[sabre05]

I have a Dell computor that is about 5/6 years old. The spec's are Intel R Celeron R CPU 1.8 GHz 224 MB Ram. It is doing all kinds of crazy stuff lately and I suspect its time for a new computer. It currently runs very slow, tells me I'm not the system admin. and cannot make changes to the system, will not let me pick a date for system restore and locks up. Last night to get anything assoc. with the system to work I reinstalled the utilities and drivers on the cd that came with it. I have run all the tools , virus scan and registry mechanic and nothing helps. I have notice over time that the system performance has been deteriorating. Every place I call tells me I need to bring the tower in have it slicked and reinstall the programs. The price damn near equals a new computer. So what brand of computer should I buy and from who? If you have some suggestions about my current dilema I'd like to hear it. Unforunately I am computer illiterate and dont have the lingo to explain things properly. It currently allows me to access the internet and I am afraid to screw with it any more for fear of regressing vs fixing the problem. How good is AOL's computer check up?

[etaf]

quite a few makes out there - HP, DELL, etc etc

do you want a desktop or a laptop

what do you want to be able to do - play games, video editing, photography, or just surf the web

whats you max budget

[ChuckE]

There are many bargain hunting websites "out there"
Try Googleing "bargain deals coupons computers"

Most bargain websites do not actually sell anything, at least not the items that you are searching for. What they'll have will be links and instructions, and sometimes special codes to enter at other company websites, like at Dell.com, or Buy.com, or TigerDirect.com, etc.

I have recently seen a very nice Dell desktop with a 20" LCD display for about $650, and also a pretty good Dell, with a 19" LCD display for about $400. Both were being sold by Dell. It was the GotApex website that clued me in onto the deals.

[ferrija1]

It you don't need support or "customer care" (that's what TSG is for) Dell has some great bargains. HP also has some good computers.

As for AOL Computer Check-Up, I wouldn't use it. You have to download their junk onto your computer and I don't think it does much.

[escalader]

You are by your own assessment not a PC expert.

So when selecting a PC supplier the most TLC you can get the better. I have a DELL myself and have had good support during their warrantee period, you might want to get an extended warrentee period.

BUT before you do any of that, it is probably possible to get your present PC cleaned up and running better. You need to get into admin mode though to really do things so if you can do that thats the first step. Try help and support and read up on user account types.

Then I would take a backup of any critical data to a cd or floppy

Then uninstall every single program you don't use or could easily put back, games etc.

Run a defrag

run a disk clean up

download CCleaner and run it.

update windows, your AV and register mechanic run the newest versions. Have you got an ASW scanner?

Then report back on how you are doing, I hate to see people just get a new PC because the car needs an oil change and the ash tray is filled up!

[ferrija1]

Originally Posted by escalader

You are by your own assessment not a PC expert.

So when selecting a PC supplier the most TLC you can get the better. I have a DELL myself and have had good support during their warrantee period, you might want to get an extended warrentee period.

BUT before you do any of that, it is probably possible to get your present PC cleaned up and running better. You need to get into admin mode though to really do things so if you can do that thats the first step. Try help and support and read up on user account types.

Then I would take a backup of any critical data to a cd or floppy

Then uninstall every single program you don't use or could easily put back, games etc.

Run a defrag

run a disk clean up

download CCleaner and run it.

update windows, your AV and register mechanic run the newest versions. Have you got an ASW scanner?

Then report back on how you are doing, I hate to see people just get a new PC because the car needs an oil change and the ash tray is filled up!

First of all, extended warranties are almost free money for the manufacturers, and even when you use their support, it usually isn't good. Second, registry cleaners can hurt your system and it is best if you don't use them at all. Last, if your computer is 5-6 years old, I wouldn't even try fixing it up, just get a new one.

[escalader]

Hi ferrija1:

I understand where you are coming from, that is a point of view for sure!

It is just a difference in view point based on different experience.

There are some good registry cleaners and some poor ones.

I use PC Tools Register Mechanic for that. The registry can get really clogged with old references when cleaned and optimized it made a significant improvement in my PC's responsiveness.

CCleaner is a very well regarded tool.

Take it easy

[ferrija1]

Originally Posted by escalader

Hi ferrija1:

I understand where you are coming from, that is a point of view for sure!

It is just a difference in view point based on different experience.

There are some good registry cleaners and some poor ones.

I use PC Tools Register Mechanic for that. The registry can get really clogged with old references when cleaned and optimized it made a significant improvement in my PC's responsiveness.

CCleaner is a very well regarded tool.

Take it easy

Cleaning your registry doesn't speed up your computer much. Sometimes it can even delete required registry entries and mess up your system. If you are still going to use a registry cleaner, though, make sure you back-up your registry first.

Look over in All Other Software and find the Registry Cleaner threads and see what most people say if you want more proof.

[escalader]

PC Tools Registry Mechanic is one of the most widely used software programs. It does cost $.
It does more than clean it optimizes and corrects errors in the registry form old software shared dlls, shortcuts, temporary files, controls.
It is set to backup before it starts.

It has never failed me.

[ferrija1]

It's still not a good idea and there aren't (m)any noticeable benefits from cleaning your registry.

[escalader]

Hi ferrijai:

I agree with you that Death is Hereditary but not on optimizing registries. We must agree to disagree and move on...

[ferrija1]

Originally Posted by escalader

We must agree to disagree and move on...

Yes......

Whats going on, sabre05? Give us an update.