Oclaret, Dan Jireh B.

BAIT-1I

COMMON MISTAKES IN BUYING A LAPTOP

BUYING THE CHEAPEST AVAILABLE LAPTOP

There are some great budget laptops out there, but just because they’re cheap, doesn’t mean they’re
going to do the job you want or have all the features you need.

Let’s say you’re deciding between a dual-core and quad-core processor. You want to run many
applications at once, but you chose the dual-core processor because it’s a little less expensive. Now
you have a system that’s not as powerful as your needs demand, and that problem will plague you
until it’s time to buy again.

Rather than jumping for the lowest price, it’s best to find the laptop that will actually serve your needs
and then cross reference that with your budget.

PAYING TOO MUCH

Conversely, the best laptops in the world might tick every box, but if you pay for features or hardware
you don’t need, you’re just wasting your money.

Chances are good that if a laptop strains your budget, it has something that you don’t need. A new
MacBook Pro with top-specifications can cost up to $6,000 but very few people need 4TB of storage
space on their laptop. You can get yourself the same machine with the exact same specifications
apart from less storage for half that price, and you can get plenty of cheap storage from an external
drive.

Gaming laptops can be notoriously expensive too, but if you’re only playing indie games you don’t
need all that hardware. Buy what you need, and try not to go overboard.

BUYING A LAPTOP “FOR TODAY”

It’s an old bit of advice, but it still holds true. Unless you are obsessed with getting the latest tech, a
new laptop should last a few years, and likely more if you want to save money on another purchase.
Instead of buying a laptop exclusively for your needs right now, you should buy one for where you will
be in a couple years.

You might be tempted to opt for a base model for its low price tag, with something like 4GB of RAM
and a 128GB solid-state drive. That’s going to limit its long-term appeal, because it will quickly run out
of storage space and may not handle multiple applications well. Going for a step-up model with a
bigger drive and more RAM is probably a good idea.

IGNORING PORTS AND COMPATIBILITY

Not all laptops include the ports you depend on. Many modern laptops, like our favorite Dell XPS 13,
only have Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C ports. If you need USB-A or an SD card reader, make sure your
chosen laptop has those specific ports before buying, or budget for an adaptor.
OPTING FOR THE HIGHEST AVAILABLE RESOLUTION

A device boasting a 4K display is certainly worth more than a cursory glance, but its not always the
right choice, as smaller screens don’t let you enjoy the full benefit of the higher resolution.

Worse still, 4K screens can have a big impact on your device’s battery life. Many 4K notebooks have
lackluster endurance with higher resolution screens and really, you don’t see a lot of benefit. Unless
you’re buying a super high-end gaming laptop or one with a huge screen, we’d recommend 1080p for
savings on your wallet and battery life.

NOT TRYING BEFORE BUYING

If you can, always give the laptop you’re considering a proper test drive before buying. Many
everyday laptops are available for testing at big, brick-and-mortar stores such as Apple, Best Buy,
and the Microsoft Store, allowing you to fiddle with the touchpad, keyboard, software interface, and
other components that substantially differ from model to model.

It’s easy to overlook the importance of features absent from the spec sheet, such as the touchpad’s
responsiveness or the visibility of a glossy screen in daylight, and there’s just no substitution for
getting a real hands-on feel of what it’s like to use.

If that’s not possible, buy from an online store with a strong return policy.

THINKING SIZE DOESN’T MATTER

Size matters, especially when it comes to a laptop. Whereas a bigger display allows for a more
expansive and often better viewing experience, it also cuts into the portability factor. A laptop’s size
often determines the size of the keyboard and trackpad, meaning you’ll likely be cramped when
opting for a laptop measuring less than 13 inches.

The best way to figure out what you need is to consider how you’ve used laptops in the past. A
smaller ultrabook may be a viable option for frequent travelers, but for those looking for a standard
laptop; you’ll probably want to opt for one with a 13.3- or 14-inch screen. If you rarely leave your
home with your system, consider a 15.6-inch model for maximum screen real estate.

BECOMING OBSESSED WITH ONE SPECIFICATION

Tunnel vision is bad news when buying a laptop. While it’s fun to pit spec sheets against each other,
avoid picking out one particular specification as your favorite and only looking at that factor. While you
should have a baseline specification in mind to make sure that you get the performance you need,
don’t obsess over maximizing on any one specification.

It’s easy to be excited about paying a little extra for double the RAM, for example, but most people
don’t need any more than 8GB unless you are using some serious software for work purposes.

Likewise, don’t become obsessed with battery life, resolution, processor speed. If you’re on a budget,
and most people are, you’ll need to learn to balance a variety of hardware. Make sure the laptop you
want has the features and hardware you need, anything else that comes in under budget is just a
bonus.
NOT BUYING ENOUGH POWER

Ultrabooks have risen to become one of the most popular types of laptops, and it can be very
tempting to automatically assume they are the best choice for you. They’re lightweight, small enough
to fit easily into a briefcase or backpack, and the prices of many models especially Chromebooks are
some of the lowest around. What’s not to love?

While most people will find the performance to be more than enough, creatives and professionals
might need workstation-class hardware to handle the intensive software needed for their job. In
particular, you may need something with a powerful graphics card, while most 13-inch ultrabooks use
an integrated one.

