Newsflash: they already have.Posted on 01/05/2020 4:32:12 AM PST by NOBO2012
In case you have forgotten - or didn’t need to take note at the time - I would like to remind you again to never, ever buy a HP computer. I’m having another (major) computer problem. Less than 2 years old and I’ve already had it repaired once (to no avail) and then replaced under warranty. The new one worked for 8 months until this recent snafu. All of my issues have a common thread: drivers that will not load or load incorrectly. I’m as far from a techy as you could imagine and if I can diagnose the commonality in what is obviously an ongoing problem with their very expensive computer why can’t they fix it?
I can’t send it in for repair until we arrive in Park City sometime in the near future so until then I will have use my old computer which was having its own problems or I wouldn’t have replaced it in the first place. All of which is a long way of saying posts will be short for the foreseeable future as both my computers have gone berserk. If I didn’t know better I’d think they were Democrats.
Newsflash: they already have.
It would be nice if an under 2 year old computer could work half as well as an over 50 year old camera. I know, I know: they’re much more complicated.
On an objective basis, and despite all my griping, most things have actually gotten better over the past half century or so. But it is important to identify the exceptions.
Posted from: MOTUS A.D.
HP printer drivers stunk, too. We still have two of them. Good mechanically, ornery interface.
Running a 6yo Asus tower and have no trouble.
Fixed Windows 10 with Classic Shell.
I don't shop for them so I don't pay much attention to the price. I just buy what I want and they run like a charm. And Apple's OS are so easy to use. Very intuitive.
I've been told they're a little more expensive than Windows based computers but not that much different. If you want cheaper, the windows-based hardware is cheaper.
I like the fact the the entire hardware and software systems are built and integrated by the same company, Apple. Microsoft, on the other hand, only makes Windows operating systems but no hardware.
I have three of them. Two desktops and a laptop. My wife is computer illiterate and she raves about how easy the iMac is to use. The laptop is used by our toddler granddaughter to watch her live-streaming cartoons and play some simple educational games. I use mine to run my businesses, do our books, and taxes and keep track of virtually everything in our life.
The user is the problem.
MOTUS blog is telling the reader never to buy a reliable Toyota because they run out of gas once a week. You must educate yourself about the product, otherwise you give bad advice and it reflects badly on MOTUS reputation.
Notice he never said,
1) the exact problem is
2) the solution was
This is typical negligence of authors.
Which is why so many hated Trump. They lack wisdom.
We are not responsible for your ignorance.
Been working with PC’s since the Coco and TRS-80 Model 1.
Used to build Windows boxes for fun and to sell to friends.
Was the IT guy for a 4 server, 32 workstation network that hosted its own online data portal developed through Topspeed/Clarion.
Then it came time to start my own company.
I warted to be focused on serving my customers, not messing with the computers. I researched it and Mac had, by far, the lowest total cost of ownership.
We now have two Mac Mini’s, a Mac Pro, two iMacs, two MacBook Pros, and three iPads all networked and functioning together seamlessly.
We have to have two Windows PC’s in the mix. One to run our DTG printer and one to host Quickbooks. We use VMWare Fusion on some of the Macs to run Quickbooks.
Guess where I spend 99% of my IT time? Yep, the Windows machines.
I used to hate Macs with a burning passion. You couldn’t tinker with them, they were expensive, they were incompatible. When I grew up I realized that tinkering with my computers was not getting my real work done. My time is money and the couple hundred extra to spend on a computer that wouldn’t have driver conflicts, that wouldn’t break down regularly, that easily networked, that had far fewer security concerns, was the better choice.
What’s funny is that when you dig down deep into those who really like their Windows boxes, you usually find an adolescent gamer who is more concerned that Mac won’t run Call of Duty, or Assassin’s Creed, or whatever their flavor of digital heroin is.
In my experience with computer fatalitites it is usually an AMD processor that goes kaput.
The Intel stuff may not be the fastest, but it is relaible. I am on an 11 year old Dell XPS right now.
Often the same thing can be said about the human mind.
See post #26...
I found it ridiculously easy to use and believe it or not, It's not my main computer anymore but still have it today. I keep it in my study and use it to play music or do light web surfing.
Fact is, every single Apple product I've purchased still works today, going back to my original 2003 iPod. And despite the common complaint about Apple batteries not being replaceable (they actually are) - I've never had to replace a battery on any Apple device. Ever.
So over the years I've accumulated (3) iPods, (2) iPads, (2) MacBook Pro laptops and a MacBook Air and all of them are still in working order. Though admittedly, I've given up on using the iPods only because my iPhone (which I automatically replace ever two years) does the job of playing music.
I don't understand the vitriol of the Apple-haters. They remind me of those ignoramuses who blindly hate President Trump no matter how much good he does. But I'm perfectly happy with all my Apple product and in terms of utility (heavy usage over a long lifespan), they are actually far cheaper to purchase than any Windows based product.
“Get an iMac. “
Yup. My iMac is now seven years old and has only just recently given me problems one time when I tried to load the 10.15.2 Catalina OS update. A quick call to Apple Support and I was up and running within an hour. You can call me an Apple Fanboy (my son does), but all my Apple products - iPhones, iMac, iPads, work like new and they all work together without drama.
