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February 29, 2008
Dear CNET members,
Happy Leap Day! And to those of you whose birthday falls on a
leap year, happy birthday! It only happens once every four
years, and I think it's pretty special and also pretty darn
cool since you age a lot slower than the rest of us! ;-)
Speaking of birthdays, my daughter turns two years old
tomorrow, and boy let me tell you, time sure flies! I don't
know what it is with time, but personally, the older I get,
time just seems to slip away so fast. Maybe it's having kids
-because I look forward to them learning new things every
day, and they just change so rapidly. I remember when I was
in grade school a whole year felt like an eternity--who
would've ever guessed that today a year goes by at a blink of
an eye! Anyway, enough of my ramblings--I'm just going to
make the best of every minute I have today. Now let's tackle
Julianne's question on buying a refurbished and recertified
computer.
This week, we got a split decision on whether Julianne should
buy a refurbished or recertified desktop. I knew presenting
this question to you folks would draw opinions from both
sides of the fence--some recommending to buy and some saying
to avoid these types of computers at all costs. There really
is no wrong or right to your advice, as you all have great
points to share--the best part of this conversation is that
it gets all of you to share your thoughts and experiences so
that Julianne and others who are in this predicament can
learn from it and make the best decision for themselves. So with that said, there will be no voting on the helpfulness of the answers this week; rather, I would like for you all to read the opinions and recommendations of your fellow members and continue discussing each other's points. That way we all have the knowledge to make a sound buying decision in the future. Since it's a split decision, let's take a poll and see where we end on whether you would buy a refurbished or recertified computer.
And if you do decide that buying a refurbished or recertified
computer is the route you are going to take--many members
suggested buying from a reputable company and more so from
original manufacturers--make sure the warranty is a good one
(read the fine print to see what is covered), and make
sure you know what exactly you are buying into to fit your
needs--because sometimes computers that are refurbished or
recertified may not be as current (outdated models)
or have the components you desire. Anyways let me stop right
here and let you do the reading.
Have fun with the topic and poll! Have a great weekend
everyone, and thanks for sharing your opinions and experience
with all of us!
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Member Question of the Week
Hello. I am curious, what are your thoughts on purchasing a
refurbished or "recertified" computer, a desktop
specifically? I need a fast one but cannot afford a brand new
HP (my preferred product) now or even in the near future. Any
suggestions or advice on buying these types of computers? And
do you think my being partial to HP (I have all HP products
as well) is probably the right thing, or do similar systems
accept printers and scanners etc. if the brand is different?
I hear so many different opinions and "problem stories," but
I would love to hear yours if it is possible. Thank you
kindly.
Submitted by:
Julianne R.
Submitted by:
The CNET community
 Previous week's Q&AThe votes are in! Below is the answer voted most helpful by our community to last week's question.
Hi, I'm running Windows XP Pro SP2 and I have developed a
problem where by the CPU keeps going to 100 percent and either
freezes the PC or slows it down to virtually standstill. I
have searched on the net and found that quite a few people
have this problem. I tried some of the fixes suggested, but
they didn't work. I have to reboot the PC and then it's fine
for awhile. What could possibly be causing this problem? Is
this a problem with the operating system, or is it a hardware
problem? I hope you can help with this problem. Cheers!
--Submitted by:
Anthony K.
There are many things that can cause a computer to show 100
percent when you display the CPU usage. Spyware, viruses, bad
drivers or damaged programs can all lead to this type of
problem. In some cases, it can be a known issue with your
specific model computer, so you should first check the
website for your computer to see if you see anything there
regarding this issue. If not, then there are several ways to
approach this problem.
1. Back up your data--Sorry but I can never say this enough.
You should never work on a computer without first backing up
any critical data.
2. As mentioned above, check your manufacturer's website for
any known problems with your specific computer model...
(read more)
--Submitted by:
CNET member: waytron
Congratulations to the winner!
Community Buzz
 Each week we take a look at topics discussed in the forums.
Have fun and enjoy!
More from the forums
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Check out next week's question:
Many would say I'm just a dinosaur when it comes to entertainment equipment. While it may be that I'm somewhat "technology challenged," the fact is that there's just too much other stuff going on in my life for me to stay on top of entertainment electronics developments. I also don't want to be on the "bleeding edge" like many others do. However, with VCRs gone, I need a DVR. One desirable feature might be having the ability to record some old VHS tapes to DVD. I'd prefer one with dual tuners so we could watch one program and tape another. My wife doesn't want to have to subscribe to TiVo's schedule service. What other DVR's are out there that I should consider? What brands and features should I consider? Are there any to stay away from? Thanks very much for the input.
--Submitted by:
Jim W.
We feature a new question every Friday, and if you have the answer for our member, you can submit it above. If your submission is picked by our members as the most helpful answer, you'll receive some cool CNET branded gear.
Have a question?
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Simple question, simple answer
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