ASSUMING A 2-IN-1 IS THE SAME AS A LAPTOP

Tablets, 2-in-1s, and laptops are distinct categories. They aren’t interchangeable. While you can
perform many tasks with a tablet and keyboard that you can with a laptop, the similarities soon end.
Tablets remain far more constricting when it comes to multitasking, fast web browsing, using complex
apps, or running demanding software. Their keyboards can be overly cramped too.

Just because something has a screen and keyboard doesn’t mean that it can do everything a laptop
can. This is the opposite mistake of getting focused too much on one spec — if you ignore all the
specs, you’ll start making assumptions about what the machine can do, and that’s dangerous
territory.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Buying a laptop is complex, but if you do so with care, you should land yourself a great piece of kit.
Our reviews here at Digital Trends are a good start, where we walk you through every feature of a
notebook and how it performed in our hands-on testing, from display quality to performance. We take
an in-depth look and evaluate every laptop we receive, including everything from the user interface
and the display to performance and overall design.

Remember though, buying the right laptop for you means just that. Read everything you can about a
prospective purchase, but when it comes time to break out your credit card, make the purchase that
makes the most sense for you. And shop around for the best price too. You might be surprised what
kind of deals you can find.

10 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE BUYING A LAPTOP

SIZE

When it comes to laptops, size matters. Depending on what you plan to be doing with your next
laptop, you’ll want to make sure you pick the size that’s the right fit for you. Size isn’t like the RAM or
ROM of a laptop, you can’t upgrade it later. You’re locked into whatever you select up-front, so
choose wisely. Laptops sizes tend to start at 11.6-inches and go all the way up to 17.3 inches. Most
brands and OEMS like HP, Dell, ASUS and Acer tend to offer three display sizes - 13.3-inch, 15.6-
inch and 17.3-inches. However, some vendors do sell laptops that fall outside these sizes including
11.6-inches, 12.5-inches and 14-inches. Obviously, if portability is your priority, you’ll want to go for a
smaller sized Windows laptop. They tend to be thinner and lighter than their larger counterparts. Look
for laptops that have a screen that is either 12.5-inches or 13.3-inches in size, and a weight between
1kg and 1.5kgs. However, keep in mind that smaller-sized 13.3-inch machines often don’t support the
same high-end Intel Core i7 CPUs or discrete graphics cards you’ll be able to find in their 15.6-inch
counterparts. Most of the time, they’ll also feature a less-robust selection of ports. If the kind of work
you intend to be using your new laptop for requires a larger display or standalone graphics power,
you’ll probably need to look at a larger size. Beyond specific sizing’s, there are several different
classes of laptop to choose from. Ultrabooks tend to favor a slim and lightweight form-factor over
high-end performance.

Things like the ASUS Zenbook and Lenovo’s Yoga devices fall into this category.By contrast,
Notebooks tend to offer a good mix of power and portability. If you’re looking at notebooks, a good
place to start is the Dell XPS 13 and HP’s Envy x360.

Convertibles (also known as 2-in-1 laptops or 2-in-1 PCs) expand on this by adding the ability to fold
away (or remove) the keyboard and use your new laptop in tablet mode. Products like Microsoft’s
Surface Go and Acer’s Chromebooks fall into this category. Finally, traditional clamshell and gaming
laptops tend to boast bulkier form-factors but significantly-beefier specs.

The most important thing to consider here when looking for the best laptop you can buy is that you
think about what you’re going to need that laptop to do. It’s rarely ever a case of one size fits all.
Some users need something lighter and more portable. Other users need discrete graphics for things
like video editing or running high end games. If you need a PC with an optical drive or long battery
life, you’ll almost certainly have to look for something larger. Regardless, knowledge is power. And
once you’ve worked out the size of laptop you’re looking for, the search for the best one becomes that
much easier.

SCREEN QUALITY

Since you’ll probably end up staring at your laptop screen hours at a time, you’ll probably want to
make sure you get a screen that is comfortable to look at and use. To start with, you’ll have to
consider whether you want your next laptop to have a touchscreen. These days, touchscreens are
very common and they can make some tasks easier than others. Unfortunately, they can also add
glossiness to the display which is sometimes undesirable. Glossy screens lead to reflections, which
are a definite negative if you’re gaming, watching content or editing images and video content. For
these reasons, you might want to consider a laptop that doesn’t have a touchscreen.

Next up, be sure to look at the resolution on any laptop you’re thinking of buying. A 1920x1080-pixel
resolution (Full HD) should be considered if you want plenty of space to line up windows and keep
things in view. Select modern laptops also now offer 4K resolutions. However, these high-end display
panels are generally a costly add-on to an already-expensive product. They're only really going to be
worth it for those who really need them, like content creation professionals. Photographers and
videographers will also want to privilege laptops that offer better color accuracy and support wider
color gamut and HDR standards over those that don't.

Meanwhile, if you’re a gamer, it’s also worth taking the time to check the refresh rate on the display of
any potential laptop. A faster refresh rate can often provide a sometimes provide a competitive
advantage in online games, as it enables a smoother and more responsive play experience.
Lastly, viewing angles are extremely important. A laptop screen that touts IPS (in-plane switching)
technology offers the widest viewing angles and the best user comfort. Chances are you’re not
always going to be using your laptop in its natural habitat, so a laptop with an IPS display is usually
preferred over the opposite. If possible, take the time to go into a store and see the screen for
yourself. Otherwise, rely on multiple reviews to get a good overview of the product and whether or not
its screen will be able to suit your needs.

