Business owners are watching every penny these days, but often find their employees struggling with old computers that take more attention and waste more time than they save. A good PC strategy can keep your employees productive without spending a lot of money.
Last time we talked about a three year computer lifecycle strategy that’s best for most small businesses. That keeps costs low and predictable, but sometimes even $500 per desktop is too much. Today we will show you how buying used PCs from eBay can keep employees productive even when you can only spend $150 per desktop.
You count on your employees being able to use their computers to get their jobs done quickly and without hassle. If the computer is too old to run applications, crashes often, or isn’t running Windows XP Pro, you are probably losing money because they are working hard just to get the computer to do its job. You can solve this problem by replacing those ancient and under-powered machines with used, capable machines from eBay.
For typical office applications like word processing, spreadsheet, email and web site use, you don’t need much computer. A Pentium 4 with 512 Mb of RAM and Windows XP Pro should be plenty. For all the PCs in your office that are older than that or haven’t been upgraded to Windows XP Pro, you can save money by upgrading to a used machine from eBay.
The Computer section on eBay is awash in perfectly-good, powerful XP machines that are just now coming off lease and dumped by big corporations. You can pick up these machines for $80 to $150 and “upgrade” your office PCs and your employees’ efficiency.
It is critical to buy the right machines and follow a few simple steps to make this a productive, cost-saving method for saving money. You also need a person on staff who is comfortable with loading programs on PCs and connecting cables. If you have one of those, the following steps are for you. If not, try the three year computer lifecycle strategy we talked about last time so you are counting on the support you get from new PC purchases.
Big picture – buying and using used PCs
The basic process for finding and using used PCs is as follows:
(More detail to the follow steps are available on Doug's blog)
- Search for 3-4 year old PCs with Windows on eBay
- Erase the PCs and re-install Windows XP Pro from scratch
- Install anti-virus software, update Windows and finish installing modern web browsers and your application software
- Make a ready-to-restore backup copy before you start using the PC
- Swap the PC out with the ancient PC your employee hates
Searching for the right model of PC
If you stick to major brands (like Dell and IBM) and business-class models of those brands, you’ll find they keep drivers available for download for years. They also have the best Windows XP support as these models were designed for XP and most bugs were found and fixed over their lifespan already.
The models you want to look for would be the business models from Dell, IBM or HP. For instance, Dell’s OptiPlex line was built to last longer and have fewer changes so businesses could count on the same reliability for years. IBM and HP have similar business models that are still capable and a great deal at $80-$150.
Within a given model line, like OptiPlex, you want to find a specific few model numbers or names that are good enough to run Windows XP Pro and your applications, but old enough that they are bargains as bigger companies unload their leased machines.
A great example is the Dell OptiPlex GX280. It typically comes with a Pentium 4, often has 512 Mb of memory or more, and was almost always shipped with Windows XP Pro.
You don’t want any CPU earlier than a Pentium 4 and you don’t want the under-powered Celeron CPU. So, look for a Pentium 4 at 2.8 GHz or faster. You also don’t want anything less than 512 Mb of RAM or memory as Windows XP Pro will need at least that much to run decently. Machines with 1 Gb of RAM are perfect, and you can find cheap new memory for these machines for under $50 if you need more.
One very important thing to look for is a COA for Windows XP Pro. You want your auction to include this certificate of authenticity and its serial number so you can reload Windows with a valid license. You also want Windows XP Pro so you get all the networking your business PC needs.
Lastly, you should only be looking at auctions that include a keyboard, mouse and LCD monitor. LCD monitors last longer than CRT monitors and takes far less electricity and desk space. You should find complete PCs in with all this for between $80 and $150.
Example eBay searches
Dell OptiPLex GX280
HP Pentium 4 machine with Windows XP Pro
Key factors for cost-effective used PC buying:
(More detail to the follow steps are available on Doug's blog)- Only look for major vendors (Dell, IBM, HP)
- Stick to major model lines (OptiPlex, Latitude)
- Only buy from reputable eBay vendors
- Look for best-priced, not-too-old, still-powerful configurations
- Look for complete systems
- Be sure to get Windows XP Pro COA and CD
- Choose the best form factor
Setting up the used PC
When you buy a used PC and get it for this cheap, the hidden price you pay is having to erase the PC and set it up for business use. If you’ve got a budding geek on staff, this hidden cost won’t set you back. If you’ve picked up an intern for the summer, they’ll get some good experience and you’ll get very, very cheap PCs.
When the PC arrives, you’ll want to verify it works. Plug in the keyboard, mouse and power, but don’t plug it in to your network. You don’t want anything on this unknown PC infecting your network. If you find the PC doesn’t work, contact the eBay seller, let them know you got a DOA unit, and arrange for a return.
Once you’ve determined the PC is in good working order, you’ll want to use your Windows XP Pro reinstallation CD to erase the whole machine and reinstall Windows from scratch.
Be sure to keep the used PC unplugged from the network until after you’ve reinstalled Windows and applied service pack 3 (SP3). You don’t want your new machine to catch a virus.
Then install your corporate standard for anti-virus software or a free one like AVG, verify the Windows firewall is enabled, and update your operating system and drivers by connecting to the Internet and using Windows Update over and over until everything is up-to-date.
Next you’ll want to load the standard office applications you use like word processor, spreadsheet, email client and web browser. You should load the most-recent version of your corporate standard web browser so vulnerability is kept to a minimum. Internet Explorer 8, Firefox 3, Safari and Chrome are the best choices.
Once you’ve got all the software loaded, you should take one last step before giving the “new”, faster computer to your waiting employee. You should make a complete, restorable backup using a “bare metal” tool like Norton’s Ghost. This process only takes 30 minutes and it yields a set of CDs or a single DVD that lets you restore the whole PC in just five minutes. If the PC gets infected or slows down after a year of more and more software loaded on it, you can pop in the Ghost CD for this particular machine and be back to this saved, pristine state in only five minutes. If you stick to just one brand and model of PC, the Ghost CD you make with the first PC will be usable on all the other same-model PCS, reducing your setup time to just minutes!
Planning for the future
You can use this technique to save money in the short term, but don’t expect these PCs to last for years and years. As soon as you can, adopt a planned, 3-year new PC lifecycle as described last time. That will keep your costs low while gaining access to genuine manufacturer support and smoothing out your expenditures.
Avoid
For those of you following my blog on business strategy and tips, check in next time for how to keep these PCs, both new and used, safe from viruses and backed up so spilled coffee won’t put you out of business. The Doug Lucy blog is specifically for these I.T. and computer-oriented business tips.
Conclusion
So, when saving money counts but you still have to upgrade ancient, failing PCs, you can use the above technique to buy used computers from eBay, refresh them, and put them to work in your business!
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