[Woody Taylor]

I already got a PM about installing Vista today...I know a lot of you have websites and some of you are IT savvy...do NOT take the hardware req's for Vista lightly. I would make very, very sure that your particular computer and its horsepower are up to task. The basic (i.e., not for an optimal experience) and the "premium" (i.e., how to get an experience that won't have you gouging out your eyes) req's are here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/capable.mspx

Vista looks cool, I would ask that those of you who upgrade send me a PM on your experiences. It will be awhile before it trickles down the corporate pipe to me.

If you have been looking for an excuse to upgrade your computer, this is as good as any. Make sure it has a BIG hard drive, like five of them, thanks in advance for your business. :lol:

 

[Woody Taylor]

And here's an online application that will test your system components to see if you can handle a Vista upgrade. This is a very, very safe site (CNET)...it's free...and will not install gremlins in your system or give the FBI access to all those pics of your dogs attacking people.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3672_7-6671810.html?tag=txt

Just click it and let it run on your comp for a sec.

Mac people, don't do this. :lol:

 

[Mike Schoonbrood]

Yes I installed Vista Ultimate this morning n now Windows Movie Maker doesn't wanna work for me, n I don't have the cool alt+tab "Like a Mac" effects because my graphics card is only 64mb instead of the minimum required 128mb... unless theres a workaround somehow, I'm screwed on that since I don't think I can upgrade on my laptop I already had the latest version of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player on Windows XP though so other than a slightly different feel, it'll take me a while to enjoy all the new features... especially since I can't use the damn movie maker software :roll:

 

[Woody Taylor]

Yes I installed Vista Ultimate this morning n now Windows Movie Maker doesn't wanna work for me, n I don't have the cool alt+tab "Like a Mac" effects because my graphics card is only 64mb instead of the minimum required 128mb... unless theres a workaround somehow, I'm screwed on that since I don't think I can upgrade on my laptop I already had the latest version of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player on Windows XP though so other than a slightly different feel, it'll take me a while to enjoy all the new features... especially since I can't use the damn movie maker software :roll:

Buy ten hard drives. Please. :lol: Film Lyka 24/7. I don't wanna see the video or anything, but we are looking for market growth.

 

[Connie Sutherland]

Yes I installed Vista Ultimate this morning n now Windows Movie Maker doesn't wanna work for me, n I don't have the cool alt+tab "Like a Mac" effects because my graphics card is only 64mb instead of the minimum required 128mb... unless theres a workaround somehow, I'm screwed on that since I don't think I can upgrade on my laptop I already had the latest version of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player on Windows XP though so other than a slightly different feel, it'll take me a while to enjoy all the new features... especially since I can't use the damn movie maker software :roll:

Buy ten hard drives. Please. :lol: Film Lÿka 24/7. I don't wanna see the video or anything, but we are looking for market growth.

The "All Lyka All the Time" site! 8)

 

[Mike Schoonbrood]

Tell you what... I'll work on filling up my 550gb of external hard drives, n then when I get that far, I'll see if you can get me a good deal on a 500gb drive If not, I'll have to go with another Maxtor

 

[Woody Taylor]

Tell you what... I'll work on filling up my 550gb of external hard drives, n then when I get that far, I'll see if you can get me a good deal on a 500gb drive If not, I'll have to go with another Maxtor

We totally PWNED them in an acquisition last summer. You can't run baby! That's our stuff!!!

Here's our new deck of stuff.

http://www.seagatefreeagent.com/

1,000GB and up will follow soon enough.

 

[Amanda Layne]

Hey.........this is a good topic. I was waiting to buy a new computer until it came out......I am going to best buy tonight to look. What is a good all around system? Any suggestions? Minimums?

 

[Mike Schoonbrood]

Minimum 1 gb ram, I would go with 1.5 or 2gb if thats an option. Since desktop video cards are cheap these days, 256mb video card if you can get it, minimum 128. Minimum Windows Vista Home PREMIUM, the Home Basic just isn't worth it :lol: Hard drive size depends on what you do with your computer. If you do lots of photos and video stuff then get as big a hard drive as you can afford You can always buy external drives from Woody when you fill up though. DVD burners are pretty much standard in all PC's now I think, but make sure it has one. Then get yourself a nice 37" widescreen LCD screen

 

[Woody Taylor]

Hey.........this is a good topic. I was waiting to buy a new computer until it came out......I am going to best buy tonight to look. What is a good all around system? Any suggestions? Minimums?

