COMPUTER FACTS

Industry Standard Computers
St. Clairsville, Ohio
(740) 695-1520
30 Years In Business - 30 Years Experience with Computers - 25 Years with Networks & Security
The oldest system builder in the area, maybe in the state!
Best Labor Rate in the Area, $25 Shop, $40 Outside

COMPUTER FACTS & OTHERS

FACT: If you are paying more than $35/hr. for service, you are getting taken. Why?

FACT: Only Americans work here!

FACT: No one has ever beat Industry Standard Computers in price and quality on a new computer.

FACT: No one is perfect, we have all made mistakes. If you brought a computer from a Discount store computer or Refurb City you now have the chance to not make another mistake.

FACT: A fancy building or store does not get you a better computer or get you better computer / network service. All overhead expenses like rent, heat, taxes, etc. are paid by you!

FACT: Computer businesses who sell and do the service work on someone else's computer equipment is bad for the customer. Example: If you buy a Compaq from the authorized service repair center for Compaq, what do they care if the computer is low end junk? They will make money on selling it to you and then get paid more by Compaq to service the piece of junk.

FACT: Contrary to what Big Boy's Tech Support says: If your computer locks up more than once a day then something is wrong with your Windows or hardware (most often hardware). In reality if you computer locks up more than once a week you probably have a problem. If it locks up, just sitting there, you definately have a problem! Bring it in, you need service or you need the Big Boys Tech Support to replace it now!

FACT: IF you buy a "brand name computer" you will NOT have the original drivers disks, software and operating system CDs necessary to restore your computer. A manufacturer's restore CD (CDs) will not work if any part of the computer has been changed. You will not be able to reinstall your software and operating system on a different computer or upgrade should you decide later. At ISC we supply all drivers disks or CDs, operating system CD, and any commercial software that you buy like Corel Suite or Micro$oft Office. (If you have a friend or relative that bought a Dell or Gateway or HP/Compaq have them contact us to have us create a current restore set of disks for their computer.)

If Gateway, Dell, Compaq/HP are $50 more on half of their computer line than the others, they are out of the business permanently in less than 3 months. (Remember Sun? General Merchandise? Best Products, Office Max, Leading Edge, Packard Bell?) Competition if so bad now that all that matters with the big boys is bottom line. We don't want to sell barest minimum computers. So, yes we may be more, but not usually when you consider what we include with our computers "nothing extra to buy but a printer". All the big boys sell what is "LOWEST BID" this week merchandise. Did you buy a Yugo automoble? Why buy a Yugo computer?

FACT: Most computer dealers say they build their computers. If they carry a 3 year warranty they are built by someone else or the warranty is out of their back pocket. Very few parts outside of monitors carry anything pass one year, a few motherboards and even less hardrives carry a 3 year warranty.

FACT: Reinstalling Windows is not a way to fix all problems! Most of the time it is not the right fix for minor problems and even most major ones. But after you stay on hold for an hour that is your answer from Dell & Gateway. (That is if you can understand the guy from India or Pakistan at all.)

Read carefully all the fine print. One year hardware, 30 day this, 60 day that... (That's a $35 charge. Sorry but your Technical Support has expired would you like to renew for $195 so you can hear... "Reinstall Windows" from some Indian or Pakistanie?)

FACT: Industry Standard Computers is more interested in making you a better computer than spending time making beautiful web pages.

FACT: Any experience before 1984 in the computer business is of little value, if any, with modern PC's. The modern PC's are improvements on the 8088/8086 (XT) processor and Microsoft DOS or IBM DOS 3.0. and the PC (Personal Computer) was not available to the mid size business or the average (rich) person until 1983. The first "clones" appeared in 1984. We started in business in 1985.

DEFINITION: Integrated Motherboard: A motherboard where some or all of the internal input or output devices are soldered into it.

DEFINITION: "On Board" means what should be a separate card or board is soldered to the main board, making upgrading expensive or nonexistent. Never buy a computer with "on-board video" or "shared memory."

FACT: Motherboard was the original name of the what is now called "main board." The difference is that motherboards had "daughter boards" plugged into them. These "daughter boards" later became simply "cards." Most brands of "main boards" have no cards, some don't even have plug-in slots for such.

FACT: Integrated motherboards cause problems when wanting to upgrade your computer, also, LOTS more money. EXAMPLE: Most Compaq /HPs, Dells, Gateways, IBMs have only three pieces usable in an upgrade: the CD ROM ($25 new), hard drive (usually too small to be used, $65-$95 new) and the 3.5" drive ($10 new).

FACT: ISC computers are made from parts, if you want to add a super high speed video card later, we unplug a $40 card and replace it with a $200 card. In a Dell and most other brands, you throw away the whole computer, then buy one from us because we can get you the newest super high speed video card today, not 6 months from now.

