Should You Buy a Used Computer? - Comments Page 2

Malware aside, if buying a used Dell PC always check the service tag on support.dell.com. Steer clear of sellers who will not provide the ST (common on eBay in my experience).

Malware aside, if buying a used Dell PC always check the service tag on support.dell.com. Steer clear of sellers who will not provide the ST (common on eBay in my experience).

P.S. I double dog dare you to write a column praising the benefits of used (and especially professionally refurbished) computers, with a reference back to this article for the important precautions that ARE needed once the decision to get used/refurbished is made. You've said enough here to scare off the n00bs, so you don't need to say much about precautions there.
Give some guidance as to the minimum (and optimum) requirements of processor, RAM and hard drive size for running a PC with a recent operating system (they almost ALWAYS require more horsepower than the prior versions). Just do it, friend.

Bob, as another commenter said you may be a bit paranoid. Even if I bought a new computer after I have used it guess what? It becomes a used computer.
Granted some people cannot format the hard disk and reinstall the O/S and applications; but they can scan with malware tools.

I have a Dell Vostro 430 Desktop with a quad core I5 cpu and 10 gigs of ram which I bought with Win 7 prinstalled for 150.00 including shipping. It is super fast compared to my old single core pentium rig. To buy an equivalent new machine would cost 20 times as much. The only problem I ever had was from a Windows update that caused my machine to blue screen. I had to find a switch in the Bios to correct that.

Long story short, if you find what you want in a used machine go for it; especially if the vendor is a certified reseller.

Risk assessment is something everyone has to measure on their own. Some of us here are super-users and can take risks that some of us here could dare not take. I'm one of the latter, so I buy new. But I try to learn from the rest of you as much as I can. Thanks Bob, for the article. It helped to me make a choice I've been pondering.

Personally, if I wanted to purchase a Used or Refurbished Laptop, I would buy one and only Hewett Packard's! They are the most reliable. A friend of mine bought one 3 years ago from HP, and has Not encountered one problem. The only thing that I do not like is the Prices for Used or Refurbished Laptops. There prices are pretty CLOSE to New Ones? Cannot figure that out?

I bought a computer at a pawn shop. I turned it on a the shop and checked the specs so that was all good. When I got it home I found that the "admin" account was not and the real one was locked by the person who had wrecked the OS installed a host of Malware and PUPs and locked me out of the system totally. Thankfully this was at the time of the free Win 10 upgrades. The computer of course would not let me upgrade and part of the MS sticker was worn off, so I dug out my wife's old laptop which was no longer using W7 and built a Win 10 disk using the wife's license. Long way around but it worked and that laptop is still zipping right along for as old as it is. Learned my lesson though. Going for the used box? Take a USB malware scanner with you.

Here in Springfield, IL (and nearby local towns) we have a business called BLH Computers that refurbishes PCs and sells them on the cheap. They also accept many electronics for recycle.

If getting a used PC from a valid reseller, they will have used DBAN (or something similar) and installed a valid OS.

And you can't beat the price. I have bought several over the years.

Refurb hardware is offered by several retailers and I do feel safe (95%) with those units and any preloaded software is best blown away. The biggest concern is the hardware it self. What has been done to check the hardware (HDD, RAM, Mobo) and insure they meet OEM standards. What is the warranty period for the equipment and possibly and extension of the warranty.

To Michael: Funny coincidence, I JUST bought a Dell Optiplex 760! Ebay($30+shp). Have 4 other Dell laps too. Do you know of any sites for we 'Dell-ers'?

You nailed the whole purpose of the article in your "EDITOR'S NOTE" to MichaelWebb.
But I don't think that the IBM blue blood has been fully purged from your system; else, you could/would not be doing this great service for the rest of us.
THank you.