I had to buy a new computer - Dell with Windows 8

[jamesbond]

Well, my old computer (Dell, with Windows Vista) crashed again and needed yet another hard drive (had a hard drive put in 2.5 years ago). The computer was 5 and a half years old, so the Dell technician suggested instead of getting yet another hard drive for it, just get a new computer.

When I found out how inexpensive computers are now, I jumped at the chance to buy a new one. The Dell computer (with Windows Vista) I bought in Oct. 2007 cost $1550. My new Dell with Windows 8 (which is leaps and bounds better than Windows Vista) only cost $449!

I almost dropped the phone when he told me how inexpensive a new Dell would cost! Windows 8 came out in Oct. 2012 and is the best operating system I have seen. I was thinking of getting an Apple but why spend $2,000 on a computer when I can get a very good computer and operating system for only $ 449.

With my old Dell (with Windows Vista) I would get the blue screen of death at least once a week. I called Dell numerous times to get the issue resolved and they even remotely took over my computer several times and could not find the specific reason for the blue screen.

Also, with my old computer, it would run slow and pages would sometimes take a while to load. Windows would shut down on a regular basis for no reason.

Windows 8 runs great, I can't believe how much more memory and processing speed my computer has now compared to my old Windows Vista computer. I believe I have 10 times more memory and 3 or 4 times faster processing speed on my new computer.

The anti-virus that came with my new computer is McAfee which was the same on my old system. I don't like McAfee (too expensive and the computer seems to slows down when it scans) also, I don't think McAfee is the best anti-virus to use with windows 8. I will go with System Mechanic's anti-virus called, "System Shield" when my free McAfee period runs out this month. I already have System Mechanic's Iolo to clear up clutter and defragment the system and help boost internet speed.

Microsoft security essentials is built into Windows 8. I also have Malware Bytes that I installed for free and I use it to scan my system at least once a week.

One more nice thing about my new computer is I have a 1080p screen, meaning I can watch hi-definition movies and videos, something I could not do with my last computer.

[E_Irizarry]

Windows 7 is basically Windows Vista the final, best Service Pack yet.
Vista runs decently on new computers. Old computers, heck no!
Vista is to 7 as ME is to Win 2000.
Windows ME is still the worst OS of Microsoft and the worst OS of all time.

The next home computer I'm going to get is going to be suspended by
four metal rods (with rubber insulation) sticking vertically out of the ground with clamps
holding the motherboard suspended in mid-air with 4 eSATA ports..probably 8-12 USB 2.0
and maybe 1 USB 3.0 interface built in....HDMI...SD card portability....
No case but a house fan oscillating on the suspended motherboard clamped up.

It will be a true gamer's/music producers console.

[zacb]

You could try AVG, which I like. BTW, was it a Western Digital drive? I tend to have problems with them.

[C.J.]

Haha, is Windows 8 even out yet?

I've trusted Dell and they NEVER let me down. I went through 2 PCs, s Dimension E310 and an Inspiron 15R. I had the former for 6 years and then gave it away. According to my buyer, it's STILL working like a charm! I now have the latter, and it's worked great for me ever since I got it. Anything that happened(viruses, BSOD) has been my fault, but the problems were easily fixed. Only thing I don't like is the sound support of most of their machines(it's always TERRIBLE), but this one has decent support. Windows 7 Home Premium, with a processor of 2.5 Ghz and 6 GB RAM for $600 makes me a happy man, perfect for my software development.

[E_Irizarry]

Emsisoft is better than AVG, which Avast is better than AVG.

[Tsar]

Windows still has the best operating system. I think that Apple is more of a fashion statement brand name. There are many software programs only operating on Windows, not Apple.

[Array9]

Microsoft is the best in the World at Email(Exchange) and domain security(Active Directory) but they still have not perfected Internet Explorer. No matter which OS I use, it still freezes and crashes for me.

Microsoft Security Essentials eliminates the need to buy expensive Anti-virus programs. That along with Malware Bytes can be downloaded in a bundle from www.Ninite.com for free along with many other programs.

Dells are my favorite systems and their tech support is top notch.

[jamesbond]

Dells are my favorite systems and their tech support is top notch.

Yes, their tech support is excellent, they won't get off the phone with you until the problem is resolved. I like how they can remotely take over your computer if they need to fix any problems.

I have a Dell lap top Inspiron 1720. My last computer was also a Dell lap top Inspiron 1720 that I bought in 2007. I had to buy a new printer with this new computer because my old printer was not compatible with Windows 8.

My new Dell printer was just $95 and is a wireless ink jet printer. It can print, scan, make copies and I can also send and receive faxes with it.

I think I will stick with Dell for any computers I will buy in the future. Maybe 3 to 5 years from now I will buy another computer.

[Zero_Tolerance_Man]

I'll never buy another windows computer again. It's the worst of the 3 major op systems. You can run windows on a Mac and it runs even better on an Apple.

[momopi]

If you live within reasonable distance to an Apple Store with Genius Bar, and your relatives ask you "what computer should I buy", direct them to the Apple Store and have them buy a Mac. When they have problems with their computer, tell them to call and make an appointment with the Genius Bar for help. Also, consider having your relatives buy AppleCare for extended warranty.

When you recommend your friends and relatives to buy Apple computers, it means fewer phone calls to YOU for tech support.

This does not mean OSX is always better than Windows. Consider, Windows XP was released 11 years ago in 2001. Yet you can still install Windows XP on most PC's and most 32-bit Windows software today will still run on it, with major exception being MS Office 2013.

