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Post by Clipper on Dec 16, 2013 13:12:31 GMT -5
I need to purchase a new desk top. The old one has grown into a large frustration. It is a cheap Emachine and is about 5 yrs old. It has now decided to freeze up and won't open Firefox or IE. If I play with it for 20 or so minutes, rebooting, restarting, unplugging and restarting my modem, I MIGHT get firefox to open, but even then, it will freeze the second I try to go to a webpage and will simply search and search and search, with no success.
I decided it would be cheaper to buy a new desk top PC than to replace the triple pane picture window when I reach the point of total exasperation and throw the damn computer out on the front lawn. LOL
My needs are simple. I want a machine that is fast and efficient for my normal browsing, is capable of burning CDs or DVDs, can hook to the TV and efficiently stream a movie or tv show. I don't do any gaming other than to play on line poker. I don't download music.
Walmart has an HP Pavilion with AG-5200 processor, 1 TB hard drive, 4 GB memory, super multi DVD burner, 7-1 card reader, and Windows 8 operating system for $328.
Does that sound like a wise buy and adequate capability for what I do? I expect a computer to last 5 yrs or so, as did my cheapy that I presently am preparing to junk, but don't have the money to invest in something over $500 for what I use a computer for.
Next question. When I get a new machine and prepare the old one for recycling, how do I go about deleting my data from the hard drive, leaving it blank?
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Post by chris on Dec 16, 2013 14:39:48 GMT -5
Buying a PC.pdf (686.72 KB) Saved this article from our PC Guru's news column Maybe this will help.
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Post by clarencebunsen on Dec 16, 2013 16:29:04 GMT -5
Clipper,
I think that's an A6 processor (time for new bifocals). It's an AMD device which I would put in the same class as Intel's Core i-3. It's not a screamer but your not really looking for high power or high speed.
Someone should be able to point you to a wipe disk program. I haven't kept up. I'd be tempted to go for a low tech solution, a hammer.
On 2nd thought I haven't seen the inside of a hard drive for several years. I think I might open the case up just for a look see.
Any desktop you buy from a retailer now will have Windows 8. You will probably find it annoying, I did. I've learned to live with it on my wife's machine but I can't say we are really friends. Do you have someone to walk you through the set up and transferring over the old data?
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Post by dave on Dec 16, 2013 19:39:34 GMT -5
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Post by dave on Dec 16, 2013 20:02:08 GMT -5
By the way, that DOES sound like a good price for that capability on the Walmart HP Pavillion. A friend has a Pavilion and they like it. My thought on moving data and programs from one machine to another. Of course, you can't move a PC program to a new machine by just copying the installed files from the Program Files and Application Data folders. Programs must be re-installed from their installation software. Most of the software I use are free downloads, so no problem there.
Regarding data, pix, etc. Faced with moving a huge amount of data via either a slow USB connection or via memory sticks, I instead decided to move only a few key files and then go back and get what I needed when I needed it. For me, that was a good idea, because it turns out I really didn't use a lot of the old data and eventually I destroyed it when I physically pulled the hard drive out of the old machine and squeezed it to death in a vise.
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Post by clarencebunsen on Dec 16, 2013 20:28:33 GMT -5
Dave, Have you had any problems with 7 other than file management? I don't think Clipper does much more than put files into folders. Win 7 works well for me without any thinking about what the OS is doing or how to do it.
The problem I have with Win 8 is I have to think about how to do everything. One of my early experiences with 8 was driving with Barb trying to install an air card on her 8 notebook. It seemed to install but she couldn't access it. She asked a simple question, "How do I get to the control panel?" I knew I had read that but couldn't remember how. I obviously couldn't look away from driving to figure it out.
When we got to our destination, I plugged it into my Win 7 notebook and had it running in less than a minute. (Her Win 8 expert at work got it running for her in about the same amount of time but two days later.)
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Post by Clipper on Dec 16, 2013 22:45:13 GMT -5
I ended up with the HP with the 1TP hard drive and 4GB memory. It came with the 23 inch monitor and has Windows 8 installed. I spent about 1/2 hour learning the basics from the tech that sold it to me. He told me that I didn't need the 8GB for what I do with a computer and that 4 would support all the movies and downloads that I would be likely to take advantage of. We simply want to use Netflix and hulu to enhance our TV viewing.
I bought this machine for $525 at Sam's Club. The girl at Walmart had misquoted, and given me the price for a tower only. I am pleased with what I got for the money even though it was a little more expensive. My tired old eyes love the 23 inch monitor. They had less expensive packages, but they came with only a 20 inch monitor.