FACT: The motherboard is the main board in a computer that supports the processor (CPU) and all internal input and output devices. Input and output devices are the video, modem, sound card, hard drive and floppy controllers, memory (RAM), network cards. All modern PCI motherboards, thanks to Intel, contain integrated floppy and IDE hard drive controllers. Again thanks to Intel & Via almost all motherboard now have integrated sound also. Luckily we can disable the on-board sound and put in a real Sound Blaster sound card.

FACT: Any computer you buy now is obsolete in about 3 years if you continue to buy modern software. Most of the proprietary or integrated computers are obsolete much sooner, 1.5-2 years.

FACT: We can buy computers with 3 year warranties. We can't guarantee that you will ever make good on one though.

FACT: Any sound card other than Creative Labs Sound Blaster is a clone. You can expect problems with compatibility and usually poorer sound quality if your computer has a clone.

FACT: Average computer speed doubles about every 18 months; hard drive size doubles every year.

FACT: Some manufacturers have disclaimers that say they use "previously sold parts." We call that USED. Check out the side of Brand X box sometime with a magnifying glass.

FACT: 99% of all discount stores will never tell you what is refurbished, used or discontinued models or bankrupted brands. Ask them to put in writing that all parts are new if you need to see someone drop you like a "hot potato."

FACT: Many computer manufacturers, try to make the computer box look like it has a separate video card, modem etc. To know for sure, ask the sales person to open the case and look for yourself. Don't take it for granted that the Plexiglas one shows the real insides of the one you want to buy.

FACT: ISC computers are all NEW, unless you want it differently. We can sell used computers by the truck load if we had them at a good price so we don't need to include those parts inside our new computers.

FACT: Compaq/HP, Gateway, Acer, IBM, Pionex, Dell, NEC, Sony and Packard Bell computers make good landfill after crushing. That is if they have biodegradable motherboards. A case of Samsung and most Maxtor hard drives make fair boat anchors.

FACT: "IBM compatible" means, in modern times, that it is not an Apple/Macintosh computer.

FACT: A computer consists of parts. No OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), including us, makes all the parts. Most make none of the parts they assemble parts together.

FACT: Intel is not the only designer of processors (CPU's) in the world. AMD (http://www.amd.com ) and VIA are the other two big designers. AMD was the backup supplier for Intel before they had a falling out. AMD processors generally are the best "punch for the dollar."

FACT: Windows 98 and Windows Millennium, according to Microsoft can only use 128 megabyte. Windows 2000/XP can address 512 MB and Micro$oft Servers 4 GB. But with the cost of memory way down in price, we install 256 MB or more. We match what is best for which operating system and motherboard combination.

FACT: Our computers with Windows 98 installed and all our extra programs is about 1 gigabyte of space used of your new computer's hard drive. Windows 2000 about 1.6 GB and XP is 2.0 GB. Microsoft Office and Corel Suite together added to your computer takes up another gigabyte. That leaves you about 18 gigabyte of space to fill on a 20 gigabyte hard drive.

FACT: If you are looking for lowest bid, you are probably wasting your time we us. Quality name brand internal parts are not cheap!

FACT: There are 5 different Windows 95/98 maintenance programs. It cost $35 to have us install them on your computer and show you how to use them. The best money you can spend on your Win 95/98 computer. In our new computers they are standard. If you don't have an ISC computer then your missing 3 of them?

COMMENT: Since this web site has been seen by thousands of people, we are always constantly asked one question, "Why should we buy from you and not the local person." Our answer, "Buy from the local person (within 50 miles):

If they do all the repairs in house and don't ship your computer back to the manufacturer. (We are the manufacturer.)
If they can come close to us in price. In large orders you might be able to buy a spare computer from us for the price difference of them.
If they have equal to or better quality computers (the parts inside.)
If they have been in business longer than 10 years and did not previously sell computers under a different name or business title. (Many are "fly by night" in this business; even big chain stores go out of business, "Sun" and "Service Merchandise." No big chains offer a warranty after 30 days, extended warranties are not worth the paper they waste (read the fine print).
Look over their web sites or pick you phone conversations carefully. Are we telling you "what you want to hear" or the truth. What about them?

FACT: Everyone has made a mistake sometime in their life. Proverb I heard once: "If you paid too much for a computer but it does what you want it to, then you lost a little money. If you buy a cheap computer and it does not do what you want it to, then you have lost everything."

Note to other computer companies... "You mean nothing to us; the enemy of all computer businesses are Dell, Gateway, Staples, Circuit City, Best Buy, Walmart, HP/Compaq, etc.

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