With Mac and OSX (as well as iOS), you can expect Apple to "phase out" your software and hardware faster. As a hardware company, Apple makes money when you buy new computers, so they don't want you to keep your old computer around for too long.

A third popular alternative is Linux, with many distros avail. However this is an option that you probably don't want to give to your relatives who might call you for tech support often.

http://distrowatch.com/

[celery2010]

Well, my old computer (Dell, with Windows Vista) crashed again and needed yet another hard drive (had a hard drive put in 2.5 years ago). The computer was 5 and a half years old, so the Dell technician suggested instead of getting yet another hard drive for it, just get a new computer.

When I found out how inexpensive computers are now, I jumped at the chance to buy a new one. The Dell computer (with Windows Vista) I bought in Oct. 2007 cost $1550. My new Dell with Windows 8 (which is leaps and bounds better than Windows Vista) only cost $449!

I almost dropped the phone when he told me how inexpensive a new Dell would cost! Windows 8 came out in Oct. 2012 and is the best operating system I have seen. I was thinking of getting an Apple but why spend $2,000 on a computer when I can get a very good computer and operating system for only $ 449.

With my old Dell (with Windows Vista) I would get the blue screen of death at least once a week. I called Dell numerous times to get the issue resolved and they even remotely took over my computer several times and could not find the specific reason for the blue screen.

Also, with my old computer, it would run slow and pages would sometimes take a while to load. Windows would shut down on a regular basis for no reason.

Windows 8 runs great, I can't believe how much more memory and processing speed my computer has now compared to my old Windows Vista computer. I believe I have 10 times more memory and 3 or 4 times faster processing speed on my new computer.

The anti-virus that came with my new computer is McAfee which was the same on my old system. I don't like McAfee (too expensive and the computer seems to slows down when it scans) also, I don't think McAfee is the best anti-virus to use with windows 8. I will go with System Mechanic's anti-virus called, "System Shield" when my free McAfee period runs out this month. I already have System Mechanic's Iolo to clear up clutter and defragment the system and help boost internet speed.

Microsoft security essentials is built into Windows 8. I also have Malware Bytes that I installed for free and I use it to scan my system at least once a week.

One more nice thing about my new computer is I have a 1080p screen, meaning I can watch hi-definition movies and videos, something I could not do with my last computer.

which model did you get that has a 1080p screen for $449? The cheapest i've seen is around $700-$800, although i'm mainly looking at i7's, with 8gb and 17 inches.

I was also just about to buy a new computer, but the new ones come out in June. I figured i could get the latest newest features or get the current models for an additional $200 or so off.

I read that NVidia's graphics cards in 2016 will blow away the current ones by an exponential factor though, so not sure it will matter much anyway.

[jamesbond]

which model did you get that has a 1080p screen for $449? The cheapest i've seen is around $700-$800, although i'm mainly looking at i7's, with 8gb and 17 inches.

I got a Dell Inspiron 1720, with 4 GB of memory and 500 GB hard drive with windows 8, 64 bit. It also has 3rd Generation Intel Core i3-3227U processor (3M Cache, 1.9 GHz) and has a built in camera. It has a non-glare high definition 17 inch screen, so I can watch hi-definition videos and blu ray streaming movies from Netflicks.

I don't need a whole lot of memory or hard drive space, so this computer fit's my needs perfectly.

The exact price was $ 449.99.

[xiongmao]

I hate Windows 8 - the only nice thing is being able to pause the file copying.

I've made mine look like Windows 7.

One other nice thing about Windows 8 is that the Chinese pinyin input is lovely and it recognises loads of words that the last one didn't.

[Winston]

What are you guys talking about? Windows 8 totally SUCKS! It tries to make your PC or laptop feel like a smart phone. How stupid is that? They obviously are trying to get you used to it on a PC so that you will want to buy a smart phone with Windows 8 on it. That's Microsoft's stupid strategy to try to dominate the smart phone market.

It's annoying to use and the things you're used to aren't there. Google "Windows 8 sucks" and you will get tons of hits including a Facebook page with thousands of comments. The thing is horrible. There was no need for it. Windows 7 was fine.

It's installed on Dianne's laptop. When you first start it, it keeps giving you annoying popups that say "It looks lonely here. Where do you want to go?" and then gives you no options that are even worth clicking on or relevant to anything. So stupid. f**k you Bill Gates. You're a f***ing idiot.

Everytime you start it, you have to see that annoying start screen with colored squares. It's fine on a smart phone, but no one needs that for a PC or laptop. And once you log into Skype, you can't even log out. You have to uninstall it, because Microsoft doesn't want you to miss messages (like they care). So if another person wants to sign onto their Skype account on your computer, they have to create a separate log in to do so. Apparently, Microsoft owns Skype now, so they are going to f**k it up. Again, f**k you Bill Gates. f**k you a million times, you little dweeb

Why does Windows 8 have to suck so much?

Jamesbond, you don't need to pay $400 for a PC unless it comes with a monitor. Go to Best Buy or Costco or Office Deport or Office Max. You can get far better deals than that in major retail stores.

[Array9]

I hate Windows 8 - the only nice thing is being able to pause the file copying.

I've made mine look like Windows 7.

One other nice thing about Windows 8 is that the Chinese pinyin input is lovely and it recognises loads of words that the last one didn't.

I am not a big fan of Windows 8 either but I will give MSFT some time to correct any issues it might have. It is best to wait until after Service pack 1 is released before you buy a Windows based operating system.

For anyone looking for a free Windows 8 Start menu, go to www.Ninite.com and find the Classic Start app. It installs in about two minutes.