KEYBOARD QUALITY

For long typing sessions, you’ll need to get a laptop that has a comfortable keyboard. You don’t want
to get a keyboard that packs in every key under the sun (think keyboards that have squished in
number pads) because that can translate to a poor overall user experience when hunting for specifics
like the arrow or delete keys. You want a keyboard that has a comfortable layout with full-sized keys
and some space around the arrow keys. The keys should have adequate travel on the downstroke
and snappy responsiveness when you let them go. Make sure the keyboard is also backlit, so that
you can type with an easier view on the keys in dimly lit environments. As with the screen, it helps to
try before you buy, especially if your main task will be typing.

CPU

It’s hard to go past any of Intel’s Core-based CPUs when buying a new laptop. Think Core i3, Core i5,
and Core i7. An Intel Core Processor offers the best performance when it comes to multitasking and
multimedia tasks. Core i3-based notebooks are generally found in entry-level systems, while Core i5
makes up the majority of mainstream computers. Core i7-based systems are for those of you who
want the best performance from your laptop. However, note that with a Core i7-based system, heat
coming through the base of the laptop can be cause for concern, especially if you plan to actually use
the laptop on your lap a lot of the time. Some larger laptops also now incorporate Intel's i9 Core
processors. Laptops running on i9 Core processors are even more powerful than laptops running on
i7 Core processors. They're able to rival desktops for performance but they do come with a
significantly-higher cost than a laptop with an i7, i5 or i3 Core Processor.

Select vendors now also offer laptops and notebooks that run on AMD’s Ryzen Mobile CPUs. If
you’re a gamer, this can be a particularly compelling option worth considering. Ryzen Mobile CPUs
tend to be paired with AMD’s own Vega graphics chipsets, which are currently far better for gaming
than Intel’s own onboard graphics.

RAM

In the old days, you rarely needed more than 4GB of RAM or more to get the best out of your system.

These days, you’ll probably want to think about 8GB as a minimum. If you’re a power-user, 16GB is
the way to go. Meanwhile, gamers should look at dialing things upwards all the way to 32GB if they
want the best experience. More RAM allows for more applications to be run at the same time, and for
more data to be quickly accessible by the system at any one time, which comes in handy for tasks
such as editing photos or video content.
STORAGE

Hard drives used to be all the rage, but these days they’ve mostly out of favour, especially for thin
and light laptops. This is because they can be slow, somewhat bulky, and produce noticeable heat
and noise.

A solid state drive (SSD), on the other hand, offers a lot more speed than a hard drive, runs silently,
and can be installed in a form factor that doesn’t add too much to the weight and bulk of a laptop. As
a result of these clear benefits, most OEMs have embraced SSD storage as the standard for laptops.
Stick to an SSD for your new laptop and you’ll love the speed with which it can load programs, access
your data, and also how quickly it can boot up your system.

The only problem is that SSDs don’t offer as much capacity. This means that SSD storage is often
more expensive in terms of dollars-to-gigabytes than traditional hard drives. You’ll be stuck with a
drive that’s 128 GB, 256GB or 512GB in size, but costs a lot more than one with a 1TB or 2TB hard
drive would. To compensate, many laptop and PC OEMs now pair a smaller SSD with a larger hard
drive. This allows consumers to get the speed benefits of keeping their operating system on SSD
storage while also having adequate storage space for the rest of their data.

The newest, fastest laptops also have NVMe solid-state drives which are much faster than traditional
SSDs but also more expensive.

BATTERY LIFE

Manufacturer-quoted battery life is almost never indicative of what the real-world experience of using
a laptop is like. There are simply too many variables that affect battery life. There is the screen
brightness, the screen resolution, the number of applications you have running in the background
plus whether or not you actively remain connected to Wi Fi networks or Bluetooth devices. The
operating system a laptop runs on can also play a major role in determining battery life. It’s for this
reason that ultrabooks and convertibles running on Chrome OS tend to offer superior battery life than
those running on Windows 10.

If you run programs that need lots of processing, stream lots of online video, play graphics-intensive
games or if you transfer lots of files over a wireless network, then your battery will drain a lot sooner
than what the vendor has quoted. A good practice here is to look at the rating of the battery in Watt-
hours (Wh) or milliamp-hours (mAh). The larger these figures are, the longer the battery can last. For
a 13.3in Ultrabook, for example, a battery with a rating from 44Wh to 50Wh will give you the best
results.

USB 3.0

These days, if a laptop has less than one USB 3.0 port on it, you probably ought to look at buying
another laptop. Ideally, you should look for a laptop that has at least a couple of these USB 3.0 ports.

In addition to the baseline utility you get from USB ports (which allow you to plug in an external hard
or SSD drive and backup your data or use conventional mouse or a fancy keyboard with your laptop),
USB 3.0 is about ten times faster than USB 2.0. This means that data transfers over USB 3.0 take
significantly less time. Many modern peripherals also tend to deliver the best performance on or
require USB 3.0 to function at all. If possible, you should try and take things a step further and go for
a laptop with USB 3.1 ports. USB 3.1 allows for a throughput of up to 10 gigabits, double that offered
by USB 3.1. If you’re ready to embrace USB Type-C, Thunderbolt 3 ports offer an even better option.
Thunderbolt 3 ports have a peak data transfer speed of 40 gigabits per-second.

