Grrrrrr

[celticdragonfly]

I hate this computer.

Oh, it could be worse. It could be much worse. It could not work at all, it could crash and burn in any of a number of nasty ways that I really, really hope it won't.

But I'm still annoyed with it.

It's slow, it requires frequent reboots - and as a person who likes to leave various Firefox tabs open until I get back to them - that's very annoying. It can't network with selenite's computer right next to it, although it should. And it totally seizes up for a while whenever I try to open a pdf files. I have grown to HATE pdf files. There I'll be with a window full of links to interesting knitting patterns, clicking away to open them in new windows, and I unknowingly hit a pdf link, and wham, no response from anything for a while. Hate that.

Also I hate the DVD/CD player that, just like the one it replaced, will not autoplay - although frankly I've gotten used to that - but it also won't play DVDs. Wish I'd realized we were going to get a DVD player soon and had gotten a burner instead, although I'm sure that wouldn't work, either.

Sigh. I want someone to be willing to build me a new computer, something with a good processor and LOTS of memory, and hook my current hard drive into it so I don't lose all my STUFF, and network it to Karl's computer. If someone local is actually willing to DO that, for real, let me know your bid. (selenite may be freaking as he reads that, given money situations, but hey, more data is good, honey)

Comments

Re: PDF & Firefox

[sraun]

If you open and minimize the Acrobat Reader when you boot, does Firefox still temporarily freeze? From my memory of what it does on my machine, it shouldn't.

Re: PDF & Firefox

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

If I have Acrobat Reader open, everything else on the computer crawls. My dad says it's because the thing has a bazillion things it MIGHT need, and so opens them all ahead of time. So anyway, I'd only have that open if I am specifically going to open a saved PDF, and I'll probably close my email program and a few other things first. Which is annoying.

[dartpoly.livejournal.com]

Lemme come take a look at it -- it's probably NOT in need of hardware upgrades.

When's a good time? (and what part of town do you guys live in?)

email me: dart@dartanyansdesigns.com

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Actually, I bet it does need upgrades. It was a mediocre level processor, not top of the line, when we bought it back in '98. It had some extra memory added, but I think it's topped out. And it had the hard drive replaced, because the old one was dying.

I'm at home during the days. We live over at the far northwest edge of Fort Worth.

[shadefell.livejournal.com]

My printer is so old that if I try to print more than 3 pages of a PDF document at a time, it gets confused, runs out of memory, and the computer no longer recognizes the printer as existing. Which, of course, makes it hard to print gaming books I buy online. GRR ARGH

[technomom]

Can't fix all of it, though I'd happily work on it if I could get my hands on the PC. This extension will help you with the PDF problem, though.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Okay, thanks for the link. Apparently I need to update Firefox first, so I will do that shortly when I've gotten a bunch of windows closed.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Yay, it worked! Thanks. I can't see pictures in those PDFs, but now no more oops seized up moments. I guess if I want a picture, I can tell it to open as PDF and just endure the wait. Thank you!

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I'm a bit busy to be coming up, but here are my three comments:

1) This is a decent guide to a cheap homebuilt system.

2) The Mac mini is still only $499, and just recently upgraded with twice the RAM. Do you have any programs on Windows you absolutely have to have?

3) Cheap Dell deals are often worth it, if you're going to be buying a new system. It's somewhat tricky to find the right ones, but it can be done.

[archangelbeth]

From the Mac side: Preview has a lot of handy PDF tricks, like keyword searches, so you can dispense with Adobe viewing things. (It also comes with Adobe, if you MUST use it on some page, but you tend to have to kick it and tell it NO, you want to use SAFARI or some other browser...)

AbiWord makes a decent substitute for basic MS Word; I use Word because I need some of the compatibility stuff, but otherwise? AbiWord is like my beloved Word 4.0. *wist*

So, er, if you go the Mac Mini way, I suddenly become a lot more useful. O:>

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

What's a Mac mini?

Looking at programs I need. I use the Office suite for compatibility with Karl and stuff he does on his work computer. I could learn to use another word processor. But as Karl's wife, it would be bad to not have Excel. Other windows stuff I'd twitch to give up - well, Minesweeper (had to be said), the CCG Maker I use to help him design card game cards, I like Irfanview but maybe there's a Mac version, Cakewalk Pyro (I'm sure there's an equivalent, just I already bought this one), Finale Notepad, GIF Movie Gear.

I'd give up Outlook if it wasn't for the calendar program. I can switch all my email to Gmail if I wanted to, but I leave chunks of it on outlook anyway, because I NEED the calendar program that pops up reminders.

I think a lot of it is just that all my reflexes are set for this - I know where to LOOK for stuff in windows, I am used to the three button mouse, etc.

Trouble with a cheap Dell deal is a) cheap computer means I have the same problem in a couple years, and b) they install tons of junk on the computer that I don't want and I can't get off. This computer was from Gateway, and the original hard drive had the same problem, tons of JUNK.

Looking through the guide page you linked me to. I have monitor, keyboard, mouse, box. What I want is a higher grade of internal stuff than they're talking about, a pretty good motherboard/processor/ram. And I don't know how to put all that together even if they pointed me to which to buy.

Thanks for the good info.

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

Mac mini

There is Office available for the Mac, although you'd have to buy a new copy, unless someone gave you one.

iCal is a decent calendaring program for me, I assume you're not using the corporate functions of Outlook. Three button mice work.

I consider cheap computers effectively disposable. Figure if they last 3 years and cost $600, that's $200 a year in computing costs, which is pretty good compared to car payments. Not that my computer budget will ever slide that far I suspect, but I'm a freak.

I linked the guide more as a suggestion of what prices will look like and what kind of components to consider. It's not all that hard to assemble, although doing it baby-free is the only way, and I imagine that would be fairly tricky to arrange. In any event, I'm sure someone in your area (or us, wandering up) can do it for you.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

I consider cheap computers effectively disposable

Eeeek. What a thought. But what about all my STUFF?

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

Data can be copied over easily. Programs (on Windows) are best reinstalled every year or so. At least, they used to. It may have improved a bit.

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

You don't need to have someone custom build a computer in order to be able to hook up your current hard drive. Unless there's something non-standard about what you have now, you can just pull that drive and hook it up in any PC you get. Just make sure that whatever you get has an open drive bay when you get it, then get someone with some technical ability to help you do it. I'd offer to help, but I'm a long way away from you, and having someone there in person would be better.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I'll second this - I do web coding, not hardware, and even though I whined at a friend until he replaced my motherboard for me, I was able to install my hard drive myself, and install a DVD burner myself with no problem. (And a USB 2.0 card! I feel so technical!)

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Okay, to both comments - I can install a hard drive. I put a new hard drive in Karl's computer - although I need to open it up, Jamie pulled the PC off the table and now it doesn't show up, I suspect the connections came loose.

But I don't want to buy a PC from one of the PC companies. All of them except Alienware put tons of software I DON'T want on the computer, and then it causes problems later. And I can't afford what I want from Alienware.

Various people have said to me, "Oh, you should just build your own, from components, use your old box even!" and then wander off blithely, leaving poor me who does NOT have the technical skills to put that together, or even to know how to choose the pieces, gibbering.

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

Well, even a system from Dell can be wiped and reinstalled easily. That's not a problem.

The link to Ars Technica is intended to help you with choosing your pieces, if you like to go that route.

Putting it together is not exceptionally difficult. It takes paitence and a bit of checking up. However, with so many things being integrated onto the motherboard, things have gotten a lot simpler. Hm. If you'd like, we can talk you through this sometime this month, or put it on the agenda for Jazz and I visiting when we come through in late August?