rabbitoid: thanks

Fencer:

I use Firefox and wouldnt change for nothing...

Heres a cool article

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050123/ap_on_bi_ge/firefox_co_creator

I'm wondering what would be the best computer to get? I'm going to be getting 1 in a couple of weeks. Would a Dell or Intel be a good choice? Just curious

I love Dell - get it at home, get them for where I work.

My opinions:

Processor - Does not really matter - unless you have some "major" computing power needs - even the lowest processor Dell offers is good enough in most cases.

Memory - The most important - The more you can get, the beter. AT LEAST 512MB - 1GB if you can afford it. MEMORY MEMORY MEMORY - The more the beter.

Hard Drive - I think the least Dell offers is 40 Gig. And to get 80 gig is only a few $ more. Unless you plan on saving lots of data (music, movies, etc...) 80 gig will be more then plenty in most cases.

cd/dvd/burner - Depending on your needs - I would AT LEAST get a DVD player / CD writer. In the next year, you will start to see more and more applications come on DVD and not CD's to install.

MagicDragon: I have only three words of advice for you. This will be the best advice you will get:

Buy a Mac.

Ugh - Don't buy a MAC - they can be suppiour in the fact that there are less viruses to attack them, and are better in graphic/video editing and such - but the (in my opinion) lack of software, cheap/freeware far outweighs someone getting a Mac.... in my opinion.

Not planning to save alot of things. Have to check to see how much memory the dell that I'm looking at has. Thanks Thad! Not sure how big a Mac is tho..I do have a medium sized desk. Would that do?

What is the best spam/virus protection service?

MagicDragon: Apple just came out with Mac Minis. They are tiny. You would not have any space problems at all with one of those. ;-)

MagicDragon: Macs are immune from about 99.9% of the viruses out there. I nave NEVER had a virus-related problem and I have owned Macs for years and years.

Just looked at the computer that I was thinking of. It is sold thru Dell. It is a Dimension 3000..Intel Pentium 4 w/ 2.80GHz & 533 FSB microsoft windows XP. It also comes w/ a free harddrive & memory upgrade to 80GB...512MB (in that order)

Thad, where is a good site for looking for Mac's? That way I can compare for everything. I'm thinking of keeping my webtv just in case something happens.

MagicDragon: Apple.com

Thad: Thank You! I'm somewhat a computer geek unless I'm at work. LOL

MagicDragon: What you listed for the Dell's are very close to what my parents just got a month ago, plus very close to what I just ordered 9 of where I work.

For every day normal users - PC's are beter then MAC's (in my opinion) - And for every day users, Dell is very well priced.

I'll definitely be a everyday user & would like something that is designed for me. I also heard from a co-worker that I can have a combo personally made up for me. (scanner-printer-copier-fax) type of thing. Would that be a good thing to do? If so, I would like to get the scanner-printer

BIG BAD WOLF: My opinion as well.. Macs are nice for what you stated earlier.. but, for the www.. and mingling with friends.. and every day use.. GO PC..

ScarletRose: No, no, no. Apple's browser, Safari, it like 99 timnes better than Explorer! Email? A breeze, and no viruses! Chat, well, we have iChat which allows video chat in real time. And it's compatible with AIM now too.

The new Mac Mini's are made ESPECIALLY for everyday users.

hey what's the link to that firefox ext for BK?

ok, i hit the prt scr and now i cant find it...what the? LOL

Bring up the program Paint. (or if you have Microsoft word, or I think even Wordpad - not notepad)

Inside those programs, you should be able to go to edit, and then Paste - and it will paste in the screen print.

OMG it worked. I learned something new tonight. THANKS!

Anyone using Skype?

http://skype.com/

Awesome proggy isnt it Andersp? I've used it for quite a while. Posted a link here on GC some time ago but no one replied. It is clearer then ma bell.

Thad: I'm wondering can you use a scanner & a printer with it?

MagicDragon: No printers don't work on Macs.


Just kidding, of course!!


Most USB printers these days are Mac compatible. Scanners too. Try macmall.com, macwarehouse.com, etc.

One nice thing about Apple's OS is that most networking software is built in. I have a laptop and a desktop computer in my house. They are both tied to my cable modem via a router. I have only one printer, but I can print from either computer. The OS lets me use the desktop computer as a print server and share the printer from the desptop computer to the laptop (wirelessly, of course). And the best part was that there was literally NO setup required. The OS recognizes when a new piece of hardware is connected to the system and has built in drivers for most models.

