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Computers really don't wear out


ComputerGuy

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I was a computer scientist working for HP. Never have I had to clean my registry. Also Iphones can go down sales wise as soon as something else comes along. Look at what happened to The "Blackberry". Nothing is for sure in this industry. Ipad business has huge competition with Android. Also for the Mac lover hate to tell you but exact same hardware for apple as MS. I have not lost a computer hardware wise in 20 years also but I have had to rebuilt the operating system as computer guy says. If we all knew what was going to happen we would all be rich. All it takes is one new smart player and a new game is afoot and all the other business plans are suddenly worthless. I am not predicting anything for Apple or MS cause I don't know what is going to happen but something will.

Seen it over and over and over.

Apple is a serial disruptor and innovator. HP and RIMM are both examples of what can go wrong if a company does not disrupt itself. Samsung is a fast follower which is now getting faster followed by Chineese companies. With 150 billion in cash, control of both hardware and software, with an installed base of consumers willing to pay for quality and an ecosystem that is quite sticky I will continue to bet on the success of AAPL. My initial AAPL investment is up over 600%, not bad. May the wearable computing revolution begin!

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Convert your old boxes to run Linux. Even old Macbooks can run it. Completely painless - you don't have to know programming. It vastly improves the speed over windows, is secure online, very few viruses, and rock solid stable. The easiest way is to download a "distro" which is a package of applications as well as Linux. I like Mint, for its ease of use. If you are reviving a really old computer, then Puppy is better - it can run your whole computer from a 100MB flash drive! All software and apps are free.

http://www.howtogeek.com/191207/10-of-the-most-popular-linux-distributions-compared/

My problem over the past few years is motherboards - they seem to be getting lower and lower in quality. I had a state of the art XFX extreme gaming motherboard (overclocking) with a liquid cooler - it was shipped dead from the factory. The second one died in about one year. The only ones left with any quality are made by Intel. Yes, I know all about electrical power conditioning.

So an old computer running the "thick" motherboards, with quality electronic components, using Linux, will be faster and more reliable that any new computer running Windows or Apple. Of course you won't find any salesperson willing to tell you that.

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I never turn my computers off and they last 6 to 8 years, how long on average do your computers last? By last I mean run until they dont turn on or have motherboard issues where fixing doesnt make sense, just bought a new Dell for $220US 4gb/500gb and refurbished HP 4/gb/500gb for $160US. Doesnt make sense to fix them when you can buy newer technology. I am upgrading my last few "old" computers and will have 3 cheap ones to sell that run and are loaded with programs.

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Here an interesting Wiki article about the "capacitor plague".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

A lot of schools and businesses are converting to Linux. Unless you are running some specialist Windows programs, it is much easier to run the free linux and apps for day to word processing, databases and accounting. The schoolkids and drudge employees hate it of course because there are few games for Linux and internet access can be tightly controlled

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Lakeviews: Mac did lose the war, in the business world you run PC or forget it. In graphics, Mac rules, but back in the 80's/90's to run business software applications you had to run PC that's when my Max stuff went on the shelf and is now on the way to the bone yard. Mac has always been a better system, a better OS IMHOP but PC rules in the real world and especially in price and price drives a huge part of the world. As Spencer says $$$$.

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The "speed" of a computer is determined by the CPU, the size of the memory and the speed of the HD read/write. If the HD is good, the computer will not slow down without software problems.

Computers are not like car engines that "lose power".

I laugh when I hear people talking about reloading the computers. Basically, you are defraging the HD, cleaning out the trash and rebuilding the directory, and getting rid of all the viruses. All things you can do without reloading,

Slap in a new Solid State Disk and you will see real speed.

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jrm, not sure which way you are pointing. While reinstalling Windows as an operating system is a last-resort repair, used when Windows has become damaged enough to cause usage problems, it is much more than defragging, cleaning trash, and "rebuilding the directory" (I assume you mean chkdsk). If that was all it took, I'd never have to reinstall Windows. In fact, defragging has not been required as a manual task since Windows XP... Vista, 7 and 8 do this in the background as part of the system, regularly. Cleaning trash is sort of like taking a maintenance course for automobiles and being informed to empty the garbage regularly; with the size of today's hard drive, and the efficiency of Windows, it's nothing but a panacea.

