Impending Computer Purchase - ARGH! HELP!

[spot]

Never, ever get a computer that's been used by someone else [...]

There are machines out there with XP on them, but XP is being phased out. If you want the machine to run a while and be viable, get one with Vista on it.

XP support and upgrades are guaranteed until at least April 2014.

Speaking just from my own perspective, the last time I bought a new computer was Spring 1988.

[Gabe]

I'll add a thought, if I may.

Taking copies of whatever you've put onto the computer that's irreplaceable - your own photos, stuff you've written, your home videos, that sort of thing - really does matter. I suggested that the DVD writer would be adequate but quite likely you'd do well to at least look up "external hard drive", probably with a USB2 connector, and see whether you can fit that into your budget even at the expense of a slightly lower specification desktop.

It would allow you to easily move files back and forth between your desktop and any laptops in your family. It provides a fail-safe fallback in the event of any of the computers dying suddenly. I know people often skate on thin ice and never take backups but it's a route to disaster in the long term.

What folks said so far is good.

In regards to backup, this is also critical.
If you are getting your local shop to setup a custom computer for your, I would recommend setting up a raid1 system. This will allow your computer to continue to function even with 1 drive failing. The drawback is that you will need two hard drives.

As far as using cdrom/dvds Definately and I would actually recommend taking it a step further.

Perhaps your most vital memories like pictures and videos should be kept in a separate physical location. This is in case of disaster. (fire in house, flooding, earthquakes etc)

This way the irreplaceable is available at another location several hundred miles away safe from the disaster striking your area.

dropbox.com is a great solution for this and it works very easily. Works across platform also. (windows, linux, mac and mobile)
Another benefit is that you connect with your critical documents anywhere without hauling USB/DVD/CDROM. You can access them as long as you have an internet connection.

IT'S FREE for storage up to 1GB I believe.
I'm sure other solutions are available out there.

If you like to tinker and fix things, go with linux.
You can do all of what you want with linux out of the box too.
I'm familiar with with a few of distributions for linux. (ubuntu, fedora, redhat, suse linux, centos)
Out of the box support I would go with Ubuntu. It is the most popular linux desktop distro right now.

For Microsoft, I would recommend Windows7. Vista is too bloated and is already deprecated compared to 7 from Microsoft's perspective.

For Mac I would recommend an entry level mini mac. Looks like it would fulfill all of your needs out of the box. The cost is roughly $699-$800. You will need an LCD for it. Any should work with a vga adaptor. I don't recommend a CRT. It takes too much space on a computer desk.

The benefit with the Mac is that you can also boot windows and linux from it. if you have a copy of the OS. So you get the best of all the OS mentioned in this thread if you want. Plus it's tiny! The same size as a portable hard drive!

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[Sonnenwende]

Never, ever get a computer that's been used by someone else. You don't know what they could have done to it in the time that they had it.

Seems exaggerated to me. Used computers sell every day but people with little knowledge are more likely to be scammed. On the other hand I am a bit uncertain what examples "have done to it" implies / refers to.

Buy blinking computers with windows for sidepanels? No
Buy a computer from a dirty rotten household / environment, fluffy fans in the back, sticky keyboard etc.? No
Buy a computer infested with data, viruses, malware? Sure, it is only data - just reinstall the operating system.
Buy a computer which cannot be demonstrated or in a parking-lot? No

Next, you're going to want a machine that'll run at least Windows Vista or even Windows 7. There are machines out there with XP on them, but XP is being phased out.

XP will be under active support by Microsoft until August 2014!

In regards to backup, this is also critical.
If you are getting your local shop to setup a custom computer for your, I would recommend setting up a raid1 system.

Consider data which only exists once as already lost!
A Raid1 sure has its advantages but an external storage probably is the better solution for the regular user. And even Raid1 owners should have an external backup for the most important stuff.

Perhaps your most vital memories like pictures and videos should be kept in a separate physical location. This is in case of disaster. (fire in house, flooding, earthquakes etc)

Yes, that is IT 101 for companies, with the growing relevance / importance the common end user should also add backups to his/her belongings at the bank locker,or elsewhere

A budget for this impeding investment has yet to be announced.
(unless I missed it, it's late)

[daughter of pearl]

To all who replied...a big THANKS!!

I have learned lots, and feel much more equipped for the conversation.

I have decided, based on some of your good advice to go with using my net book between now and August...it is set up with MS Office and has browser capability...I have an external hard drive that I can store stuff on, and I have also bee told about web based file storage sites that are free (a colleague of mine uses one that she is very happy with).

In August, I will look for the best deal I can get for my budget, and go from there.




Once again, THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Thevail]

I want 500 Gigs of Ram.. that would be AWESOME...

I've tried a lot of different brands over the years..and I really like Hp, also you can get a printer and other peripherals (monitor, etc) that work really well together.. I hate driver issues.

I second the "stay away from e-machines" comment. I honestly think they're the computer equivalent of getting a scooter when you need a jeep.

I've found that, in my area, the difference in price between acceptable and awesome is a couple hundred bucks. And awesome seems to last about 2 years longer before you become roadkill on the information highway.

All customer service is utter crud.. yep.. everyone's.