Wendy O’hara asked:


Hi. I’m strongly considering the purchase of an Asus Eee PC EPC1000he-BLK005X Netbook, but I’m extremely ignorant of anything electronic, so I have a few questions that I hope the people of Yahoo! Answers will be able to answer in simple terms.

1. There is an old computer in my house that I will stop using once I get my netbook — but other people still use it. It’s the main computer. If I get internet on my netbook, will I have to pay electric bills for internet the computer and the netbook, or will it be the same price? Sorry, that’s worded in a rather clunky fashion, but I’m not sure how else to say it.

2. I don’t particularly want to pay for internet security, but of course it’s needed. I’ve briefly searched online and have seen a few free options. Are these choices lesser in quality than their pricey counterparts?

3. I have only the vaguest idea of what a router is, something that gets internet? I don’t know. Anyway, what’s the difference between a router and a wireless router? Which is better?

4. Backup is pretty essential, I think. There seem to be several ways to do it; floppy disks, CDs, online storage, USB drives, etc. Which is the best for backup and why? Though CDs appear to be able to store the most while taking up the least space, the netbook I want doesn’t have a CD player or anything like that, so that’s a no-go. Floppy disks and USB drives — what is the difference between them? How do they work? Do you just plug them in, transfer your files to them, take them out and store them someplace? Is there a downside to free online storage? How many, say, pages of writing will 2GB hold? What about 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB? How many pictures?

5. Are there specific models of the aforementioned that only work with certain products? Or can you use one type with any laptop, notebook, netbook, etc.?

Thanks a bunch. >:^D

Tamara