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3 signs you need a new computer - upgrading brings more speed and power... but is that reason enough? If you believe the advertising, you need a new computer every six months. Guidance for Workplace PC Users.
That isn' t true, of course. - the constant march of technology does leave many people with the nagging feeling that they are missing out if they don' t buy at least every two years. A good one should run well for up to four years. At the same time, today' s PCs are built to last longer than ever. PCs constantly are being upgraded to offer more speed and power at reduced cost. Indeed, there are tradeoffs in deciding how long to own the same computer. But there will be a point when you absolutely need a new one, because your current one is ready for its after - life( hopefully safely in the hands of a recycler.
Here are three signs that it' s time to spring for a new PC. - for more on safe disposal, keep reading) . Your computer plays music at startup. If you hear either of these melodies when you turn on your computer, you' re likely to want to relax or sing along. (After all, a computer that has developed a taste for punk rock music would be hard to handle. ) Or you may suspect you have a virus. Beethoven' s" F�r Elise" and Disney' s" It' s a Small, Small World" are pleasant tunes. Wrong on both counts. Or it may be telling you that power supply voltages are drifting out of tolerance, or that the supply cannot meet demand.
The computer is telling you that the microprocessor or microprocessor fan is failing, or has already gone south. - the music is a feature built into the basic input/ output system( bios) of some motherboards. It' s probably not a problem if you hear a couple notes at boot - up. It is a gentle reminder that you have a serious problem. But if you regularly hear a tune, you need to take care of it. In all cases, you can get by at a reasonable cost if you have the ability and time to diagnose and fix the problem. What can you do?
You might well decide to take it to a shop. - labour is expensive. If so, you' re probably looking at a minimum$ 200( US) repair. Can you ignore the problem? Heat is the enemy of computers. Not for long.
It will fail soon, although perhaps you enjoy listening to" F�r Elise. " Consider looking at new computers. - over the years i' ve had problems with memory, floppy drives and, hard drives cd drives. The problem with fixing an older computer( especially if the bill is high) is this: It' s probably just the beginning. Something else is going to break. The hard drive grinds and grinds away. Speaking of which. . .
When you start your computer, you might get an unpleasant sound akin to a cat squealing. - do you have all of your data backed up? Or you could get a message like" Drive C: could not be found. " That' s your hard drive. The message could indicate a problem with your BIOS - that' s the thing that plays the tune mentioned above. It didn' t spin up fast enough to start with Windows and perhaps there is something wrong with the drive' s components. More likely, your hard drive is staggering toward the grave, taking your data with it. Often, you can rescue the situation temporarily by rebooting the computer.
If you don' t have a backup regimen, fast, develop one. - but if the hard drive is failing, you don' t want to dillydally. Send your data to another computer if you' re on a network. Installation isn' t particularly difficult, but it is involved. Burn it to a CD if you have a CD - RW. (If nothing else, pray! ) If you' re certain that it' s the hard drive, new ones are relatively cheap. Figure$ 200( US) minimum at a computer shop. Fixing the BIOS would probably be less expensive.
The hard drive has to be installed and your data will be transferred to it. - it may need to be flashed. It should be handled by a shop. Unfortunately, it' s easy for you to botch this job. Figure it will cost$ 100 - $150( US) . If your machine is two or more years old, consider looking for a new one.
Once again, this could be just the beginning. - your computer won' t handle windows xp or certain software applications. Maybe the microprocessor is too old. When it' s time to make a worthwhile upgrade, you may find your computer can' t handle it. Perhaps you don' t have enough memory, or your hard drive is too slow. Let' s look at Windows XP.
This could be a problem with Windows XP, or demanding applications such as games. - microsoft has hawked successive windows systems as" exciting, " "fun" and" absolutely necessary" for years. They are the digital equivalent of a carpenter' s toolbox. Operating systems are never exciting or fun. And upgrades rarely have been absolutely necessary. I would argue that it is necessary if you' re using Windows Me or Windows 9Those operating systems were based on DOS, and are much more crash - prone than XP. However, Windows XP takes reliability to a whole new level.
If you' re thinking of moving up, I' d encourage you to do so. - some pieces of equipment will not run on xp. But Windows XP needs a more powerful microprocessor and additional memory. You can use Microsoft' s Upgrade Advisor to check your computer' s compatibility. You' ll be amazed at how infrequently XP crashes. If your computer cannot handle XP, consider buying a new one.
The same is true for hot new programs. - if you' re using windows 2000, the upgrade is not as crucial, since windows xp was developed from windows 200however, xp will run many consumer programs that 2000 will not. If you really want them, and they won' t run on your old machine, consider a new computer. So if that' s important to you, take a look at XP. If you do buy a new computer, you have to do something with the old one. Your computer should be able to handle XP if it' s running 200 Disposing of the Old PC.
These things have toxic materials in them, so you shouldn' t be pitching them into the trash. - you have to get all the data off the hard disk. Here are some ideas for disposal, but first you have a job to do. Symantec' s Norton SystemWorks includes an application called Wipe Info. There are more such applications on the Internet. OnTrack' s DataEraser offers a similar feature, as does Jetico' s BCWipe.
Ask neighbors and friends if they need a computer. (But remember, they may come back to you for help when it breaks down for good. ) Offer to give it to your church, a charity or a school. - some charities refurbish computers and give them to the needy. Many have experts who can fix a broken computer. Or, you can turn it in to the manufacturer of your new computer. It also helps customers sell old machines, recycles them or donates them to charity. Dell takes trade - ins. Gateway accepts trade - ins.
Apple says it engineers its parts to be recyclable. - both ibm and hp offer recycling.