New Computer: Windows 7 or downgrade to XP?

[SRanney]

Out of curiosity, how much did your custom config come to?

I still haven't pulled the trigger, but with everything in the online shopping cart, the total (with shipping) would be $717.35. This includes 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium, an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.93GHz processor, 4 Gb DDR, and 640 GB HDD. Similar components in a Dell system (including the i7 CPU and accompanying motherboard) would have put the price at ~$1,000 without shipping.

Steven

[SRanney]

Dell's big selling point, originally, was their customer service...

For work-specific laptops (used exclusively in the field while conducting research) this is why I've bought Dell laptops with grant money.

Steven

[TubaTodd]

Out of curiosity, how much did your custom config come to?

I still haven't pulled the trigger, but with everything in the online shopping cart, the total (with shipping) would be $717.35. This includes 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium, an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.93GHz processor, 4 Gb DDR, and 640 GB HDD. Similar components in a Dell system (including the i7 CPU and accompanying motherboard) would have put the price at ~$1,000 without shipping.

Steven

Ok, how about meeting me half way and getting a Core 2 Quad CPU? I believe those will fit in a standard Core 2 motherboard. Again, it would be a speed factor of ~2 (4 cores instead of 2).

[Rick Denney]

Now that I'm out where Comcast is at the bottom of my drive (but does not want to run coax 1700' up my drive), and sucky HughesNet is $70-$80/mo., I'm on $11/mo. dial-up.

After a couple of months, I adjusted by

- always now using web-mail, so those who (even after I politely ask several times) still email huge entertainment-purposes (ie: YouTube and other junk) attachments can be dealt with prior to downloads (whereas with "Outlook", etc., I would have no choice but to download that junk).

- migrating from "desktop" to "laptop" computers (particularly now that I can get a new 4G ram Intel Duo Core chip Toshiba for $450, if I really shop) so that when I REALLY DO need to download a huge file or a whole new program, I can DRIVE over to the coffee shop and download that stuff in the parking lot.

...and yeah, I keep a VERY "clean machine", as I don't allow others to use it. AVG "free" is my antivirus program. It works beautifully and when I turn it off, it really is OFF.

I recently started using a Verizon Wireless Broadband USB aircard, which is cheaper than HughesNet at $60 a month, and just about as fast and reliable as DSL. It worked so well that I bought a Cradlepoint router that has a USB port for an aircard, so I'm now serving my internet to my network (and WiFi) without any of the computers having to be on. The Cradlepoint includes a decent hardware firewall. But you'll think it's too expensive and I've never seen one on a curb. One advantage is that when the Redhead and I travel together, we can bring it with us and not depend so much on local internet sources if we need to keep in touch.

Rather than using web-mail, where I have to hope that the provider won't lose my email archive, I use The Bat!, a mail client that allows me to download only the message headers first. I can then uncheck (or even delete) those that have huge attachments without ever having to download them. Also, The Bat! won't ever resolve an external link in an email, which means that an email can't load a web page that takes over your computer. As with nearly all good software, they charge money for this program, but it's not that expensive. I keep my emails forever--they provide an archive of my professional work in addition to many other useful capabilities, and The Bat! is one of the few that doesn't mine having email archives with hundreds of thousands of messages in them.

Yes, to the occasional driving to the coffee shop to get a fast connection. Done that many, many times. Less often now that we have the Verizon service.

Yes to the clean machine. I also use AVG and find it excellent--one of the very few free programs I've ever used that just works without being annoying.

As to Windows 7, I'm paying attention--I have gotten to the point where the machine I use for photo editing at home can no longer keep up now that I am back into large-format photography and dealing with half-gig scans.

Rick "who has recently experimented with Ubuntu and found that it is still an OS for IT geeks, not for plain users who have specific software needs" Denney

[Rick Denney]

I would LOVE to be able to plug some $60/mo. high-speed "cell" thingie into a USB port...

...but being out here "just out of reach of all of the bullshit" also means that I'm "just out of reach of all of the bullshit".

Wireless mobile broadband service has different coverage and radio requirements than just being able to use the phone. According to Verizon Wireless's web page, you are in their mobile broadband coverage area with no gaps. Our visitors who have Verizon phones also report spotty coverage at our house, but I get around -85 dB broadband radio reception and typically 2.5 megabits/second download and 500K upload speeds. The connection is marginal maybe once a week for a few minutes. I have the USB device sitting on top of a bookshelf on the second floor, right about where you would put yours next to your computer in your office. And a wi-fi router at that point would easily reach to your shop. $60 bucks (without the usual excise taxes and other cell phone charges) gets you five gigabytes of download traffic a month. It's not quite enough for much watching of videos, and forget downloading movies with it. But it generally should work with voice-over-IP, though not with a Vonage-type service. And you'll still have the dialup in case the coverage drops out.

