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The Computer Question Thread


aznriptide859

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It's not really a case of budget.  More of I have the hardware and licenses to build configuration A or B.

 

I appreciate the awesomeness of SSDs and after putting one in my own PC, I wouldn't want to go without but it is an expense that would be pretty much wasted in this situation.

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You have a choice of Vista or 7?

 

Cake or death springs to mind.

 

For all the 'advancements' Vista supposedly has 7 is still the better option and will have support for a lot longer than Vista too given that Microsoft seem to be focussing more on it and 8 while giving Vista a slow demise.

 

7 will always be the best option unless it is a tablet in which case you should go 8 and start getting them used to it :P.

 

'FireKnife'

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You wouldn't think so but given that they haven't shored up all of the Vista BSoD issues I would say that it is safer to go with 7 too.

 

Sure based on that comparison you could have better hardware but after too many bad experiences with Vista that have not transferred across to 7 I would go for that even if the hardware bridge was bigger.

 

'FireKnife'

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Very dangerous advice IMO; You're talking about trading direct, significant hardware advantages for the slightly decreased chance of system BSODs. I think that's a very poor choice to make; the minimal chance of a BSOD is just that, minimal (Take it from me, someone who's currently supporting 2K+ vista machines, the idiot CEO won't sodding upgrade) - With a clean install and fresh drivers, providing she doesn't download anything stupid, I very much doubt she'll have any troubles.

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But in this case the PC is limited to basic applications so I would swing for the lower hardware as it isn't low enough to slow down the operationg system but gives you a lengthier support time in that fashion.

 

As for using Vista as a business model, who was stupid enough to do that? :P

 

They could have just stuck to XP which was widely supported and easily fixed at the time of Vista's release and shortly 7 would have been out which, ok you can't predict the future but Microsoft always seem to learn after they have made a big OS step (like 2000 and ME stepping up to XP, XP is the better supported and always was etc).

 

I see your point but I would just personally take the operating system over the hardware. Plus you can post purchase upgrade the hardware without too many issues. You try upgrading from Vista to 7 after setting the whole PC up and it is a bugger, especially for a home user. But then that is personal experince from home use of Vista rather than business use. My work is part XP and part 7 and we have always flatly refused Vista as an operating system due to compatibility issues amongst others.

 

EDIT: Though to Hitman I must ask why you are limited in this regard? Why can't you plump for a balanced machine that is less likely to need upgrading (as Vista or the base components for each option will eventually be outrun by other options eventually). Finally as for XP support that doesn't make a whole lot of difference, XP is about as stable as it is ever going to be and many third party programs will still support it for a while given that it is still a commonly used system (Microsoft themselves even kept having to shift up the support for it due to popularity).

 

'FireKnife'

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I'm limited as the cheaper the better and I can 're-appropriate' old commercial systems for next to nothing, cannibalizing and swapping in parts for the best config. The two systems I have described are my A and B team if you get me.

 

Vista has another 3 years or so of support which is somewhat offputting.  She'll probably have broken it by then anyway.  She seems to emit some tech killing aura lol

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I was under the impression that the licenses are tied to the hardware.  The cost of an OEM Win 7 is like £70 or £80 which is way more than the total of the hardware (in theory) for both PCs with their OSs

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I was under the impression that the licenses are tied to the hardware.  The cost of an OEM Win 7 is like £70 or £80 which is way more than the total of the hardware (in theory) for both PCs with their OSs

 

No, not really otherwise half of the computers we use at work would be locked out by the authentication system by now, including my own personal laptop. But then all are done as clean installs on a variety of machines.

 

However I am sure I could sort something, we have many personal purchase licenses that don't really get used and are not tied to a company name or machine hardware. At worst you get a 'this copy is not authenticated' but then all you do is authenticate it online and when it realises that it has just been clean installed all is well (even a Windows representative explained this to us, it is fine to do, they just like to make sure).

 

Plus thanks to the way Windows 7 works setup is easy, all GUI'd up and never takes that long at all. So long as you know how to add the drivers for your respective machine (and have them saved to say a memory stick) you are good to go.

