Guidance on a new computer

Factual Questions
81

In the past they have had shady deals, but since the monopoly lawsuit of the late 90s, Microsoft has backed off from those strategies.

If you go to the store and pick a computer box off the shelf the $999 price includes a copy of Windows. Similar if you go to an online store and pick a pre-built system with Windows. Windows is included in the total price with no choice; it is “built-in”.

If you custom configure a system it may have an option like

  • Windows Home
  • Windows Pro +$50
  • Ubuntu Linux -$39
  • No operating system -$39

In that case the cost is broken out as a line item, and can even be skipped if you don’t want Windows. And if you build your own from parts, you can do whatever you want.

The shady practice Microsoft has not done for 20 years or so is restricting which operating systems a manufacturer could sell. In the dark days Microsoft negotiated terms that only gave the best pricing to manufacturers who licensed a copy of Windows with every computer they sold. Back then you usually were paying for Windows even if the first thing you did was wipe it clean and install Linux.

82

Users need some form of backup. OneDrive is easy to use, but the free version doesn’t come with enough space for most people. If you are going to pay for Office, it’s a great choice.

83

That’s one way of putting it. Making it unnecessarily hard to make it NOT the default and removing all trace of it would be another way.

84

I presume you mean the subscription version of Office. Does that come with a lot more cloud space?

Because, again, Backblaze is a fixed price for unlimited storage (for personal or individual use). And it just backs up everything automatically, so it works well with any program. Since there are no limits, it’s just “set and forget.”

85

I also recommend installing Ccleaner. The basic version is free, and it will scan your computer and remove many unneeded and unwanted files. It’s also a convenient way to check startup files.

You can also use it to uninstall many unwanted programs, although the dreaded Macafee needs specialist treatment.

86

You get a minimum of 1TB, enough for most users for about USD$5/month. Backblaze looks like it starts at $9.

87

So the computer keeps telling me to turn on BitDefender. I thought it worked automatically?

88

It should work entirely in the background, but you may need to turn it on first. There’s probably an icon in your system tray that you can click on that will bring up the interface and there should be a toggle button there somewhere. Otherwise, open it from your Start menu and then do the above.