Internet Explorer

Now, without further ado, let’s go onto Internet Explorer. And Firefox for that matter. One thing that you should note about the system requirements of Turbo Lister, and you’ve probably noticed, is that they claim to require Internet Explorer. This is probably technically true-but considering that Windows XP and 2000 come with Internet Explorer stock standard, you won’t have to worry about this too much. Back to what I mean about “technically true”, however, is that I mean you don’t need to strictly use Internet Explorer for all of your browsing needs. In facts, as a personal preference, I would avoid it like the plague, mainly due to the fact that most security exploits (ways that people can hack into your computer, and generally do nasty or annoying things) are written for Internet Explorer, but rarely affect third-party programs (such as Firefox). Here’s the recommended specifications :

Internet Explorer Recommended Specifications

• Computer with a 486/66-megahertz (MHz) processor or higher (Pentium procesoor recommended)
• RAM requirements depend on the operating system
• Windows 2000: 32 MB of RAM minimum
• Full install size : 11.5 MB
• CD-ROM drive (if installation is done from a CD-ROM)
• Super VGA (800x600) or higher-resolution monitor with 256 colours

Again, we’re getting into exaggeration territory with the resolutions, but Microsoft are actually pretty honest with their requirements here. Let’s now take a look at Firefox, the leading free alternative to Internet Explorer.

Firefox Recommended Specifications

• Pentium 233 MHz (Recommended: Pentium 500 MHz or greater)
• 64 MB RAM (Recommended: 128 MB RAM or greater)
• 52 MB hard drive space

There’s an obvious gap between their requirements. In some ways, I think that Firefox’s requirements are slightly more realistic than Microsoft’s. But they are still fairly low, thankfully. Now that we’ve gone through the system requirements for the sofware we’ll need, you ought to have a pretty good idea that we can get away with a fairly low end (cheap) PC for general eBay purposes.

Example Computer Specifications

• Pentium III 500mhz
• 128 megabytes of RAM
• A hard drive with at least 40 gigabytes of space
• A CD-ROM drive
• An ADSL modem, for broadband Internet usage
• Other basic peripherals, such as a mouse and keyboard

The above computer is available from most computer recyclers. At the time of writing, I noticed in the a local paper that you can buy a AMD 64bit 2600 with an 80 gigabyte hard drive, 256 megabytes of RAM, CD-ROM drive, a full system (if you’re not a computer person, this is far and above the specifications required for what you will need) for $299 without monitor. This price is a shock, it’s so good. Now, keep in mind, this was a special-but it gives you a good idea of just how ludicrously cheap a half decent computer can be for. The monitor will set you back about another $200, so all up you have a computer that has room to move for $500 dollars. I’ll bet you never thought you could get a computer so cheap, did you?

Now that we’ve covered the computer, let’s explore the sort of camera you will need.

Macintosh Hardware

We’ve been discussing IBM-compatible PC computers, however if you have a half decent Mac, don’t rush out and buy a PC for eBaying. Your current computer will probably do the job nicely. Macs are generally god for Internet access and image manipulation.

Computer Stability

Stability is important, as the computer will be your greatest ally as you make money on eBay. Depending on what you buy and where you buy it, your computers’ stability can range from one extreme to the other.

For intance, if you plan on purchasing a refurbished PC unit, I highly recommend that you make sure the computer comes stock standard with Windows XP or 2000 (this goes for new computers, also). Now, I personally tend to recommend againts so called ‘Green’ computers, as they are using old hardware which is more likely to break down, and more importanly, you rarely get what you pay for. Anything under a Pentium 4 or Athlon XP really should not go for more than about $350-and ‘Green’ or refurbished PCs are generally more than this ( unless you buy them from small computer stores, these are generally much cheaper, as they are often made from leftover good bits of hardware salvaged from dead computers). Other concerns with these PCs revolve around the hard drives inside them,as even some of the better hard drives I have worked with have ‘conked out’ within five years or so. Because of this, the very idea of buying computer with a hard drive of such an age causes me to expect the very worst. Plus, most hard drives of that era weren’t exactly large, so generally a refurbished PC will land you with only twelve gigabytes of space. That’s not much at all, considering the size of today’s data files and applications. Obviously, a more recent computer is better.

Other things to look out for include the design of the case. If you are able to feel the vibration on the case when it is running, if it makes a lot of noise or feels very warm to touch: these are warning signs for problematic systems that you want to avoid.

When you do get your PC, try to avoid filling it up with too much non-business related applications and make sure the latest security patches from Microsoft are in place (visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com) or even the most stable PC can become vulnarable.