A large part of starting a home based Internet business is installing and maintaining the various technical pieces of equipment and software programs you'll need to market, create, and deliver your various products or services. While this technological side of starting a home based Internet business may seem tedious, harrowing, costly and possibly even frightening at first, keep in mind that ultimately it should advance the quality of your life, make your work and even your home life more efficient and relaxed and make you money. While you won't want to invest in your technical wish list when you first start out you do want to get quality products and the right applications and equipment to save you time and offer your clients the most professional looking marketing materials and finished products.

Another important aspect of your technical and computer purchases when you're first starting your home based Internet business is that your PC be upgradable and have plenty of ports for add-on peripherals as you grow and want to expand your business 'toys.'

As a sole proprietor starting a tiny home based Internet business you probably won't need your own server, although as you expand that might be easier and less costly. A robust media center could let you control your home office video and audio functions as well as your home TV. You could install TiVo to digitally record the TV programs you're missing while in your office, although many cable companies offer this service through their digital boxes. Intel has designed a PC all-in-one media center that lets you combine software and hardware in one PC setup that is very easy to use. You can not only run your home based Internet business but it can be used for starting the home videos, music or Web access.

Probably not while you are starting you home based Internet business , but once it is up and running and making a profit, you might want to add some great high-end high-tech extras to your home office as well as your home. NetgearStorage Central SC 101 connects wirelessly to your firm's network but you'll see it in your Windows setup as a hard drive attachment. From here you can now handle all your games, music, videos and photographs as well as your home Internet business records and documents. You can make these business records private so that you can share your new network device with your family without fear of a security breach. Another alternative is made by Iomega - a terabyte-sized multimedia hub.

Backup is a crucial need when you are starting a home based Internet business. You can purchase automatic back up devices or flash drives depending on the volume of your need. If your choice is for flash drives it's best to look on the Web for discounts and buy in bulk or buy flash drives of 1 GB storage or more. If you're working with a tower whose USB ports are on the back a flash drive hub is a handy tool. It offers four or five additional USB ports and a long cord that allows you to bring the hub and the ports within easy reach.