1/21/15 8:14 PM

So I took my misbehaving laptop to a large computer repair store today to get their thoughts. I walked through the decline in download speed that doesn't happen in safe mode and the high CPU usage issues. They looked over the machine in anticipation of working on it and there conclusion was: buy a new computer.

I had kind of reached that conclusion myself and several here recommended it as well. Frugal as I am it pi$$ses me off to have a computer "fail" after less than 5 years, but there it is.

So now my dilemma: do I wait for Windows 10 ("later this year" which I am afraid means December) or get a computer as soon as they are selling with a free Windows 10 upgrade? I can keep this one running (as long as it doesn't get worse) with frequent reboots (shades of Windows 95). Thoughts?

1/21/15 8:33 PM

From what I was reading today, MS will be giving free upgrades to 10 for all Win 7 & 8 machines. I think you will have a year to take advantage of the offer after 10 gets released.

1/22/15 5:22 AM

Before you purchase and end up dealing with these issues again along with the whole malware, vireo and such try a Mac. Yes the cost is more up front but not having to deal with the SHIT that comes with M$ is so worth is. I have thankfully forgotten all the stuff you have to do to maintain a M$ machine. Of course I went Linux before biting the bullet with Apple. That fixed the issues for free if cost is the issue.

1/22/15 6:13 AM

If my current machine died, I would buy one of these in a hearbeat:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LENOVO-ThinkPad-X140e-11-6-AMD-A4-5000-4GB-RAM-500GB-HDD-WINDOWS-8-PRO-WARRANTY-/291357291259?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d63f72fb

I'd probably replace the 500GB hard drive with a 256GB SSD.

1/22/15 8:17 AM

If your time is worth $1 per hour the Apple ends up being cheaper.

1/22/15 8:42 AM

i don't spend my time dealing with a misbehaving PC.

i just buy a new one for cheap.

1/22/15 9:26 AM

copy your data off, start from scratch with a clean install of win and your apps, i'm sure performance will be back up-to-snuff.

if you're feeling adventurous, install linux and you'll gain another 5+ years of useful life by reducing the compute load on that machine.

1/22/15 11:38 AM

First let me say April's methodology IMO is what I would like to be the case for me.
But revenue stream being what it is anymore, not an option for me...

OK, pretty much just went through a crash myself, WIN8 not apple.

After about an hour [1-2] attempting to get past the blown partition table on my 2 year old Lenovo. I was able to fix from the MFT the OneKey Recovery Partition but not the WIN system boot. MFT record for the WIN partition a no go.

So that time was just to get some personal data off folders which where unfortunately on the boot partition. [which maybe I should had backed up]

So after repairing the OneKey Recovery partition, I pressed the One Key button and it did a fresh install after 'assuming' a re-gen of that old WIN Boot partition.

So this time around I resized the partitions so my data will be on a bigger and non system partition. Something I wish I was cognizant [or bothered to be] could be done live prior. Because a smaller the 25GB partition I was even able to access from my xubuntu 14 USB boot efforts the data is/was still there. But the bulk I had in a folder structure on the boot partition. Something I should know better than to do anyway.

So in the end, the inferior WIN8 laptop that cost 319.00 new still lives, with a somewhat gamy right hinge still, but for Computrainer use, WTF.

Total time to fix was less than the driving time to bring an Apple to an fro I think is worth mentioning. [nah-ne nah nah Appleites] ;)

Not to mention the conquest ending in a win, and I actually enjoy doing it. But my old habits of not backing up the data because I have 2 laptops was a fail due to my neglect to keep then in sync. Although the data lost was completely 'retentive' [ahem] on my part and not really any hassle beyond going back out on the internet to reattain.

I did loose all my online bill pay screen captures, but really do not 'need' them after a certain point anyway. I did say retentive. ;O

1/22/15 11:43 AM

I should mention the Xubuntu 14 USB install was quick and with zero trauma. The OS even in limited run from the USB mode having every device on the Lap Top functional.

I should try the Computrainer software out on it maybe. ;)


Next Laptop WILL have SSD and not a spinny diskie thinger...

I may even watch eBay for one for the regened Lenovo. Not that an SSD is immune to a Partition table fracking...

1/22/15 3:05 PM

Kerry, seriously (take it from an MIT Ph.D in Computer Science FWIW) - take a deep breath, be brave, buy an Apple and never look back...

Sandiway

1/22/15 3:09 PM

Like

1/22/15 6:05 PM

I'll second the Apple recommendation. When our Windows 7 HP desktop died (the power supply went belly up) I replaced it with another HP with Windows 8.1.

After fighting to learn the new recalcitrant Windows interface and having the system crash a couple of times, I returned it. Best Buys offered to replace it with a new machine but by then i'd had enough and bit the financial bullet and bought an iMac desktop. It was expensive (~$1K) and i had to learn still another interface but I've been delighted with it.

I put Office for Mac on it and made Chrome my browser and see no reason to ever go back to MS.

Expensive? initially yes but it paid for it self in reduced frustration and virus freedom.

1/22/15 8:06 PM

"take a deep breath, be brave, buy an Apple and never look back... "

err.. I think Erik just had to look back, no?

