(no subject)
Aug. 1st, 2004 09:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
my_window_seatComputer is literally dying. After defragging last night, went to reboot - BIOS claimed to have incorrect settings; reset - made ugly noises and wouldn't complete booting sequence - after about an hour of this, managed to reboot into Safe mode and nothing better.
Called for help. Took evil box over to friend's house - he put in another hard drive - second one in the last few months - managed to get it to finally boot up semi-properly, but now it takes a good 5+ minutes to do so, and never figured out why the BIOS has been resetting itself (2nd time this week) -
Bottom line - - it's a 4+ year-old no-name computer that is on it's way out.
Friend more-than-most-generously has offered - offered mind you, it would never have occurred to me to ask for something like this - to buy me a new computer, and will let me pay him back in installments. Went to Dell website, looked at the lowest-priced model with a P-4 processor - even with instant rebate and free shipping, looking at about $650. Before software, besides the delightful Windows XP. And with Windows XP, I don't even know that cracked software would work; I think it checks for registry keys and all that.
STILL have not heard back about the house that I wanted to move into. The beatiful, beautiful house that would have only cost me $25 more month - hardwood floors, ceiling fan, BASEMENT with utility sink for doing SCULPTURE in, windows EVERYWHERE, laundry facilities *next door*, close to school, near a busline -
But after two weeks of phone calls, and now a huge investment in a computer - down the tubes. Even if the landlords finally got their collective acts together, with the necessity of how having to buy a new computer - it would have been one or the other, anyway. Don't know how I could have swung both. And I guess there's not much point in switching from one couldn't-care-less-landlord to another. Better the evil I know and all that.
Don't even know that I can really afford to do the computer, anyway. The car will need new tires by winter. On nothing but school financial aid and work study income - which believe me is really nothing - I don't know what I'm thinking anyway.
People lived before computers. There are computer labs at school. It would mean I wouldn't be able to chat with my best friend in South Africa anymore, but what the hell am I supposed to do?
Rotten, worthless, horrible day.
Called for help. Took evil box over to friend's house - he put in another hard drive - second one in the last few months - managed to get it to finally boot up semi-properly, but now it takes a good 5+ minutes to do so, and never figured out why the BIOS has been resetting itself (2nd time this week) -
Bottom line - - it's a 4+ year-old no-name computer that is on it's way out.
Friend more-than-most-generously has offered - offered mind you, it would never have occurred to me to ask for something like this - to buy me a new computer, and will let me pay him back in installments. Went to Dell website, looked at the lowest-priced model with a P-4 processor - even with instant rebate and free shipping, looking at about $650. Before software, besides the delightful Windows XP. And with Windows XP, I don't even know that cracked software would work; I think it checks for registry keys and all that.
STILL have not heard back about the house that I wanted to move into. The beatiful, beautiful house that would have only cost me $25 more month - hardwood floors, ceiling fan, BASEMENT with utility sink for doing SCULPTURE in, windows EVERYWHERE, laundry facilities *next door*, close to school, near a busline -
But after two weeks of phone calls, and now a huge investment in a computer - down the tubes. Even if the landlords finally got their collective acts together, with the necessity of how having to buy a new computer - it would have been one or the other, anyway. Don't know how I could have swung both. And I guess there's not much point in switching from one couldn't-care-less-landlord to another. Better the evil I know and all that.
Don't even know that I can really afford to do the computer, anyway. The car will need new tires by winter. On nothing but school financial aid and work study income - which believe me is really nothing - I don't know what I'm thinking anyway.
People lived before computers. There are computer labs at school. It would mean I wouldn't be able to chat with my best friend in South Africa anymore, but what the hell am I supposed to do?
Rotten, worthless, horrible day.
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no subject
Date: 2004-08-02 07:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-02 07:13 am (UTC)Hope mommy's okay - afloat in a sea of laxatives, I bet. Please give her a big hug and a *mwah* from moi.
no subject
Date: 2004-08-02 09:27 am (UTC)1)Buying & building from parts means you don't have to get anything you don't want, regardless of what Dell, HP, or anyone else have decided should be "standard" in a PC (I've recently heard of DVD burners being "standard", which is pretty goddamn ridiculous). Which makes it cheaper. You could also salvage existing components from your machine, saving more money again.
2)You don't get stuck with crummy components (I have an eMachine box at home, and am having a hell of a time getting a new graphics card for it, because they supplied a crappy built-in one that I cannot physically remove without taking an axe to the motherboard).
3)While you get support from Dell/whoever if you buy one of their machines, that support is usually only for three months unless you buy a support program. Beyond that, you don't get much more than what the hardware warranty entitles you to, unless you're willing to pay for it.
Now, the main problem with all of this is that it would involve a fair bit of research, as well as getting someone to build it for you if you're not happy about building it yourself. But on the other hand, it could be the cheaper option...
no subject
Date: 2004-08-03 03:04 am (UTC)And honestly - I'm just not geeky enough anymore. There was a day when I actually knew more than most people in a given room about computers - but that was like 15 years ago, back when all programs ran off the dos prompt and you had two colors on your screen at all times - black and green. Period. Wow, has stuff changed. I just don't have sufficient smarts - or disposable income - to go with another franken'puter.
The one I'm biting the bullet to order - well, it got ordered tonight... comes with a 2-Year on-site service contract. It's not the highest-end, bells and whistles whoop-de-doo home entertainment system that most people think they have to have - but then again, the computer isn't really my life. I need it to do what I want it to do - and my needs are pretty simple.
Wish me luck...