When do you get a new computer?

[ERD50]

Ah yes, similar to the Windows Easy Transfer System.

Windows 7: Moving in is simple

All I can say is it ain't that easy - the devil is in the details.

Yes, the devil is in the details. And all I can say from experience, it really is that easy on OSX. As the Brits say "Works a treat!".

Actually, it is more along the lines of when the latest Technology's needs is greater (in terms of resource requirements) than a particular computer can deliver -- resulting, more often than not, in very slow response to commands. Yes, this is frustrating but not in the "I don't understand what's happening" sense.

Just semantics I guess. I was looking at it from the viewpoint that if the lack of new tech support is causing frustration, that I am updating "out of frustration". Splitting hairs. It's probably why I quit half way through taking a survey yesterday for a product where I really wanted to give them feedback. The survey wording just didn't match what I wanted to say. Could be me.

-ERD50

 

[Walt34]

When it either dies or has fallen so far behind current technology despite upgrades that it won't do what I want it to do.

The Windows 7 box we bought in January replaced one running Windows 98. I'm pretty sure I got my nickel's worth out of the old one.

 

[Gumby]

My current set up is a 2006 vintage Mac mini, with a 2002 vintage Sony SDM X52 LCD monitor and 1993 vintage HP 4-L laserjet printer. I keep something until it dies and I can't fix it.

 

[donheff]

I voted frustration. I basically wait until maintenance has become a bit of a hassle then buy a new desktop or laptop depending on what went out. If the HD is working on the old desktop I convert it to Linux. I keep one of those running as a home file and print server. One at my weekend house.

 

[cb7010]

Generally, I typically get a new one about every five years. And, to echo a couple of the other posts, usually when I get frustrated by the performance..or in this case by the mouse pad not working correctly..arghhh..on the other hand, I just upgraded the OS from Vista to 7 on this laptop, and almost overnight it's performing better, so I think I can wait a bit.

Another note, for years, my work laptop setup has entailed a mouse, monitor, and keyboard all connected to a docking station. This is quite handy as when I arrive at the office, I just pop the laptop in and now I have the luxury of a large monitor, keyboard, mouse, network connectivity, power etc..and, to go mobile, I just hit one eject button and I am on my way. While shopping for laptops online recently I noticed that the docking stations seem only readily available for the "business" class laptops and with the residential or "entertainment" pc's they either don't exist, are very expensive, or hard to find. Without the dock, it means constantly pluggin in and out cables. I am surprised that in today's mobile world that the desktop is not phased out and the common package is a laptop, dock, and all of the accessories that I find so handy. It seems so glaringly obvious how convenient the laptop/dock combo is and I do wonder why HP and/or Dell haven't seen this

 

[Dawg52]

Computers seem to last about three years for me. Either something goes drastically wrong with it, or it just starts feeling so slow that I'm frustrated with its response time.

The main machine is an iMac desktop, but I also have a laptop, and one is always considerably newer than the other, so I always have a spare when needed.

I'm lucky to get 4 years out of one. Usually my old one is barely running when I get a new one. My last one(dell) totally died and it was just a little over 3 years old. I'm not brand loyal, just whatever seems to be a decent deal. I usually buy online, but I didn't want to wait on shipping this time so I bought a Gateway at Best Buy. So far so good.

 

[mf15]

Hardware failure,on my 5 year old HP desktop,memory stick failure resulted in windows crash,it has now crashed twice more again windows files missing,plus the monitor went out. I have it back running but it is time to get a new one. My question is which brand,HP,Dell or another,looking for reliability not happy if I loose 5000 pictures. I know I know need back up HD.
Old Mike

 

[photoguy]

Ah yes, similar to the Windows Easy Transfer System.

Windows 7: Moving in is simple

All I can say is it ain't that easy - the devil is in the details.

The nice thing about mac migration assistant is that it moves all your programs (in addition to your settings). You don't have to reinstall anything and can be fully operational in seconds (once the program copied the data). The most I've ever had to do is reactivate photoshop on the new computer. Compared to when I was using PCs this saves me about a full day of reinstalling stuff.