FINGERPRINT READER AND TPM

Fingerprint readers are great for logging into mobile devices and the latest Windows 10 Operating
System makes further use of them with its Windows Hello system. People can guess your password,
but few can fake a fingerprint. In order to keep the contents of your laptop secure, a portable PC with
a fingerprint reader is usually the best way forward.

BUILD QUALITY

No matter how careful we are, most laptops are inevitably going to find themselves, dropped, thrown
and knocked around by the rigors of everyday use. To counteract this, some modern laptops are
ruggedized to withstand rain and dust. Some are built especially for the brutal educational
environments - and come with military-grade protection certifications. Others can weather liquid spills
and can be rinsed clean. Either way, it's worth checking out how much testing a laptop has
undergone (the manufacturer usually crows about it) or whether there's any sort certification that you
can put your confidence behind.

Meet your needs and budget

Of course, you need to balance these features with your budget and your needs, and you might have
to make some compromises. Rarely does a laptop come along that ticks all the boxes, especially
when it comes to price.

FACTORS CONSIDERED IN UPGRADING COMPUTER PARTS

YOU SHOULD UPGRADE RAM

Adding more memory is the easiest and most accessible PC upgrade you can make. It’s affordable,
you can do it on almost any machine (including many laptops), and it doesn’t require much tech
know-how. If you’ve never cracked open your PC case before, this is the place to start.

Upgrade ram. A RAM upgrade delivers an instant performance boost to almost all PCs that are
running slow. For resource hungry tasks—like video editing or gaming—the more RAM you’ve got,
the better. Even for casual use, extra RAM will enable you to have more apps running in the
background or keep a greater number of tabs open in your browser. So how much RAM do you
need? 4GB is the baseline amount. It’s good for general use, with up to around 10 browser tabs, a
little photo editing, and video streaming. You’ll notice a significant improvement if you upgrade to
8GB. This is good for serious multi-tasking, browsing with up to 30 tabs open, editing RAW photos,
and even some mid-range gaming. For heavier tasks, you should look to 16GB for best results.
Serious gaming, media editing, or any pro-level tasks will be best with this much memory. You might
also take a look at SuperFetch on Windows and its effect on your RAM and overall performance.
CONSIDER UPGRADING THE GRAPHICS CARD

Upgrade your graphics card. We’ve got this second on
should probably be the first thing you upgrade. If you
animator, then you might not ever need to upgrade it at
to save on costs, so PC manufacturers tend to go
dedicated graphics cards.
the list, but if you’re a serious gamer then it
aren’t a serious gamer, 3D modeler, or 3D
all. Skimping out on graphics is an easy way
with integrated graphics cards rather than

And on modern systems integrated graphics is good enough for most users. It’ll let you do some
Photoshop work, or watch 4K video. And more than 10 percent of users on Steam are even gaming
with integrated graphics. But if you do need superior graphics performance, for gaming or VR work,
then upgrading to something like a Radeon RX580 will give you a big boost. You can compare the
performance of dedicated cards against your current option at gpu.userbenchmark.com.

GET A FASTER STORAGE DRIVE

There are two reasons to upgrade your hard drive: you’re running out of space or you want faster
performance. If you’ve done everything you can to free up your hard disk storage and still regularly
run out of space, then you will need to swap it out for a larger one. Not only does a full hard drive
make it impossible to save new data, but it can also impact performance. At the very least, try to keep
10GB of free space for the operating system to use. For hard disk drives, consider upgrading the
physical speed. If your PC currently has a 5400RPM drive, then upgrading to a 7200RPM model will
give you a nice speed boost.

But the fastest option is to switch to a solid state drive. These use flash memory instead of a spinning
disk and are many times faster than a typical hard disk drive. (Not to mention more reliable, too.) On
average, a 5400RPM drive might achieve write speeds up to 100Mbps, a 7200RPM drive up to
150Mbps, and a solid state drive over 500Mbps. Higher end SSDs like the Samsung 970 EVO have
incredibly high write speeds of 1500Mbps and more. Ultimately, a faster data drive impacts your
entire system. It means faster boot times, faster program loading times, faster speeds for launching
games, and more responsiveness in programs that use large files (like video editing or RAW photo
editing). The downsides to solid state drives are that they have much smaller capacities and are more
expensive than hard disk drives. If you don’t want to compromise on size, a hybrid drive combines the
best of both worlds. These have a small amount of flash memory where your most commonly used
files are cached for instant retrieval and a traditional hard disk that provides large capacity for storing
long-term data.

UPGRADING THE PROCESSOR

Upgrading your PC’s processor is a far more advanced task than the other upgrades we’ve covered
so far. Not only is it physically trickier to install, it’s one of the more expensive upgrades and there are
compatibility issues to worry about, too. More importantly, a processor upgrade isn’t always a good
thing and may not bring you the performance improvement you’re looking for. The benchmark tests at
cpubenchmark.net can help you compare the relative performances of different processors. In
general, these tests show that modest updates don’t deliver big improvements.

A processor is only worth upgrading if the upgrade is significant, like moving from an i3 to an i5, or
from an older generation to a newer one. Don’t go for something just because it has a faster clock
speed. Processors are expensive and may require you to upgrade your motherboard (and that might
require you to buy new RAM). Even if your motherboard is compatible with a new processor on
paper, it may need a BIOS update to work. It can be a pain, so check before you buy. Ultimately, if
your processor is the speed bottleneck in your system, you might want to consider buying a whole
new system altogether.

