Need Advice

Well, it looks like I've finally reached the end-of-life with my P11, 300
MHz Win98se machine. My master hard drive went belly-up but I have managed
to limp along by replacing it with my properly re- jumpered slave drive.
Fortunately it was a clone of the master so it was able to boot-up okay.

The dilemma: What to replace my computer it with. I have a good friend who
is a well respected local Computer (since 1994) technician who strongly
recommends Dell, ONLY because they are the only ones who still sell XP
machines. His strong opinion is that Vista is very buggy and doesn't look
like it is going to be cleaned up in the near future.

Also he says the unique "features" of Vista are mostly troublesome eye candy
and messy security items, and that XP will survive for at least the next 5+
years.

My question:

Should I limit my choices to Dell because of the XP/Vista consideration or
should I bite the bullet and go for the best machine for my kilobuck without
regard for the operating system.

Any thoughts, recommendations will be appreciated.

You can build your own machine and buy XP OEM copy on EBay. Or downgrade a
Vista machine. But I tend to agree with your friend. Shop Dell. It's what I
advise to family & friends.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"bobster" wrote in message
...
Well, it looks like I've finally reached the end-of-life with my P11, 300
MHz Win98se machine. My master hard drive went belly-up but I have
managed
to limp along by replacing it with my properly re- jumpered slave drive.
Fortunately it was a clone of the master so it was able to boot-up okay.

The dilemma: What to replace my computer it with. I have a good friend
who
is a well respected local Computer (since 1994) technician who strongly
recommends Dell, ONLY because they are the only ones who still sell XP
machines. His strong opinion is that Vista is very buggy and doesn't look
like it is going to be cleaned up in the near future.

Also he says the unique "features" of Vista are mostly troublesome eye
candy
and messy security items, and that XP will survive for at least the next
5+
years.

My question:

Should I limit my choices to Dell because of the XP/Vista consideration or
should I bite the bullet and go for the best machine for my kilobuck
without
regard for the operating system.

Any thoughts, recommendations will be appreciated.

bobster wrote:
Well, it looks like I've finally reached the end-of-life with my P11, 300
MHz Win98se machine. My master hard drive went belly-up but I have managed
to limp along by replacing it with my properly re- jumpered slave drive.
Fortunately it was a clone of the master so it was able to boot-up okay.

The dilemma: What to replace my computer it with. I have a good friend who
is a well respected local Computer (since 1994) technician who strongly
recommends Dell, ONLY because they are the only ones who still sell XP
machines. His strong opinion is that Vista is very buggy and doesn't look
like it is going to be cleaned up in the near future.

Also he says the unique "features" of Vista are mostly troublesome eye candy
and messy security items, and that XP will survive for at least the next 5+
years.

My question:

Should I limit my choices to Dell because of the XP/Vista consideration or
should I bite the bullet and go for the best machine for my kilobuck without
regard for the operating system.

Any thoughts, recommendations will be appreciated.


Wouldn't touch Vista with *anyone*'s ten-foot pole. SP1 has proven to be
the predictable fiasco, too.

If no other OS is suitable, then do whatever you can to get XP. In my 4+
months of using it, it has been remarkably stable (one would hope so
after 2 SPs - I won't try SP3 until it's been out there for a few months).

--
Regards

Nigel Stapley

www.thejudge.me.uk

reply-to will bounce

I'd suggest Dell and Windows XP (and NOT Vista).

Don't take too long, though, because as of June 30, you won't even be able
to get WinXP installed on any OEMs, anymore. In fact, you may not even be
able to buy the WinXP software locally then anymore. I got a Dell
Inspiron with WinXP, and it's been great.

Plus Dell's Community User Forums are VERY extensive and helpful for support
issues. But I still have my other older Dell here, with Win98SE (which I
also use).

You might want to consider fixing that old one up, too, as a second
computer. I still prefer some things in Win98SE over WinXP, chief amongst
them being that *I* can pretty much configure the system to be the way that
*I* want it to be, and not Bill Gates. :-) Plus it is lean. :-)

bobster wrote:
Well, it looks like I've finally reached the end-of-life with my P11, 300
MHz Win98se machine. My master hard drive went belly-up but I have
managed
to limp along by replacing it with my properly re- jumpered slave drive.
Fortunately it was a clone of the master so it was able to boot-up okay.

