My New Computer

aspiringwriter said:

I just acquired a new computer last week and I love it It's a Compaq with Windows Vista (which i'm not really happy about) but the company I ordered it from only puts Vista on their computers... Still, I'm slowly getting used to it and haven't had any problems... Just thought i'd share my happiness.

Click to expand...

Congratulations! Compaq is a pretty decent brand. I used to use Compaqs all the time, and they're reliable enough.

Best wishes with the new machine.

Go on, tell us the specs. RAM, graphics, CPU, these are the things I wanna hear about.

aspiringwriter said:

It's an AMD sempron, 80GB hard drive.. 2.0GHZ, NVIDIA graphics card..512RAM...so forth and so on...It's a powerful laptop that's for sure.

Click to expand...

AMD? Good chip. My first machine had an AMD K6-2, which was about the equivalent at the time to a very slow P-3. I like AMD's stuff.

I have a friend with a Compaq laptop that is just about the same as yours, except I think his processor is an AMD Turion. His is a bit sluggish to work with, as I usually help him figure things out on it -- he's totally new to computers and has a lot of learning to go through -- but it's still a pretty good piece of equipment. If I get another laptop in the next few years, I might just get one of the Compaq or HP models. I like them a bundle.

Glad to hear you finally got your computer and it's working great for you!

Vista, for being as young as it is, is working out great on my new Dell and I'm really happy with it.

aspiringwriter said:

Yeah I can't complain about Vista.... So far I like it

Click to expand...

Congrats aw, I got one too a laptop Compac--but I do not know how to use vista, and I dare not try...

kimmi said:

Congrats aw, I got one too a laptop Compac--but I do not know how to use vista, and I dare not try...

Click to expand...

Just jump in the windows start up and it will walk you through. It's really easy to run! You'll enjoy it once you've got it running!

Once again, I don't mean to be a buzzkill, but this is an Office Party topic. Goals and Accomplishments is for things of the writerly variety. So, I've moved it.

All the same, my FIL insists Vista is fantastic. I'm glad you're enjoying the new gear!

Is it the C500?

I have not been a fan of Compaqs but when the C500 was on sale at Best Buy memorial day I ran out and grabbed one for a "kick it around" computer. It was $350.00 and I had a GC so I paid $342 cash!

Bought two 1GB memory cards on ebay, installed them in like-- five seconds-- and now it's maxed out at 2Gigs... BLAZES! I stripped out Norton and all the Office nonsense that bloats it and installed Open Office, AVG, and have fallen in love. A lot of people seem to dislike the keyboard, but I like the gaps and springiness.

Congrats!! If it's the same one it's a bargain and you'll LOVE it!

Good luck. ^_^ Sometimes computers are a pain in spine.

aspiringwriter said:

I wanted a MAC but can't afford one of those just yet...still i'm happy with it---no problems with Vista either... It recognizes and automatically installs drivers like flash drives and such Pretty cool.

Click to expand...

If you've got a monitor, USB keyboard and mouse, just buy a Mac mini.

Aiiiee! Vista!

From what I've heard, the big problems with the new OS come from trying to upgrade an older Windows system to Vista. As long as the computer came installed with it, there shouldn't be any problems.

Enjoy your shiny new computer!

swvaughn said:

Aiiiee! Vista!

From what I've heard, the big problems with the new OS come from trying to upgrade an older Windows system to Vista. As long as the computer came installed with it, there shouldn't be any problems.

Enjoy your shiny new computer!

Click to expand...

I found the same thing to be true when upgrading from 98SE to XP. My old machine would have been better able to handle XP if I had taken 98 completely off and installed XP on it.

The problem was, I had this nasty desire to have all my old programs on the machine.

But now I have a machine that's actually slower in some cases than my previous machine, and it has XP Professional installed on it. It's actually faster and more efficient with its use of the the OS than the old machine was with the upgrade to XP from 98SE.

Upgrades, I guess, are a waste of time. Better to have the OS installed using the OEM version than to have it installed via an upgrade.

Just make sure to upgrade your memory to at least over 1GB, and Vista will run fine. Otherwise, it's dog-slow.

And if you don't use a web browser-type e-mail setup (you use Windows Mail), make sure not to let it install the latest auto-update...yikes, that was a pain in the ass.

aspiringwriter said:

I just acquired a new computer last week and I love it It's a Compaq with Windows Vista (which i'm not really happy about) but the company I ordered it from only puts Vista on their computers... Still, I'm slowly getting used to it and haven't had any problems... Just thought i'd share my happiness.

Click to expand...

I am happy for you. Getting a new computer gives you a great buzz and I remember when I bought my XP 2 years ago. I would like a new computer now but I can't afford it yet. One day!

Enjoy your computer and treat it kindly.

Barbara

Anybody using Vista with a TV tuner? We're on the market for a new laptop and it would be nice to make it do some tricks...

swvaughn said:

Aiiiee! Vista!

From what I've heard, the big problems with the new OS come from trying to upgrade an older Windows system to Vista. As long as the computer came installed with it, there shouldn't be any problems.

Enjoy your shiny new computer!

Click to expand...

The only friend I have who has Vista upgraded his computer to it and he had no problems...but then he's good with computers. I'd probably end up with smoke coming from the stupid box thing.

If you're doing Vista, get a new computer, like aspiring did. (And I did, too, a few months ago.) Unless you're like CC or Fahim who are techies and can install over XP. The more RAM you get, the better. I got 2 Gig Ram, 256 video card, and Vista Home Premium. I love it.

Enjoy, aspiringwriter!

MattW said:

Anybody using Vista with a TV tuner? We're on the market for a new laptop and it would be nice to make it do some tricks...

Click to expand...

Buddy of mine got a Dell with an external HD/Cable tuner (USB2). Works great for him.

I don't remember the exact model.

I got this new desktop (that I put on the floor) a few months ago, it's my first XP machine, but it works just like NT4 from long ago, only with more things running around in the background...

Mdlle. Nancy said:

The only friend I have who has Vista upgraded his computer to it and he had no problems...but then he's good with computers. I'd probably end up with smoke coming from the stupid box thing.

Click to expand...

Most of the people I know who are "good with computers" have NOT upgraded to Vista...