COMPUTERS in one shape or another are everywhere and dominate everyday life.

Using one can make doing all sorts things easier, but not if you are puzzled by gigabytes and megabytes, RAMS and mega hertz.

Twenty years on from the launch of the personal computer, about 40 per cent of British households now have a PC. However, this does not mean that buying a PC is not a difficult decision - there are so many options and mistakes can be costly and time consuming.

Help is at hand and readers thinking of purchasing a PC will find things a little easier with the help of two recent publications.

The first, the Which? Magazine annual survey of people's experiences of buying and owning a computer, provides information about how satisfied PC owners were with the retailer they bought their computer from, how easy it was to set it up, how often the computer had broken down over the last few years and whether they would recommend their brand of computer to a friend. The information provided shows huge differences between brands. Food for thought for anyone considering their first or a new computer.

The second source of information is the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) leaflet Buying

A PC - Cutting Through The jargon.

This booklet aims to guide potential purchasers through the jargon and tangle of buying a PC so that, faced with a range of hardware specifications, monitor configurations, software selections and price variations, you will be able to choose a PC that will suit your needs.

The OFT's leaflet gives guidance about the research to do before you go shopping, where to buy, support and repair services, printers and contains a handy glossary of terms. There are also details about other useful sources of information and publications.

- If you want more information and advice on buying computers or any other goods and services, City of York Council Trading Standards can help. Phone 01904 551562, fax 01904 551590 or email trading.standards@york.gov.uk You can also send complaints online. The website address is www.york.gov.uk/business/tradingstandards

Updated: 08:58 Thursday, February 27, 2003