The dilemma: What to replace my computer it with. I have a good friend
who
is a well respected local Computer (since 1994) technician who strongly
recommends Dell, ONLY because they are the only ones who still sell XP
machines. His strong opinion is that Vista is very buggy and doesn't look
like it is going to be cleaned up in the near future.

Also he says the unique "features" of Vista are mostly troublesome eye
candy
and messy security items, and that XP will survive for at least the next
5+
years.

My question:

Should I limit my choices to Dell because of the XP/Vista consideration or
should I bite the bullet and go for the best machine for my kilobuck
without
regard for the operating system.

Any thoughts, recommendations will be appreciated.

Thanks all for the good advice! I think I will go for a Dell Inspiron 530
with XP. I can get a well optioned one for $600-700. I was planning on
using my Samsung 19" flat panel but that would leave me without a display
for my old 98se dog which I DO plan on keeping active, so guess I'll go for
a new display with the 530.

One last question, is the pro version of XP worth the extra bucks? I'm not
a heavy power user


"Bill in Co." wrote in message
...
I'd suggest Dell and Windows XP (and NOT Vista).

Don't take too long, though, because as of June 30, you won't even be able
to get WinXP installed on any OEMs, anymore. In fact, you may not even be
able to buy the WinXP software locally then anymore. I got a Dell
Inspiron with WinXP, and it's been great.

Plus Dell's Community User Forums are VERY extensive and helpful for support
issues. But I still have my other older Dell here, with Win98SE (which I
also use).

You might want to consider fixing that old one up, too, as a second
computer. I still prefer some things in Win98SE over WinXP, chief amongst
them being that *I* can pretty much configure the system to be the way that
*I* want it to be, and not Bill Gates. :-) Plus it is lean. :-)

bobster wrote:
Well, it looks like I've finally reached the end-of-life with my P11, 300
MHz Win98se machine. My master hard drive went belly-up but I have
managed
to limp along by replacing it with my properly re- jumpered slave drive.
Fortunately it was a clone of the master so it was able to boot-up okay.

The dilemma: What to replace my computer it with. I have a good friend
who
is a well respected local Computer (since 1994) technician who strongly
recommends Dell, ONLY because they are the only ones who still sell XP
machines. His strong opinion is that Vista is very buggy and doesn't look
like it is going to be cleaned up in the near future.

Also he says the unique "features" of Vista are mostly troublesome eye
candy
and messy security items, and that XP will survive for at least the next
5+
years.

My question:

Should I limit my choices to Dell because of the XP/Vista consideration or
should I bite the bullet and go for the best machine for my kilobuck
without
regard for the operating system.

Any thoughts, recommendations will be appreciated.

I always recommend Pro, for it's additional networking abilities, Remote
Access, etc. Even if you don't need them now, you may in the future, and
that's a lot of upgrading.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"bobster" wrote in message
...
Thanks all for the good advice! I think I will go for a Dell Inspiron 530
with XP. I can get a well optioned one for $600-700. I was planning on
using my Samsung 19" flat panel but that would leave me without a display
for my old 98se dog which I DO plan on keeping active, so guess I'll go
for
a new display with the 530.

One last question, is the pro version of XP worth the extra bucks? I'm
not
a heavy power user


"Bill in Co." wrote in message
...
I'd suggest Dell and Windows XP (and NOT Vista).

Don't take too long, though, because as of June 30, you won't even be able
to get WinXP installed on any OEMs, anymore. In fact, you may not even
be
able to buy the WinXP software locally then anymore. I got a Dell
Inspiron with WinXP, and it's been great.

Plus Dell's Community User Forums are VERY extensive and helpful for
support
issues. But I still have my other older Dell here, with Win98SE (which I
also use).

You might want to consider fixing that old one up, too, as a second
computer. I still prefer some things in Win98SE over WinXP, chief
amongst
them being that *I* can pretty much configure the system to be the way
that
*I* want it to be, and not Bill Gates. :-) Plus it is lean. :-)

bobster wrote:
Well, it looks like I've finally reached the end-of-life with my P11, 300
MHz Win98se machine. My master hard drive went belly-up but I have
managed
to limp along by replacing it with my properly re- jumpered slave drive.
Fortunately it was a clone of the master so it was able to boot-up okay.

