I decided to write these tips because I am tired of seeing these large electronics stores rip people off by selling them extras they don't have any use for. Please take in consideration the following tips before you walk into these electronics stores.

1. You do not need to pay the store's techs to optimize a new computer. A new computer is fine right out of the box. You can just as easily remove any software that comes preloaded that you do not want. If your computer only comes with a trial copy of antivirus software, you can purchase the software of your choice when the free trial ends. It's as simple as loading the cd and answering a few questions. Why pay the stores pricey service department to do these simple things?

2. More than likely you are going to be pressured to buy an extended warranty. If you are buying a laptop and you or a family member is accident prone, then a warranty can be a good idea. The repair costs of screens, keyboards and other components are very costly. Be very careful before you buy the warranty. Ask to see a copy of what is covered. Many warranties do not cover repairs they consider accidental. This means you might be out of luck with your extended warranty covering the repair if: you drop it, spill a drink on it or if the screen cracks. See a copy of the warrany in writing. Do not take the salespersons word for it. Many of the service plans are commission based and some will tell you anything to get you to buy it.

3. Desktop computers are much easier and economical to repair. Keyboards, hard drives, mainboards and memory are more affordable and easier to replace, so typically I don't recommend buying extended warranties for these. It's all a matter of preference.

4. If you don't plan on doing a lot of 3D video games, CAD design, or editing home movies, then you can pretty much buy a lower priced entry level computer. Surfing the web, printing digital photos, sending email and downloading music does not require a top of the line computer. Now that most all computers come with Windows Vista (don't get me started on Vista!) you do need to make sure you get a computer with at least 2 gigs of memory (RAM). Vista is very sluggish when only running on 1 GB of memory. Many computers are now coming with 3 or more gigs of memory. The more the better.

5. If you buy a new computer or laptop and have never had a LCD screen before, be sure to avoid using any household cleaning products around it. Household glass cleaners will ruin an LCD screen by gradually causing a yellow hue on the screen. Look for special cleaning pads or sprays at office supply or electronics stores. If you buy the spray, do not spray it directly on the screen, spray it on soft cloth and then gently wipe the dirty area of the screen. Try to avoid getting fingerprints on the screen and do not clean the screen unless it's absolutely necessary.

6. You can buy a new computer and still use Windows XP! Although stores will tell you otherwise, it's possible to get a new computer and use XP. You will of course need to buy a Windows XP CD and license that will run you about $100. It's getting harder to find XP in retail stores, but there many places online to buy an XP license. If you are not computer savy then you might need help getting XP installed. There could be problems finding the software for your video card, network card or sound card, but from my experiences putting XP on a new computer has been succesful in the end. Don't try this yourself if your not really familar with loading operating systems.