Verizon also provides a 30-day trial with full refund if it doesn't work to your satisfaction.

Rick "who now has pretty reliable broadband at the house" Denney

[SRanney]

Wireless mobile broadband service has different coverage and radio requirements than just being able to use the phone.

On our 4,400-mile cross-country Christmas vacation, my fiance was able to use her Sprint mobile broadband "aircard" in places where my Sprint cell phone had poor reception. In particular, she was able to check her work email and access work-related websites on I-90 in eastern Wyoming, central South Dakota, I-70 in central Kansas (between Salinas and Goodland) and eastern Colorado, and on I-25 between Cheyenne and Buffalo, Wyoming. These parts of the country are desolate, lonely places. Further, she was doing all of this work while we were traveling at 70+ mph. Needless to say, I was impressed with the coverage. There was never a place on the trip where she was unable to get work done (which was unfortunate because she was on "vacation").

Steven

[SRanney]

Success!

I'm currently typing this on my new, personally-built desktop computer. Thanks for the advice and assistance. The PCMech website helped tremendously.

Steven

[tbn.al]

Newest Win 7 casualty, "Acrobat 8.1" Adobe tells me only version 9 is compatible with Win 7. No wonder the .pdf print driver wouldn't install. Another $100 bucks to upgrade to a new version that I neither want or need. This really ticks me off!

[TubaTodd]

Newest Win 7 casualty, "Acrobat 8.1" Adobe tells me only version 9 is compatible with Win 7. No wonder the .pdf print driver wouldn't install. Another $100 bucks to upgrade to a new version that I neither want or need. This really ticks me off!

1. Can you run Acrobat 8.1 in XP Compatibility mode??
2. Install doPDF for a good PDF printer.

[tbn.al]

This is an encrypted hard drive using PGP Win7. My company software has to run under Win7. Acrobat must be integral as well. Can'y be switching back and forth. So I'll just RANT and PAY, RANT and PAY, RANT and PAY. I'm sure glad MS doesn't have anything to do with music..........or do they?

[TubaTodd]

I'm sure glad MS doesn't have anything to do with music..........or do they?

ehhhhh......kinda.
http://www.osnews.com/story/22909/Micro ... _Agreement

[djwesp]

I-70 in central Kansas (between Salinas and Goodland)

Only place in the world that makes Western Nebraska look exciting.

[catkins522]

Once you go Mac, you'll never go back.

Here, here... The only thing of a Mac is MORE software. I guess I'm a biOSer.

Charles

[elimia]

I would LOVE to be able to plug some $60/mo. high-speed "cell" thingie into a USB port...

...but being out here "just out of reach of all of the bullshit" also means that I'm "just out of reach of all of the bullshit".

Wireless mobile broadband service has different coverage and radio requirements than just being able to use the phone. According to Verizon Wireless's web page, you are in their mobile broadband coverage area with no gaps. Our visitors who have Verizon phones also report spotty coverage at our house, but I get around -85 dB broadband radio reception and typically 2.5 megabits/second download and 500K upload speeds. The connection is marginal maybe once a week for a few minutes. I have the USB device sitting on top of a bookshelf on the second floor, right about where you would put yours next to your computer in your office. And a wi-fi router at that point would easily reach to your shop. $60 bucks (without the usual excise taxes and other cell phone charges) gets you five gigabytes of download traffic a month. It's not quite enough for much watching of videos, and forget downloading movies with it. But it generally should work with voice-over-IP, though not with a Vonage-type service. And you'll still have the dialup in case the coverage drops out.

Verizon also provides a 30-day trial with full refund if it doesn't work to your satisfaction.

Rick "who now has pretty reliable broadband at the house" Denney

Yep, I second this. We live out in the sticks too and went with the Verizon mobile broadband service. No extra satellite dishes on the roof and decent (but not as fast as cable) broadband. I'm happily now back onto iTunes getting music and my wife is again downloading podcasts. It would be a good solution for you in the country.

[danzeman]

For the Power user, I recommend Windows 7 Professional for any new computer. Upgrading older units can present the problem of drivers for some of the older hardware.

Now with that aside, It seems to many people get rapped up in marketing hype of the PC industry and over buy. Before Christmas I bought my daughter a Acer Netbook 10.1" screen with Windows 7 Starter and loaded Open Office (free office software) and she has been extremely happy with it. ON sale at the time for $275. Built in 250G harddrive, Wifi and camera built in. It's not a desktop rocket but does everything short of playing graphics intense video games. Its very small and light weight and the striped down version of Windows 7 Windows 7 Starter) works just fine.

P.S. I have a one year older NetBook running Linux (Xandros version) and I use it more then my Company laptop for work. These little computers really can do a lot.