Dear lord, I bought a PC

[thechidz]

well, I picked up this deal on buy.com today.

Gateway® GM5643E Digital TV Desktop / Intel® Core™ 2 Quad / 3072 MB DDR2 / 400 GB Hard Drive / Analog/Digital TV Tuner / 15-in-1 Media Reader / Elite wireless keyboard & Mouse / Vista Home Premium / Factory Refurbished
1 $434.99 $434.99

does it look like a good deal for the specs? my google search looked promising so I decided to drop the hammer and give it a try (I wont be letting go of my macbook though)

so what do I need to do to keep this thing stable? I'm used to macs so I basically don't do anything usually:D

[MattZani]

Virus Protection, Regular Defrags, System Clean Ups.

Be careful not to install to much aswell, as it can really kill the boot time.

[thechidz]

honestly Im also hoping to get an EFiX unit hwen they are back in stock in the US to try loading osx on it, simply as an experiment of course:o

[JG271]

I guess the TV tuner and 400GB hard drive should make for some nice video rips!

To keep it stable? Some components/computers play well together better than others... so hope for the best :p

Try to install only well known programs, buggy or badly programmed programs can cause problems for the entire computer.
Oh and maybe installing XP would be a better idea too.

[robo456]

Virus Protection, Regular Defrags, System Clean Ups.

Be careful not to install to much aswell, as it can really kill the boot time.

I like my Mac Mini and my 'hackintosh' just fine, but these really aren't that big of a deal.

Virus protection, anywhere from free (either free or free after rebates) to maybe 40-50 bucks a year.

Regular defrags... well, I've never run one on my XP box (turn off at night, so it's never run the 2am scheduled one); and it's been up and running for years.

System clean ups... well got me there, I usually reload every year or two just because I load alot of crap on it. Necessary... not really tho.

I can't really compare apples to apples, because the iMacs have the screen already, but I think most of them go for 800-1200 for the refurbs, so you're talking almost half the price.

Meh.

--rob

[a456]

what do I need to do to keep this thing stable? I'm used to macs so I basically don't do anything usually:D

Wipe the hard drive and install Linux.

[Sun Baked]

You shouldn't telling us, go to confession.

Here we are a bit more harsh ...

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2967

[Insulin Junkie]

Sounds like a decent machine!

I guess the TV tuner and 400GB hard drive should make for some nice video rips!

That crossed my mind too ^^

[lamadude]

Virus Protection, Regular Defrags, System Clean Ups.

Be careful not to install to much aswell, as it can really kill the boot time.

There's more to PC's than windows! You could easily install a linux distribution like ubuntu or opensuse and have a great system, or even instal osx86

[hexonxonx]

Doesn't sound too bad. You haven't mentioned what the processor speed is.

I sold my two Mac notebooks and have been using my two HPs. One of them I bought in July and it has Vista. The other is running Vista that I installed from the newer HPs install disks (yes it's permitted and legal and both copies are registered). I've got to say that Vista is just as stable if not more stable than XP was. I think since July, I've only had IE crash once. On my iMac. I had the whole system reboot for no reason yesterday as I sat and watched.

As far as defragmenting, I can't tell you the last time I ever used the program and I've always owned Windows computers. Never had a computer slow down on me from not using defrag.

Virus apps, well stay away from Norton. I used to like them but now it is just a resource hog. Use AVG antivirus, it's free. Vista does a much better job now at staying virus free by asking your permission to install things. In fact, I think it may ask permission a bit too much. It asks permission before you can go to the control panel.

3GB of ram will be fine on yor machine. One of my HPs came with 4GB, the other 2GB. The one with 2 hasn't had a problem doing anything that the 4GB machine can do.

Anyways, enjoy Vista, MS has actually done a good job with it as long as you have all the updates. I thought I would miss XP too much but I don't anymore now that I've gotten used to Vista.

[Battlefield Fan]

I just bought norton Internet sec. 2009 and I would have to say it's 3 times faster than 2008. It installs in a minute.(seriously that's what they are touting for 2009 is that is not a resource hog). Get norton 2009.