1/22/15 8:17 PM

Yes, for the praised SSD you mentioned.

It broke, it got fixed in 3 days turn time after I took it to an Apple store, which was my choice.

It works just fine now. How long have you been fighting your M$ OS issue? And Kerry?

No heartburn other than "it broke" then it got fixed. Done deal. I use the Apple supplied Time Machine app to maintain ghost backups for my two iMacs and that process works wonderfully.

Had it been another company's product I would have been SOL, no Apple store or chat for support that covers software and hardware issues. No 3 day turn time for the repair.

I got good support after I got past the first yahoo on the apple care chat. The first guy was just a screener, he did not know squat. He may have even been a robot system for all I know.

1/22/15 8:30 PM

quote:

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why not do a "factory reset"? copy your data off, start from scratch with a clean install of win and your apps, i'm sure performance will be back up-to-snuff.

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quote:

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take a deep breath, be brave, buy an Apple and never look back

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1/22/15 9:16 PM

You still looked back. Plain and simple. ;)

1/22/15 10:10 PM

quote:

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Kerry, seriously (take it from an MIT Ph.D in Computer Science FWIW) - take a deep breath, be brave, buy an Apple and never look back...

Sandiway

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1/23/15 4:45 AM

quote:

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Thanks for the Lenovo suggestion Andy. I used to use Thinkpads when I had a real job and they were solid machines.

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1/23/15 5:07 AM

Apple is not really that expensive. Compared to 1990 something, we would not hesitate in paying $1k for a desktop PC that would be obsolete or dang near it when we walked out of the store, that was 1990 something $1k too, not today.

To spend <$900 for a new MacBook Air is not as expensive even in today's money.

A <$400 dollar machine is gonna be a hog, loaded with bloatware and starts out of the box with malware also. You have to rip and strip the machine as soon as you get it if you even can. Most of them are low quality with crappy keyboards, overweight and flimsy.

My Air was a gift, but I will buy another one if needed in a heartbeat. The platform is perfect for work and home use. In fact I use mine day in a day out, the battery life is off the charts compared to other laptops, that in itself is HUGE. I get a true 9hrs out of mine doing work stuff without Wifi. With Airdrop, I just email things I need for meetings, to my phone and Airdrop them to the computer. I don't have to search for a hotspot. (DOD does not use WiFi networks)

My iPad has turned into my "book" where I keep tons of reference material. For a lawyer I bet they are the be all end all, the can have their entire case references and cites in one device.

1/23/15 8:53 AM

While the price of computing and computers has steadily fallen, Apple is still significantly more expensive than a PC. The company as well as many of its users pride itself on being a premium product. Whether it actually is, depends more on personal experience, perception and antidotes - that is in the absence of hard numerical evidence.

I can buy two non-bloatware WinTel machines and still have money left over for the price of a MacBook Air to buy software. Software is what adds real value to your computing. In general, the market for and choices available for non-mobile software, Windows greatly trumps Apple. Did you factor in that cost?

For those, that come with bloat ware, or desire to replace or upgrade their hard drive, I can wip-out a Microsoft Windows DVD and install it on their computer in less time that it takes you to travel and return, multiple trips, to the Apple store. What is your time worth to you?

Unfortunately, for Mac users, Apple does not provide a copy of OS X operating system. You cannot even purchase it separately. Where does that leave you when you want to upgrade the software on your machine? Or if your OS files become corrupt, become infected or the hard disk or SSD fails? Off to the Apple store....

Also, how well does Apple support backward compatibility of software. Answer: not well. Did you factor in that cost, too?

Apple makes great products and they are enjoyed by many. If cost & utility were the only consideration, everyone would be driving an econo-box chevy or a toyota. My point here is to really comprehend the true cost of computing beyond the initial purchase.

Last edited by Jesus Saves on 1/23/15 10:26 AM; edited 1 time in total

1/23/15 10:24 AM

On a side note - has anyone tried Microsoft's Office 365? It's about $100 per year for five licenses. Seems a fair price to me to be able to load it up into each of my family's machines.

1/23/15 10:29 AM

I have not, yet, but am curious. If I am not mistaken, I believe that subscription includes full access for when using the Office 365 app for iOS (iPhone, iPad), which is a big plus.

1/23/15 11:22 AM

Fook M$ Office, I am a OpenOffice.org user all the way...

Although 100/yr for 5 lic is somewhat reasonable to be sure...

1/23/15 2:33 PM

I decided to play around with OO today, or more specifically, LibreOffice. First Word .docx that I try to open has problems. BIG problems. And .docx is the native tongue of the area in which I work.

If you're producing PDF files or paper documents, I think OO/LO/etc would be fine; but if you're sending a document to someone else for editing and you both need to work on it, there are going to be actual and potential gotchas.

For me, alas, that's a deal breaker. OTOH, I'm already paying 6.50 a month (or so) for an O365 plan without desktop applications, and I just found out for an incremental extra amount, I can add the O2013 apps. I'll just hang onto my O2010 disks just in case .

1/23/15 6:51 PM

You can download OS X for free from the App Store and burn it for backup as you see fit. Free.