Computer help please.

[Veg newbie]

Yes the smaller tower will do the same as the big towers, however the big towers use standard parts making it easier and cheaper to fix if something breaks. The small towers can be like laptops and have parts only build for that make and model meaning it costs more to get the parts and after a while can be hard to get.


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[Bill HH]

BM, yes I could but like cars when you have more than one problem its throwing good money after bad.

Skeggijon, I use it for business spread sheets and general e-mails, working with photoshop, and watching TV on the I player and such, Playing DVD's and storing a lot of photographs. I am prepared to pay up to or £800 without a monitor. I am also looking at A3 printers.

Veg Newbie, Ah now that's what I suspected, my PC has always been as cheap as chips to repair, that's a big consideration.


The other thing is I have hundreds of pics stored in windows live photo gallery (month by month) does that prog come with windows 8 and how to I transfer all those pics without having to do it one by one?
I do have everything backed up on an external western hard drive.

[skeggijon]

If you go to pc world I'm sure they could get you a pc with windows 7 loaded. Windows 8 is Cr...erm not very good. Personally I'm a fan of HP and have an HP Pavillion tower as well as an HP Pavillion laptop.

i always go for intel processors, because I find they don't seem to run as hot as AMD and I would have thought that for your needs an HP around £500 would be fine. For that you should get 2Tb hard drive and lots of RAM.

[gardening_gal]

I personally wouldn't be going to PC World or Currys for good information or a value for money computer. In my experience they are not always au fait with the truth (and they have a reputation for this, a sale counts for more than giving the customer accurate info imo). I overheard a bloke telling a customer that if anything went wrong with the item she was interested in, she had to get in touch with the manufacturer and that they would only pass her on to the manufacturer anyway so she was as well going directly there first and dealing with it all herself. He also gave her the wrong information about a processor but unless you knew anything about it, you'd have been taken in as he sounded genuinely knowledgeable.

Buying there is fine if you've done your research first and you can get the item you want at a good price but going there for advice or information on products isn't wise. Again, imo.

Also, consider other makes that are less 'mainstream'. Medion by and large have a decent rep these days. You get decent spec for realistic prices and depending on where you buy or when, you can get a 3 year warranty to boot. I've had 3 Medion products, 2 pc's (using one now) and 1 laptop, all bought from Aldi. If I'm honest, I had to get my head round that first, a supermarket wouldn't normally have been my first port of call for a pc but the offer was too good to refuse and the price was cheaper than it was on the Medion site itself.

All were great for the money, higher spec than I could have got elsewhere and although one pc developed a fault, it was picked up, repaired and delivered back within a week. The main parts (motherboard/hard drive etc) were known/branded I've never had a problem with their service. Son on the other hand has had problems with an HP tower and a Sony laptop and had to fight to get things resolved.

Example: MEDIONshop UK | MEDION AKOYA PC P5109 D

Comes with Win 7 Pro and also a Win 8.1 upgrade should you want to use it.

You can tweak the spec on the site and select what's important to you.

Dell seem to be a bit 'Marmite' these days. I've had Dell laptops and a mini netbook and I'm not sure if I'd buy Dell again tbh. Other people swear by them and to be fair they do sometimes have good offers.

Mini towers are just as good as standard towers so I wouldn't be overly concerned about size.

Are there any independents near you? Some can be a good source of unbiased info. Maybe an independent could overhaul your existing pc and re-install Windows. A good clean out both physically (dust etc) and virtually ( old software/bits of programs etc) might be all it needs.

(Apologies if you've uninstalled etc, yourself already.)

Well, not that you've uninstalled yourself exactly, but you know what I mean. )

Good luck, hope you get something suitable.

[DannyRam]

I can understand your concerns, Bill. If I were in your shoes, I would find a local guy who builds computers (there are loads of them) and get him to update your motherboard and processer. The hard drive could be formatted and windows 7 reinstalled and you will be good to go.

[21up]

Hi Bill i agree with DannyRam
thats what i do and trust me its easy
just wish i lived nearer to you you could be my freeby i have 3 desktops.

And repairing them is easy (but laptops are much more difficult )
with desktops you can swap around parts but i would deffo see if any local lad will do it.

not pay £650 or £800 as 12 months down the line you will be back where you are now.

as comps move on so fast cheers Peter

[Potstubsdustbins]

Bill Nip into your PC World and see if they have a dedicated business section. These are a separate department from the main store with dedicated staff. I have always had a good deal from them and they seem to know what they are talking about. They sometimes have deals running to.

[greenishfing]

I find Cclonline is good although because they are local to me I collect in person. They have a great tech department both instore and over the phone and when my husband decided we ought to build our own pc about 12 years ago we bought all our bits there. I've also bought a barebones pc there. You can choose your operating system (including windows 7)

[Hazel at the Hill]

You are in a Catch 22 situation here, Bill.

You don't know something, so you ask advice from an 'expert'. But as you are - by definition - ignorant in the field, you cannot know whether the 'expert' advice is brilliant, or if the 'expert' is talking out of his @rse.

