Vee (Vrinda)....need your advice

[NinjaMom]

Hi Vee~

I hope you don't mind my asking but I know how knowledgeable you are about techie things and would love your input.

I want to get a new computer and I'm in a quandry over staying with XP vs Vista. I have heard so many bad things about vista and know people who have it and really hate it. I understand XP and would rather not go thru the learning curve needed for vista. I hope to have this computer last at least 3-4 years so I wonder how much longer microsoft will be supporting XP.

I have always bought from Dell but they only offer XP on a few low budget machines and actually charge more for XP I can go to General NanoSystems nearby and they will build one for me. This is what I'd get:

Intel core duo E8400 3.0G 1333MHz FBS 6MB L2 Cache
Intel G43NB 1333 MHz FBS DDR2 800 DVI-D+VGA PCI expressx16 SATA ATX mainboard
Seagate 500GB SATA II 7200 RPM 32MB
Two 2GB super talent DDR2 800MHz memory
Sapphire Radeon HD 512 MB video card
Pioneer SATA 20X double layer OEM DVD+-RW
Memory card reader
MS windows XP home ed.
Antec NSK4480 black ATX mid tower case with 380w power supply
1 yr parts & labor warranty
$839 + tax = $901.00

*I forgot to ask about a sound card. Am I missing anything else? I already have a lcd dell monitor and speakers.

I wouldn't have 24x7 tech support (like I get with Dell) but I can call them or bring in my machine if I have problems.


I would also have to do all my own data transfer which includes 4 iPod libraries. Kinda nervous about that and not sure how to do it. I have backed up all the libraries to an external hard drive. So would I just download iTunes for each user and transfer the songs from the external to the new computer? What about playlists and my little shuffle?

Sorry this is so long. Any advice you can pass along would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks Vee

JJ

 

[Vee]

Hi Vee~

I want to get a new computer and I'm in a quandry over staying with XP vs Vista.

I dont think you need to worry about Microsoft XP support if the timeframe is 3 to 4 years. A lot depends on what you mean by support. Techies scare lay people away by threatening support. If you buy a copy of Micrsoft XP, technically you can use it forever. Support entails two things:
- Releasing patches for security risks or bugs as these are reported or discovered
- Making sure new releases of other software (like Microsoft Office or Windows Media Player) are compatibe with XP.
Microsoft has not provided any dates to stop support the best of my knowledge,but they have confirmed support until 2014. Based on past Windows OS like '98 you can expect Windows XP to be widely in use for a few more years thereafter too.

That said, I think Vista is slow, but not as bad as reports indicate. I use Vista on two of my PCs and have had no crashes. It is not difficult to learn at all because a lot of the menus and look/feel is similar to XP. The adaptation will take a day or two at most. My 69 year old mum who is not tech savvy switched to Vista a few months ago and is doing fine. There are advantages to being on the latest version too - every software gets tested/optimized for Vista (including third party software) before XP.

I dont think this is a critical decision. If you get XP and change your mind later, you can buy Vista and have it installed on the PC.

If I were buying, unless I had professional uses for the PC where stability/speed is a critical need, I would go with Vista.

.... This is what I'd get:

Intel core duo E8400 3.0G 1333MHz FBS 6MB L2 Cache
Intel G43NB 1333 MHz FBS DDR2 800 DVI-D+VGA PCI expressx16 SATA ATX mainboard
Seagate 500GB SATA II 7200 RPM 32MB
Two 2GB super talent DDR2 800MHz memory
Sapphire Radeon HD 512 MB video card
Pioneer SATA 20X double layer OEM DVD+-RW
Memory card reader
MS windows XP home ed.
Antec NSK4480 black ATX mid tower case with 380w power supply
1 yr parts & labor warranty
$839 + tax = $901.00

A good configuration. It is likely to have a sound card. But it does not hurt to clarify. Also check about a built in Ethernet card. and headphone/mic ports so you can use voice chat (cheaper than staying in touch by phone for long distance). Check that it has at least 4 USB ports. Ask if they can give you internal wireless-N so you dont need to use am external modem (this is available on new Dell models).

I dont know about US prices. This seems a decent price in India but then we pay import tax. How does this compare to an equivalent spec from Dell?

I would also have to do all my own data transfer which includes 4 iPod libraries. Kinda nervous about that and not sure how to do it. I have backed up all the libraries to an external hard drive. So would I just download iTunes for each user and transfer the songs from the external to the new computer? What about playlists and my little shuffle?

It will be easy to transfer your music. Exactly what you said. Download itunes and install it. You can open itunes and ask itunes to import each user's music (from each login) from the backup disk. Or, alternatively, you can can make a local copy of the music for each user on the PC, open itunes from each login, and identify the folder as the library to use (from the Preferences menu). If you get stuck PM me. Since the music is backed up, you wont lose anything even if you set it up wrongly.

Your little shuffle can still work with the new PC. Have you backed up the music that was on the shuffle too?

Here is a link on backing up playlists. unless you back up the playlists, you will have to recreate from scratch after you move the msic to the new PC.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TA47831?viewlocale=en_US

Hope this helps.

 

[fit fanatic]

You are my hero

Not trying to intercede the thread but Vee everytime I see a post from you, you are so helpful and inspirational. Thanks for all you do.

 

[Dela]

I second that Diana. This is great info, I always mess up the music backup when I get a new laptop. Now I know where to go for reference for the next one.

 

[NinjaMom]

I totally agree with Diana....Vee - You are my hero!!

Thank you so much for all the information. You are awesome I think you should get your own toll-free phone number and start a tech support business. I'd be the first one to buy in!

I'll talk to NanoSystems about the wireless & ethernet cards. I believe they said it would have 6 usb ports. The same configuration with Dell was around $1300+tax so it sounds like a good deal. I'm just worried about not having tech support like I get with Dell.

I have a lot of playlists so thanks for the link on backing them up. I'll search their website on how to back up the shuffle. The library for the shuffle only appears when I hook it up to the computer.

How do you put more than one quote in a post like you did above? I can't figure out how to do that

JJ

 

[NinjaMom]

How do you put more than one quote in a post like you did above? I can't figure out how to do that
JJ

OOPS...skip that. I see you responded on this under the CC thread.

JJ

 

[Vee]

JJ, Dela, Diana,

Thank you for your kind words. Deeply appreciated.

Vrinda