If the Master Boot Record cannot be repaired, or the system directory files cannot be repaired, or their reparation does not lead to improved operation of the OS, then nothing is left but to reinstall Windows. And it works. It restores your computer to an even better state than when you bought it. What's a good example of a system that needs repair? Say you're typing in an email, and the letters don't come in as you type... then two things happen: one, they all bunch in at once, and two, you find that your cursor is in the wrong place and you are typing in the middle of a sentence. That is frequently a PC that has damaged operating system files.

I don't suggest a reinstall of Windows until I've tried all the other fixes, but after doing quite a large number of computers, it becomes quite obvious when serious work is required.

Getting rid of all the viruses: Well, we really don't have many of those anymore. We have lots of spyware, yes. Sneaks in from the 'Net when you're not looking, and most people are not aware of how to check for or get rid of them. I'm always happy to offer advice on that when asked here, because it is an insidious problem.

"Slap in a new SSD and you will see real speed" requires either a new installation of Windows anyway, or a serious awareness of how to clone a Windows drive and transfer it over to the new one. Cloning a damaged Windows OS onto a new drive will simply recreate the original problems. And I hate to say it, but Windows doesn't care how fast a drive it's on... it will slow down eventually anyway.

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So if your tower/laptop gets too slow for you, generally speaking, it can be fixed. Don't waste your money getting a new unit to replace a slow one (unless you want to get a better one anyway).

I think a major issue here is escalating hardware/software requirements. If you get newer software versions, you soon upgrade beyond the hardware capabilities. Apple's newest OS won't run on older Apple hardware, for example. But beyond the minimum specs there are the 'real world' specs. And if you are using a computer for work, you'll need to keep up with newer tech just to remain compatible with your co-workers and clients.

Also, sometimes an upgrade saves enough time and headache that it's worth it, even if it isn't technically necessary... Prices are insanely low sometimes. I picked up my current 16" screen laptop w Windows 8 and touchscreen for $400. The wife's (without touchscreen) came in at $270. And both are much easier to fix/maintain in Mexico than our old Macbook Airs :)

Excellent points!

Are there any good safe software programs that you recommend to clean up a "slow machine"?

http://www.howtogeek.com/162683/pc-cleaning-apps-are-a-scam-heres-why-and-how-to-speed-up-your-pc/

I am against using any program that purports to clean the registry. I have seen too many ruined Windows operating systems as a result. However, there are those who use them and have apparently never had a problem.

http://www.howtogeek.com/171633/why-using-a-registry-cleaner-wont-speed-up-your-pc-or-fix-crashes/

I've made it a point to never upgrade unless I buy a new computer. Windows upgrades is always turned off. If it works, why fix it, or why chance the upgrade has errors. Unless your computer breaks, and can't be fixed, why upgrade? What was wrong with XP? I still have it on one of my computers and it works fine. What do I care if MS stops upgrading, I don't upgrade anyway. Maybe it's time to stop playing their game. There's billions of computers out there, why would somebody hack yours. If you didn't upgrade, your BW scanner would work fine. Get Firefox, use the add-on "NoScript" and don't worry about it.

Oh my. Well, here's the deal. Why would someone hack *your* computer? Mainly because they are building a botnet and they want every single computer they can get their software into. Then your computer can be part of a DDOS attack, or many other potentially criminal schemes.

Unless you never connect your PC to the internet, in which case never mind. :)

I've run Macs for 25 years and NEVER had a hardware problem. It seems components in a Mac are of higher quality regardless of manufacturer of the hard drive.

