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from previous page) Going online: How to get started
By Paul
Bannister • Bankrate.com
Mouse
You can get a simple mouse for about $10 at any computer
or electronics store, or, for convenience, a cordless mouse can
be yours for around $30. You'll also want a CD or DVD drive -- the
DVD has advantages of speed and convenience that make it worth the
extra dollars.
Monitor
Get as big a monitor as you can afford -- as long as it fits on
your desk -- to reduce eye strain. Consider a flat-panel or LCD
monitor, whose prices have been tumbling, if you need desktop space,
and remember that the standard 15-inch monitor offers a considerably
smaller screen than its 17- or 19-inch cousin. A 17-inch screen
is roughly a third larger than a 15-inch screen. Expect to pay $300
to $600 for the higher-end model.
Internet service provider
If you're going to surf the Web you'll need the fastest modem you
can afford, and you'll need to pay a monthly fee to an Internet
Service Provider, or ISP.
How much time you spend online and how fast you want
to surf will be a big factor in your monthly ISP fee. A basic dial-up
service costs around $10 a month, while the fastest -- broadband,
which has the advantage of liberating a phone line and is as fast
as changing TV channels -- costs $45 to $65 a month.
Modem
If you are using a phone line and dial-up connection, get
a 56k modem. Older and slower modems will frustrate you, especially
if you are sending or receiving music files or pictures. DSL or
broadband are much faster, but are more expensive. Much like a cell
phone, however, you can often get a DSL or cable modem for free
if you sign a two-year contract with the provider. What you choose
should be based on how you use the Internet and your computer.
Check the different options and remember that you will save the cost of an extra, dedicated phone line if you get broadband.
Printer, scanner and fax
You can save on your printer, scanner and fax by buying
one multipurpose machine that takes up less space and does the same
job instead of three separate units. The downside, of course, is
that if your fax needs to go out for repair, you've also lost your
printer and scanner. For about $150 you'll get an inkjet all-in-one
that you can use even to print good quality color photographs. Hint:
Print documents in 'draft' mode, and only change to 'best' mode
for photographs -- ink cartridges aren't cheap. Laser printers are
faster, quieter and more expensive but many people feel they don't
need that extra quality in their documents. Don't forget to count
in the cost of cartridges, which you might prefer to get refilled
rather than buy new every time. New color cartridge: about $35.
Refilled cartridges: $15, though you can't reuse them indefinitely.
Software
The actual programs you'll be using can be as personal as
the books you choose to read. Most new computers come bundled with
a range of software that deals with everything from word processing
to personal finances, but a savvy sales clerk at a computer store
should be able to demonstrate competing software for the specific
jobs you want done.
If you are venturing onto the Internet, be aware that
every time you go onto a site, you leave your computer open to invasion
by malicious viruses. An anti-virus package like Norton will cost
you about $100, plus an annual fee to renew and update it, but the
cost and inconvenience of getting an infected computer and having
it debugged makes anti-virus protection vital at that kind of price.
Other software is available online -- many for free
-- or at your local computer store for blocking such things as pop-up
advertising, spyware, viruses and worms. Spyware and adware allow
their publishers to snoop on your Internet browsing and flood you
with pop-ups. Most Web users are already infected. But you can clean
up your system or prevent it from being infected in the first place.
And much of the help is free -- from such software as Trend
Micro, Lavasoft's
Ad-Aware SE or Spybot.
Often your ISP will provide some free protections
against spam e-mail as well as a firewall against some viruses,
pop-ups and spyware. Also, some operating systems, such as Windows
XP, have a built-in firewall -- but you may have to turn it on to
get protection.
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