Apple computer

[Steve Foss]

I've had quite a few PCs through the years, averaging a new one every 2 years or so. I'm typing this on a 2 year old Dell laptop, that was in excess of $2k (BluRay, 17", Vista Ultimate, 4GB ram, etc), and is the reason my next computer will not be another PC. This thing has been a slow POS since the first time it was powered up. I think the bulk of the problem is Windows Vista, but I've used Windows 7, and I'm not exactly impressed by that either.

I'm easing into the transition to a Mac by starting with an iPad, which should be here soon. Even if the cost of the Mac is double, I will happily pay it to have a computer that works as it should.

Uh-oh! The PC nerds are gonna fog their Billy Gates Gruff glasses and soil their tidy whities over that post.

[upnorth]

Vista should never made it to Market. But still if a PC like that is that slow there is something wrong with it. I have worked on people machines where they had so many things running at start up that a simple 10 minute cleanup was like a night and day difference for them. One thing that I don't care for with Dell is they have all that krap that loads up in the PCs.

[Jim Almquist]

Vista should never made it to Market. But still if a PC like that is that slow there is something wrong with it. I have worked on people machines where they had so many things running at start up that a simple 10 minute cleanup was like a night and day difference for them. One thing that I don't care for with Dell is they have all that krap that loads up in the PCs.

Excellent point! or I should say points

So many people complain about how slow they are and what can you expect with 20 things trying to load up. I have Windows 7 on 2 computers and one of them is a dual boot on a older processor and it works great and loads very fast. I know that if my machine had Vista I would get a new install of Windows 7( Not a Upgrade ) and it might make you think twice about getting rid of the laptop. You also want to upgrade your RAM and if the PC is newer because it really is a cheap upgrade and will improve the performance.

[spearchucker]

Vista should never made it to Market. But still if a PC like that is that slow there is something wrong with it. I have worked on people machines where they had so many things running at start up that a simple 10 minute cleanup was like a night and day difference for them. One thing that I don't care for with Dell is they have all that krap that loads up in the PCs.

Same reason I don't buy Dell.

[LMITOUT]

Not sure why that matters...they all have bloatware installed when you buy them, not just Dell.

I've said this before, but the first thing I do when I get a new computer is format the hard drive and reload with just the essentials. It makes all the difference in how the computer functions from that point on and you don't have to worry about the bloatware interfering with other software. Eliminates a lot of suspects when doing troubleshooting down the road.

That is half the reason why Vista flopped and why Microsoft had a little come to Jesus meeting with PC manufacturers prior to WIN7. They had to come to an agreement of how these computers were going to be packaged so that after the manufacturers got done molesting the operating system it still ran within Microsoft's specs. Dell, HP, Toshiba, et al load up their computers with bloat and then people blame the OS.

[upnorth]

Quote:

Not sure why that matters...they all have bloatware installed when you buy them, not just Dell.

Best thing to do is go into add/remove programs and dump all the krap that you don't need or want. Or if you think you may need it later, but don't want it starting up, go to start, run or search, key in msconfig, hit enter and go to the start up tab. Anything that you can see that is not essential, meaning anti virus and the like uncheck it. Reboot your PC. Repeat the above steps to be sure they didn't re add themselves.

[Nick Kuhn]

There are definitely a few problems with Vista, but nothing major. And I think most of those were fixed in service packs (early on I would lose sound once every few months, hasn't happened in about 2 years now).

Getting rid of bloatware also is a must. If a computer comes with a Symantec Antivirus, 90% of all the problems you have with Windows is probably just Symantec.

As far as hardware goes they are all going to be roughly the same. Laptops will always have pretty high failure rates. Components in laptops tend to run up to and in excess of 100 degrees C. Most desktop components are under 50 degrees C. Hotter components fail much faster than cooler components. Using Arrhenius with those numbers desktop components should last 7.88 times longer than an identical component in a laptop.

[PierBridge]

Indeed!

Can't afford a Mac I usually just roll with hand me downs that I make slight up-grades to or occasionally I'll build a custom machine for close to nothing. You just don't get those options with Apple involved..

Not practical for all but it works for me.

[itchmesir]

If you know anything about torrents.. there is a stripped down version of XP out there called TinyXP(i believe there is a Tiny Vista and a Tiny 7 too, but have not experimented with it)... have ran it for a good decade.. and have had NO problems... completely bare bones OS... no drivers.. no windows firewall... no IE.. no Outlook.. no drivers.. no bloatware.. just comes with the operating system and nothing else.. 400mb or so it is

[delcecchi]

Tiny XP is what? Linux? or Warz?

One of these days I am going to try Ubuntu on my old computer that I have sitting downstairs unused.

[itchmesir]

Tiny XP is what? Linux? or Warz?

One of these days I am going to try Ubuntu on my old computer that I have sitting downstairs unused.

Tiny XP is Windows.. without all the added crapp

[Shack]

Never been a fan of torrents and TinyXP (without looking into it) would not be Microsoft product. Not many people are fans of running an OS someone copied and modify to their liking. Maybe they have are an open source group, but to modify the core values within Windows would violate many rules of the game. This would be a torrent and not open source OS. Besides any legal or Microsoft ramifications you may run into and software support and Windows update lockouts, you are still running a potential infested and non-tested OS. XP Viper/Black/Gold/Purple/Pinki Pro editions have taken tons of time out a person’s life to get them to the point of up and running. Most never get past the download to boot able DVD part because they run into problem with the mirrored download torrent being faulty. Other than not having to pay for an OS, not much s gained and what about the loss in security? I like to do more with my machines than just cloak and clone float the internet and always wondering if my machine will boot up the next time.

