Paid about $400. It came with one of that product line's faster processors (G4 running at 1 gHz?) and I later maxed out its RAM (1GB).
It runs Apple's latest operating system (OS X) pretty smoothly and has been rock-solid in performance.
Posted on 11/14/2008 5:48:59 AM PST by SoftballMominVA
My daughter's PC died last night probably due to a systems upgrade sent by Microsoft. I strongly suspect this upgrade as the culprit as my desktop had the same symptoms after the same upgrade. The cost to fix was about 300. I'm not willing to put that into repairs for hers because she was already having massive other problems.
So, based on everything I've read (largely here) I'm looking for a used Mac.
Is there anyone who would be willing to just look over a couple or three postings that I've found on Craigslist and another site that sells refurbished Macs and give a thumbs up or thumbs down based on value vs. asking price?
I'm not asking for a guarantee, just a general nudge in the right direction and after that it's 'you get what you get.'
My hubby mentioned this as a possibility - Ubuntu? I think he said
Of course the problem is that I don’t have to learn anything. She has to learn it being as she is 400 miles away!
So, we installed Linux and ran that, then the computer would not run Windows and then it would not have these annoying update notices and service packs?
eBay or Craig’s
You aren’t looking for an iBook. You want a MacBook, with the Intel chip.
Try to get one with the GMA 9500 graphics instead of the older 9000. Don’t worry about the amount of memory in it, accept any with the standard RAM. Then you can speed up operations quite a bit by putting in 2x1 GB RAM sticks for only $30-35 at newegg.com. It will come with a DVD player. MS Office is available, but costs almost as much as the machine. Neo Office (OpenOffice for the Mac) does well.
Paid about $400. It came with one of that product line's faster processors (G4 running at 1 gHz?) and I later maxed out its RAM (1GB).
It runs Apple's latest operating system (OS X) pretty smoothly and has been rock-solid in performance.
“It might make you feel better to buy a mac.....but in the “real” world, no one uses that crap except graphics artists and journalists. Real businesses use Windows.”
Love the old tired lines from 15 to 20 years ago. Ironically, today’s Apple Computer can run windoze if one so desired. But after you get the Apple OS, most rarely do.
Who wants to deal with all the crippling spyware, viruses and of course windoze “updates” killing the computer?
You are missing important aspects of the machine. You don’t indicate what model and what cpu.
You can also get a G4 Apple Powerbook but really you should get a machine with the intel Core solo chip.
You can get an Apple Mac Mini for cheap if you already have a keyboard, mouse and monitor. Those are available for around $500.
Apple is rumored to have a new one in the pipeline too.
I mean at least an Intel chip, but prefer an Intel Core Duo, not the solo.
(I have a mac mini to run my stereo with the intel core solo.)
Would shy away from the G4 chips. You want a better CPU and the Intels are the way to go now with Apple.
Can’t you boot the system from the original CD and reinstall Windows?
If your computer died because of a software issue, you should be able to reinstall Windows over the current installation. (assuming you have a real install CD and not a “recovery” CD.
You may have to go into the BIOS and change the boot order so that the computer will boot from CD drive rather than the hard drive.
Agreed. It seems kind of silly to junk perfectly good hardware, in favor of more old hardware, because of a software problem.
Check the warranty. A lot of the new low end Dells come with a 90 day warranty. One year or longer costs extra.
Mark
If the dweebs can't reinstall Windows right, then they aren't bright enough to be computer techs. I would demand my money back and try another shop. I have never used I-Tunes at all, much less on a Linux system, but everything else your daughter wants is a cinch on Ubuntu Linux. That's what I am running right now. It updates online like Windows, but is simple to do and has never messed up.
I think the problem came not just from re-installing Windows, but from re-installing Windows with the new service packs. The new service packs are not compatible with other parts of the computer, like the sound system and gawd knows what else.
I’ve never understood why Windows drives computer people up a wall—but I’m starting to understand now.
The newest report from the tech people on her college campus is that they can back up her data, reinstall windows but that she has a hard drive error of some sort and to expect this problem to reoccur on a regular basis, so get used to backing stuff up.
He’s looking into replacing the motherboard so I will make sure I pass on that website and thanks for the info!
I’d rather be ironed than replace a motherboard on a Vista box.
As for learning http://www.funnestra.org/ubuntu/intrepid/ is one of the best Ubuntu sites. There are other distributions and other sites but this is a nice all in one location. Of course, if your PC is down, kind of hard to read and get yourself up to speed. However, if you want to, there are sites on the internet where you can order the installation CDs/DVDs if you do not want to make one yourself.
As to your question about the Linux install, Yes, it would wipe out Windows and completely replace the operating system. Ubuntu, like all major OS and distributions does have a update function. However, unlike windows, it does not run automatically unless you take the extra steps to set that up. Default install comes with the ability to update but does NOT turn it on. The other think to take not of is that most distribution trees (Ubuntu is a distribution, so is Slackware, Fedora, etc - all Linux) are basically an assembly of Linux programs “packaged” together so that they run well. It is in the distribution's own best interest to test a change BEFORE they put it out their for their consumers. Competition is a good thing. Because of someone gets unhappy with distribution X ... they can switch to distribution Y fairly easily.
Also, if you were not happy with the Linux install, you could return the laptop to Windows but it would require a fresh install of windows once again wiping out the hard drive.
If you have other questions I can help you through the process. It can sound intimidating but really, it's not that bad.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Since your daughter is in college, have you checked the student discounys available?
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/education_routing?mco=MTIxODk0Nw
500 to spend, you’ll probably find something alright. At Best Buy tonight, I saw the regular MacBook (new, but maybe it was the previous model, the new ones have a machined aluminum case) for $995, must be a clearance.
If it has no CD burner, just find a large USB flash drive (”thumb drive” or “keychain drive”), the prices on the 4 gb and 8 gb sizes have dropped dramatically in the past few months, and Walmart was selling the new 16 gb for $58 — Buy.com had a 16 gig for under $30 (with shipping, it was about $34 I think). Data CDs are still great for backing up fairly large amounts of data (such as citations, papers, etc, downloaded from the web), but for time saved, portability, and rewriting, the USB flash drive roooools.
> You may want to not consider any notebook with Nvidia’s 8600 graphics card which has been problematic across the board for Dell, Apple etc.
Thanks! I’ll jot that down too, for when I’m in the market.
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