Rose: Testing it now to Sweden Rose...works perfect/clear...and cheap

Andersp: Cheaper then any phone call and much clearer over seas! I got a new set of headphones the other day for Skype. It actually says on the box 'Skype Certified'! lol You know they are getting big when....

MagicDragon: macs can be ok .. they were a lot more expensive than pcs .. but i think the prices are becoming more equal now ? .. i never had a mac .. i love the freeware and games that are there for a pc ... i know very little games for macs

on a pc you can also use any linux distribution if you are into some finetuning of the os and want to have a stable environment (i still have to go there myself :))

when you plan on playing some games also have a look at your graphics card ...

in the past i thought the processor was the most important .. some years later the memory was the bottle neck which decreased performance when it wasnt enough so it was the most important .. now i think (as long as you have a decent processor and at least 512mb) the grapghics card will become the weak part which slows things down .. and probably the harddisk as well

Hrqls: Thank You for the info! I did checkout the Mac's & they looked very good as well. 1 factor is the price but in the future, I might get a Mac ( not taking away all the good advice for them) also. 1 question tho, would my phone line be connected to it? If so, on the computer screen, would it say that I have or had a call or 2? Maybe it is a dumb question on my part but I'm just curious. Again Thank You for all the great info on each type of computers!

MagicDragon: Not dumb at all. If you want to go with a phone dial up connection then your phone line has to be connected to it.. there are programs all over that you can install to let you know when a call is coming in an who it is ( If you have that service presently on your phone )
you may want to lookin to DSL or Cable modem which is separate from the phone.
when you go to buy the machine KNOW what type of net connection you want so that you can either get a phone modem installed with it ( they arent usually added to machines anymore with out asking for them, they used to be standard) or if you are going with a high speed connection you will need to have a network card et al.

Rose:

Go Cable

Dial up is seriously slow.... (from what I hear LOL) I've only had cable modem and would never give it up.

Rose: Been talking to a friend in Sweden for 2 hours now, crystal clear sound all the time...amazing!!

Rose: Most likely get a cable modem. Network card? Would that be something that I would have to have physically for which ever company I go thru?

MagicDragon: No hun. if you are going for high speed then dont bother buying a modem as u wont need it unless u you want to make faxes. You need the network card in order to get the highspeed connected to your computer. So when you go to purchase your system tell them you need a network card included in the system (expect to pay about 15 bucks for them) But in order to get your highspeed connection you need this one card, purchased one time for your system. Its where you will plug your highspeed in to your system. Hope this helps!

Rose: Oh ok. Let see if I get this correct..I just ask about installing a phone modem for a phone dial up connection (have Caller ID on my phone) so I don't need anything else for that. Also pay extra for a network card which should be included. Again Thank You! Now I got it!

My co-worker is going to get it for me on-line & I just have to tell her what is needed.

MagicDragon: If you are looking for speed.. no phone connection.. go with an ethernet card.. which is what I think Rose was meaning.. I do believe that is standard now in puters.. with this card you can get cable connection or broadband.. Way faster than dialup..

ScarletRose: Ethernet card and network card are the exact same thing. There is no difference.

Rose: hehe.. I thought so.. just wasn't sure.. I am not used to hearing network card.. so I thought I would throw out the familiar terms..

they come standard with computers now, the ethernet cards.. we just bought a couple computers in december and they are standard. so dont buy an additional one online Magic Dragon!

Antje: You're right. Most modern PC's have network capabilities built onto the motherboard now, so you don't have to buy any extras. i've just bought a wireless modem/router, so mine and the kids computers are all connected to the net

wireless-blah. I like having wires everywhere lol.

Backoff: i've been told 'no more wires'. i've already got 2x4 way adaptors and 1x6 way adaptor under my desk to supply 2 pcs plus hi-fi, alarm clock, phone charger etc...lol

lol join the club. under my desk is 2 6 way power strips and 2 UPS's that power:

2 PC's-6 cords (power, mouse, keyboard)
2 printers-4 more cords
DSL modem-3 more cords
Router-4 more cords
2 sets of speakers-12 more cords
2 Joysticks-2 cords
1 gamepad-1 cord
1 headset-1 cord
3 cell phone chargers-3 cords
1 cordless phone-2 cords

that's only a mere 38 cords and cables lol

My history button is greyed out and I have too much in my history, I have tried disk clean up and that did,nt remove it. Is there any way I can solve this problem? Thanks very much.

Backoff: You use 12 cords for 2 speakers???

Mousetrap: Click on Tools - Internet Options - Clear History..

Backoff: "1 cordless phone-2 cords"

Backoff: There are days that I'm wired w/o having any wires but you outdid yourself! LOL