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Buying a used personal computer can save you a lot of money but you also have to be certain to evaluate the computer diligently before buying. There is nothing worse than spending a significant amount of time getting a new computer all set up, customizing it to your liking, installing all your software on it and transferring all your files to it and having it fail soon after. By examining some of the crucial components of a used computer you can maximize your chance of acquiring one that will last for years. Getting a used personal computer is also a wonderful way to get a unit complete with upgrades such as a USB TV tuner for very little or for free.

Hard drives are probably the most critical component of any computer because a failure can mean losing your data. The problem with inspecting hard drives is that many of the failures are due to mechanical issues that cannot be detected without opening the hard drive case is not recommended. Because of this it can be pretty hard to predict if hard drive in a computer is on the verge of failure. Hard drive failures can be caused by internal issues such as the needle slipping and scratching the disc which will lead to failure. Even if the mechanical components do not fail, a hard drive can fail due to ordinary wear and tear. The high speed which modern disk drives spin at mean the read and write head is a common part of a disk drive to fail. The chance of a hard drive failure increases the more use a drive has endured.

Some potential hard disk failures can be detected by performing a full system scan. The scan can detect faulty sectors of the hard disks. The size of hard drive and amount of data on it affect the time it takes to perform a system scan. Full system scans can take several hours making it difficult to perform before buying a computer in some instances. It is not advisable to skip this step.

Inspecting the CPU is also very important before buying a used computer. It is possible for the CPU to freeze. Overheating can cause a CPU to freeze. Computers have a fan and heat sink to keep the CPU from overheating but fans can wear out and dust build up can keep them from operating properly. Inspecting the fan can be as simple as listening to it and looking for excessive dust buildup. A properly functioning fan should be a consistent, low hum. Squeaks or variations in the sound or speed of the fan can indicate problems.

If the computer includes a monitor is should be inspected too. A monitor that is close to failing will often have dull colors and will not be crisp. Monitors should not flutter or have lines and should not make more than a very low hum. The condition of a monitor is even more important if the computer has a USB digital TV tuner.

Checking a computers operating system is also important. An operating systems performance can decline over time. A computers registry can slow a computer down as programs that are added and deleted from the computer make changes to the registry. Unless you are knowledgeable with such things the best way to test the operating system is reboot the system a few times. It should not take and excessive amount of time to boot up. Ideally, after you purchase a used computer the hard drive will be re-formatted and the operating system and software reloaded.

Any other hardware should also be inspected. This includes, devises like CD or DVD drives, the drawers should open and close smoothing and you should be able to read data from a disc and if they are writable drives you should be able to write to a disc. Other items that should be inspected are the USB TV tuner card, mouse and keyboard.

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