The dilemma: What to replace my computer it with. I have a good friend
who
is a well respected local Computer (since 1994) technician who strongly
recommends Dell, ONLY because they are the only ones who still sell XP
machines. His strong opinion is that Vista is very buggy and doesn't
look
like it is going to be cleaned up in the near future.

Also he says the unique "features" of Vista are mostly troublesome eye
candy
and messy security items, and that XP will survive for at least the next
5+
years.

My question:

Should I limit my choices to Dell because of the XP/Vista consideration
or
should I bite the bullet and go for the best machine for my kilobuck
without
regard for the operating system.

Any thoughts, recommendations will be appreciated.

bobster wrote:

My question:

Should I limit my choices to Dell because of the XP/Vista
consideration or

should I bite the bullet and go for the best machine for my
kilobuck without regard for the operating system.

If you (or everyone you know or can rely on) are completely incapable
of building a computer from scratch (in other words, if your only
realistic choice is to buy a fully assembled retail machine) then Dell
is probably the way to go. But beware the low prices because those
machines are really stripped-down and Dell charges a lot for simple
upgrades (like more memory, better CPU, better optical drive, etc).

And yes, Dell is still offering some machines with XP.

But you should be aware that you can still buy XP (retail version)
until the end (or start?) of June 2008, and you will still be able to
get the "System Builder" version of XP until January 2009. Which
means if you have the ability to put together a system from parts that
it should be no problem to buy a legit copy of XP for the remainder of
this year.

should I bite the bullet and go for the best machine for my
kilobuck without regard for the operating system.

You can always buy (the best) machine and simply wipe the hard drive
and install XP on it if you want. I would never wish Vista on
anyone. Vista is a downgrade compared to XP.

On the other hand, if you are having a hard time saying goodby to
win-98, you really don't have to. It is (still) possible to put
together a new system with specific motherboard and video card
combinations that will run win-98 just fine.

That depends on your needs.
I'm not into networking, and all that, so for me, Win XP Home Edition was
all I wanted. Although "customizing" even that, will take you some time
("taming the beast", I should say - getting rid of some of the BS, (like
that dumb default, mixed bag Programs and Documents Start Menu - just for
starters).

bobster wrote:
Thanks all for the good advice! I think I will go for a Dell Inspiron 530
with XP. I can get a well optioned one for $600-700. I was planning on
using my Samsung 19" flat panel but that would leave me without a display
for my old 98se dog which I DO plan on keeping active, so guess I'll go
for
a new display with the 530.

One last question, is the pro version of XP worth the extra bucks? I'm
not
a heavy power user


"Bill in Co." wrote in message
...
I'd suggest Dell and Windows XP (and NOT Vista).

Don't take too long, though, because as of June 30, you won't even be able
to get WinXP installed on any OEMs, anymore. In fact, you may not even
be
able to buy the WinXP software locally then anymore. I got a Dell
Inspiron with WinXP, and it's been great.

Plus Dell's Community User Forums are VERY extensive and helpful for
support
issues. But I still have my other older Dell here, with Win98SE (which I
also use).

You might want to consider fixing that old one up, too, as a second
computer. I still prefer some things in Win98SE over WinXP, chief
amongst
them being that *I* can pretty much configure the system to be the way
that
*I* want it to be, and not Bill Gates. :-) Plus it is lean. :-)

bobster wrote:
Well, it looks like I've finally reached the end-of-life with my P11, 300
MHz Win98se machine. My master hard drive went belly-up but I have
managed
to limp along by replacing it with my properly re- jumpered slave drive.
Fortunately it was a clone of the master so it was able to boot-up okay.

The dilemma: What to replace my computer it with. I have a good friend
who
is a well respected local Computer (since 1994) technician who strongly
recommends Dell, ONLY because they are the only ones who still sell XP
machines. His strong opinion is that Vista is very buggy and doesn't
look
like it is going to be cleaned up in the near future.