[thechidz]

proc is 2.5 ghz... I just ordered my efix too:D;)

[neiltc13]

I have never installed or run any "virus protection" software on any of my PCs and I have no problems with them.

I've also never used a disk defragmenter as I've never noticed any problems that would prompt me to use one.

[Eidorian]

I've also never used a disk defragmenter as I've never noticed any problems that would prompt me to use one.I just defrag for the massive changes game patches make to my filesystem.

Then again it only means beating my friends to loading by 10 seconds. I still have to wait for them to load...

It'd be nice if OS X game with a built-in defragmentation utility for those users that run into Boot Camp partitioner problems.

[stainlessliquid]

efix only works on a few motherboards, chances are it wont work with an OEM pc.

[thechidz]

efix only works on a few motherboards, chances are it wont work with an OEM pc.

Im aware of that but willing to try. Im thinking the MOBO requirement is due to them being their supplier. but Ill let you know what happens:cool:

[Insulin Junkie]

I have never installed or run any "virus protection" software on any of my PCs and I have no problems with them.

I've also never used a disk defragmenter as I've never noticed any problems that would prompt me to use one.

Absolutely seconded. I've never even had so much as malicious spyware on my PC's, throughout. No bluescreen either. I know what it looks like, but only because I googled it.

[mobilehaathi]

Wipe the hard drive and install Linux.

Curses! You beat me to it!:D

[chrono1081]

If you get Nod32 for antivirus and webroot spysweeper for spyware you should be good. Nothing will prompt you to defrag but its a good idea to do it once a week or so.

However, I will warn you with Vista, some people think its stable. It absolutely isnt. Vista's stability depends on the SYSTEM you run it on. Some hardware configurations it works just fine on, a lot dont. Where I work on we used to have vista on all the machines (we downgraded thousands back to xp). Back when they all ran vista certain models had certain problems. These were on brand new freshly imaged machines with nothing on them.

People will argue and say "I have vista and it works fine for me!" good for them. Vista doesn't work for a lot of people (Including my last PC, and Vista is now the reason I own a mac :) Thank you Vista!)

[TBi]

However, I will warn you with Vista, some people think its stable. It absolutely isnt. Vista's stability depends on the SYSTEM you run it on.

Well OSX is the exact same as Vista in this regards. It's as stable as the system you run it on. Unfortunately the only systems you can run OSX (legally) on are ones that Apple have vetted to make sure it works like a dream.

If MS only sold Vista for Apple hardware then it would run like a dream, but MS has to support an almost unlimited amount of configurations with buggy drivers from unknown hardware companies.

Vista is as stable as OSX is, if run on the same hardware. It is made unstable by bad hardware, bad drivers and in some cases bad software.

[Cheffy Dave]

regular defrag, I highly recommend Diskeeper, a good free Anti-Virus is Avast, also recommended. I also defrag the registry, but I don't recommend YOU go there. ;)

[allmIne]

well, I picked up this deal on buy.com today.

Gateway® GM5643E Digital TV Desktop / Intel® Core™ 2 Quad / 3072 MB DDR2 / 400 GB Hard Drive / Analog/Digital TV Tuner / 15-in-1 Media Reader / Elite wireless keyboard & Mouse / Vista Home Premium / Factory Refurbished
1 $434.99 $434.99

does it look like a good deal for the specs? my google search looked promising so I decided to drop the hammer and give it a try (I wont be letting go of my macbook though)

so what do I need to do to keep this thing stable? I'm used to macs so I basically don't do anything usually:D

It's ok. I still love you.

Kind regards,

Lord.

/booming voice and parted clouds.

[thewireman]

Just downgrade to Windows ME, then you will have the world's greatest computer. :rolleyes:

[TBi]

Just downgrade to Windows ME, then you will have the world's greatest computer. :rolleyes:

Yes because we all know Mac OS9, which was ME's competitor, was so much better :)

Not to mention windows 2000 was out at the same time. That was one of the best operating systems at the time.

[LouisBlack]

Wipe the hard drive and install Linux.

+1

[sangosimo]

actually use windows and xbmc. You can turn it into a pretty awesome media center. Windows has really good driver support for more esoteric 3rd party addons.