I would generally give Apple an edge when it comes to hardware quality, but I've also taken my fair share of items to the local Apple store for repair or replacement. Last year both of our MacBook Airs suffered logic board failures. This is why I always purchased extended warranties for Apple devices. So as long as you live in the US and can utilize the Genius Bar and/or the mail-in repair program, and as long as you don't need your Mac for critical business use, you're usually pretty safe w/ Apple products.

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dixonge, all good points. I would like to comment in particular on "I think a major issue here is escalating hardware/software requirements". So true. I still have clients using Windows XP (even a couple who have it on much newer machines). They basically do email, and are retired and in no particular hurry. I have gotten many XP machines running at peak performance, but it is much harder now because of the software requirements.

For example, on XP, you cannot install Internet Explorer version any more recent than 8; the OS won't accept it. For those using only webmail, that's not a problem (except for Google's insidious and ubiquitous You need to upgrade your browser, which then installs Chrome and makes it the default program). For those regularly updating Firefox and other browsers, problems arise because these newer, fatter versions require much more computing power. (Also, there are sites that use versions of HTML, and some plugins, that won't work on IE8.) And just about every other program available today is much more power-hungry than it was when XP came out.

So while an older XP machine may still be humming along, with repaired or replaced power supplies, hard drives, DVD drives, and so on... it just is not worth the time or effort if you do much more than email. Interesting dichotomy: the expensive hardware is still good, but it can't handle the software anymore.

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The best way to keep your computer operating at its best does not involve third-party programs with a couple of exceptions. There are a number of things an owner can and should do:

- check regularly for spyware. You need to look in your browsers for unrecognized add-ons and toolbars. In particular, your search engine list should be checked. Crapware like Ask gets in often.

- in a related note, Chrome installs Ask automatically as a search engine, which I find astounding.

- check your Programs and Features regularly for unrecognized programs, and get rid of them. If you can't tell from reading the list, that's what repair people are for

- check your Startup files all the time. Many programs, in particular Java, DVD burning tools, and printers load all kinds of unnecessary stuff in there that slows your PC down at startup and during use; stuff that is completely unnecessary and will be invoked when it's needed anyway.

- get a good Uninstall program. Revo is a popular free one; I prefer the more robust and accurate Smarty Uninstaller, but it has to be purchased. Why? Because Window's uninstall tools are notoriously poor at removing the unwanted registry entries associated with the program you are removing, while the uninstall programs do their best to get rid of those entries.

When I said I "manually" check the registry in an earlier post, I am most definitely not going through the bazillions of lines of code. No, I get into it when I face a problem with a specific piece of software. Regedit is a built-in Windows tool that can find all instances of a program and allow you to delete them, without damaging anything else. As the articles posted by dixonge point out, free third-party registry cleaners are basically a waste of time. For example, MyCleanPC found 26,000 bad entries? That's just ludicrous.

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I will repeat again. Apple uses the same hardware as MS type computers and charges more for it. Yes the BSD based (UNIX) Apple operating system can be more reliable in some ways than MS operating system but Apples are now being attacked like MS PCs. Both are very good computers and operating systems to be honest. I prefer MS and others prefer Apple.

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I read the post Dixonge put up and followed his links to HowtoGeek. I was quite surprised to see their opinion. I then searched and found another article by PC World saying the same thing “There’s no advantage to using Registry Cleaners”.

Many years ago Windows had a notorious reputation for crashing. I also had that problem until I discovered Regclean. This was a program that came with Windows and was used to clean the registry. When I started using that, my problems with crashes ended.

Regclean is no longer part of Windows and Microsoft has turned that over to the independent market. I’ve switched to Ccleaner then onto Wise. In using these programs, I’ve never had windows slow down or act erratic and I have Wise set to clean daily on start-up. My wife’s computer is not set to clean automatically. Every few months she complains about problems of slowing down, or the typing problem Computerguy mentioned. I run the cleaners and presto, everything’s fine.

I guess what I don’t understand is who profits here. On one hand I have personal experience that they work, the company’s that put these out make the claims that they work, Microsoft seemed to think they worked, the product is free, they’re not selling you a line of goods. Who profits? I can’t see where they profit. Who loses money if they work? Who do you think.

