I have sat back and watched the replies here. As the technology has become very affordable over the years, last year when our home PC was taken out by a very well written malicious code that even McAfee did not catch even though I update it everyday. It provided the opportunity to up grade all of our equipment.

My advice over the years has remained constant. Buy the biggest fastest PC processor and RAM that you can afford. At the starting point given that you have HSIA you will be amazed at the speed. I cannot tell you how many times people that have asked me for advice as a (former) network administrator have asked me this question. "I don't do much on the Internet" That is because they are frustrated at how slow it is.

With a fast PC and HSIA (High Speed Internet Access) one will do stuff that is truly point and click.

I am amazed at the difference in the speed between my home PC and my Net book which by comparison takes forever to do stuff.

So my recommendation is to go for the biggest fastest most expensive PC that you can afford and enjoy it for years to come. If one subscribes to Moore's law. There will be apps on the Internet three years from now that one will not be able to do if you get the low end technology that exist today.

That is my two cents.

 

I'm sure the Win7 migrate utility ("Windows Easy Transfer") will take care of the Outlook issue. And it also lets you decide to pick your files, if you want to, so you don't have to do everything.

And I meant to comment on that "buy the business line" comment as well -- it's good advice. HPH

 

Jerry, I'm not trying to buy the cheapest unit I can find. I don't use a computer for movies, music, or anything but the basic stuff..... word docments, photos, surfing, and chatting. I'm just concerned with buying wisely and with setting up the next one properly.

I took the wife tonight to Best Buy and we played with laptops, netbooks, and iPad. I must say I liked the iPad, rather than spend $200-$300 on a netbook, I am inclinded to go the extra for the iPad, which started at $500 for my second unit.

My Outlook is old, v 2000 SP-3. At Best Buy the salesman said Outlook was tied to MS Office and probably would not be transferable unless I bought a version of Office for $200; however, I still have my old MS Office 2000 Premium disc. You would think that would still work. For email, I use Comcast with Yahoo as a back up.

Good catch. You are right, it's the power supply fan. And, I've been beating on it for a few months now. A good thump used to work but no longer. Now I smell something burning from time to time. Not good.

Val, the shop I went to today wants $90/hr to come to the house or $65/hr if I bring it in. Sounds like you got a good deal. I did not like my first impression at this local shop, so I still looking for a helping hand if it's reasonable. Got another lead tonight. I'd really like to sit down with someone to go over my concerns with current setup before switching. Just hope the pc doesn't burn up first.

 

Dave take a vacuum cleaner an vacuum the cooling tower on the processor.
they get clogged with dust and don't work which makes the an work harder.

and as for the whack...
the heads in the disk are floating microns above the spinning media.
a good whack is a great way to crash the heads into the media and then it's buh-bye disk and everything on it.

 

Had you specified biology geeks, I might have taken offense. You know how sensitive I can be.

 

I was going to recommend a Mac, until I read this. It wouldn't make good financial sense for you to buy a new Mac laptop if that's all the use you intend to give it.

Although I think a laptop makes more sense for you, did you take a look at the Mini Mac? I have one in addition to my MacBook Pro. It's less expensive than the other Mac options, except for the iPad, and it'll do everything you need and more.

 

I realize what a delicate little flower you are, Dean.

 

A week ago I took it to the garage, took off the side, swore at it, and blew it out with a compressor. Had both fans doing about 9k. It's been dusted! It helped some. I can now go a longer period between the death screams.

Thanks all for the suggestions on Outlook; I'll check that out. If Outlook backups, as suggested, I think (hope like hell) I should have my files all backed up on the external drive so if the pc suddenly dies I should be ok.

Dean, I am still considering a Mac but I've been a Win user for three decades or whatever. The closest store is an hour away (Ann Arbor) and that mall will be an f'n zoo right now. If my pc will hold out another couple weeks I'll be in Jacksonville, FL with my daughter and we can bond at her Mac store.

 

Harry, I just did a search for Outlook.pst and found nothing. Then I did full computer search using just .pst and turned up a MS Publisher file but nothing on Outlook.

 

Dave, there is a "transfer cable" for Win XP-Win 7. I used a very similar cable when I went from XP to Vista and it was a piece if cake ,or pie, or some type of baked good.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...9-246-_-Product

I have an ACER TimelineX that I recently bought and I can and do use an external monitor and keyboard and mouse. It gives the flexibility of travel, and when at home, it can function as a desktop/media center (HDMI plug to my TV for streming video).

I am a real fan of ACER and ASUS, as I have had very good results from their support. (ASUS support is in Ca, and I believe that ACER has support in Ca too).

I would also ask you to look at i3 or i5 processor units. This is the latest and greatest from Intel, and therefore will have a longer time until obsolescence. They will probably be $50-75 more than the AMD or Core2 based Intel systems.

My 2 cents.