It’s that time of year when people go computer shopping. There's a lot of good deals out there, especially in today's Sunday paper. A decent laptop can be had now for $300 to $600.





Normally I would make suggestions based on processor, ram, hard drive space, etc. but there's a twist this year that needs to be addressed first.

They all promise a free Windows 10 upgrade. If you didn't know better you would think, "great, i'll grab this deal on a PC with Windows 8.1 and do the free upgrade". BUT, if you want Windows 10, and frankly over Windows 8 you do, then remember in one year you might have to buy it. One ad today even used the * with the notation “see page 15 for terms”. If you didn’t read it and no one told you (and I bet they won’t) come next year you might be sorry**.

So avoid paying that extra $100 next year and look for Windows 10 installed on the computer you buy, not the "free upgrade". Maybe the right PC will be a $20 more now but you’ll be happy you got Windows 10 up front.

The good news is that it narrows down what you're buying. Many of the Windows 8 computers are marked down to move but there's plenty of deals on computers with 10 installed.

** On many devices the upgrade will be free however since the deals mentions eligible I have to have some concerns. I also hate upgrading. I prefer a clean install. Given the choice, I would go with 10 pre-installed.