HOW UPGRADING SOFTWARE CAN IMPROVE PERFORMANCE

Chances are that the programs on your PC are set to update automatically. If not, you probably click
the Update button as soon as you’re alerted to the release of new program versions. In most cases
this is the right thing to do but not always. For a lot of software, the version number is depicted in the
form of Major, Minor, Revision. So, if an update is 0.0.1, then it’s likely to be bug fixes. If it’s 0.1.0,
then it likely includes optimizations and small new features. Minor and Revision updates should be
installed right away. Upgrade operating system

But Major Updates a change in the full version number are a different matter. It’s almost a given that
new versions of programs will use more resources than old versions, so if your PC’s hardware is
already being stretched to the max, you should deal with that first. The same goes for operating
system updates. The regular incremental updates are essential for performance and security
reasons, but whole new versions aren’t. They will almost certainly have bugs and may run slow on
your system. If your PC is running fine, it’s worth holding off on operating system upgrades until
you’re absolutely sure they won’t turn out to be downgrades.

What Else Should You Upgrade?

The motherboard is the most difficult of all upgrades since all of the other PC parts attach to it. It’s
only worth considering if you’re dead set on a new processor that’s not compatible with your current
setup. It won’t give you much of a speed boost on its own.

There are other components to consider, too.

A keen photographer, for instance, would surely benefit more from having a better monitor than from
making Lightroom run a little quicker. Equally, a writer could become more productive with a
mechanical keyboard.

Instead of focusing purely on performance, think about how you can upgrade your PC experience.
Speed is important, but it’s not the only thing that matters.

The Best PC Upgrades for You

So, RAM, SSDs, and graphics cards are the most important PC upgrades. You should see real,
instant improvements whenever you upgrade any combination of them.

Ideally, you should always tailor your upgrades to your precise needs. If you need better graphics, get
a new graphics card; if you want greater responsiveness, get an SSD. And if you aren’t sure where
your computer’s bottlenecks are, check out our guide to the Windows diagnostics tests you can use
to help you pinpoint them.
SETUP PLANNING A LARGE NUMBER OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Setting up multiple computers can be a chore, especially if you have many. Learn how dedicated
software, called cloning, can make this task much easier, and what you should be aware of before
you begin and as you proceed.

Computer cloning, or ghosting as it is sometimes called, involves setting up the operating system,
drivers, software, and patches on a single computer, then automatically replicating this same setup
on other computers using specialized software. It is sometimes referred to as imaging as well, as the
configuration dataset is called an "image." Depending on the type of software you use, cloning can be
done using a disk or other media, or over a network. Cloning allows you to efficiently set up multiple
computers, and can be done at any charity or organization where you want to ensure that every
workstation is configured the same way and with the same software.

MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Keep in mind that the machines you clone must all use the same operating system. While cloning can
be performed for any platform, Mac clones won't work on PCs, Linux clones won't work on Macs, and
so forth. That said, the following are some considerations to get started:

HARDWARE PURCHASES PLANNING

For cloning to work effectively, you need to have a minimum number of the same hardware for the
same image. If you buy a few computers here and there, you'll wind up with a patchwork
environment, and you'll have to manage dozens of different disk images. Having more models is not
better in this case.

 Similar hardware components. Disk-cloning programs are getting better at handling hardware
discrepancies between the source and destination machines, but you should consult your
vendor to see how much variance your setup would allow.
 Master disk images planning. If you don't have dedicated IT staff, determine who creates the
images. This can be an involved process, so make sure your non- IT staff has the availability
to do this. In addition, you need to figure out who decides what software to install. These disk
images may be deployed to dozens of staff computers or public computers, so the affected
parties should have a voice in the development of the image.
 Image deployment. You can always perform a direct disk-to-disk copy of an image. In other
words, your source and destination hard drives are connected to the same computer, or they're
connected via a network. The transfer is direct, without any intermediate steps. However,
many systems administrators create a "master image" and then deploy from that. The master
image is usually stored on a removable hard drive or a network drive. When you have a large
number of computers to image, you should consider deploying the image across the network.
Using a technology known as multicasting, enterprise-level disk-cloning programs can image
dozens of computers at the same time. Multicasting was designed specifically to send lots of
information to lots of computers with the least possible overhead and bandwidth use. If you
plan on doing cloning and multicasting on a regular basis, you should consider dedicating a
server to the process.
USING CLONING SOFTWARE

If you're cloning lots of computers, image one or two and examine them carefully before deploying to
your entire charity or organization. Check that your image is reliable and uncorrupted. Also, look
again to make sure that you haven't forgotten an important setting or an important piece of software.
Remember that any mistake you make will be replicated across a large batch of machines. In some
cases, you might want to image your computers in waves.

As you formalize your cloning policy and strategy, you will also need to figure out how to store and
manage these different images. With most cloning software, you can save your images to a local hard
drive, a network drive, a tape backup, CDs, or DVDs. Avoid CDs and DVDs if you can. Since most
images won't fit on a single CD or DVD, you'll have to span your image across multiple disks.
However, once you've saved your master image to a local hard drive or a network drive, you can use
DVDs to create backups of these images. If you support a large number of computers, disk-cloning
software can save you a lot of time. However, plan carefully before you commit yourself to a particular
solution, and test thoroughly before you re-image a large batch of computers.