[KítscheñÇinqµe]

go back to xp (or 2k) if you have it. (what i've read:) vista needs 4gb to do anything heavy (seems an exaggeration, but...). but meanwhile, 32bit win os is limited to slightly higher than 3gb. So quality 3d rendering (or vid editing?) would be somnambulent (? subjective i suppose). OTOH, you can do a lot of modern stuff on xp with 512mb, 1ghz ("single core").

Partition the drive and reinstall Windows. Avoid installing anything in "program files"., because space char in path sometimes causes headaches (for other apps or batch). So in general, avoid the space char in any folder name.
setup backup or imaging (or raid?)
Turn off the "eyecandy" (doh). more: http://www.google.com/search?q=XP+Tweaks+Guide+Explorer+|+Desktop+|+Control
http://www.google.com/search?q=%2BBest+XP+Tweaks+Guide+inurl%3Aboard+%7C+inurl%3Ashowtopic+%7C++inurl%3Ashowthread+%7C+inu rl%3AShowPost+%7C+inurl%3Alofiversion+%7C+%7EPhpbb+%7C+Forums+
msfn.org, neowin.net/forum/

Prophyllaxis: limited user might work on vista. (limited user doesn't work well on xp, ime).
Connect to broadband thru a spi router. disable upnp cuz it's useless. (you should already be doing this.)

KIS (av+firewall) is about the best. 3seat KIS is FAR (free after rebate) including "competitive upgrade" rebate. else, $30 or $40 with regular rebate.
if children and other naives will not access your computer, then freeware is lighter:
Avira AV (includes some rootkit scan, can be set more paranoid, need to kill the nag), Alwil Avast.
A whole bunch of free app firewalls. Kerio2.15 is popular (begin with import of Bz ruleset from dslreports). Jetico 1 is supposed to be good. unfortunately it's tortuously bewildering (though iirc, i eventually got it settled down even while torrenting. also i've read that torrenting makes some firewalls use lots of cpu, etc.)
I've not yet tried Winpatrol, but it seems to be unique.
if mail app lacks filtering, use k9 or other.
(Proxomitron+) privoxy+tor when desired.

Some people use separate ids/hips. i have not tried them. You can run spyware s&d or adaware se (update the defs manually), but they've never found anything on my computers.
Proxomitron w/sidki or grypen (don't know of any other maintained full sets).
AumHa/mvps, HOSTS file manager (your choice)
Don't use IE. But other apps will use parts of ie, so open "internet options" (inetcpl.cpl). Review the settings for "restricted sites". Imitate those when resetting "internet zone" (i also reset the "trusted zone" to almost the same level).
Browser: Shutoff java, cookies-by-default, and other standard silliness in whatever browser you use.
FF3 (mozillazine), opera9(newserver or google), kmeleon(sfnet km forum) are best, ime, but i want to try safari someday...
Can get Portable versions of all 3. You may like Noscript with FF. FF does smoother major upgrades. KM has the older (better) type of moz "general" cookie settings. Opera has image toggle and convenient per-site settings, dragndrop crippled. Overall, you choose convenience vs hardware usage.
Either 1) use the win updater (set to notify, so you know why firewall pops up). 2) or IE to the winupdates site (put the domain into trusted zone, if it is not there by default?), or 3) use belarc advisor.
Brute-force resistant passwords. (google: Years Brute-Force Password)
wilderssecurity, castlecops

services.msc
Check task manager or procexp for possible bloat. Run hijackthis.
Choose services depending on your hardware (lan or not, etc or not). Research: 1) google for guides, eg famous: blackviper.com/Articles/OS/OSguides.htm, blackviper.com/WinXP/customREG_Home.php#Custom_Home
2) Make list of running services to open in browser for swipe'n'google:make then run this "shortcut"
Target: %Windir%\system32\cmd.exe /k net start>>%HomeDrive%\CmdSvc%date%%ComputerName%.Lst &echo.%date%_%time%_%ComputerName%>>%HomeDrive%\CmdSvc%date%%ComputerName%.Lst &explorer.exe /e,%HomeDrive%&Exit
Start in: %WinDir%
( I found that, but may have embellished...)
Set many "useless" services to Disable or Manual.