I saw some screen pictures where some software claimed 61,000 errors found. I have nothing like that. The most errors I’ve ever seen found is well less than a hundred. Yes, there’s good and bad software and I’m sure some of it out there can bring down the Registry. The articles also stated that registry cleaners have been used to introduce malware. So what? That doesn’t mean the good ones are bad. Pretty much everything in the articles were presented as scare tactics, from the article itself to the reader responses. Read it, It was "Scare Inc.". Why?

I’ve never been a follower and could care less what you all do with your computers. I’m retired and have no ambition to start a computer repair business. Personally, I’ll continue using them.

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Snafu, on 22 Nov 2014 - 6:32 PM, said:

I've made it a point to never upgrade unless I buy a new computer. Windows upgrades is always turned off. If it works, why fix it, or why chance the upgrade has errors. Unless your computer breaks, and can't be fixed, why upgrade? What was wrong with XP? I still have it on one of my computers and it works fine. What do I care if MS stops upgrading, I don't upgrade anyway. Maybe it's time to stop playing their game. There's billions of computers out there, why would somebody hack yours. If you didn't upgrade, your BW scanner would work fine. Get Firefox, use the add-on "NoScript" and don't worry about it.

Dixonge response:

Oh my. Well, here's the deal. Why would someone hack *your* computer? Mainly because they are building a botnet and they want every single computer they can get their software into. Then your computer can be part of a DDOS attack, or many other potentially criminal schemes.

Just one more response to Dixonge. Besides the problem another poster had where the updates caused his scanner to become obsolete, none of you have any knowledge of what’s contained in the update. A back door for NSA or spyware from Microsoft is just as likely as a fix against someone hacking your computer.

The “botnet” Dixonge referred to would need to be downloaded or given as a script through a webpage. It would not be hacked. As I stated above, if you use Firefox with “NoScript”, that halts any chance of the so called “Botnet” getting in your computer from a webpage. Caution on what you download prevents downloading a virus. Nothing Microsoft fixes will prevent you downloading problematic software.

An actual ”Hack” would have to be done specifically to your computer, a one on one venture by a hacker, and the hackers are more interested in more profitable things than your computer.



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For those that use a computer for Email, Facebook, surfing the web and cloud apps.

Talk computers and you'll stir up a hornet's nest. There are many options and those who are enthusiastic about each of them, and they will let you know that their solution is "best." That's probably true for them, but we each have our own needs and preferences so there is no one best solution for everyone.

I get the "mine is better than yours" attitude all the time, especially when I discuss the Chromebook. There are a lot of folks who believe that the lightweight Chrome OS is not as good as OS X or Windows. They need, or perhaps merely want, a full OS that can handle everything. Others want to have a big, honking OS around just in case they need it.

I understand that, I use both Windows and Macs, too. But every time I head out for the day with my Chromebook in tow I am impressed with how well it works for me.

I work, you might even say I live, in the Chrome browser all day. It doesn't matter what OS is running behind the web pages, it's Chrome front and center.

This is why the Chromebook works so well for me. The lack of a "real" OS as the engine behind the Chrome browser is actually a good thing for me. My Chromebook runs Chrome faster, smoother, and without hiccups, better than my fast Macs and Windows PCs. I can still do lots of "PC" activities in Chrome; with web apps it's much more than a browser. But the pure browser experience is excellent on a Chromebook.

Chrome OS is designed to run the Chrome browser better than anything else. The hardware in the Chromebook is optimized to do that one thing. While Google has added extensions to Chrome OS, like a file manager, its primary goal of running Chrome well is evident.

I like my Macs and Windows PCs, but when it comes to doing my work, the Chromebook is better. The lack of overhead that comes with Windows and OS X is a very good thing. You might say those "full" OS's are mostly dead weight.

Yes, many need the power and versatility of Windows or OS X. I get that. But there are a whole lot of folks like me who don't need that much horsepower. We are in the web browser most of the time and that means Chrome OS is the better option.