THE ADVANTAGES OF CLONING

There are obvious reasons to clone computers in a community technology center (CTC), but cloning
can also be a huge help for any organization that needs to configure multiple computers at once.
Setting up just one workstation manually can take anywhere from a couple of hours to an entire day;
deploying an image on the same machine, in contrast, takes much less time. Cloning can even be
advantageous for a standalone machine that's not on a network, for the following reasons:

 Standardization. When you use disk cloning, you ensure that your computers are as close to
identical as possible. If you do each installation and configuration individually, each computer
will end up being slightly different. Managing standard machines is a lot easier than disparate
ones.
 Training labs. Many charities and organizations with training labs and public computers re-
image these machines periodically to eliminate any developing problems, viruses, spyware,
user downloads, abandoned files, and so on. This ensures that the user experience at your lab
will be the same for all users.
 New computer staging and deployment. If you buy a batch of new computers and you want to
install a specially configured, unique combination of software and operating system, cloning
software can save you a lot of effort. Install the operating system and the software on your
source machine, tweak all the settings, and then the cloning software copies that disk image to
all of your destination machines.

Disk images are primarily meant to save you time and automate the routine work of installing
operating systems and software. Disk-cloning programs can provide some incidental protection
against data loss, but their main purpose is to capture a particular configuration of software and
operating system. This means cloning software isn't appropriate for day-to-day backups of mission-
critical data. You should rely on dedicated backup software to protect data files in case of a hard-
drive failure or other disaster.
COMPUTER SOFTWARE AND SPECIFICATION

 Intel Core i5 processor (quad core)

 8GB RAM or more
 solid-state hard drive with 256GB
 operating system: Windows 10 (64 bit encryption), or Mac OS: 10.7 (Lion)
 802.11 N wireless card or better (5GHz)
 100mbps network card or faster, with RJ-45 cable

SETTING UP A LAPTOP

Set up a new PC or laptop: Power on

The first time you turn on a Windows 10 PC things will be a bit different from your old PC with
Windows 7 or earlier. To begin with you’ll have to go through the first-time setup process. Specifically,
you’ll have to select your region and language, agree to the license terms, personalize the color
scheme, choose a name for your PC, maybe choose a Wi-Fi network, decide whether to accept the
so-called “express settings” or customize, and either log in to your Microsoft account, skip the step or,
if you’re happy to, create a new Microsoft account.

HOW TO SET UP A NEW LAPTOP

All of this is straightforward and while you can use Windows 10 without a Microsoft account, we
recommend that you do use one. This will give you access to OneDrive for cloud storage and it also
means that all your settings and preferences are stored in the cloud. See also: Best cloud storage
services. If you use other PCs this is a major advantage since, whenever you log in, all your saved
preferences will be retrieved and everything will look exactly as it does on your home PC.

SET UP A NEW PC OR LAPTOP: REMOVE BLOATWARE

In all probability, your new machine will come preloaded with all sorts of software that you won't want.
Some of it might just be useful but, for most people, the phrase “bloatware” is a good description
because these trial programs use up space on your hard disk and might slow down your PC.

So, first of all, take a good look at what’s already installed. To do this, click the Windows logo, then
the cog icon, then System, then Apps. Now, make a critical judgment on what you really need. How to
set up a new PC or laptop. Remove apps and bloatware. Certainly you should make sure your new
PC is protected from malicious software but the trial version that came pre-loaded might not be the
best bet and you might decide, for example, that the free AVG Antivirus software which can be
installed via Ninite (see below) would serve you better. When you’ve decided what to delete (and if
you’re unsure of something it’s best to take the safe approach of not uninstalling it), head to the
Control Panel (just type Control Panel from the Start Screen), select Programs and then Uninstall a
program. Now, one at a time, select the programs you want to uninstall from the list of installed
software and click on Uninstall. Convenient as it may be, though, don’t be tempted to select stuff that
you’re probably not going to use. After all, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to rid your new PC with
bloatware, only to then add a load more unwanted software.
INSTALL INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMS

Ninite might be good for installing a good selection of utilities and free packages, but if you have
expensive software on CD that you bought for your old PC and which you use regularly, you’ll
probably want to install it on your new PC. Here we’re thinking primarily of large productivity
applications such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop. The good news is that your license will
almost certainly allow you to install it on your new PC, so long as you don’t also continue to use it on
your old machine, and most old software will be compatible with Windows 8.1. If you’ve lost the
license key then the software won’t install on your new PC but, fortunately, even if you can’t find the
necessary documentation, there may still be a solution. Magical Jellybean and Belarc Advisor are free
utilities that are able to extract the license key from many (but not all) popular packages. Run the
utility on your old PC to discover the necessary keys before attempting to re-install the software on
your new PC. In addition to what you’ve been able to install via Ninite and any software that you’ve
re-installed from CD, there may be other software that you’d like on your new machine, much of it
free. For example, if you hadn’t formerly bought Microsoft Office but want a means of creating textual
documents, spreadsheets, presentations and more, why not look at the free LibreOffice which even
provides compatibility with Microsoft file formats. Alternatively, if you’re happy to work in the cloud,
why not give Google Docs a try. Similarly, if you don’t want to shell out on an expensive commercial
package for photo manipulation, the online PicMonkey may well do the trick.