Going back to the original question, I get a new computer once (1) I've sold the old one, (2) the old computer is too slow to run certain programs (for example my wife plays some games requiring 3d acceleration on her laptop and it just became too slow), (3) my computer starts losing the war in processor power versus photo file sizes

 

[W2R]

I'm lucky to get 4 years out of one. Usually my old one is barely running when I get a new one. My last one(dell) totally died and it was just a little over 3 years old.

Thanks for mentioning this because in the past, my computers have had about the same lifespan. Your post inspired me to thoroughly back up my computers. My present (cheap, Toshiba) laptop is 3 years, two months old and has seen a lot of usage over those years. It might begin to have problems at any time, at this age.

 

[MichaelB]

Since I left work (in my 11th year) I’ve had 2 computers. The first one died. The second, bought in late 2002, has had a hard disk replacement, 4x more memory and external USB slots. I keep my SW platform stable so there is no compelling need to change.

Migration is a nightmare – motivation to not change computers. The problem is not user files – those are simple and there are lots of tools. SW needs to be reinstalled due to licensing issues, current versions are not always compatible, some need to be purchased again, and new SW versions always demand much greater resource to deliver additional functionality that isn’t always useful. And then there’s Microsoft, totally unconcerned with details like backward compatibility or standard interface.

There is no need to change computers until your current requirements cannot be reasonably satisfied with what you have plus low cost upgrades like memory, more hard drive or external attachments . Upgrading SW to new versions from folks like MS, Adobe, etc is counterproductive, unless they bring specific needed functionality. Aside from audio - video requirements such as watching DVDs or lots of editing of music or images, most 5 yr old computers are more than enough for today’s casual user that needs browsing, spreadsheet, word processing and such.

Always backup your critical files.

 

[Tractor guy]

I just bought a new Dell "student class" laptop because DW was complaining that I was hogging "her" desktop computer after I retired & because I wanted to be able to take something with me on the road.

Data & software migration was much easier than I expected. I used the Windows file transfer software that came with the laptop for my data files.

I had bought Quicken and Photoshop CD's so I just installed those (I meet the license requirements as I'm a single user).

I did NOT install MS office. I figured I'd give Openoffice a try. So far I've been able to read and edit all of the data files that I've accumulated over the years. Its more compatible with old versions of MS office than MS office itself is.

I ended up spending about 2 days getting the defaults, directory tree, etc. all set up the way I wanted them. I bought a terrabyte network drive for backup and spent another day setting THAT up so that both my office tower and my laptop are automatically backing up to it.

 

[W2R]

I did NOT install MS office. I figured I'd give Openoffice a try. So far I've been able to read and edit all of the data files that I've accumulated over the years. Its more compatible with old versions of MS office than MS office itself is.

Open Office is great, isn't it! I have both MS Office and Open Office on my laptop, and haven't used MS Office for ages. Besides, the price is right.

 

[LARS]

Easy.

I consider replacing my computer when the time quotient to boot said computer divided by my patience quotient to wait for it to boot exceeds a factor of 10. The patience quotient is a bit subjective, but is usually measured in expletives per minute uttered while waiting for said computer to boot.

 

[easysurfer]

Well, it looks like I may hang on to my "used by not dead yet" laptop a little longer. After fiddling around with the USB ports, they are failing. I uninstall the drivers, then have Win XP automatically reinstall them. The remedy works for awhile, then I get the "unrecognized USB..." message again.

I was really to give up (had already been pricing out used and new laptops) when a potential work around dawned on me....

My laptop has an unused slot that I can plug in usb ports. So, I ordered this..

Zonet 2 Port USB 2.0 PCMCIA Cardbus with Cable at TigerDirect.com

Hopefully, there's still some life in my laptop

At this moment, I'm typing without a mouse, (touchpad only) and no external USB connection.

 

[Moscyn]

Our old computer was having a slow death and out of frustration since it crashes more often than I eat, we bought a new one to replace it. No regrets.

 

[FinanceDude]

I am dying to try Windows 7, but my Vista computers are chugging along just fine, for now.

If my laptop does not crater in the next year or two, maybe I'll think of some excuse to give it to a friend and buy a newer Windows 7 machine (unless a newer operating system is out by that time).

