Welcoming your child to the Internet is a wonderful experience.  There are many sites to surf; lots of friends to e-mail; and plenty of places to explore.

However, you must be mindful of setting limits or rules with your kids to prevent potential computer issues.

Here’s a 7-step list to go over with your children:

1. Avoid giving out your e-mail address to people you don’t know
2. Never provide your home address or phone number
3. Don’t give out any passwords
4. Never agree to meet up with someone anywhere
5. Ask permission before signing up for chat sites
6. If you’re uncomfortable with a website, close it
7. Take breaks every hour or less

As a parent, you should keep the computer in a general area.  This way, you can peek over to check out the computer status and it doesn’t encourage private computing which could lead to trouble.  The computer can open up a child’s mind and creativity, but remember to set boundaries.

If your computer just crashed, and you weren’t prepared to spend a lot of money on a new computer, don’t worry:  you have options.

First, if your computer is still salvagable, you can fix it.  A good rule of thumb is that you should fix your computer if the repair cost is not over half the cost of the computer, including software.  If the fix is too much, you can look at two other options: buying a entry level computer for $500 - $1,000.  Or you can buy a refurbished computer for even cheaper.  You’ll find the best deals with reputable local computer repair shops. 

In 2008, Macs averaged $1,500 while PCs averaged half as much at $750.  Windows have provided many bundled discounts and sales while Apple has been stingy.  Is Apple’s doubled pricing worth it?

Well, “pound for pound,” or spec for spec, Apples and Windows have the same parts and accessories at a 2 to 1 ratio.  What does this mean?  For a 2.6GHZ processor, 250GB hard drive, wireless, bluetooth, and 19″ screen, you’ll pay, on average, $1,500 for a Mac and only $750 for a PC.  So, where is the increased cost going to?

For the Mac, the cost is increased because of Apple’s advertising and shiny, expensive exteriors.  Further, Apple sells only one product: the Mac.  So, it must make the most it can make on its sole product.  In contrast, Windows sells many different models making competition fierce, and hence, creates a price war. 

Yes, we feel Apple does warrant its elite status.  But, we don’t feel the increased pricing is warranted.  It is only due to the simple supply and demand theory.  If you’re looking for a Mac operating system, you have one choice: an Apple computer.  It’s not like you have 20 different manufacturers, such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba, Gateway, and others.

The next time you choose between a Mac and a PC, take it from the computer experts: price matters.

If your Windows Vista is slow, you can do the typical RAM upgrade.  But, you can actually tweak your Vista so your Internet surfing and downloading speed is faster.

Here are 2 sure-fire ways to speed up your Vista…and without adding any costly hardware:

1.  Open up Internet Explorer->Tools->Internet Options and uncheck the TLS box and click OK.  The TLS, or Transport Layer Security, performs an encryption process that could drag out Internet browsing and downloading.  Removing this security layer can speed up your Vista.

2.  Also, there is a TCP autotuning feature that could slow down the works.  A bunch of websites do not respond well to this feature and will slow down your computer.  So, you should turn it off to prevent any latency.  Here’s how to do this:  Click on Start-> type CMD and hit enter.  At the command prompt, type: netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel= disabled

Close the DOS window and restart your computer.

These two quick feature removals could drastically speed up your computer.  And it’s a great way to provide a PC tune-up.

HP has touted its TouchSmart IQ770 for a while now.  The initial all-in-one was introduced in April.  Now, the latest one has been released which has more built-ins and gadgets.

Here are the cool specs:

• 2GB of RAM
• 320GB of hard drive space
• high-def TV Tuner
• DVD burner with lightscribe technology
• 19″ monitor
• bluetooth keyboard and mouse
• Built-in web camera
• Built-in memory card reader

The specs are good and the price is very reasonable at $1,250.00.   Here’s the downside through: The computer comes with Vista Home Premium.  It’s not that the operating system is bad; it’s just that this operating system doesn’t work seamlessly with the webcam and TV Tuner.  Third-party software has to be used for those functions. 

Other than that, the computer is a great catch.  The mouse and keyboard may be placed far away as remote controls; the touch screen is phenominal; TV viewing is spectacular, and the picture quality is wonderful.  This will definitely give Apple a run for its money.  And the tech support for this computer should be minimal.