Suggest that you invest half an hour with each of two local independent comp shops, and with the business section of pc world. The latter less important in my view - the PCW wallahs have to sell stuff - no shame there, it's a commercial world - whereas the independent stores do tend to employ those who are motivated by problem solving, rather than the bottom line.

[Bill HH]

I have decided against doing my old one up because I am giving it to Luke our foster person, not out of the goodness of my heart but because it will keep all my old files alive should I ever need any. All he wants it for is to play Microsoft age of empires which it still does very well.

I have been put off the mini towers because of the repair costs (always the pessimist)
So its a new tower pc or have one built . I am not up to building my own although I have changed dvd drives and hard drives in the past. Having one built by a man round the corner appeals but it does raise problems re the guarantee and I do like a manufactures hand book etc.

So its new tower and possibly an A3 printer, but the question of whether to go for windows 7 or 8 remains. I have a good big monitor so touch screen is out and I hate it anyway. Am I right in thinking windows 8 is pretty much touch screen orientated? As I have windows 7 already on this PC it makes sense to stay with it as I have a lot of progs already on discs. I think.

[Baglady]

OK, I'm a bit late to this conversation as I normally just squint over my shoulder at MartinH's machine at the pretty pictures being a techy and not a gardener

Having spent half my life building and repairing computers I know what I am talking about

I have decided against doing my old one up because I am giving it to Luke our foster person, not out of the goodness of my heart but because it will keep all my old files alive should I ever need any. All he wants it for is to play Microsoft age of empires which it still does very well.

Very sensible - plus it is always handy to have a spare machine for when disaster strikes (I have 3 plus my laptop and tablet). Hoovering out the inside of the PC is fine - really it is and everyone should do it once a year or so. I like to remove the CPU fan and take it outside to clean (yes, by blowing very hard) but it can be a bit fiddly to put back and you would need to replace the thermal paste so if you aren't really sure what you are doing, just close your eyes and blow hard a few times and hoover up the resulting cloud of dust when it settles. The price of can of compressed air horrifies me! You can buy big cans of expensive deodorant much cheaper than just compressed air so it's just profiteering in my opinion. I have bought them (through gritted teeth) very occasionally but only to clean my keyboard, now I have a washable keyboard so I will never have to get another one.

I have been put off the mini towers because of the repair costs (always the pessimist)

Not all of the mini towers use non-standard components but unless you are flush, short of space or want something that looks neat don't bother with them.

So its a new tower pc or have one built . I am not up to building my own although I have changed dvd drives and hard drives in the past. Having one built by a man round the corner appeals but it does raise problems re the guarantee and I do like a manufactures hand book etc.

And just when was the last time your PC manufacturers hand book was of any real use to you? Waste of trees they are and these days you hardly ever get them on real paper, they tend to be on an overpriced DVD or "available online". Google will pretty much always get you to handbooks in a very short time.

So its new tower and possibly an A3 printer, but the question of whether to go for windows 7 or 8 remains. I have a good big monitor so touch screen is out and I hate it anyway. Am I right in thinking windows 8 is pretty much touch screen orientated? As I have windows 7 already on this PC it makes sense to stay with it as I have a lot of progs already on discs. I think.

I stick with Windows 7 myself but my son prefers windows 8. My personal advice on THAT front would be to stick with what you know if you are closer to my age (59) and go for Win8 if you are nearer my son's age (25). Win8 is different but if you still have a brain good enough to learn and twiddle with tecchy stuff it is very efficient. You may have trouble finding a Win7 machine pre made.

If you have a computer shop nearby that will build a machine for you, it's the easiest thing to do as you can just give them a budget and tell them what you want to use it for. You also have a chance at getting something that hasn't been loaded up with "free trials" of software you neither want nor need. £700-£800 is a very healthy budget (I would have said £400-£500 is plenty for what you want). In addition, those places are normally staffed by keen people who will be happy to give advice for free. Expect a PC to last for 2-3 years without going wrong unless you frequent dodgy websites and are susceptible to saying "yes" to all downloads and upgrades - if you are, make sure you virus protection is always up to date Don't pay for virus protection software - Macafee and Symantec bloatware is overpriced and slows your machine down.

If you can't find a local shop (and I do NOT mean PC world, stay away from them as their guys are undertrained, underpaid and overcharge plus the components in their PCs are cheap and nasty), NovatechPC Components, Desktop PCs, Laptops, LCD TVs & Computer Hardware are pretty good as are Medion. Novatech will let you choose a PC and add the operating system that you want. Buy the best you can afford.

I'd be happy to look over the spec of what you choose and let you know if it is sensible and reasonably priced.

