need new computer ??? ** NEW QUESTION

[TheresaTT]

i sure have been missing you guys. I haven't been searching cuz it made me sad to see all i couldn't get at the time. anyway, i think i am gonna go splurge and get a new comp.
As long as i have my pics and my SCAL and Cricut i would be happy.
NOW, any suggestions on what to get.
I don't really want a Apple cuz i don't need all that it can do and don't have the money for that.
I am looking for something that will run without blips between programs.- memory, etc.
Thanks guys. Hope to be back soon.
Theresa

[Sweetness4713]

While I can't advise you on what to get as I"m no computer techy.. PLEASE Hurry back.. I've been wondering where you've been..

[TheresaTT]

Aw, thanks Jo -. I am definitely having withdrawals. Someone wants me to cut a decal for a car window and i need my SCAL to do it. IN Memory Of - decal, which i have never done so i will need to brush up oh words being arched and all.
Hopefully i will be back soon.
Ya'll have a good day.

[Deloris]

i sure have been missing you guys. I haven't been searching cuz it made me sad to see all i couldn't get at the time. anyway, i think i am gonna go splurge and get a new comp.
As long as i have my pics and my SCAL and Cricut i would be happy.
NOW, any suggestions on what to get.
I don't really want a Apple cuz i don't need all that it can do and don't have the money for that.
I am looking for something that will run without blips between programs.- memory, etc.
Thanks guys. Hope to be back soon.
Theresa

I got a new Toshiba laptop this year and while I love the Toshiba customer support staff and the great extra features, I find that Windows 7 isnt as good as my older Vista laptop. IMHO it's much harder to use than Vista or XP. In fact I find myself going back to using my Vista computer as it doesn't have as many bugs as Windows 7 has. For example if I want to download a audiobook from our local library, I can't use any other software while it's downloading as it will cause it to stop downloading. (So much for the big sales push to get the dual processors)

I also have a problem with playing music or audiobooks while trying to use Inkscape. It causes it to lock up and crash. That doesn't happen on my Vista computer. It gives me constant display driver error messages too that customer support hasn't been able to fix so I get freezes and black screen errors from it.

So even though I got the top of the line Toshiba laptop with tons of memory and a dual core processor, I can't do as much with it as I can with my older computer.

Overall I really don't like Windows 7. I don't find that it's a improvement at all over the older Vista or XP operating systems.

[jeepers94]

I disagree on Windows 7 and Toshiba. I was an IT manager for a university for 30+ years, until 2 years ago.
I was in charge of over 1000 computers.We were beta testers for Vista,but only installed it on the test machines.
After the tests were over, we put XP back on those systems. I now am semi-retired and work on 4 or 5 systems
a week,on average. Windows 7 is a much more reliable os than Vista. I would never put Vista on one of my machines!
Your troubles with Windows 7 might be caused by your Toshiba laptop,which leads me to the second disagreement.
In the 30+ years we have worked with most brands of computers,including Toshiba. I have found the only Toshibas
that were any good at all were the very high end,overpriced laptops in the $2000 range. We started using Gateway for
the first 15+ years,even then we used only Dell laptops.I guess I forgot, the first 5 years we used IBM,after that came
Gateway.Then we switched to Dell,and the last 5 years we used HP.
For my personal machines I run Dell (4) and HP (1). Three of these have Windows 7 and the other 2 have XP pro. I do
not buy any of my mahines from the box stores,they are all business class machines ordered from the manufacturers.I
found I get a more stable computer this way.

[Sweetness4713]

Well to honestly tell ya?? I've had Vista the last couple of years and I totally love it.. Even moreso than xp... I've seen Win7 and was not impressed by it at all. I think it's all about personal preference.. When I bought my laptop I made sure it had vista installed in it.. I could have chosen the option of win 7 or xp but I'm Vista all the way...So once again?? I think it's personal preference..

[pennsylvaniakate]

Acer... Comparable to Sony quality, without the steep price. They carry them at Staples, Best Buy, etc. If you aren't opposed to buying online, tigerdirect.com is an excellent place to buy a computer. Great prices, customer service, product reviews, and fast shipping. I would go for something with at least a 3GB hard drive. That way it will last you for years.

[Deloris]

Guess we all have had different experiences. I am sure you are looking at it from the point of view of the IT manager who has machines built to specs. I live in small town and have to deal with retail stores. I can't afford 2k for a custom built machine so I'm stuck with what they sell at the retail stores. Before I bought the Toshiba I asked a couple of repair technicians at two different repair shops what the most reliable brand was. Both shops told me to get the Toshiba. Said hard drives and other parts last longer on them. Said that's why they give the 3 year extended replacement warranty at such a low price. $100 for mine. So if it breaks anytime in the 3 year period, I ship it back and they ship me a new laptop in 24 hours. I also find their customer service people to be friendly and helpful and they answer the phones on the help desk 24/7. I did not find that with Gateway or HP. My Gateway laptop broke down a lot and had to have the hard drive replaced after 14 months after purchase so I am not a fan of their products. HP laptop was terrible. Everything kept breaking on it so no way will I buy another one of those.

[TheresaTT]

thank All for your opinions. These are things i need to know. My son built the one i have now and has been good but i don't now what is wrong with it. of course, he is too busy to fool with it now and find out what is wrong. debating on spending money to have it looked at but why not get a new one then all the junk won't be on it.
Question for you IT people - is all the auto windows upgrades necessary? is it ok to not download the upgrades that pop up daily. the .net stuff from microsoft? etc.??

[TheresaTT]

ok, comp. cannot be fixed. hopefully someone can save the files tho. on to researching for a new one. ONE question. which is more imp - memory or hard drive - as it goes for our SCAL and cutting.