Author Topic: Old guy needs new computer (Read 7424 times)

slowmover · « **on:** March 23, 2018, 05:59:50 PM »

Need to keep it simple.Probable have to have a desktop as that's what the wife's used to.We don't do much with it,just pay bills and have a printer hooked up.I don't even know how to set a new one up although I do have an external hard drive connected so hopefully I can get the new one to resemble the old PC.The old one has Windows 7.My daughter says take this opportunity to go to a Mac.Any suggestions?

twowings · « **Reply #1 on:** March 23, 2018, 06:04:21 PM »

Go to computer repair shop...they usually have refurbed bargains...so does Amazon...then load Linux on it and forget about paying for Windoze forever...I can help you do it...

Wayne Orwig · « **Reply #2 on:** March 23, 2018, 06:05:13 PM »

Just get an Asus Win 10 laptop for a couple hundred. Hard to beat for general web surfing and emails.

Lannis · « **Reply #3 on:** March 23, 2018, 06:05:50 PM »

Quote from: slowmover on March 23, 2018, 05:59:50 PM

Need to keep it simple.Probable have to have a desktop as that's what the wife's used to.We don't do much with it,just pay bills and have a printer hooked up.I don't even know how to set a new one up although I do have an external hard drive connected so hopefully I can get the new one to resemble the old PC.The old one has Windows 7.My daughter says take this opportunity to go to a Mac.Any suggestions?

Suggestion - Hand your daughter your Visa card and tell her to let you know when the new system is set up and running, and make sure she doesn't forget the system admin password.

Done and dusted.

Lannis

Johncolleary · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2018, 06:08:38 PM »

What Lannis Said!!!

Rough Edge racing · « **Reply #5 on:** March 23, 2018, 06:19:16 PM »

If you let a young person buy you a computer, you may end up with something more complicated than you need..

earemike · « **Reply #6 on:** March 23, 2018, 06:19:54 PM »

Yeah, if your daughter will set up & install the programs that�d stretch you.

If you only do web browser & email it might not matter - there are viruses for Mac but they still seem fewer?

Chuck in Indiana · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2018, 06:47:03 PM »

Like Wayne said, there are perfectly adequate Windoze machines for *much* less money (Guzzi content) than any Mac.

Steph · « **Reply #8 on:** March 23, 2018, 06:49:28 PM »

Get an iPad, it’s the perfect tool for your job

GearheadGrrrl · « **Reply #9 on:** March 23, 2018, 07:00:16 PM »

Mac Mini- All the goodness of a Mac for a low entry price starting at $500.

twowings · « **Reply #10 on:** March 23, 2018, 07:01:31 PM »

searching Amazon.com for "refurbished desktop computer" brings up a multitude of choices from $99-up...YMMV

Antietam Classic Cycle · « **Reply #11 on:** March 23, 2018, 07:04:30 PM »

When I needed a "new" computer last July, I bought this refurbed HP on Amazon for $160 (now $220):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQKPCQ3/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and had a local computer repair guy move all of my files, photos, etc. over for me. I had Windows 7 on my last machine and didn't want to have to learn Windows 10. It's been working great since - super fast with Firefox as the browser, LibreOffice Writer to create documents and no useless (to me) programs. It has plenty of storage space and does everything I need to do for not a lot of $$.

What "Windoze" do I supposedly pay for? Never paid for any of it. <shrug>

pehayes · « **Reply #12 on:** March 23, 2018, 07:21:34 PM »

Quote from: Antietam Classic Cycle on March 23, 2018, 07:04:30 PM

What "Windoze" do I supposedly pay for? Never paid for any of it. <shrug>

Well yes you did. Even if you bought a "refurb", those people have to pay a licensing fee to Microshaft and pass it along to you. You could have bought a "bare bones" machine without an OS for a little less money, installed linux (I'm content with simple Ubuntu), and be safer in the long run as well.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

drdwb · « **Reply #13 on:** March 23, 2018, 07:26:57 PM »