Also he says the unique "features" of Vista are mostly troublesome eye
candy
and messy security items, and that XP will survive for at least the next
5+
years.

My question:

Should I limit my choices to Dell because of the XP/Vista consideration
or
should I bite the bullet and go for the best machine for my kilobuck
without
regard for the operating system.

Any thoughts, recommendations will be appreciated.

Interesting comment. I've thought about the possibility of a dual boot
98se/XP. Don't know if it makes sense, but like you, I am so comfortable
with 98 that I hate to give up on it completely. I'm a retired electrical
engineer but don't know if I'm up to building a machine from scratch. Might
be fun to try.


"98 Guy" wrote in message ...
bobster wrote:

My question:

Should I limit my choices to Dell because of the XP/Vista
consideration or

should I bite the bullet and go for the best machine for my
kilobuck without regard for the operating system.

If you (or everyone you know or can rely on) are completely incapable
of building a computer from scratch (in other words, if your only
realistic choice is to buy a fully assembled retail machine) then Dell
is probably the way to go. But beware the low prices because those
machines are really stripped-down and Dell charges a lot for simple
upgrades (like more memory, better CPU, better optical drive, etc).

And yes, Dell is still offering some machines with XP.

But you should be aware that you can still buy XP (retail version)
until the end (or start?) of June 2008, and you will still be able to
get the "System Builder" version of XP until January 2009. Which
means if you have the ability to put together a system from parts that
it should be no problem to buy a legit copy of XP for the remainder of
this year.

should I bite the bullet and go for the best machine for my
kilobuck without regard for the operating system.

You can always buy (the best) machine and simply wipe the hard drive
and install XP on it if you want. I would never wish Vista on
anyone. Vista is a downgrade compared to XP.

On the other hand, if you are having a hard time saying goodby to
win-98, you really don't have to. It is (still) possible to put
together a new system with specific motherboard and video card
combinations that will run win-98 just fine.

"bobster" wrote in message
...

Thanks all for the good advice! I think I will go for a Dell Inspiron 530
with XP. I can get a well optioned one for $600-700. . . .

Concerning Dell -- be advised:
1. You need to draft approximate specifications, e.g.
512 Mb RAM or more (not 256 Mb as in the cheaper Dells)
e.g. hard drive size and speed, whether you want a separate
second hard drive, and how they should be partitioned (I
prefer two or more partitions each: Dell does not.)

2. Dell PCs are supplied with special Dell XP system disks
(not standard MS OEM system disks) and I think these disallow
restoration of individual MS modules or components. There
are "Rescue" CDs with diagnostics and repair tools, but the
"Restore" CD is preprogrammed to repartition (wipe) the hard drive
and reinstal everything from scratch. You would thus lose any
data not written to a previously created drive D: (cf. planning
partitions in #1. Of course XP's System Restore procedures were
intended to make reinstallation unnecessary: but they were never
quite perfected, cf. number of updates.)

3. Certain Dell and Microsoft functions are integrated, e.g.
Help files. This means standard MS manuals do not necessarily
apply to your PC. This is a pain.

For these reasons I would never buy Dell. But (nearly) everybody
needs a manual. I recommend the MS manual by Bott and Siechert
called MS WindowsXP Inside Out.

One last question, is the pro version of XP worth the extra bucks?

4. Yes, buy XP while you can (since XP will be withdrawn from the
market in favour of Vista) and make it the Pro version. You would
kick yourself if you later wanted something (fax, networking Remote
Desktop etc.) configured best (or exclusively) only in Pro.

5. If confident in the vendor, you can buy a used XP Pro PC for
less than half the price of new Dell systems.
http://www.bmtnet.com/instore/
shows what is on offer where I live, in one of the few surviving
old-style computer stores (where I buy components, have
parts tested etc.) On first boot you probably need to instal
scores of XP updates, but the MS web site automates this.

Peace of mind is worth hard cash, which is why some home
users buy Dell, although these units are packaged mainly for
bulk business users. If you are screwdriver-capable as far
as adding a 2nd hard drive to a PC, your dollars buy much more
in the used market (business PCs traded in by people
hornswoggled into going all-Vista, also peripherals e.g. printers.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)