Dell commercial-grade machines are great, their consumer-grade machines less so. I'd buy off the 'office' page, not the 'home' page. Optiplex, not Dimension. Costs more, but a better machine, in my experience. We had several thousand at work until Gateway underbid them. Very low failure rate on the Optiplexes. If you are on a budget, look on ebay or
aem sends....
Kurt, It depends...many people (and businesses) have put off upgrades because there is no benefit to them when the new OS arrives. Corinne doesn't mention anything that appears to be revolutionized by Vista, so compared to the cost to upgrade now vs. 8 months from now, she might be better off to wait.
Lots of folks have no use for XP.
Thank you so much for this helpful info. I have received lots of good advice, but don't want to bore this group with thanking each one individually, so later I will send one to everyone together. Great group, but you asked a question so I will try to answer it.
My computer is eight years old, and I love it. My thinking is that I am still using Windows 98, and Microsoft (as you know) is no longer offering free updates.
Several people have told me that this opens me up to getting viruses, and thus, passing it onto others, which I definitely do not want to do.
My first plan was to purchase Windows XP Home Edition and install it, but a friend told me this machine is not capable of doing that. Plus, he felt it was a waste of money to purchase Windows XP HE when I could buy a new machine with it already installed.
So, I am in the market for a new computer.
From what I have written, do you still think it is smart for me to hold off for another year or so.
Thanks again.
Cor> On Thu, 13 Jul 2006 01:11:09 -0700, Corinne broke out their crayolas and scribbled:
The ONLY reason I want to replace it is that my machine is eight years old, but in excellent working condition.
But, I am still using Windows 98 SE and Microsoft is no longer offering free updates, and I am told this opens me up to viruses, and I certainly don't want to pass it onto others.
I was told that my machine will not support Windows XP Home Edition.
Can you tell me what I need in a computer in order to support Windows XP?
Thanks for your help.
Cor> Cor>
Tom,
Thanks for this informative info. I have bookmarked that url, and look it over tomorrow.
Much appreciated.
Cor> I was a head tech for a retail company that built their own machines.
Hey, thanks for this info.
My folder is getting thicker and thicker, but I am learning lots.
Much appreciated.
Cor> >
Dave,
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
By all the great replies, I know I need to take my time. I have my homework cut out but you have definitely given me some good feedback.
Many thanks.
Cor> Cor>
More to think about. I was afraid to shop Walmart for a computer, but they definitely are selling them.
Many thanks.
Cor> Cor>
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I've gone to websites for support three or four times in past year. Twice to Dell. Never an American name, but English grammar and spelling perfect. Solved the problem, too. Would that the US President could speak English as well. He never had to earn a living before, so what can we expect? Gotta be careful what we wish for - cheap support 24/7, good wages and bennies, no taxes, the right to life and the right to bomb the living crap out of anyone who wants democracy our way. Only a liberal would mention Apple :o)
The official Microsoft statement on this is at . Any machine for sale new in a store today exceeds these by a wide margin.
The statement on requirements for Windows Vista is at . This is not a terribly high standard for the most part--again most machines you find for sale new in a store right now meet it, but for best performance it should be exceeded considerably--when Microsoft says "minimum" they mean it. Any machine that meets that standard though should run Windows XP exceedingly well.
Thinking further, you might want at this point to wait another few months and get a Vista machine--it will have teething problems at that point (all Microsoft operating systems have problems when first released) but if you only upgrade when the OS is no longer supported then you'd do better to start with the newest one than one that is already four years old.
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It was a sad, sad day when Micron quit making PC's. Best ever, hands down. 60 mHz? I don't know my hertzes from my ohms, but it got to 90 with an overdrive thingamajig. Started out with Win 3, then the first version of W95, which required more attention than a newborn preemie. Finally got that kernel thing fixed in W95 and I was flying .. could have 10 windows open, do graphics and not have a crash. Those days are long gone. The pile of junk with WinME barely gets the news and emails, and can't remember what time it is or where it put it's hard drive. Come to think of it, it is a lot like me :o)
Windows updates are probably about as reliable as having windstorm insurance..for sure, have a firewall and antivirus. Eight years is pretty old for a hard drive and if you have artwork you don't want to risk losing, might be a good investment to buy an external hard drive for backup. They are not expensive.
The march of progress in computers and other fields of technology is relentless. Waiting a year to see if things are better and or cheaper is not the right answer. Of course things will be better, and the price of things you buy today will be cheaper if you wait a year to buy them.
The real question is "Do you need a new computer and updated Software??" I can't answer the question for you, but an 8 year old PC with an 8 year old HDD is a PC at risk of major hardware failure.
You can get quite good machines for well under $1000, while the POWER machines can still cost several thousands. This has been true for MANY years, almost 20 years in fact. The tried and true machines are inexpensive while the bleeding edge costs a bundle.
Please note, I am typing this on a 400Mhz Celeron with 228MB of RAM, so the old stuff still works fine. You decide, not me, not anyone else here on this board, YOU decide when it is time for a new computer.
I disagree. WinXp is the way to go NOW. Get Vista ONLY after the first or second major fix pack is released. Vista is ONLY for those that ride the bleeding edge and are willing to put up with the new release faults when they crop up. In other words, wait a year AFTER Vista is released before getting the new S/W.
Any decent machine you buy new from Dell, HP/Compaq, e-machines.... With WinXP on it is ready to run Vista in its minimum mode. Upgrades will be needed to get the full experience of Vista as Vista wants more RAM than most machines are presently sold with.
WinXP with SP2 installed is a good platform that will provide you YEARS of good service before you need/want something else.
And I have a 1993 Acura Integra with 240,000 miles on it. I'm keeping it as the engine still runs fine and I see no need for a new car payment.
Just to add my two cents...
The old adage about computers being obsolete as soon as you open the package WAS true for quite some time, but for several years now has only been true for high end development workstations and gamers. If you are neither of these then what you want to spend your money on are those things that affect the user experience.
Today's typical PC user is an internet surfer and internet surfing does not require much of a PC. Spend your money on a really nice display (this can be carried over to future PC upgrades so it is money well spent) and get the best broadband connecton available in your area. Those two things will have more affect on how "nice" it is to use your computer than anything else.
It is always a good idea to get the most RAM you're willing to spend money on, but even this is dictated by what you will be doing. For most users these days lots of RAM is required for doing digital picture and movie manipulation (both of which also require big hard drives). If you have no interest in these things then going crazy on RAM makes little sense.
If you have been happy with your existing box and are only concerned with its age then any of the Dell's that you see in the special (can it really be that cheap?) ads would almost certainly be adequate for your needs. My last two purchases have been from Dell's refurbished units web site and both have been rock solid.
LOL, a friend has a Dell and asked me to speak with customer services. I thought I called New Deli. The guy sounded like he had a mouth full of marbles.
Consequentially, I hung up on him and fixed it another way.
Oren
Windows ME was released with some 65, 000 "known bugs" as I have read. Keep in mind when they try to fix one bug, the potential is there to introduce additional bugs.
For my money Windows 2000 is as stable as it gets.
Oren
I started avoiding XP before if became available, when I heard about the "product activation" unfeature which gives MS ultimate control over your OS. I never wanted to get dependant on such a thing.
Since then, I've found various other reasons not to use XP.
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