So This is my Computer

[Milko]

I'm a firm believer that if it ain't broke don't fix it! I'm a writer and I use a snappy little Toshiba satellite for my writing and even though it's running Windows 98 and is old enough to drive, I like it. It can play CDs and read cd roms, run useful software like Office, it's nearly indestructible (the hard drive isn't even making any weird noises), it's nearly crash proof and isn't connected to the Internet or any networks, and it's small enough to take anywhere. I write my work to 3.5" floppy diskettes and since it's a small amount of data (my longest 20,000+ word story is about 500k give or take), it's not a big deal. This isn't even getting into how much safer floppies are than CDs if you use em right (data surface isn't open like a cd, unscratchable if used correctly, small enough to fit in a shirt pocket and be safely taken with you. You buy a MacBook and the thing lasts a couple of years, you pick up one of these babies at a garage sale and the thing lasts you as long as you need and you can open the thing up and replace a part if something goes bad, Just something to think about before you buy a $2,000 computer to write with...

Your laptop sounds pretty similar to mine, I think I made a thread on it a while back. May I ask what model number it is? Mine's a Toshiba Satellite Pro 440CDX

 

[kitterdafoxy]

Your laptop sounds pretty similar to mine, I think I made a thread on it a while back. May I ask what model number it is? Mine's a Toshiba Satellite Pro 440CDX

It's a Toshiba Satellite 2505CDS With pentium MMX, model number is: PAS250U A

 

[NabePup]

Yeah!! I thought I'd be waiting around for ages for one And while I do like ubuntu, I much prefer OS X and Windows. In fact, I probably love OS X more than Windows but for obvious reasons I'm using windows. Though i do have an old power Mac G5 in the corner of my room I might take a look at. I bought it months ago as an upgrade to my old mac, but turns out it won't work. It's either the PSU, logic board or one of the processors. I think I might try to get a cheap PSU for it but obviously if it isn't that then I can't fix it. I could probably buy 4 or 5 G5's for the cost of a logic board or CPU for one of them.. Still it would make an interesting thread.

I use to be exclusive to Windows, but still appreciated OS X, till Windows 8 came out now if I can do something on OS X, I will. I don't think OS X even has a blue screen of death equivalent. Gotta love the G5s, some of the original "consumer" machines that could run a any architecture you threw at it. If you could find and obtain that graphics card then maybe a PSU is possible, it might take a little more sloothing (and investment though).

Man, none of you have clearly had or used an SSD with a 64bit OS. I can't use a machine now if it boots up slower than my phone takes to wake from sleep, lol. Then again, my MacBook can't even read or write CDs without an external drive attached, but it honestly really hasn't changed much (I was skeptical at first). I love old tech though and got respect for it, I mean who doesn't miss XP?

- - - Updated - - -

I don't see why people go out and buy crazy computers for like $1000, most hardware is overkill for every day usage.

If it's something you're gonna be using everyday then $1000 ain't asking a lot, even $2000 to $3000 could be justified. But also ya, if the only thing it's gonna be used for is surfing the web and making a few office docs, then it doesn't take too much power. However, if it's gonna have to play some intense games or even more, render and edit digital content then that's entirely different.

 

[Milko]

I use to be exclusive to Windows, but still appreciated OS X, till Windows 8 came out now if I can do something on OS X, I will. I don't think OS X even has a blue screen of death equivalent. Gotta love the G5s, some of the original "consumer" machines that could run a any architecture you threw at it. If you could find and obtain that graphics card then maybe a PSU is possible, it might take a little more sloothing (and investment though).

Man, none of you have clearly had or used an SSD with a 64bit OS. I can't use a machine now if it boots up slower than my phone takes to wake from sleep, lol. Then again, my MacBook can't even read or write CDs without an external drive attached, but it honestly really hasn't changed much (I was skeptical at first). I love old tech though and got respect for it, I mean who doesn't miss XP?

I might get an SSD one day but my hard disk does fine for now. Though it's over a decade old now so I might think about upgrading soon. And an SSD wouldn't provide that good a speed boost for me since most bootup time is spent counting memory and testing drives etc. on my computer

If it's something you're gonna be using everyday then $1000 ain't asking a lot, even $2000 to $3000 could be justified. But also ya, if the only thing it's gonna be used for is surfing the web and making a few office docs, then it doesn't take too much power. However, if it's gonna have to play some intense games or even more, render and edit digital content then that's entirely different.

I would never pay $1000 for a computer. That's way too much for me My budget has always been like $200 or less. I suppose that explains a lot..

 

[Milko]

So.. a bit of an update here. The graphics card arrived the other day (GeForce 6800GT 512MB) and of course it didn't work.. it would set the computer to a 640*480 16-colour mode which made my 1996 laptop's graphics look positively modern Every time I tried to install the drivers it would fail, and later the card started glitching and artifacting on the screen during bootup and in the BIOS etc. so I think it's just broken.. I won't buy another one any time soon because I've had so many computer projects like this fail I just can't bring myself to buy anything else.