Half the time lm more than ready to chuck them all out, we currently have 7 windows machines in our office to run daily treatment notes (required for Hippa ) and billing software, and we are soon adding a digital X-ray system which will require 2 more stations. Every time windows decides to update itself we have network issues,which requires a local geek to come out and tweak the system. For my personal use I have an I pad and although I am not an Apple fan the thing works very well for the most part.
One of my English profs in undergrad school told me(1977-81) that if I didn’t learn how to use a computer I would be functionality illiterate by the time I was 30, I’m 63 now, I think he was probably right,but I sure wish someone could come up with a stable, reliable system that doesn’t need constant updates can’t be hacked or get viruses and worked as well as our Guzzi’s.

fotoguzzi · « **Reply #14 on:** March 23, 2018, 07:33:40 PM »

Like said above, consider an iPad .

twowings · « **Reply #15 on:** March 23, 2018, 07:41:03 PM »

Quote from: drdwb on March 23, 2018, 07:26:57 PM

I sure wish someone could come up with a stable, reliable system that doesn�t need constant updates can�t be hacked or get viruses and worked as well as our Guzzi�s.

They did, it's called Linux...

Murray · « **Reply #16 on:** March 23, 2018, 07:54:16 PM »

You could look into a NUC (Next Unit Computer) if you already have keyboards monitors etc although these are pretty cheap now days. Towers are now more expensive than laptops. I've been using mac for the last 10 or so years about to go back to PC their software is getting pretty inflexible especially if you don't have wifi and constant connectivity on your mobile devices. Win 10 seems to be pretty stable although comes with a bunch of "features" (crap) you really don't need, Cortana, Groove music (just how did they make something worse that windows media player) Xbox 1 etc. If you hunt through the settings most of these can either be removed or disabled.

Antietam Classic Cycle · « **Reply #17 on:** March 23, 2018, 08:13:14 PM »

Quote from: pehayes on March 23, 2018, 07:21:34 PM

Well yes you did. Even if you bought a "refurb", those people have to pay a licensing fee to Microshaft and pass it along to you. You could have bought a "bare bones" machine without an OS for a little less money, installed linux (I'm content with simple Ubuntu), and be safer in the long run as well.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

Okay, indirectly. But it was made to sound like I had to keep paying them...

Antietam Classic Cycle · « **Reply #18 on:** March 23, 2018, 08:16:26 PM »

Quote from: Rough Edge racing on March 23, 2018, 06:19:16 PM

If you let a young person buy you a computer, you may end up with something more complicated than you need..

This is exactly what happened with my mom - brother (older than me) bought her a tablet that is much too complicated for her to even begin to understand. So, it goes unused, except when he comes to visit.

V7Record · « **Reply #19 on:** March 23, 2018, 08:21:03 PM »

I've been a sys admin for 35+ years. Mainframes first, then windows and now unix/linux for 20 years.
I still keep a windows system for a few tasks but 99 percent of what me and my wife do is now on Chromebooks.
Almost instant bootup, virtually zero hassles with patching.
Works fantastic for web browsing, banking, email, etc. Need a cloud enabled printer but many are these days.
Just something else to consider.
Brian

guzziownr · « **Reply #20 on:** March 23, 2018, 08:22:23 PM »

Do you have a TV with HDMI? I have a Windows 10 HDMI stick computer attached to the 50" flatscreen in the living room.

Wireless keyboard and mouse means I can sit at a desk and type or recline on the couch and watch Netflix.

Computer was $97, Keyboard mouse combo, $23 Purchased from Amazon.

Yukonica · « **Reply #21 on:** March 23, 2018, 10:04:58 PM »

Nobody seems to be addressing the "I have an external hard drive". Those files will be Windows based. Mac isn't going to read them without Boot Camp intervention. Even if you partition a drive and has Win (whichever iteration) installed, you'll be stuck learning two operating systems to make reasonable use of your computer.
If you buy into Apple's closed architecture you are stuck there. Do you use Office? There's a brand new expense if you migrate to OS. And, once in Apple it is very difficult to exit. Almost like it was planned.
A dozen machines from various manufacturers out perform similar spec Apple machines for much less money. I'm not saying Apple is 'bad'; I'm saying it isn't a good choice for a casual web surfer.
What to buy? Lenovo seem to make a good range of reasonably priced machines.
Pick the second from the bottom end so you aren't buying stale dated hardware.
Planning forward: intel core I5, 8g ram should keep the machine from bogging down on next year's inter-bloat.

