Datasheet

10
Part I: Getting Ready to Upgrade
Determining When to Upgrade
Your computer usually tells you when it wants an upgrade. Some warning signals
are subtle, others more obvious. At worst, they can be downright annoying.
In any case, keep track of the following when you’re deciding whether it’s time to
open the wallet and grab the toolbox:
✓ When your operating system demands it: The latest version of Windows,
Windows 7, is easily Microsoft’s best operating system in years. If you’ve
caught the “latest and the greatest” fever, it’s easy to find out if your computer
is up to snuff; Microsoft lists Windows 7’s system requirements at http://
windows.microsoft.com/systemrequirements, and I dissect them in
Chapter 18.
✓ When you keep waiting for your computer to catch up: You press a button
and wait. And wait. When you’re constantly working faster than your computer,
give your computer a boost with some extra memory and a faster video card.
✓ When you can’t afford a new computer: When a new computer’s out of your
price range, upgrade your computer one part at a time. Add that memory now,
for example, then add a new hard drive with that holiday bonus. Time each
purchase to match the lowest prices. When you finally buy your new computer,
save costs by salvaging your monitor, as well as new parts you’ve added to
your old computer.
✓ When you want a new part in a hurry: Computer repair shops aren’t nearly
as slow as most repair shops. Still, do you really want to wait four days for
some kid to install that new video card — especially when you have a nagging
suspicion that you could do it yourself in less than 15 minutes?
✓ When there’s no room for new software: When your hard drive constantly
spits up Disk Full messages, you have three options:
• Uninstall programs you no longer use and copy unneeded files to CDs or
DVDs. (This takes a lot of time.)
• Better yet, replace your computer’s hard drive with a larger and faster
one, a task covered in Chapter 6. (Windows 7 makes this easier than
ever.)
• Buy a removable drive to serve as a parking garage for files and programs,
also covered in Chapter 6. Most external drives plug into your computer’s
USB port, a chore as simple as plugging in a thumb drive.
✓ When you’re afraid to open the case: Fear of opening your computer’s case is
no longer an excuse to put off upgrades. Many new computer parts now live on
the outside of the computer. You find external DVD drives and burners, hard
drives, memory card readers, sound boxes, and much more. None of these
devices require popping open the case to install them.
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