Win 8 does take some getting used to. It seems weird to have to click in the corners of the screen to show such things as the control panel, tools, and other things. It is also strange to close windows and exit programs by clicking on them and dragging them off the screen. The machine came with a 15 page manual that simply addresses the Windows 8 basics along with the basic owners manual and set up instruction manual.
Thank you for all the advice and information. I will probably spend the next few days getting everything loaded that I use regularly. I have yet to find how to bookmark or save a "favorite." I still haven't downloaded Firefox.
As always, the wealth of tech information and advice found among us here is sincerely appreciated. I spoke with Ralph for about 1/2 hour before I went out to buy the machine. Thanks to all who offered up information.
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Post by dave on Dec 16, 2013 23:27:26 GMT -5
CB, the file management was my main problem with Win7, and a few driver problems too, but not as much the latter as with Win 8. Win 8 has a kind of a Kill Switch where you can click on the Win8 presenting window and go to an old style screen with icons. I find the old screen with many icons faster to use than the Win8 scroll sideways method where you pick from a smaller choice of applications per chunk of screen. But that Win 8 graphical interface was designed for mobile device "thumbing" and that's why Win 8 looks the way it does and why it scrolls sideways. This Win 8 normal screen presentation is a huge waste of screen space on a 23 inch monitor, but on a mobile device each "icon" has to be large enough to see. A huge amount of the PC audience has gone to mobile devices and manufacturers and software developers are chasing them with mobile-oriented apps.
Congratulations, Clipper. Sounds like you got a pretty good deal and yes, the 23 inch screen is quite nice.
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Post by clarencebunsen on Dec 16, 2013 23:30:32 GMT -5
Clip,
It sounds like you got a good machine and a decent price. I'm jealous. I made a loan to my son when his transmission broke so I'm holding off for bit but I need to retire my desktop by April.
If Firefox is what you have been using download it and carry on. I did that on Barb's machine & it works fine. If your old machine works at all you can use the FF sync feature to bring all your old bookmarks to your new machine. FF Help actually helps with this.
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Post by clarencebunsen on Dec 16, 2013 23:41:30 GMT -5
Dave,
Yes when I use Barb's machine I normally click on the Desktop icon and go back to the old look. It's not that I can't learn new stuff, I try to learn something every day, I just don't have TIME for stuff that has been changed just for the sake of change. I have a cluttered desktop on my computer and I always had a cluttered actual desk during my working life. It has always worked for me to have everything which needs to be done in front of me
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Post by dave on Dec 17, 2013 8:33:39 GMT -5
CB, yes, I did the same, sorta. If the Win 8 icon was right in front of me or not far away, I used it. If not, I went to the old look. And I cursed under my breath each time I had to manually create an icon on the old screen, rather than Win 8 having done that for me.
I do not like paying for a product or service and having the manufacturer tell me how to use it. I recognize that times and needs change, but when all the change is for the benefit of the seller I get annoyed.
Automatic upgrades and updates to software really get my blood pressure up. I have to remember when I install a program, a browser, etc., to find the auto-up date switch and turn it off. Otherwise, I'll sit down some morning to a piece of work and find that the software auto-updated and I have to relearn how to use a browser, or a function has been changed and I spend an hour figuring it all out rather than doing what I intended. That is not very productive.
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Post by dave on Dec 17, 2013 8:35:43 GMT -5
CB, clutter is good for having everything in front of you on your desk. It's also good for hiding what I don't want to work on at the moment.  |
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Post by chris on Dec 17, 2013 13:53:04 GMT -5
Good Luck with your new computer Clipper.
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Post by Ralph on Dec 17, 2013 15:14:55 GMT -5
Sounds like you got a good deal there Clipper. When you are done moving whatever you need to move to the new machine and are ready to wipe out the old one you can take it to your tech down there and have him either wipe the hard drive or you can remove it yourself and simply drill a couple holes through it. OR............just take a BFH to the damn thing and smile.  |
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Post by Clipper on Dec 17, 2013 15:26:30 GMT -5
I took the hard drive out of the old machine, and took pleasure in squeezing the life out of it with the bench vise, and then I tossed it on the driveway and smacked it with a 12 lb sledge. THAT should take care of it, LOL.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to operate the new machine and new software. I can't figure out how to copy and paste, and I can't seem to bookmark my favorites in either Firefox OR IE. As long as I am able to get on here, on Facebook, and read my email, I am fine, lol. I will have to find out how to operate FF without the usual menu bar to click around on.
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