computer upgrade possibilities...

well, I looked today at Powersonic, an indy computer store in Richmond that I've done business with in the past. I looked into the cost of upgrading to a Pentium 4, 3.4Ghz, with a good Asus motherboard that supports multi-media applications. I also looked at doing 1 GB of RAM and to do that would be about $650. I have a good hard drive already, and DVD burner (although I may pickup at Future shop a dual layer burner). I think I may go with 2 GB of RAM and that would add another $100 or so. I also want a new tower and it's a toss up between a generic grey one that's $65 or getting an Antec tower, which run at about $120 but are supposed to be very quiet which is a bonus - I hate hearing the fans running all the time.

The guy is willing to take a trade in on my old motherboard (also an ASUS) and P3 chip with 1 GB of RAM. I may also throw in my older DVD-Burner and my Monitor and see what he can offer me. Altogether the above would cost about $950 plus tax which is within my budget and will really give me a power PC. My Mom wants to learn how to use the computer as well and wants me to get a better monitor --- I have a good one but depending on what I save with the trade in above, I should be able to get a good 19" or 21" flat panel monitor which would be easy to see for her. Also would make watching movies on my computer and doing video editing better as I can see the picture better on a bigger monitor.

So we'll see, I'm going to shell out the final numbers and play around with it and see what I can do. Should be able to do ok. I'll end up with a better system I think this way, rather than going with an HP multi-media PC which would run at about $1,500 or more (with tax on top) and I can still use my Creative Audigy surround sound card, my All-In-Wonder, etc.

If Mom wants her own computer a year from now or so, we can get a Future Shop HP, and get Product Service Plan so that if anything goes wrong after I move out, it's very easy for her to get it serviced if I'm not nearby. They even are getting Geek Squad with technicians that'll come to the house which would be ideal for Mom.

So Mom is willing to put a bit towards this, for the monitor part anyway, which is good. Every little bit helps - gotta love Moms!

- Steve

steve lee wow???

I feel accomplished today. Yesterday, the breakfast went well - the first one we've done in Richmond. Today we'll do our first candy sale fundraiser, and promote the crap out of Canada Day and the Canada Day Pub Night. Got the computer working =)

Installing all the programs takes forever though. There are some that have had updates to them and I want to get the latest of those, they are like new versions and they have special upgrade offers so I'm going to purchase them later today.

I want to get a new dual layer DVD burner and I may upgrade my tower - going to maybe look around today or tomorrow, if not next week. I found a memory card slot reader that slides into the drive bay, they have them standard on a lot of new computers but it was hard to find one that you could add to an existing computer but now there are like a few different kinds so I want to get that. I have one that sits on the desk but anything that helps remove desk clutter is a good thing.

Anyway, gotta finish installing Office.

ta-ta for now,

- Steve

WOOT?!??!?

Well, I think I got it working. I was able to finally install the full version of McAfee while logged into the Safe Mode of XP. I then ran a complete scan of the hard drive after updating the virus program and it found a few trojans and one adware program which it deleted and once that was done things have been smooth sailing. I installed all the Windows updates and now I have to install a few drivers and some programs.

I was browsing today, possibly thinking about getting a new computer. I definitely want a new monitor and I may either go one of three routes:

1. Just do an upgrade - new motherboard, new processor, more RAM - go to like Pentium 4, 3GHz, with lots of RAM. New tower.

2. Get an HP - they have some very nice multi-media computers and I talked to the guy at my own Future Shop who said there were some nice new HPs coming down the pike within the next few months if I can hold out till then.

3. Go MAC - Get a new system, the new MAC G4 I think it is? These beasts are made for multi-media applications - they make feature films on MACs. Definitely something to seriously look into I think.

My Mom wants a computer, so maybe going the HP route for her would be good, if I am seriously considering doing more serious film stuff, maybe I should consider having a Mac for that, and then for everything else I do, since a huge part of me still likes Windows and the stuff it offers - I can just hang onto my laptop, and maybe even get a good multimedia HP laptop (the new one they have out now - sooo nice - P4, 3GHz, 1GB RAM (upgradable), 200 GB HD (with a way of getting another one hooked up to it), all the slots and plugs for multi-media devices, outputs to send signals to like your TV or a nice monitor, very very nice. Dual layer 16x DVD Burner. 17" widescreen that is very sharp - I am in love with this baby but the price is sticky $2,499.

But in the fall, they will probably come out with an even better model --- I'm not looking to replace my laptop right now but at least I have some options open to me with new models of computers coming to look at. Also, getting like a full HP or MAC, I can get it with a full product service plan that can be used to take the hasstle out of owning it - i.e. if something goes wrong I can hand it over to someone else and they take care of it at little cost to me, whereas right now, with a homebuilt model, although it can be fun to maintain and keep up, can be taxing on the time.

Anyway, it's 2:20am now, I gotta get to bed - pancake breaky in the morning on campus followed by a candy sale - I hope to be able to leave campus by about 2 or 3pm, to come home, finish installing stuff and finish cleaning and organizing my dresser area and the piles of stuff around my desk... I so need a tiny two shelf bookshelf next to my desk under the window to hold some of the crap on top of my dresser, so it's less messy looking in my room! Problem is I can't find a little tiny one, they are all big and too tall for the spot =S

- Steve

=(

Something is terribly wrong with my computer. The last reinstall seemed to go fine, and I thought it was updating properly but nothing will install properly. It's not even remembering what updates were installed from Windows Update. Why??? I didn't have this much trouble the last time I formatted my old hard drive (the computer was saying there was a fatal error with my old drive each time I started it up, and recommended I get a new one immediately). But last time, just formatting it and reinstalling it worked ok --- maybe I need to do that here. I thought putting a new drive in would just be easier to format and reinstall without going through the bother of formatting the old one and worrying about finishing copying some of the TV shows I'd recorded onto the hard drive. I wanted to just put the new drive in, install things and then just copy what I wanted off the old one onto the new one and then just format the old one and hopefully start with a clean sweep.

I may just copy what I can off the old one then set it up again as the primary and format it and try again that way. Last time it seemed to work that way - maybe this time it will work. If not, then I guess maybe it's just time for a new system. My laptop is much more reliable than my home built one now-a-days. Just too many worms and stuff for me to worry about - of course that can happen with a new system but at least everything in a new system is compatible and built to work with one another instead of worrying whether or not it will work on a home built.

I'll see if they have that drive scrubbing program at London Drugs today, I'll also try that in addition to the above. If that doesn't work then I'll start shopping for a new system.

- Steve

grrrrrr

I should've guessed things wouldn't be so easy. My computer is still giving me heartache and I am now on my 5th install of XP.

Things were so cool but somehow, and I didn't even do it - cause I had only been updating Windows, but somehow it just stopped and froze, and when I rebooted I had a shitload of spyware and adware. So I think this time, if it works, the first thing that gets installed is going to be McAfee.

- Steve