[Bill HH]

OK, I'm a bit late to this conversation as I normally just squint over my shoulder at MartinH's machine at the pretty pictures being a techy and not a gardener

Having spent half my life building and repairing computers I know what I am talking about




Very sensible - plus it is always handy to have a spare machine for when disaster strikes (I have 3 plus my laptop and tablet). Hoovering out the inside of the PC is fine - really it is and everyone should do it once a year or so. I like to remove the CPU fan and take it outside to clean (yes, by blowing very hard) but it can be a bit fiddly to put back and you would need to replace the thermal paste so if you aren't really sure what you are doing, just close your eyes and blow hard a few times and hoover up the resulting cloud of dust when it settles. The price of can of compressed air horrifies me! You can buy big cans of expensive deodorant much cheaper than just compressed air so it's just profiteering in my opinion. I have bought them (through gritted teeth) very occasionally but only to clean my keyboard, now I have a washable keyboard so I will never have to get another one.



Not all of the mini towers use non-standard components but unless you are flush, short of space or want something that looks neat don't bother with them.



And just when was the last time your PC manufacturers hand book was of any real use to you? Waste of trees they are and these days you hardly ever get them on real paper, they tend to be on an overpriced DVD or "available online". Google will pretty much always get you to handbooks in a very short time.



I stick with Windows 7 myself but my son prefers windows 8. My personal advice on THAT front would be to stick with what you know if you are closer to my age (59) and go for Win8 if you are nearer my son's age (25). Win8 is different but if you still have a brain good enough to learn and twiddle with tecchy stuff it is very efficient. You may have trouble finding a Win7 machine pre made.

If you have a computer shop nearby that will build a machine for you, it's the easiest thing to do as you can just give them a budget and tell them what you want to use it for. You also have a chance at getting something that hasn't been loaded up with "free trials" of software you neither want nor need. £700-£800 is a very healthy budget (I would have said £400-£500 is plenty for what you want). In addition, those places are normally staffed by keen people who will be happy to give advice for free. Expect a PC to last for 2-3 years without going wrong unless you frequent dodgy websites and are susceptible to saying "yes" to all downloads and upgrades - if you are, make sure you virus protection is always up to date Don't pay for virus protection software - Macafee and Symantec bloatware is overpriced and slows your machine down.

If you can't find a local shop (and I do NOT mean PC world, stay away from them as their guys are undertrained, underpaid and overcharge plus the components in their PCs are cheap and nasty), NovatechPC Components, Desktop PCs, Laptops, LCD TVs & Computer Hardware are pretty good as are Medion. Novatech will let you choose a PC and add the operating system that you want. Buy the best you can afford.

I'd be happy to look over the spec of what you choose and let you know if it is sensible and reasonably priced.

Thank you for that I seem to have muddled my way to the point of view you are holding. So that's very reassuring. I do take the fan out of my old PC but have never replaced the thermal paste because I don't have any, maybe that's why the fan runs all the time now.

I have already been recommended the medion which comes with windows 7 (definitely my choice) but also has window 8 facility if you want it. I agree re the anti virus software, I have existed quite well with just the protection windows 7 provides and found Norton in particular very invasive.

I will pop into our local computer shop and see what they can build, the spec (looking for 8gb ram and 2000gb hd) and how much and compare that to the medion. You have been a great help.

My overall strategy is to but the best I can because I will have a long time to regret buying a cheapo.

[Baglady]

I do take the fan out of my old PC but have never replaced the thermal paste because I don't have any, maybe that's why the fan runs all the time now.

You take the heatsink off the CPU and replace it without renewing the thermal paste? That's a real no-no. You really cannot do that or it will damage your processor I think you have just diagnosed your problem. Thermal paste is cheap - your local shop WILL sell it, I think my last lot cost £5.99 from my local shop, I could have got it for probably £3.99 online but I needed it then and there. Get some, take the heatsink off your old PC, remove the old paste with a kitchen towel and put new on - you only need a tiny amount about the size of a grain of rice. Dollop in in the centre of the processor after you've cleaned it and then put the heatsink back on (no need to spread it over). Please do that anyway even if you are getting a new PC as the old one will probably last a few more years as a spare.

[Bill HH]

You take the heatsink off the CPU and replace it without renewing the thermal paste? That's a real no-no. You really cannot do that or it will damage your processor I think you have just diagnosed your problem. Thermal paste is cheap - your local shop WILL sell it, I think my last lot cost £5.99 from my local shop, I could have got it for probably £3.99 online but I needed it then and there. Get some, take the heatsink off your old PC, remove the old paste with a kitchen towel and put new on - you only need a tiny amount about the size of a grain of rice. Dollop in in the centre of the processor after you've cleaned it and then put the heatsink back on (no need to spread it over). Please do that anyway even if you are getting a new PC as the old one will probably last a few more years as a spare.

I will do that. The first few times there seemed to be enough on it, but the last time it was almost gone but GYO forum was calling and I took a risk. Slapped wrist accepted.

[Veg newbie]

Bill, I use windows 8, you can make it boot to desktop and the are some good replacement start menus, I usually put classic start on clients computers and they are happy with it.

Windows 8 is actually faster than 7 and if you use a start menu it's just as good. I always advise going for an intel i3 or i5 with 8 gb of RAM unless you are going to do more intensive programs.


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