Windows 7 is what Vista WISHES it could be when it GROWS UP.......

 

[Dawg52]

Windows 7 is what Vista WISHES it could be when it GROWS UP.......

Never had Vista. I jumped from XP to 7 with my latest laptop. Took a couple of days to get used to but a pretty easy transition.

 

[MichaelB]

Well, it looks like I may hang on to my "used by not dead yet" laptop a little longer. After fiddling around with the USB ports, they are failing. I uninstall the drivers, then have Win XP automatically reinstall them. The remedy works for awhile, then I get the "unrecognized USB..." message again.

I was really to give up (had already been pricing out used and new laptops) when a potential work around dawned on me....

My laptop has an unused slot that I can plug in usb ports. So, I ordered this..

Zonet 2 Port USB 2.0 PCMCIA Cardbus with Cable at TigerDirect.com

Hopefully, there's still some life in my laptop

At this moment, I'm typing without a mouse, (touchpad only) and no external USB connection.

I use this and it works like a charm. USB Hubs - CPH720P | CyberPower Systems, Inc.

Open Office is great, isn't it! I have both MS Office and Open Office on my laptop, and haven't used MS Office for ages. Besides, the price is right.

I think not upgrading your MS SW is the single most important thing you can do to extend the usable life of your current computer.

 

[ERD50]

I did NOT install MS office. I figured I'd give Openoffice a try. So far I've been able to read and edit all of the data files that I've accumulated over the years. Its more compatible with old versions of MS office than MS office itself is.

Ain't that the truth! I guess it's part of a MicroSoft attempt to force people to upgrade. Don't fall for it!

I consider replacing my computer when the time quotient to boot said computer divided by my patience quotient to wait for it to boot exceeds a factor of 10. The patience quotient is a bit subjective, but is usually measured in expletives per minute uttered while waiting for said computer to boot.

All my computers (linux, OSX) boot pretty quick (< 1 minute), but I don't much care. I rarely re-boot. Sleep uses so little power, I just don't bother shutting down.


-ERD50

 

[TromboneAl]

Lena's laptop is clinging to life. We think it got stepped on, but no one has fessed up. Repair measures include a clamp to keep the screen together, a special stand because the screen will flop down if not supported, and duct tape to keep the battery in.

The battery tabs broke off inside, but a free replacement battery is on its way from TheBatteryConnection.com. These batteries are very cheap at $25 each. This is the second that's had a problem (first suddenly stopped holding a charge), but the company is very good at sending a free replacement.

 

[RonBoyd]

Lena's laptop is clinging to life.

Al, I am in awe of your ingenuity... and of your "cheapskateness."

 

[easysurfer]

Al,

Great ideas to keep the laptop clinging to life. I really like the special stand with the peg prop.

 

[easysurfer]

This new computer thread has me thinking. What I really want is a computer that's like a laptop on steroids, about the size of an old typewriter.

One with a fold up screen like a laptop, but regular desktop sized hard drives, dvd-Writer, motherboard. That would be the best of both worlds, still transportable, yet if something goes bad, I can replace that myself with replacement parts.

 

[ERD50]

Al, I am in awe of your ingenuity... and of your "cheapskateness."

Al,

Great ideas to keep the laptop clinging to life. I really like the special stand with the peg prop.

And Duct Tape in colors is the greatest thing for us fix-it-up-chappies since.... duct tape.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

This new computer thread has me thinking. What I really want is a computer that's like a laptop on steroids, about the size of an old typewriter.

One with a fold up screen like a laptop, but regular desktop sized hard drives, dvd-Writer, motherboard. That would be the best of both worlds, still transportable, yet if something goes bad, I can replace that myself with replacement parts.

I'm 100% with you on that. I'd like the screen to be a removable, modular component so that you could replace/upgrade them separately.

My compromise was a laptop with an easily removable Hard Drive (some are, some aren't). That's the most likely thing to go bad, or that you might want to upgrade.

There are a few mini-desktops, check out ASUS for some, but I think they remove the DVD/CD, and all in all they don't seem like a great bargain. Some have VESA mounts on them so they mount right to the back of a monitor. Maybe someone else has some better suggestions - I'd like to hear them.

-ERD50