Twelve Things You Should Know to Save on Computer SoftwareWritten by Larry Andrew
Do you want to get quality software at a reasonable price? Whether you work at home or just need good software for your personal computer, you are faced with an almost endless selection of computer software. Sorting through options can sometimes be a major task. However, if you want to get good, quality software there are several things that you can do that will save you money and headaches. With arrival of online marketing, you have more choices than ever. There are a large number of reputable software companies that sell software at significant savings. With a little homework and thought on your part, you can get good quality software that will accomplish your specific task. In order to save both time and money on computer software, here is a list of twelve things you should do. 1.First, make sure you know as closely as possible exact task you want your software to accomplish. The more specific you are better. For example, do you want a very general word processing program to write occasional letters or a more sophisticated word processing software program to run marketing for your business? 2.Check out minimum requirements necessary to run software. You want to make sure it will run on your computer equipment. You should find out how much memory program takes, what operating systems it will run on and how much disk space is required. Is there any other computer accessory required to use software? 3.Talk to friends and associates that have used specific type of software you’re searching for. Ask them where they got software, how much they paid, how long they’ve used program, what type of guarantee came with program, etc. If you have a task, which involves a deadline, like a payroll program, ask them how they were able to get answers to their questions and how long did it take. 4.Search Internet for reviews on software. Look at user groups or bulletin boards to see what users are saying about software. For example, if you’re looking at QuickBooks business program, type in “QuickBooks Software Review” to locate review information about program. 5.You should always test software program before you purchase it. Many reputable companies will allow you to download their software and test it out before you buy. Take advantage of opportunity to test program. Enter some data, print some reports, and give program a real workout. Try as many options as possible. Don’t always follow set procedures. Try to experiment on your own. You want to know what software does in a real world setting. You want to know what happens when you make a mistake. 6.If software provides support, you should think of a question about program that may not be too obvious and ask support for help. You’re much better off to try out support before you truly need help than to wait until you’re in a “must have help” situation. See how long it takes to get an answer. Check out how clear response is. Ask yourself, “Did this completely resolve problem for me?” 7.Check out software warranty and company guarantees. A software company that stands behind their program will usually guarantee their products for a specific period of time. You should get at least a 30-day money back guarantee after purchasing product. A 90-180 day guarantee is better. Usually, longer product warranty, better software.
| | Seven Ways for saving your digital images for ever!Written by Chris Thomas
So, you have taken lots of pictures with your new digital camera, memory card is full, and you are wondering how to store and archive your images.1 Buy another memory card The method of storing your images with least effort is to buy a new memory card and keep your images on first card. Taking into account that memory cards are currently expensive, this seems a costly way of archiving images. In longer term, however, there may be some argument for this method as memory card prices fall, which they progressively have. However as time goes by digital size of images (measured in megapixels) will increases partly offsetting this factor. 2 Transfer your images on to your computer Most if not all digital cameras come with a cable for connecting camera to a personal computer. The manufacturer has probably provided software with that cable so that you can install software on to your computer, connect cable and transfer images from your camera onto your PC. Don’t forget, if all else fails – read instruction booklet! Once safely on your computer hard drive, you can erase memory of camera and start taking new photos all over again. However do check that images have been successfully downloaded to your computer before you erase them! 3 Burn your images onto a CDRom Many home computers are now equipped with a CDRom writer. This is probably preferred way of archiving your images for years to come. One word of warning though. Do not buy cheap recordable CDs – CDRs. Cheap discs are less reliable and we have found some to be problematic. We have also found that rewritable disks – those that can be written once and then overwritten – do not work well in certain CD Drives. Best to use good quality write once CDRs and carefully label them, storing them in cases for protection. In due course CDs will be replaced by DVDs providing greater memory capacity as image files increase in size.
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