How to purchase a New Computer

[Bird]

Well, finally all my computer problems are over. I know that's true because Bill Gates said so. I just now finished downloading and installing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 that's supposed to fix everything. I think it was only a little over 66 meg, but seemed to take longer than usual to download. Then when it was ready to install Service Pack 1, it had the usual admonition to save your work, close all applications, etc., but also said the installation might take an hour or more, your computer would restart several times during installation, and that you could not use your computer during that time. In my case it took 51 minutes to install.

 

[Egon]

I am going to have to look into doing that too Bird.

 

[Egon]

In the process of trying to find out how to download I came across information this service pack would download automatically about mid April.

I am opting for this option.

 

[Bird]

Egon, I first read/heard that Service Pack 1 was coming out the middle of March, and for those who had their computers set to automatically check for updates, it would be the middle of April. So one day last week, I saw a news article on the Internet that Service Pack 1 was available. And I tried, unsuccessfully, to find it to download it. Then yesterday when I clicked on "Windows Update" it showed one (critical or important or something) update. And Service Pack 1 was what it downloaded.

 

[rox]

Well, finally all my computer problems are over. I know that's true because Bill Gates said so. I just now finished downloading and installing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 that's supposed to fix everything. I think it was only a little over 66 meg, but seemed to take longer than usual to download. Then when it was ready to install Service Pack 1, it had the usual admonition to save your work, close all applications, etc., but also said the installation might take an hour or more, your computer would restart several times during installation, and that you could not use your computer during that time. In my case it took 51 minutes to install.

Bird since you bought an HP you may want to check out theri massive recall. I bought a new 17" screen HP laptop in September 2007. In October it failed and french GP "fixed it", December it failed again, mailed it to USA and USA HP "Fixed it" march it failed for the thrid time, sigh... it will not turn on.

Now i don't know if this is a coincidence or not but i wrote a paper letter to the CEO, the Executive VP of Sales and the VP of Sales mailed from France. 10 days later I got an e-mail "URGENT HP upgrade required" Here are the models that are covered
HP Pavilion dv2000/dv6000/dv9000 and Compaq Presario v3000/v6000 Series Notebook PCs -  HP Limited Warranty Service Enhancement 

Herre is a website that describes some of the problems- scroll down to read the discussion http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/laptop-support/154122-hp-dv9000-battery-power-supply-problem.html

Then if you fo into the User Forums right at hP you can read many other posts about the problems related to the "recall" Business support forums - notebook PCs - pavilions, presario

I never know if it is windows or the hardware that is the culprit. Thankfully I am on my backup hP laptop as i wait for a reply from my letter. the deal is I can get if fixed free, for the third time from HP, however they only will pick it up from a USA address. Last time I mailed it to my daughter for pick up and repair but for the third failure I would like FED Ex to pick it up in France, why should I again pay the postage?

What i do intend to do with my back up laptop is to convert it to linnix/unix. I read on this forum another person who did that and their computer although old, worked incrediably fast and curised the internet without virus problems etc. Sadly HP has lsot both my son and my daughter to Apple over the last 18 months. Theyjsut got tired of haivng to fight the Windows errors, hardware issues etc. it jsut is not fun to own a pc and it is fun to own and play with an Apple. They would never go back. I jsut really like a big screen on a laptop and to get that in an Apple is way to expensive for me, they both went with 15" screens, but after my new laptop failing 3 times I am starting to think that those 2 extra inches are probably not worth it and I will probably convert to an Apple one day also.

 

[Bird]

Rox, I don't have a notebook computer; just stayed with a desktop, and my monitor is a HP w1907 (19" flat panel) taht I really like so far. I had a 17" CRT monitor with my last Dell computer.

I think it was only 3 or 4 times that this one has suddenly gone blank or black, and then came back in 3 or 4 seconds each time without losing anything and I got a dialogue box that said something about the display driver quit responding and had recovered. So I think that little problem wasn't the monitor.

Of course, I've long been accustomed to running updates for software such as Windows, Anti virus, and such, but this computer periodically runs Hewlett-Packard updates during which it says it's searching for software updates from HP. That surprised me a bit, but so far it always ends by saying my computer is already up-to-date and hasn't found any updates for me.

And in spite of all the bad stuff I'd heard about Vista, I actually do like it much better than XP when everything is working right.

 

[texbaylea]

I am something of a maverick when it comes to computers. I have built and owned microcomputers since 1974 starting with CP/M OS and 2 8" floppy drives. The first commercial machine that I bought was a DEC Rainbow. This was contemporary with the first IBM PCs and far superior but DEC lost the marketing war. As to PC type desktops I build my own - it is simple to do - it is installing Windows that sometimes is a problem because of drivers.

On OSs: The best that I have used is/was OS2, very stable with a simple and an easy to use GUI. Here again IBM lost out to Microsoft when MS used IBM's own tactics against it, FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt). NOTE: since Win 2k it has had OS2 code in the kernel, it is everything else piled on it that makes it so iffy.

When I stop doing the work I do for the Houston "World Series of Dog Shows" I will go back to OS/2 in its current form of eComStation.

My newest Laptop has Vista Home Premium and I am thinking about going back to XP Pro. When I do depends on whether I can solve the problem of one of the SP1 prerequiste updates failing. I am willing to try SP1 for a while.

Vernon

 

[Bird]

Vernon, I've never known enough about computers to build my own. I did buy a new IBM computer in January or February, 1993, that came with OS2 on it, but also included the disks and instructions to uninstall it and put Microsoft's Windows on it instead, and I did that because everyone I knew was using Windows. So I think my experience with OS2 was about one or two days, and of course, that was long before I had any experience with the Internet.

 

[riptides]

On OSs: The best that I have used is/was OS2, very stable with a simple and an easy to use GUI. Here again IBM lost out to Microsoft when MS used IBM's own tactics against it, FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt). NOTE: since Win 2k it has had OS2 code in the kernel, it is everything else piled on it that makes it so iffy.

First I have heard of that! Win2k having OS2 in the kernel code. I think you better read up on where Dave Cutler worked before Microsoft.

-Mike Z.

 

[texbaylea]

Remember IBM and Microsoft developed OS/2 in a partnership and MS has ownership rights for portions of the code. That fact is why IBM could/would not release OS/2 to the public domain. Win 2K would evecute programs written for OS/2 (non graphical) therefore so could XP. When I have time to research it I will look for the references.

Vernon