O.T. but since we are ALL here because of it I have a computer quest.

You got some good advice on here already, but maybe this will help put it in perspective for you, a little less jargon approach:

Computer: you already bought a new one. Well ok, if you are sick of chasing down one that is current, then keep what you got since for $800 these days, it is likely quite decent (per the specs you got from earlier posts). Otherwise, you can get a Dell online, for about half of that price which is good enough for what you will need. Or, look in the phone book for computer repair shops, they usually have refurbished machines that have mostly used components, but will work fine for a decent time going forward, and you can take it to someone who knows what to do if it breaks. All this is if... you can/want to return your new machine.

Internet: here's an ****ogy we can relate to, think of it like exhaust out of an engine. If you are running fat headers, 3" tube, and then a .5" inlet at the muffler, then your bottle neck is at the muffler and that's the most exhaust/performance your gonna get right? DSL, Cable modem, etc. they are all bigger mufflers, so you can take advantage of what speed for the internet is out there. More money? Sure, what isn't right? But, it is likely worth it to you because if you are scouring the HAMB as much as me, you don't have the lifetime to waste on waiting for the exhaust/data to **** through on to your screen.

Call your local telephone provider(s), they likely offer package deals for home phone, cable, and dsl/cable modem for a fairly decent price than seperate. Pick a provider (company), and they will walk you through it, step by step on how it works (really, it may be a guy in India, but they can easily get the worst of us straightened out and online, plus the directions that you get should be pretty straight forward to). If you keep that new machine, it should be no problem to get a screaming fast connection with either cable or DSL compared to what you had/have (***uming it is new with current equipment, etc. which seems a safe bet from here).

Any more issues, pm me and I should be able to help even via HAMB or email. Good luck!

 

Laymans terms...thanks, I forgot to say, with that 8 bills, I bought a new printer/copier/scanner/fax (the wife wanted it), usb cable, discs to record on, and there is a 300.00 dollar rebate, so in "6-8 weeks for the rebate, I will have $399.98 into the computer, and it is twice as much as what I was told to get as a minimum, so I'll wait till this dial-up has expired and try the dsl!! Ken

 

You got a good deal then, considering the fax, etc. Again, just check out the package deals, pick one (difference of DSL to Cable modem varies depending on where you live and who your provider is, but for the most part, just treat them the same). Give em a call and you should be good from there on out.

 

hate to say I told you so , but I went thru the same thing.... you need the DSL connection.or better....I got mine thru my phone provider [verizon]...it was all that was available at the time in my location. still cant believe the difference .....I was on dialup for YEARS.

 

A quick note... If given the choice between DSL and cable, Go cable! I've had Time Warner (Roadrunner) and the difference is unreal. At the time that I got it..alomst 10 years ago I had a 266 GIG Packard Bell with a cheapie CPU and 64 megs of RamThe difference was adding a 505 cam to a Flatead. Right now I have a 4 year old eMachine, Celeron 2.3 meg (much under rated CPU ), 512 megs of Ram an 80 gig hard drive and all of the rest of the state of the art back then. I use this computer to write articles for a racing website, a bit of graphics work, even a game occasionally and it does fine. I do a ton of surfing and cable modem makes it quick!

 

buy a mac an get high speed internet.

 

Doesn't matter how fast a computer you have it can still only go as fast as the internet connection it has will allow. I.E. if you had a Cray supercomputer hooked to your phone line to use the net it still will be slower than hell. So if you can get a broadband connection (DSL or Cable) go for it. I have 5mb DSL here at home and I've gotten m***ive files (nearing 1gb) downloaded in less than 30 mins. THAT is fast.

Also, many name brand computers are filled with what is now known as "bloatware." It's **** programs you will never use, and normally they start up when you boot your computer. All those little icons on the taskbar, down by the clock? Yeah, them sum*****es. Go to the Control Panel, click Add/Remove Programs, and start removing! If it says anything about video, sound, modem, or networking, leave it alone. **** like AOL, pissant games, trial programs, take em off. That will free up space on the puter as well as probably remove **** that's set to startup as your computer boots, which wastes time and system resources. Less resources used, the faster the puter will run.

Ran/owned my own computer store from 1998 till Sept this year. I was forced to shut down due to financial reasons. This area's economy blows. I might be a lil rusty but still know how to do puter things.

 

$800 is typical for a computer. The slowness you're seeing is the dial-up internet connection. DSL is easy to set up. Who's your phone company? When you get DSL, you pay a company to have faster access to the internet. Kinda like paying to get to use a lane on the interstate that goes 120mph. Your phone company probably provides it, but there other companies that offer it too. I'd probably go through your phone company, the pricing is about the same, and you'll get it and the phone all on one bill.

They'll send you the external modem (white or black plastic box with some cables) and instructions... READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! Setting up the modem is a piece of cake, they have pictures of how everything is supposed to go together. DSL is awesome, you'll completely hate dial-up after using DSL. It's a world of difference.

 

its not your computer its the netzero....i had netzero couple weeks ago..i coudnt veiw UTUBE it would do the same thing you said...now i have DSL on the same computer as the netzero was on and i can veiw it ..DSL kicks ***

 

It's a little late in the post, but I just bought a new Dell. My old one finally died after 5 years of service. Decided to get another one using their 12 months no interest deal. Here's my exciting experience

1) Deliver time is supposed to be 3-5 days. Doesn't show.

2) Idiot in India knows nothing about where it is, or when it's going to be here...but tries to sell me other products.

3) Delivered 24 days later.

4) Out of the box, didn't work. Won't turn on. Another call to India, 'Shane' the India guy can't help me.

5) Manage to get a tech geek in Arizona. Spent several hours on phone with tech geek. Brand new PC has a bad motherboard, needs to be replaced.

6) 8 days later geek shows up and replaces mother board.

7) PC still doing weird stuff, turning itself on and off, high pitched noises in the middle of the night, etc etc

8) Call guy in Arizona back, another two hours on phone. They decide that it's now a software problem. Get the OK to be sent a new one.

9) Week later, it arrives.

10) Set it up, programs won't load, won't run anything that requires a cd to run with the program.

11) More hours on phone with tech geek. Don't know what's wrong.

12) Check their own BBS board, find out the factory installed Google search, and the search function for Microsoft Office conflict. I delete both programs.

13) Seems to work now.

14) Somewhere along the way, I misplace the bill. So I call to ask that another bill be sent to me.

15) 'Bob' the India guy starts yelling at me on the phone about how my account will go into collections. Says I can pay directly through my checking account, or with a credit card. Then tells me that they'll charge me $38.95 processing fee for the checking account or a $9.00 fee for the credit card. Tell 'Bob' to just send me another bill, he starts screaming at me. I hang up on 'Bob'.

16) Bill arrives 10 days later. I throw a check into it, send it out.

17) 'Shane' the India guy now starts calling my wife at 9pm yelling at her about my account being over due, going into collections, etc etc. Tries to pull the direct payment thing on her.

18) India guy finally calls when I'm home. I calmly explain to him that Dell has already cashed my check, which was 3 times the minimum payment, and tell him that if he calls and yells at my wife again, I'm gonna fly over there and shove the computer up his ***. Hang up.

19) Dell sends me a late fee of $35. I finally find a number to someone in Chicago. Call, get charge dropped.

20) Now the DVD player won't work............

 

I guess that's why I build my own computers, since you gotta go thru all the h***le anyways, why not learn something about how they work in the process?

 

No time. Got a new baby, my life now consists of work, and taking care of baby. I try to sleep in there somewhere, not doing a very good job of that either.