 

'FireKnife'

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Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (lifetime service) means constant updates until the next LTS version is ready.

 

What Ubuntu does is give you a stable updated platform (12.04 LTS at the moment) and then lets early adopters beta the next release (13.10 at the moment) unlike Microsoft who let people beta everything by selling it to them.

 

It has the Unity desktop/explorer and everything is super-simple, by the time you'd installed it you'd be able to help with the easy stuff and anything else will be covered in simple language on one of the billions of Ubuntu help youtube channels or on the Ubuntu forums.

 

Basically it goes:

 

Google search "Ubuntu 12.04 how to read protected DVDs"

Answer #1 is the easy guide to doing that.

 

I do some mental things with my hardware and with Ubuntu I've never had to look past the 5th result for my answer, I have literally never been the first bloke to have x problem.

On Windows I've been told to give up and re-configure my hardware by the guys at Microsoft.

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Ubuntu is good, but it just isn't as user freindly as windows. I'm not a techy but I know my way around and i can get stumped. Going into terminal to fix something isn't a biggie for me but for others it could be tricky.

 

if ubuntu was as easy as xp I'd be playing tf2 by now :(

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I would say still stick to Windows.

 

For all that Linux systems give you, you will still get the average user stumped and thus the overall general options of Windows make it easier.

 

Sure change is good but lets face it the average user knows Windows, they like Windows and the limitations of Windows are not an issue for them.

 

Just don't give them anything Apple Macintosh, invasive and exclusive software coupled with a total lack of compatibility with anything else makes for a very elite operating system collection that will one day be taken over by cheaper and more reliable system (hopefully).

 

'FireKnife'

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I see where you are going but it depends on the level of the user.

 

There are basically three levels of computer user:

 

1? Q: My magic box of lights is not working, can you help me? A: Yes, your screen magic window has fallen over onto your keyboard alphabet thing, obfuscating covering it - lift it up and you will be OK.

 

2? Q: I am trying to get my networked printer to work but I am having real problems, can you help me?  A: Have you checked the settings on your switch?  Try opening a browser on your PC and directly accessing it, the ip should be 192.168.0.1 or something similar.

 

3? Q: I have been having a problem with the three different hardware RAID controllers in my PC causing Windows 7 to be unable to install service pack 1 and it also seems to be causing my Garmin Edge 500 to only be recognised as an external drive for 0.1 seconds due to a drive letter allocation issue, also, whenever I try to mount the Edge 500 as a drive something on Windows 7 corrupts it and subsequently Linux can nly mount it in read only mode until I do a factory reset on it.  It is all very frustrating, can you help me?  A: No.

 

Client 1 is hopeless with all operating systems, Microsoft, Apple, Android and Linux.  They will ask you for help with every problem they come across, using Ubuntu will make no difference and it is stable, free and you can click anything you find on the internet and won't get a virus.  Go for it.

 

Client 2 thinks they know a thing or two about computers but actually knows a thing or two about Windows (usually from bitter experience and will often use that knowledge to lord it up over colleagues at work) they will complain endlessly about Ubuntu - leave well alone.

 

Client 3 knows enough to appreciate the good things about Ubuntu and will usually maintain a Win 7 partition for games/making his computer even more difficult for others to use.  He will be OK but might be tempted to go for more and more hardcore Linux distros until he ends up browsing a command line and saying things like: "You get used to it. I…I don’t even see the code. All I see is blonde, brunette, redhead.".

 

 

If your computer user is really basic you will get an initial glut of calls then no more than if she was using Windows.

If she knows just enough then yes, it might be more trouble than it's worth.

 

 

Also, the problems presented by Client 3 are real problems I have had with Windows, the Service pack 1 issue is the one where a guy from Microsoft told me to reconfigure my hardware.

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OK stunt seeing as you're an Ubuntu expert:

I've just acquired an old XP box that would be good for word processing, leaving simulations running and general Internet browsing etc. - but Microsoft no long supports XP as of yesterday and I don't want to buy an OS, so what would be my best bet for running MS Office on Linux? Wine?

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