That’s why Chromebook sales are booming. It’s still small enough to be a niche market, but that’s changing. I hear from folks regularly who realize how good Chromebooks are once they try them. And many are doing just that.

Whether you're shopping for a student or are looking to update your own tech lineup, our back-to-school guide will show you something worth your time and money.

I am convinced the lightweight nature of Chrome OS is a big reason why schools are grabbing Chromebooks. They can do everything the students need to do with little fuss. There are no driver issues and no software glitches to deal with. Hit the power button, sign in, and be productive in seconds. That is what computing should be like all the time. No overhead required."

As always, YMMV

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The computer that's buzzing with the students is the Raspberry Pi. It is a bare board, credit card size and sells on Amazon for around $35 U.S.. There are clubs all over the world, sort of like the old Apple Homebrew Computer Club. Kids and teenagers are building all sorts of coding and projects for it. There is a sort of comraderie too - with the older kids teaching the younger ones. It is actually quite exciting.

I am mentioning this because if you know of any Mexican kids, interested in computers, this is probably the best gift you could ever give. These are the sorts of computers finding their way into "smart" appliances, automobiles, medical monitoring, etc. These are the good, steady jobs in Mexico right now and far into the future. Employers are also looking for team players, not talented prima donnas.

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For those that use a computer for Email, Facebook, surfing the web and cloud apps.

Talk computers and you'll stir up a hornet's nest. There are many options and those who are enthusiastic about each of them, and they will let you know that their solution is "best." That's probably true for them, but we each have our own needs and preferences so there is no one best solution for everyone.

I get the "mine is better than yours" attitude all the time, especially when I discuss the Chromebook. There are a lot of folks who believe that the lightweight Chrome OS is not as good as OS X or Windows. They need, or perhaps merely want, a full OS that can handle everything. Others want to have a big, honking OS around just in case they need it.

I understand that, I use both Windows and Macs, too. But every time I head out for the day with my Chromebook in tow I am impressed with how well it works for me.

I work, you might even say I live, in the Chrome browser all day. It doesn't matter what OS is running behind the web pages, it's Chrome front and center.

This is why the Chromebook works so well for me. The lack of a "real" OS as the engine behind the Chrome browser is actually a good thing for me. My Chromebook runs Chrome faster, smoother, and without hiccups, better than my fast Macs and Windows PCs. I can still do lots of "PC" activities in Chrome; with web apps it's much more than a browser. But the pure browser experience is excellent on a Chromebook.

Chrome OS is designed to run the Chrome browser better than anything else. The hardware in the Chromebook is optimized to do that one thing. While Google has added extensions to Chrome OS, like a file manager, its primary goal of running Chrome well is evident.

I like my Macs and Windows PCs, but when it comes to doing my work, the Chromebook is better. The lack of overhead that comes with Windows and OS X is a very good thing. You might say those "full" OS's are mostly dead weight.

Yes, many need the power and versatility of Windows or OS X. I get that. But there are a whole lot of folks like me who don't need that much horsepower. We are in the web browser most of the time and that means Chrome OS is the better option.

That’s why Chromebook sales are booming. It’s still small enough to be a niche market, but that’s changing. I hear from folks regularly who realize how good Chromebooks are once they try them. And many are doing just that.

Whether you're shopping for a student or are looking to update your own tech lineup, our back-to-school guide will show you something worth your time and money.

I am convinced the lightweight nature of Chrome OS is a big reason why schools are grabbing Chromebooks. They can do everything the students need to do with little fuss. There are no driver issues and no software glitches to deal with. Hit the power button, sign in, and be productive in seconds. That is what computing should be like all the time. No overhead required."

As always, YMMV

Have had a Chromebook for a couple of years now, I only do the things you mentioned at the top, and I love it. Do wish I could download photos from my camera, other than wifi, and that my printer had drivers for wireless printing but for $250 it's the best money I ever spent for a computer. Not fancy but perfect for what I need.

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