TWEAK SETTINGS

Windows 10 comes with quite a few new apps which are the defaults for playing music, viewing
photos, emailing and more. On the whole, the old ones are still there and you can make them the
defaults if you decide you don't like Groove, Photos, Mail and the other new apps. To do that, go to
the Control Panel, then Programs and finally Set Your Default Programs. Now, from the list of
programs, individually select Windows Media Player and Windows Photo Viewer and, for reach, click
on Set this program as default. You can also customize the new-style Start menu, pinning your
favorite programs not just to the list, but also as a tile on the right-hand side. We explain how to do
this in our Customize your Windows 10 Start menu guide.

TRANSFER FILES OVER FROM THE OLD PC / LAPTOP

You’ll certainly want to transfer your various documents, music, videos and photos from your old PC
and the easiest way to do that is via Windows Easy Transfer. This utility must be present on both your
old and new PCs and although it was only shipped as standard with Windows 7 and 8, if you’re
transferring from a Windows XP or Vista machine you can download Windows Easy Transfer for free.
The utility allows you to transfer via a special cable, an external drive or a network – the external drive
approach will be the easiest and, if you have to buy the necessary disk, you can also use it for regular
backups which are highly recommended as we discus in the next section.

It might be tempting to copy everything to your new PC but that’s not necessarily the best approach
as this is an ideal time to remove some clutter. Do a good spring clean by copying only the folders
you really need and even deleting unwanted files from those folders you do decide to keep.
Remember to check the Downloads folder though, as there might be some stuff there you need but
be sure to avoid copying across the accumulated junk such as installation files for old versions of
software that you’ve downloaded.
SORT OUT A BACKUP STRATEGY FROM THE GET-GO

Having spent all this time getting your new PC setup exactly as you like it, it would be a shame if you
had a disk crash or other mishap and all this hard work was lost. The secret is to make an image of
your disk on an external USB drive, a networked drive or a stack of DVDs, that you can restore from
later. Several third-party tools (Acronis True Image) are well respected or you could use the built-in
Windows 10 facility which appears as “System Image Backup” in the bottom left corner of the File
History window which is accessible from the Control Panel. If you do ever have to recreate your
system from a system image backup, everything will be restored to exactly as it was when you made
the system image. In other words, if the image was made immediately after you’d finished setting up
your new system, any documents that were created or downloaded subsequently will be missing. For
this reason, you also need to create regular backups of your files. Windows 10’s File History also
permits this, allowing you to make regular copies, to an external USB or networked drive, of all the
files in your libraries, desktop, contacts and favorites.

HOW TO CLEAN UP YOUR WINDOWS COMPUTER HARD DRIVE

DELETE JUNK FILES USING STORAGE SENSE

Storage sense is a rich feature that provides an easy way to quickly delete junk files from a hard
drive, such as previous installation and temporary files to free up space to store more critical content
and improve system performance. Deleting junk files using Storage sense

When Windows decides (recommended). After completing the steps, Storage sense will run
automatically depending on your configuration.

REMOVE TEMPORARY FILES USING DISK CLEANUP

Disk Cleanup is a tool that has been designed to give users a more granular control to delete
unnecessary files from a hard drive, and starting with Windows 10 version 1803 (April 2018 Update),
you can remove the same items using Control Panel and Settings app.

UNINSTALL APPS AND GAMES YOU DON'T NEED

Uninstalling apps that you don't use, such as those apps that came preinstalled when you purchased
your device, or those you installed but never used is another great way to free up space on Windows
10. In addition, modern games that downloaded into your machine usually can quickly fill up your
hard drive, as such you want to keep the number of installed games to the minimum — not just to
reclaim storage, but also to improve gaming performance.

FREE UP SPACE STORING FILES IN THE CLOUD

If you use Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage service, you can also help to save local storage using
the Files On-Demand feature. OneDrive Files On-Demand is a feature that allows you to access your
documents, photos, videos, and music stored in the cloud using File Explorer, but without having to
sync them or use a significant amount of local storage.
When the hard drive is running low on space, you can use this space-saving feature to upload and
keep your files in the cloud and download them only when you need them. Enabling OneDrive Files
On-Demand

DISABLE HIBERNATION ON WINDOWS 10

On Windows 10, Hibernation is a feature that saves the data in memory to the hard drive allowing to
power off your device completely without losing your work. Then when your device comes back on,
you can pick up just where you left off. Although Hibernation is a neat feature, depending on your
system memory size, it may require several gigabytes of space to store the data loaded in memory
into the hiberfil.sys file.

COMPRESS WINDOWS 10 INSTALLATION TO FREE UP SPACE

Compact OS is a command line tool designed to compress the installation and apps files to reduce
the overall footprint of Windows 10 making room to store more valuable files. Typically, Compact OS
is a feature reserved for low-end devices with limited storage out-of-the-box, but anyone can use it
without any noticeable performance impact, and you can always undo the changes. Warning: This is
a friendly reminder that modifying system files is risky, and it can cause irreversible damage to your
installation if you don't do it correctly. It's recommended to make a full backup of your PC before
proceeding.