Furthermore why would you want to strip down a Windows OS unless installing on an old system or some device that does not meet the specs? Hard to rule out any core Windows features and most times a geek is looking to go the opposite direction with adding core features.

Easiest thing to do if you want to run just any version Windows is obtain your Windows key from system properties and boot only Windows. If you do not have any MS bootable "media"/disk or a boot only Windows option with your PC's recovery disks, you can download a supported and current trial version of your Windows from Microsoft's website for free, iso to a DVD and boot just raw Windows from this. When you get to a point where you enter the trail keep MS provided, enter your Windows key. Boom! No bloat or fartware and manufactures "help" applications stealing space, CPU and mem. Then either hit it all at once or load as you with needed drivers, apps and features you want.

del, Ubunto is pretty cool to work with, but "working with it" is the commitment when going in. Depending on what you are doing and where you starting from with your machine (altering or changing BIOS prior, existing or upgraded hardware or devices and how many you want installed from the get go, setup options with your hdds, etc.) you are just better when you hit a snag to just start over again for the fact of redundancy and doing everything right. Plus the more times you build, install and attempt at a deployment, you learn more core values you did not know with the previous run attempt. People who already have a clear and focused knowledge will easily say "do not start over" because they would not themselves because they know it. The fail to mention they did these themselves but now know the ways but are (for some reason) willing to share a detailed report to help others. The open source home pages do have very good and clear FAQ and tuts, but good lord if a guy was to read them. I had been working with Ubunto OS and Server software on a couple of home network servers I built earlier this year. I have since switched over to CentOS just to change things up and have a couple more options on the table I want to try to enrich myself. I want to stretch my selfsownmind-portfolio into the Linux world for some time. I get hung up and halted when I get to a Linux based mobile device when altering mobile devices such as GPS's, raw net-books, PDA's and other mobile devices which happen to be some of popular choices. I prefer MS but Linux is actually simpler. Basically just comes down to the root commands and learning and knowing one particular set and have to learn another and what they mean. Going from MS to Linux you have half of the game down. If a person was brought in on Linux and limited their knowledge of Windows, I could see why the Linux guys stay on their side. That is if any "just" Linux or "just" Windows geeks are still around.

[delcecchi]

I used linux some and AIX a considerable amount back when I was employed. Also VM and MVS but they don't work on my old pc.

What the heck, it might be fun. If all else fails I can just reinstall XP on it.

[fisherman-andy]

I am an experienced advanced Windows & Mac User as I handle technical support for Windows and Macs and some Linux.

Most of you on here are gonna be a Windows User or Mac OS user. If you never experience another OS such Ubuntu or some form of Linux I dont really recommend you even try due to the work involved with compatiblity. Its not gonna run your daily hardware/software or be up to your routines.

An iPad is not a great way to experience Mac OSX. It may be base of Mac OSX but its OS is iOS base on the iPhone/iPod.

There are many pros/cons of each system I really urge one to do some research and play around with a specific system before purchasing.

As far as the graphics dept for video editing/image editing there is no advantage in either OS. Think of it this way, my buddy works for a Advertising dept and their $18,000 Mac Pro does the same job the $3000 Windows PC does and runs the same programs.

One thing the Mac OSX has which alot of people believe is its ability to mask that concept that one think their safer online when on the internet. Dont have to worry about virus, hacks, trojans etc. That is a misconception.

For an average user or and Advanced user the Mac OSX can be a wonderful system or a splitting headache.

[upnorth]

I used to subscribe to a security bulletin put out by the US govt. MAC and Linux are no more invincible to virus and or spyware than Windows, it is a numbers game. Because there are more computers running windows they go after them more and also why you hear of more issues. I was starting to see more exploits against the MAC/Linux PCs all the time.

Linux or the new flavors of it are pretty good, but like mentioned a lot of work, and limited apps or at least apps that the rest of the world use. You can find apps for most anything you want to do, but it won't be the same thing the rest of us use. In short you need to be willing to spend a lot more of your time messing with it.

I have not worked on MAC for quite a while, they are a fine machine, but the extra price, not sure if it is warranted?

[delcecchi]

Well, I have a perfectly good computer with Win7 and a laptop with Vista and not enough memory, so the Ubuntu system would just be a project. And I can always put XP back on if it gets too ugly.

I was looking for a project and it was either take over the world or learn Ubuntu. (line stolen sort of from violent femmes).

[spearchucker]

Well, I have a perfectly good computer with Win7 and a laptop with Vista and not enough memory, so the Ubuntu system would just be a project. And I can always put XP back on if it gets too ugly.

I was looking for a project and it was either take over the world or learn Ubuntu. (line stolen sort of from violent femmes).

Try running Ubuntu on a virtual machine like VirtualBox if you just want to try it out. VirtualBox works great on Windows 7 and it won't mess with your Windows installation.

[delcecchi]

Nah, the old Pentium 4 machine has either a corrupt xp on it or a flaky C drive. It got pretty bad. So now I have a new drive sitting in a box, and as soon as I get around to picking up another monitor I am ready to play.

But the ice is out too. Fooling with a computer vrs fishing. not much choice there.

[simple1]

Just curious how much more you guys think you are paying for an Apple computer over a PC?

[Shack]

With out searching and just buying, on average around $800-$1000 more for toss up trade including with equivalent features in a new package.

[simple1]

I was just wondering because when I looked at HP I found the difference to be about 200.00. But I just looked at comparable hardware.

[simple1]

Never mind, I just found a hardware comparable computer for 800 less than the MacBook pro. I don't know how you would value the 2 hours of extra battery life on the MacBook though.

[upnorth]

But an upgrade battery, usually about $150.