Harry’s Tips for Uni

Harry’s Tips for Uni
Here I am, being Mr. Amazing giving you lots of important advice, I’ll take a deep breath shall I?
• O2 Customers: They’ve got a POSTCODE specific service where you can get 500 minutes to most numbers when you’re within a certain area, and top up £10 at the start of the month.
• More Talking: Get a mic, so you can use free software like MSN and Skype to talk to friends and family.
• Laptops: If you’ve got one, write your name discreetly on the bottom (I used a CD marker on the service tag), and perhaps in between the battery and case too, so that if anyone claims it’s theirs, you can tell they’re a lying bastard. Try not to write over any serial numbers or your Windows Product Key. Also, if you’re good with passwords, set one on BIOS, and change your boot order so that the HD is first. That way they can’t reuse the stolen machine, except for sending back to the factory, which is why you should register it. The factory can recognise the serial number.
• Anti-Virus etc: You need it. If your PC has a virus (Porn sites tend to be the usual suspects) and you bring down the Uni network, AND THEY TRACE IT TO YOU, people won’t be impressed. Consider your social life suspended for three years if that happens. People get nutty when technology stops working without warning.
• Anti-Virus: I suggest Avast! It’s free and is quick to update. It has many useful options, and in my experience is better than NAV. You can also use it free of charge for two months without registering.
• Firewall: Windows XP SP2 (+ Vista) has a built in firewall which will do. If you are on XP or older and want something stronger, Comodo have released an excellent Firewall free of charge, although some of the language used in configuration is a little complex, even for me (I never good allow my Home network). Their forums aren’t too bad when asking for help if you have a few days to wait, as a programmer can guide you through the process.
• Anti-Spyware: Spybot is second to none, and if you don’t have Vista, install the Tea Timer add on, and use the immunisation feature. Do a scan once a month, if that, and you should be fine. Vista has added its own nag feature in, so the Tea Timer will only nag you some more. If anyone knows how to stop Vista nagging, please post a comment here.
• Browser: For flips sake, not Internet Explorer, just use Firefox or Opera. It will save you time. Really.
• Older Computers: Think about a few simple upgrades, RAM has come back down in price now, and can make a notable increase in performance on most aging PCs. You may need a new Hard disk, and you could have that inside or out. Having a second Hard Disk can save you immense hassle if you computer dies inconveniently. A new graphics card will do wonders for gaming. If it’s more than eight years old, you should start thing about a replacement if you can afford it.
• New PCs: Go Dual Core if it’s within reach of your budget and a gig of ram if not two. Only buy a Mac if you actually need it for your course, otherwise you’ll be wasting your money, and will look like an idiot. Plus, PCs are much cheaper.
• Your Old Data: Make sure to copy your old My Documents folder, or you might have found you lost a handy piece of work you did last year.
• Portable Storage: USB Sticks. Get one, maybe even two. Stock up on CDs, DVDs, and then hide them, because people will probably want to borrow them. Don’t forget to label your CDs, to save time when you urgently need to find it again, so get some CD markers.
• Cabling: Bring all the cables you need for peripherals, and a network cable for the internet. I got mine from Poundland.
• Printing: Be a sneaky bastard and skip the big queues for printing last minutes coursework by copying a shortcut to the printer onto your USB key so that you can send prints from your own room and run down to collect them instead.
• Serial Keys: Taking any software with a serial key? You might need to reinstall so note it down, or take the packaging with you.
• TV: You’re gonna need a license to watch live TV on your PC, no matter how you do it, so don’t get caught. Instead, watch the “unmissables” down the pub with mates, or in the shared TV rooms. I think you get away with 4OD & BBC iPlayer because they’re not live, but I’d read the license agreements to be sure, and maybe check with someone else too.
• Driver/ System Disks: Don’t leave them at home, you’ll regret it. Take ‘em with you, or pay lots of cash later. And for fecks sake make them in the first place, its free then or £100 install later.
• Email: Get an email address from Hotmail or Google Mail, of you haven’t done so, and give it to your friends now, so you don’t lose touch. I like Gmail because you can use to download messages to PC whilst they’re backed up online.
• Get Organised: Use a program like Desktop Calendar to remind you deadlines and crap.

Well, I think that’s me sorted. What, you need to bring YOUR OWN BLANKETS? Try here, it was amusing. http://www.wikip313dia.com/Uni_advice
I sumbitted this there so lets see how long it stays.