MIGRATE FILES, APPS, GAMES TO AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

If you've tried every method, but you're still running low on storage space, it's time to consider getting
a new drive. The easiest way to add more storage to your devices is to connect an external hard drive
that you can use to move existing and store future files. Also, you can configure Windows 10 to move
Microsoft Store apps and games to the new drive to free up even more space in the system drive. If
you don't know which one to get, in this guide, we help you get the best external hard drive to add
extra space to your computer. Moving existing files on a new location

UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S TAKING SPACE ON A HARD DRIVE

Although you may already know that the hard drive is running low on storage, you probably still don't
know what files are taking the most space, which is valuable information to understand the files you
need to clean up. Thankfully, the Windows 10 Storage settings include a disk analyzer tool to check
what's taking up space.

DISK SPACE CLEANUP AND DEFRAGMENTATION

DISK CLEANUP AND DISK DEFRAGMENTING

After the installation and optimization of Windows, it is time to clean up the unnecessary files of the
hard disk. Deleting the unnecessary files, followed by a defragmentation of the hard disk improves
system performances significantly. Do not expect miracles, but every small improvement is important.
Because some files are secured, it is not always easy to delete files. But there are still a lot of files
which can be deleted safely to create additional free space.
DISK CLEANUP

There are a lot of files stored on the hard disk during the installation of Windows and programs, some
of them can be deleted safely afterwards (like the folder Windows.old with the files of the old
Windows installation and the history of the browser). Most of these files can be deleted using the Disk
Cleanup tool. Disk Cleanup is available by right clicking the Windows partition (the C: partition in most
cases) in the Windows Explorer and select Properties, tab General, button Disk Cleanup, option Files
from all users on this computer. On the first tab select all categories of files (except the Office Setup
files, these can still be of use later on) and delete them by clicking OK.

DISK CLEANUP AND DISK DEFRAGMENTING

After the installation and optimization of Windows, it is time to clean up the unnecessary files of the
hard disk. Deleting the unnecessary files, followed by a defragmentation of the hard disk improves
system performances significantly. Do not expect miracles, but every small improvement is important.
Because some files are secured, it is not always easy to delete files. But there are still a lot of files
which can be deleted safely to create additional free space.

DISK CLEANUP

There are a lot of files stored on the hard disk during the installation of Windows and programs, some
of them can be deleted safely afterwards (like the folder Windows.old with the files of the old
Windows installation and the history of the browser). Most of these files can be deleted using the Disk
Cleanup tool. Disk Cleanup is available by right clicking the Windows partition (the C: partition in most
cases) in the Windows Explorer and select Properties, tab General, button Disk Cleanup, option Files
from all users on this computer. On the first tab select all categories of files (except the Office Setup
files, these can still be of use later on) and delete them by clicking OK.

DISK CLEANUP WINDOWS VISTA

Disk Cleanup does not delete all files, afterwards there are still many hidden files which are not
deleted (for example check the properties of the folder for temporary internet files). Deleting the
browsing history (the temporary internet files and cookies included) is done more effectively using the
Internet Options in the Control Panel, button Delete, button Delete files and button Delete cookies.
Unfortunately this procedure has to be done for each user account separately.

DEFRAGMENTING THE HARD DISK

Before imaging the Windows partition, it is wise to defragment this partition first. A partition which is
fragmented contains many files which are split up in fragments. This happens when the first available
free area to store a file is not large enough to store the whole file. The remaining part is saved on the
next available free area, which goes on until the whole file has been written to the partition. Because
larger files take more space to save, they probably will be more fragmented. If the fragmented files
are used frequently by the system, it will take relatively a lot of time to read them which will delay the
processing. Defragmenting the hard disk will defrag those files which can improve the system
performance significantly. By default, defragmenting takes place daily as a background task. Because
defragmenting has a low priority, it is normally not noticed by the user. When the automatic
defragmentation is disabled (or the computer is switched off at the moments defragmenting is
planned), it is also possible to start the defragmenting manually by the start menu, All Programs,
Accessories, System Tools, sub Disk Defragmenter.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Preventive maintenance (or preventative maintenance) is maintenance that is regularly performed on

a piece of equipment to lessen the likelihood of it failing. It is performed while the equipment is still
working so that it does not break down unexpectedly. In terms of the complexity of this maintenance
strategy, it falls between reactive (or run-to-failure) maintenance and predictive maintenance.

EXAMPLES OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Preventive maintenance can be scheduled on a time or usage based trigger. Let’s look at an example
for each.

TIME-BASED PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

A typical example of a time-based preventive maintenance trigger is a regular inspection on a critical

piece of equipment that would severely impact production in the event of a breakdown.

USAGE-BASED PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Usage-based triggers fire after a certain amount of kilometers, hours, or production cycles. An
example of this trigger is a motor-vehicle which might be scheduled for service every 10,000km.

REFFERENCES

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/top-laptop-buying-mistakes/

https://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/556585/top-10-things-consider-when-buying-new-laptop/

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/upgrades-will-improve-pc-performance/

https://www.techsoup.org/support/articles-and-how-tos/configure-and-setup-multiple-computers

https://www.valpo.edu/it/help/computer-specifications/

https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/desktop-pc/set-up-laptop-pc-3517007/

https://www.windowscentral.com/best-7-ways-free-hard-drive-space-windows-10

http://www.optimizingpc.com/vista/diskcleanup_diskdefragmentation.html

https://www.fiixsoftware.com/maintenance-strategies/preventative-maintenance/