Check urls in paragraph by "justsayin'" tech.yahoo.com/qa/How-can-I-improve-my-PC's-performance-/20070815064141AAsa23X
Tweaks taster: pctools.com/guides/registry/

Best freeware/oss apps: snapfiles, betanews, softpedia, acf/pricelessware, nonags, and GOOGLE
Email seems inherently pita. i keep returning to oe6. Koma, Popcorn, and another (I forget) look "promising", but will likely disappoint if i get round to trying. "Choose your poison".

others, unique +|or all round best:
Irfanview (basic raster edits, views|plays almost all formats thru plugins)
Isobuster (LFWV, aka "Last Freeware Version")
ImgBurn (cd/dvd)
EruNT, NTRegOpt

files:
Agent Ransack (regex find files)
7zip
WinMerge
Doublekiller
fsum
Foxit (pdf)
PdfCreator

other net:
Wget (or your choice)
text editors (your choice)
TopStyleLite
CseLite
browser addons/ext/custom ini

btw, i'd like to find similar info for noobz running os 8, os9, and (someday) for osx (and, do OS 10.1 thru 10.5 vary enough to cause their basic security/cfg guide to vary?)

Finally, send me a few hundred dollars for saving you months of research and (some) of your experimentation :-)

[Abstract]

Vista is as stable as OSX is, if run on the same hardware. It is made unstable by bad hardware, bad drivers and in some cases bad software.

In other words.....everything?

[alphaod]

Congrats on the computer! :D

[Digital Skunk]

The way it goes, if I had the cash to get the PC hardware I would like (HP Blackbird) I would. If I could get it past the wife as well.

Nothing wrong with the Mac counter parts, but the gear head in me doesn't mind that amazing power that PC machines do have. The only thing I would need to do is find a reason to have all of that power... since all of my media stuff is done on the Mac, and I don't game that much.

p.s. CS4 may have be dumping FCS2, so just maybe.... :rolleyes:

[montanachad]

Another vote for Linux!

Linux in '08 :D

[taylorwilsdon]

Don't waste your money on EFIX. The same thing is available for free, and its actually EASIER than efix. Its called Boot-132-Chameleon and it lets you insert a retail OSX dvd and install OSX exactly the same way as EFIX, except its not limited to certain motherboards.

[thechidz]

Don't waste your money on EFIX. The same thing is available for free, and its actually EASIER than efix. Its called Boot-132-Chameleon and it lets you insert a retail OSX dvd and install OSX exactly the same way as EFIX, except its not limited to certain motherboards.

hmmm, a little too complicated for dumb ole me;) but hopefully someone will make an easy GUI and I'll be all over this

[mascola]

omg i hate vista so slow and always wants you second guess yourself

[elppa]

Yes because we all know Mac OS9, which was ME's competitor, was so much better :)
It wasn't much better, but in many ways it was better. It has multiple user support, the keychain (a first), software update and a pretty decent system wide search tool in Sherlock. It also had disc burning utilities built in and improved overall stability on OS 8. It was well regarded at the time. It served the very useful purpose of giving users a solid classic system to make the transition to OS X.

ME was a poor product. Most people were wither better of sticking with 98, trying 2000 or waiting for XP.
Even Microsoft poke fun of ME. From the XP transition (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-xp/future.aspx) site:
not everyone may agree with our decision—just as not everyone was happy to see Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME retire (OK, perhaps not ME). But we think the time is right.

Not to mention windows 2000 was out at the same time. That was one of the best operating systems at the time.

Completely agree with this one Win 2000 was an exceptional piece of work.

[jojo13]

You shouldn't telling us, go to confession.

Here we are a bit more harsh ...

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2967

hahaha so funny
no seriously, enjoy your purchase man
who cares if it's not a mac, just enjoy your new baby:D

[dukebound85]

Don't waste your money on EFIX. The same thing is available for free, and its actually EASIER than efix. Its called Boot-132-Chameleon and it lets you insert a retail OSX dvd and install OSX exactly the same way as EFIX, except its not limited to certain motherboards.

while i like this method as i use it personally, there is most definitely motherboard limitations lol.