I decided to ditch Windows 7 and now I'm back to using Windows 2000 because it has much better graphics performance with the old card and just much faster performance overall compared to 7.

 

[Fruitkitty]

I don't mean to pour cold water on something you're clearly proud of, but a computer that can't run an operating system that still gets ongoing security updates is not meeting your needs if you use it on the internet. You'd pretty much have to assume that everything that goes through that computer is compromised, which makes it hard to do much.

 

[Milko]

I don't mean to pour cold water on something you're clearly proud of, but a computer that can't run an operating system that still gets ongoing security updates is not meeting your needs if you use it on the internet. You'd pretty much have to assume that everything that goes through that computer is compromised, which makes it hard to do much.

It can run windows 7/8 and 10 fine. But for compatibility I use 2k. And hardly anyone used 2k anymore so it's not as bad as XP for example.

 

[Fruitkitty]

It can run windows 7/8 and 10 fine. But for compatibility I use 2k. And hardly anyone used 2k anymore so it's not as bad as XP for example.

This is missing the point. You're not protected just because you use an old version of Windows that most people do not. Basically any vulnerability found in the past five years exists for your system if you use Windows 2000. You seem very proud of getting your computer this far, but if you're not able to run a modern OS with satisfactory performance and compatibility with the software you want to use, then you shouldn't have the thing hooked up to the internet.

 

[Milko]

This is missing the point. You're not protected just because you use an old version of Windows that most people do not. Basically any vulnerability found in the past five years exists for your system if you use Windows 2000. You seem very proud of getting your computer this far, but if you're not able to run a modern OS with satisfactory performance and compatibility with the software you want to use, then you shouldn't have the thing hooked up to the internet.

Yeah I suppose that's a fair point. I'm trying to repair one of my old macs to use that which would be more secure and then maybe dedicate this system to old gaming or somethying.

 

[Lestat]

Problem with computers back then is they run HOT.

 

[NabePup]

It's true older systems are extremely vulnerable. But as long as you aren't using it for Web browsing or using things you get from the Internet then you should be OK.

 

[NabePup]

So.. a bit of an update here. The graphics card arrived the other day (GeForce 6800GT 512MB) and of course it didn't work.. it would set the computer to a 640*480 16-colour mode which made my 1996 laptop's graphics look positively modern Every time I tried to install the drivers it would fail, and later the card started glitching and artifacting on the screen during bootup and in the BIOS etc. so I think it's just broken.. I won't buy another one any time soon because I've had so many computer projects like this fail I just can't bring myself to buy anything else.

I decided to ditch Windows 7 and now I'm back to using Windows 2000 because it has much better graphics performance with the old card and just much faster performance overall compared to 7.

That's unfortunate it didn't work out, at least you have a work around so you can still use it. I still think you'd be better off getting a Chromebook for $150 to $300 so at least you got something that's faster and more secure. This isn't your main computer you use, is it?

 

[StripesTheSkunk]

Hope you got a refund on that card (or it at least wasn't too expensive).

Honestly though, I wouldnt put another dime into that machine (If it works, why even bother?), since you can get a brand new laptop these days with Windows 8.1, 4gb of ram and a 500gb hard drive for around $250. Even the most basic laptop with integrated graphics will likely run circles around your current build.

(Oh, and if you still want a desktop, then the cost will be even less ).

 

[Avalanche]

Yesterday I just lost patience with my 2009 laptop. First I got some adware there (and I wasn't visiting any bad sites, really). Then I've decided it's long overdue for a system reinstallation (it regularly took like 40 seconds to open MS Excel and even Firefox took ages). 36+ hours later it's still running endless circles of Windows (Vista) updates. I loved this computer and it has served me well for many years (I used it for work), but it's time to move on.

So I got a new basic laptop for £330 ($500) and I'm sure the investment will be back very quickly in time saved. I will still keep the old one for non-work (like browsing ADISC) and use the new one for work.

 

[Avalanche]

The idea to ditch Windows has crossed my mind so many times. But in the end I was always like now I need to get XYZ done and don't have time to learn something new or try to fix what is (kind of) working. I guess switching your operating system is like having a baby or quitting a job - it may have its merits but there is never the perfect time. But it's quite likely that I will end up with Linux/Ubuntu at some point in the future (a baby - not that likely).

 

[Avalanche]

Now, with two 'puters, though, might be the perfect time

You're right Maxx. Although now I've spent all that time reinstalling Windows I may feel too invested and may have to wait until the system gets in trouble again (won't be that long anyway).

Edit, oh wait.... you had a baby, or a baby is less than likely? I'm confused.

I don't have any children, that was just a hypothetical thought (but I did quit a job at a very non-perfect time, in 2009). Honestly, I'm a bit wary of bringing a new person to this world, for many reasons both personal (doesn't have much to do with why I'm here on ADISC) and other (seeing the world around me and reading the news, I can't help but think we may be heading for some very unpleasant times, especially here in Europe). But that's for a different thread and I don't want to hijack this one any longer.