If you’re used to Windows, and iMack will run it for you... :-)
(continuing with the hijack)
“Easier to fix, but you have to do it more often. Set of spark plugs lasted 3000 miles 50 years ago. Now they last 100,000 miles.”
I’m not even sure they were easier to fix. I’ll grant that the cars of today are vastly more complicated, but think about it for a bit. Back then, if the engine ran rough, you had a lot of possibilities to deal with (bad cap, bad wires, bad points, a bad plug, bad coil, clogged fuel filter, dirty carb...).
Recently, on my late-model car, I started the engine, it ran real rough, and 5 seconds later the light went on, and the code told me of a misfire in Cylinder #4*. So I took a look, and a little guy trying to make a nest had chewed through the wire going to the small coil on top of Cylinder #4. Easy to see in that case, but at least I had it down to only a few items (wiring, coil, plug, or injector...that’s about it).
Other stuff CAN be expensive to repair, but usually doesn’t break (unless the vehicle is built by the UAW). Stuff that often does need repair/maintenance (brakes, drive axles, front end bushings, struts, filters, etc.) are almost identical to the past. Now if it’s something ‘new’, like a computer module, you simply unplug it, give it a chance to reset, if it still doesn’t work, you replace it, just as the dealer would do (repair is obviously not an option). Most of the other new stuff is also plug-and-play. The only place where it can get rough, I think, is with the new data systems (CAN Buses, for example)...but I haven’t had to deal with that, and they typically have their problems after people mess with them, such as for installing new stuff.
*How did it know it was Cylinder #4? The computer actually looks for the crankshaft acceleration expected after each spark plug firing. It didn’t like what it saw after #4, so after a few cycles, it lit the light and sent the code. Amazing technology!
You’re right! Maybe my example was not the best.
My real point was that cars today are pretty reliable. I haven’t had a car leave me high and dry for 25 years.
Sounds like a bunch of PrimaDonnas.
Very few folks NEED cutting edge computing power. Few folks NEED specialized hardwzre for truly unique processing. I would bet that more than 98% of Freepers fall into this group.
Win PCs and Chrome books are crazy cheap. Lots of smart phones can, nearly, double as computers. So store your stuff on the cloud and dont worry about it.
Access from anywhere, with anything by any means.
Of course, back up, back, back up.
But dropping thousands on hardware to email grandma makes no sense.
I agree. The problem isn't necessarily the hardware but rather the bloated Windows OS.
I switched to Linux Mint years ago and decided to upgrade my hardware by buying a refurbished HP with the flat form factor rather than the upright desktop style and it has been running constantly since. I leave it running all the time. I did buy a blower from Amazon to blow out the dust every couple of weeks because I live in a dusty area and have 4 dogs that adds to that issue.
I even bought a spare power supply to go with it because I've had many power supply's go bad over the years but so far this one is still going strong (knock on wood).
Electronic circuitry doesn't like dust which can cause shorts across solders spots on boards so I think using the electric blower is better than the canned air which also blows very cold air which can cause a quick thermal variance on the warm board causing damage. I also don't have to keep buying canned air. I pull the cover off the top and blow it out while the system is still running. With canned air I'd need to let it cool for at least 10-15 minutes before blowing it out.
Won't run more than three programs without freezing or crashing? BS. I run up to 6-8 programs at one time (as I type this, I have 7 open) and don't have any problems at all.
Slow to do Google searches? Really? BS. Mine is lightening fast.
You probably bought the cheapest one you could find without any memory and it won't do what you want it to do. Always buy more memory than you need and make sure you can add to it if you want.
Everybody has their preferences when it comes to computers, smart phones, their cars, TVs, etc. But I've had Apple products since the mid-80's when they came out with the original Macintosh with a 5.25" floppy disk for a drive and have never experienced any of the problems that you complain about. Which tells me something else is amiss here.
You either got a lemon or you doth protest too much.
“Other stuff CAN be expensive to repair, “
Cars and computers. Diagnoses and repair. Now and back then.
Not really the same.
Replacing twin cat exhaust on many cars today will set you back more than ehat a Boss 302 would have cost you in 69-70.
Todays cars are expensive to buy, costly to maintain and repair.
Unless you can do it yourself, in both circumstances.
If an inexpensive Win box goes bad, toss it and get a new one. Not worth fixing.
Like spending $1.000 on new Michelins for your 260k whoopty commuter Carolla. Why on earth would ya do it?
You act you’re taking my criticism of Apple personally. It has nothing to do with you. It’s about Apple.
“Replacing twin cat exhaust on many cars today will set you back more than ehat a Boss 302 would have cost you in 69-70.”
True, along with 4 Oxygen Sensors, although those things usually won’t fail as long until something else fails (like that misfire)...then you’ve got problems. So you have to jump on it, and I’ll concede that’s not always easy, or possible.
“Unless you can do it yourself, in both circumstances.”
True, that’s how my brain works. I just get put off by people who used to work on their ‘simple’ cars, but won’t do the same work on the newer cars, due to technology, when the work itself hasn’t significantly changed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.