[Daim]

+1

i'd stick with windows. it's not that bad as many apple fanboys say :)

[7031]

It'll be fine. Just leave Windows on there and as long as you have virus protection and stuff it'll run great.

i'd stick with windows. it's not that bad as many apple fanboys say
So true.

[thechidz]

so far the things I dont like:

windows mail doesn't seem to work

downloading things needed to make flash sites work properly hasnt worked as easy as it does in osx, for instance havent been able to utilize mlb.com yet

[Eidorian]

so far the things I dont like:

windows mail doesn't seem to workCheck your port and encryption settings.

downloading things needed to make flash sites work properly hasnt worked as easy as it does in osx, for instance havent been able to utilize mlb.com yetIt's a self installing package. Just like OS X.

[thechidz]

It's a self installing package. Just like OS X.

For some reason it isnt self installing properly because it hasn't worked

[Eidorian]

For some reason it isnt self installing properly because it hasn't workedI believe that Internet Explorer and Mozilla use different plug-in repositories as well. If you install one version of it, it won't work in the other browser. There's also a self test that launches after installing Flash that takes you to an Adobe website that confirms a successful installation.

Since it's Vista make sure you run as administrator.

[thechidz]

Check your port and encryption settings.

.

that worked but for some reason my work IMAP email address doesnt have an inbox, lol. it only has my other folders. weird

EDIT: nm, figured it out.

[thechidz]

I believe that Internet Explorer and Mozilla use different plug-in repositories as well. If you install one version of it, it won't work in the other browser. There's also a self test that launches after installing Flash that takes you to an Adobe website that confirms a successful installation.

Since it's Vista make sure you run as administrator.

I dont think its flash that isnt working. its something else. the pictures are all there but the scoreboard on the left side dont show up and gameday doesnt work

and actually video isnt working either


edit: ok so I guess Ill have to use explorer because it works on that, not ff or safari though

[NEiMac]

First thing you do is put linux on it, leave a small windows partition or add a second drive for those things that you just need windows for, Im sure there will be something. Seriously though save yourself the headaches and use windows as little as possible. :D

[TBi]

Seriously though save yourself the headaches and use windows as little as possible. :D

I've had more headaches with Linux than I've ever had with Windows :)

[jaikob]

regular defrag, I highly recommend Diskeeper, a good free Anti-Virus is Avast, also recommended. I also defrag the registry, but I don't recommend YOU go there. ;)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Vista Defrags its self on a scheduled basis. Eliminating the need to buy software for it.

[MacSA]

Just downgrade to Windows ME, then you will have the world's greatest computer. :rolleyes:

I'm using Windows ME now... and have been for nearly 8 years. :D:D

[SchneiderMan]

linux vs newer vista? i will take vista thanks you

[thechidz]

well Im getting past the learners curve for vista slowly, but its just not osx. where is my efix dammit!:p

[NEiMac]

I've had more headaches with Linux than I've ever had with Windows :)

It can have its moments, you really have to take time and look up your hardware and make sacrifices and changes with some things if your going to have a serious go with it. I find once you get over the headache of setting it up its much better then using windows. I prefer one bad headache once in a while to headaches often and more rapidly as time progresses. lol

[thechidz]

so far this machine actually seems slower than my macbook. I attribute that to windows vs. osx. I also miss my ical (am using a trial version of mobilme in the interim) and my applemail (am experimenting with thunderbird, which isnt bad but I miss having an inbox for all my accounts in the same place) I also miss hot corners and REALLY miss spaces. I don't know if their is a vista equivalent? I miss the dock, which is surprising because I hated it at first on my mac. I'll post more as I think of them.

[CubeHacker]

I bought 2 of those computers for a friend. They are excellent for the money! Just pop in a $150 video card, and you got a blazing fast gaming computer for $600!

Just a note, XP cannot be installed on it without some difficulty due to the G33 chipset. You are pretty much stuck with Vista. I would HIGHLY recommend you reformat the drive and install Vista from scratch to get rid of all the JUNK gateway installs on it. It runs a LOT faster then!

[VoR]

You rarely see a brand name pc without a botched factory os install.

