is available?
Usually, these things are easy to find
on your computer.
On Windows you can navigate to "Programs
>Accessories >System Tools."
Then click on "System Information"
and you should see a summary containing
your computers operating system, processor,
and memory information. Next click on
the plus sign to expand the "Components"
category. There under "Display"
you will find your computers video card
specifications. You may also need to
know what kind of sound card is installed.
Select "Sound Device" to see
the name and manufacturer of this device.
Under "Storage" you can select
Drives to check how much available disk
space you have. This will be labeled
"free Space." Other information
you may need, depending on the type
of program, are network and modem specs.
Once You have selected a piece of software
make sure that it is compatible with
your computer. Most software programs
come on CDs now and will include their
minimum requirements somewhere on the
packaging. They may require that you
have a special video card or adapter.
It may require that you have a particular
type of processor, so make sure that
your computers processor is equal or
better. Make sure you have enough ram
to run the program. Usually, they will
give a minimum and a recommended amount,
but I have always found that it is best
to go with the recommended amount.
Another thing to take into account
is pricing. Sometimes you can save a
lot of money by purchasing an earlier
version
of a particular piece of software. Just
make sure that it has all the features
that you want and that it is compatible
with your computer. The best place to
look is on the Internet. You can compare
pricing without having to run all over
town. Go to your favorite search site,
and search for the software that you
are looking for. Sometimes you can buy
online for less, but make sure you check
the shipping costs.
About the author:
Chris Curtis is the owner of C-Double
Web Development and has been doing web
design and development since 1997. He
began offering affordable web hosting
and design in 1999 when he started his
own business. http://www.c-double.com
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