I don't see much point in anyone getting a desktop anymore unless you need a lot of screen real estate and/or you are doing some insanely heavy-duty computational work (high-end gaming, high-end graphics and editing).

If you are buying a computer now, and you are getting a PC device, I would recommend getting one with Vista on it. No real point in buying a device that's not compliant with Vista now...and I do think Microsoft has done about everything possible to ensure this is not a disaster for them.

Having said that, you can probably get a great deal on a computer running XP that will be just fine if you are a casual user (like me).

There is little difference in PC laptops, in my opinion. A Dell is an HP is an etc....what is much more interesting is the service and support you can get for that device, and whether it has the hardware features you want. But, at the end of the day, with equal features, there is little difference between brands. They are all made by the same contract manufacturers in Taiwan (seriously).

Macs are quite great. If all you do on a computer is surf the internet and do some publishing stuff with video, etc...they're at least as strong as any PC device you'd buy. Less software for the kids to play video games. But a Mac is about as user-friendly as they come and will be up and out of the box quicker than virtually any other consumer device I have ever seen. I really enjoy them, I have a Mac laptop at home, an old iMac (and two Dell laptops via work, and a Blackberry....:lol

If I were you...go to Best Buy, tell them how you will use your computer***, and ask them to show you a few models you can dink with. Do the same at an Apple store or go to the Apple Store online, call their support people. Never, ever buy a computer without checking pricing online. Apple will always be constant pricing...PCs can be incredibly variable. Let me know what floats your boat and I can poke around for you.

***edited to say this might get you a blank stare and then an expression of sheer panic or irritation, but sometimes there are helpful people in big box retailers. not often, but sometimes.

 

[Amanda Layne]

Lets see.......lets start with what I hate in computers.....

If I click it.....I want it........NOW
If I open 20 things, I want to be able to access all 20 of them with no lag time.


I do alot of photo editing, and I store TONS of photos.
I'm not a gamer.
I am on the internet alot.

Other than that......Im not to picky.

 

[Woody Taylor]

Apples laptops are awfully neat. You should at least consider them.

 

[Bob Scott]

What button was it that turns this thing on?
Ya say that I get a blacberry pie if I by....what? COOL! :-k ](*,)

 

[Amanda Layne]

DUDE! I got a Dell! It should be here next week. Thanks for the advice....it did help me in making my selection

For you techies (you know who you are) this is what I got

XPS 410
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6600 (4MB L2 Cache,2.4GHz,1066 FSB), Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium

XPS 410 Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6600 (4MB L2 Cache,2.4GHz,1066 FSB)

Memory 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs

Keyboard Dell USB Keyboard


Monitor 19 inch E197FP Analog Flat Panel

Video Card 256MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE TurboCache

Hard Drive 500GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™

Floppy Drive and Media Reader 13 in 1 Media Card Reader and 3.5 in Floppy Drive

Operating System Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium


Mouse Dell Optical USB Mouse

Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem


Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0


CD or DVD Drive Dual Drives: 48x Combo + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable


Sound Cards Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio


Speakers Dell AS501PA 10W Flat Panel Attached Spkrs for Analog Flat Panels


Office Software (not included in Windows XP) Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition

Security Software PC-cillin Internet Security with AntiVirus and Spyware

Internet Access Service 6 Months of America Online Membership Included

Dell Digital Entertainment Corel Paint Shop Pro XI - Advanced photo editing

Labels Windows Vista™ Premium





Western Digital 250GB 7200RPM USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

 

[Mike Schoonbrood]

Boy you sure got alotta hard drive space :lol: Not that thats a bad thing Congratulations! A friend of mine just got his Dell desktop system a few days ago, he seems happy :lol:

I guess this is the year of technology, everyone's out buying new TV's and new computers lately, myself included.