[sargent bannana]

did all you mac users clearly read the specs of that computer please direct me to a mac with a quad core and 3 gb of ram for $500 ? please ? you never will because you cant apple over charges you. your getting ripped off

and dont give me that bull about viruses as long as your not useing torrents and watching porn your pretty good with mcafee and system defrags yah there a pain in the ass but not north paying $600+ more just not do it.
and macs crash you have your spinning beach balls. so dont act likle macs are the godly computers

[apple2E]

I did also! I was at fryes electronics getting ink for my epson r1800 and saw an acer aspire one netbook.

grabbed one, filled it with my itunes music and some emulators. Not bad!


Acer Aspire One 8.9" Mini Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1.0 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, XP Home)

[Consultant]

did all you mac users clearly read the specs of that computer please direct me to a mac with a quad core and 3 gb of ram for $500 ? please ? you never will because you cant apple over charges you. your getting ripped off


WRONG. Apple products are QUIET, cheap PCs are LOUD.

I've just built a high performance gaming PC. Guess how much I spent on making it quiet?

>$200

[TBi]

WRONG. Apple products are QUIET, cheap PCs are LOUD.

I've just built a high performance gaming PC. Guess how much I spent on making it quiet?

>$200

That's a bad argument. It's easy to make a computer that's silent if you use the same components that the mac uses.

You said you made a high performance PC, thus you are using more powerful and hotter components than the mac uses. That's why it's expensive to cool them quietly.

I have a quad core Q6600, Radeon 4850 and over 2TB of hard drive space in my computer and it's as quiet as my friends Mac Pro. Faster too :)

[Schtumple]

did all you mac users clearly read the specs of that computer please direct me to a mac with a quad core and 3 gb of ram for $500 ? please ? you never will because you cant apple over charges you. your getting ripped off

and dont give me that bull about viruses as long as your not useing torrents and watching porn your pretty good with mcafee and system defrags yah there a pain in the ass but not north paying $600+ more just not do it.
and macs crash you have your spinning beach balls. so dont act likle macs are the godly computers

I have no idea where that came from, guess you needed to vent yes?

[CubeHacker]

WRONG. Apple products are QUIET, cheap PCs are LOUD.

I've just built a high performance gaming PC. Guess how much I spent on making it quiet?

>$200

Actually, the PC in question in the 1st post is surprisingly quiet, and very well built. It has connections galore, and you can upgrade the video card without problem. Overall i'd say its an excellent buy for the money. I mean come on, Q6600 quad core, 3gb ram, huge HDD, HDTV digital tuner, all for $450?!

[thechidz]

Actually, the PC in question in the 1st post is surprisingly quiet, and very well built. It has connections galore, and you can upgrade the video card without problem. Overall i'd say its an excellent buy for the money. I mean come on, Q6600 quad core, 3gb ram, huge HDD, HDTV digital tuner, all for $450?!

I got another 15 off from a google search for a buy.com coupon, so mine came to 435:)

anyway, my project to get it as mac-like as possible until I get my efix is coming along. I now have my mozzilla sunbird and thunderbird up and running cal and mail repectively. meh, it works in a pinch but nowhere near as nice as iCal and Mail, but whatevs for now. I still have a few weeks left of mobileme and I've loaded safari and itunes, which is nice. I wish I would have reinstalled vista like people suggested but now that I've done all the work to set it up I dont want to do all that again :p

[Gaelic2]

well, I picked up this deal on buy.com today.

Gateway® GM5643E Digital TV Desktop / Intel® Core™ 2 Quad / 3072 MB DDR2 / 400 GB Hard Drive / Analog/Digital TV Tuner / 15-in-1 Media Reader / Elite wireless keyboard & Mouse / Vista Home Premium / Factory Refurbished
1 $434.99 $434.99

does it look like a good deal for the specs? my google search looked promising so I decided to drop the hammer and give it a try (I wont be letting go of my macbook though)

so what do I need to do to keep this thing stable? I'm used to macs so I basically don't do anything usually:D

Isn't this a Mac forum? Did I get on the wrong forum?:confused:

[TBi]

Isn't this a Mac forum? Did I get on the wrong forum?:confused:

Well it runs OSX. So lets just call it Unbranded Mac hardware :)