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Get ready for school or college - What do you need?

Laptop: £399 from John Lewis:

• Toshiba Satellite Laptop, L40-139, 1.6GHz with 15.4 Inch Display
• 120GB Hard Drive
• Intel Celeron M520
• 1GB RAM
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• 256MB Graphics
• DVD-Writer Drive
• Wireless built-in

Microsoft Office: £99.95 from John Lewis or £92.98 from our Online Shop:

• Microsoft Word 2007
• Microsoft Excel 2007
• Microsoft Powerpoint 2007
• Microsoft OneNote 2007

Antivirus: AVG Free (FREE). Download here.

Antispyware: Windows Defender (FREE). Download here.

Laptop Carry Case/Backpack: £33.97 from our Online Shop (note that this shape will also hold text books, lunch, etc. and does not advertise the fact that it contains a laptop!)

Backup Drive: £46.99 from our Online Shop.

What to do with your old computer

Re-cycle it! You can do this in a number of ways:

• Donate it to us! We'll blank your computer of all it's data and strip it for all useful parts. We even save the screws!
• Donate it to Computer Aid International, the world's largest non-profit supplier of computers to developing countries.
• Donate it to your local school, scout group or other local group who could use it. Destroy all personal data first.

What to do with your used ink cartridges

Empty cartridges contain residual toner powder, ink, a plastic casing, aluminium and other parts. These parts are all non-biodegradable and they will take more than 1,000 years to decompose in landfill sites. Environmental Business Products (www.inkagain.co.uk) collect a number of items from offices, schools and homes around the UK, and other parts of Europe, for recycling and remanufacture:

• Inkjet printer cartridges (click here)
• Laser toner printer cartridges (click here)
• Mobile phones in working order (click here)

There are 3 good reasons why you should recycle these items with EBP:

• EBP donates money to charities and other good causes for the recyclable items you send.
• EBP recycling helps the environment. It reduces UK landfill, removing items that could take over 1000 years to decompose in rubbish dumps. EBP's recycling also saves the valuable raw materials used, reducing CO2 emissions and the associated risk of global warming.
• Every month EBP offers everyone who recycles these items an opportunity to win attractive prizes in their Lucky Draws! There's a separate draw for each charity, and you can enter each time you post items to them!

Laptop vs PC

We've been asked by a number of customers to recommend a good new PC and where to buy it from. Well my first piece of advice is to consider buying a laptop instead of a PC for a few reasons: they save space, you can work in different rooms in the house or in the garden (especially with wireless internet!), they've come down massively in price, and they're much easier to re-sell than a PC should you ever wish to!

We always recommend buying from John Lewis (see here for reasons). Our current recommended laptop from John Lewis is:

• Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 17" Screen, 128MB Graphics, 200GB Hard Drive, 2GB Memory, Vista Home Premium
  £799 including VAT, 2 year guarantee and delivery

Going on holiday? Don't leave your backup drive next to your PC!

Burglers are just as likely to take your backup drive as they are your PC. So, don't leave it next to your PC whilst you're away! Instead, leave your backup drive in a hidden location in the house, such as under a pillow. Better still, leave it in a friend's house. Haven't got a backup yet? Don't get caught out...Buy one from £46.99 from our Online Shop.

Avoid that Hot Lap

The Laptop Desk 2.0 groin protector (a slab of polycarbonate composite) is designed to protect against 'hot lap', a very serious condition. According to a report on the BBC Website, a Swedish scientist who rested his laptop on his lap for just an hour needed medical treatment for extensive blistering of his private parts. You'd think the average person would be able to tell when damage was being done to their nether regions, but apparently the critical parts in question lack the heat-sensory nerve fibres to detect when they're being scorched.

The Laptop Desk isn't solely a groin protector. It's also an angle-adjustable desktop stand. It'll let you select one of five ergonomically comfortable typing angles and raise the screen height of your laptop by 95mm, increasing productivity and reducing back and shoulder pain. It is also said to help your laptop run 20 per cent cooler thanks to a set of built-in ventilation channels that create a 'chimney effect'.

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Got something to add?
If you have any news or tips you think might be useful to others please email your tip to info@claygatecomputers.co.uk.