LowRyter · « **Reply #22 on:** March 23, 2018, 10:10:22 PM »

if I needed the stuff on the Windows external hard drive, I wouldn't get a Mac.

I think the laptop I use cost me less than $400. I keep an external for backup and an online printer.

oldbike54 · « **Reply #23 on:** March 23, 2018, 10:31:43 PM »

I never pay more than a hundred bucks for a computer , the current Dell desktop was an even 100 from a friend , has more power than I'll ever use , if it lasts another 3 years it cost 20 dollars a year . It came with W7 Pro installed , no issues what so ever . Some of you guys worry too much

Dusty

Calculon · « **Reply #24 on:** March 24, 2018, 02:44:33 AM »

I would suggest a Dell Optiplex from the Dell Outlet. It'll probably cost between $300-400, but comes with a three year on-site warranty, meaning Dell will send a tech to your abode and fix it should a problem arise.

fossil · « **Reply #25 on:** March 24, 2018, 03:22:05 AM »

Get a simple Windows machine with Windows 10, perhaps a refurbished one. Win 10 works great even on somewhat older machines. And there are always people who can help you with Windows. Less so with Macs. Avoid Linux. It is only for nerds (and Iḿ typing this on an old Dell Latitude with Lubuntu 16.04 LTS).

Matt Story · « **Reply #26 on:** March 24, 2018, 05:23:42 AM »

Since no one seems to be offering an opinion here...

To be open, I am not a Mac person.

I would question the premise of the OP's statement, "Old guy needs new computer". What is the reasoning behind the perceived need? Might have an important bearing on the upgrade. Hardware failing? Failed? Becoming slow? Is it the advice of a Mac person who is tired of helping maintain your setup? If the problem is diminished performance, huge improvements can be made by cleaning the software up, removing bloatware, adware etc..

If you are technically challenged when it comes to computers, you may find it overwhelming to switch from PC to Mac. You may like the streamlined user interface, but it will at minimum take some getting used to.

Murray · « **Reply #27 on:** March 24, 2018, 06:10:22 AM »

Quote from: Yukonica on March 23, 2018, 10:04:58 PM

Nobody seems to be addressing the "I have an external hard drive". Those files will be Windows based. Mac isn't going to read them without Boot Camp intervention. Even if you partition a drive and has Win (whichever iteration) installed, you'll be stuck learning two operating systems to make reasonable use of your computer.
If you buy into Apple's closed architecture you are stuck there. Do you use Office? There's a brand new expense if you migrate to OS. And, once in Apple it is very difficult to exit. Almost like it was planned.

Pages opens word documents VLC opens most movies Jpeg is universal unless the external drive is in something like FAT32 there is not much I can think of that a mac won't run without bootcamp etc.

Dilliw · « **Reply #28 on:** March 24, 2018, 06:17:53 AM »

Quote from: Wayne Orwig on March 23, 2018, 06:05:13 PM

Just get an Asus Win 10 laptop for a couple hundred. Hard to beat for general web surfing and emails.

But don't get the 32gb one! That last update was murder even with an external hd.

PeteS · « **Reply #29 on:** March 24, 2018, 07:14:42 AM »

Quote from: Matt Story on March 24, 2018, 05:23:42 AM

Since no one seems to be offering an opinion here...

To be open, I am not a Mac person.

I would question the premise of the OP's statement, "Old guy needs new computer". What is the reasoning behind the perceived need? Might have an important bearing on the upgrade. Hardware failing? Failed? Becoming slow? Is it the advice of a Mac person who is tired of helping maintain your setup? If the problem is diminished performance, huge improvements can be made by cleaning the software up, removing bloatware, adware etc..

If you are technically challenged when it comes to computers, you may find it overwhelming to switch from PC to Mac. You may like the streamlined user interface, but it will at minimum take some getting used to.

I would also ask, why do you need a new computer? Is the hardware broken? If not get the old one cleaned up. Win10 has its own learning curve. Its not the same as Win7. Maybe your current one has the resources to get upgraded to Win10.
Get some opinions from a friend or computer shop who can actually see what is going on with your present machine before jumping ship.

Pete

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Author Topic: Old guy needs new computer (Read 7424 times)

twowings

Rough Edge racing

twowings

twowings

oldbike54