Should I Upgrade My Computer?

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The few times I tried up grading it seemed I'd fix one problem and suddenly a new one would crop up. So I no longer upgrade. Most of the time a new OS was out so it just made more sense to buy new.

About a year ago, I decided to either upgrade my Dell Inspiron 4150 laptop computer , purchased in 2002 or purchase something new. Since I had invested in an expensive port replicator which could not be used with a new computer, I chose to add memory (two 512 MB chips)and an external hard drive (500 MB)on which to store my photo files. I'm still running Windows XP but upgraded to Office 2010. By regularly running clean-up software, I have extended the life of my nine-year-old computer for another couple of years and it does everything I need to do - Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, Power Point presentations and photo editing using Photoshop Elements.

Bob, I was reading another article recently about what to do with your old computer. One of the suggestions is to use your old computer as a DVR. I feel sure you'd have to buy the TV connector thingy. I am seriously considering setting up my old PC as a backup DVR. Maybe you could tell us the steps and hardware requirements for doing this?

Another suggestion was to use your old computer as a security camera. I liked that idea, too.

If it was one of your articles I was reading, then I should tell you how much I enjoyed it!

An older computer can still be useful, even for more advanced tasks if, after moving the data to a new computer, the old one is converted to running one of the easier-to-use Linux versions. In general, Linux requires less memory and speed to run than does Windows.
The Linux operating system and all programs are freely downloadable from the internet. The easiest way to do it is to first download the Linux operating system file to a working computer and burn it to a CD with ActiveISO Burner or another similar program. The operating system can be downloaded from www.distrowatch.com for free. The easiest to use versions of Linux are Linux Mint, PCLinuxOS, Mandriva, and a couple of others. I use Windows XP and Linux Mint. Mint is the most likely to work on any computer model.
The person doing this would have to know how to get the old computer to boot from the CD which isn't difficult, but not always obvious either. Once the computer boots from the CD, just following the graphical prompts is pretty straight-forward. The computer should run faster with Linux than with XP.

Bob, I think you have it right on the money. Unless you really want to spend your money, I have been using computers that most would consider obsolete. I make do partly because I need to, but partly because I want to. My needs justify the means. I still use XP, and one machine I use Ubuntu. I use freeware where possible and keep things up to date. In our economy, its makes dollar$ and cents.

Many many old PC's become like new computers if you wipe it and install the latest version of Ubuntu! It's amazing how great these older PC's run b/c Ubuntu is so clean and easy to use and has such a small foot print. Highly highly recommend it if you don't have need for Windows specifically.

Thank you "Bob"-Most of us readers are new to having are own computers for home &/or family use , with all of the basics , plus our added on paid for &/or free software.
Keep software up to date , add more memory , when you need it-plus all of the free removers and virus protectors , we should be good for 8 years.

My "homemade" P4-3.2Ghz/HT/2GB RAM/140GB; 300GB; 1TB system is still pretty adequate for XP/SP3 even with running web, FTP, database, etc, and Vipre Premium & Prevx protection.

I run ccleaner and defraggler via scheduled jobs to keep things clean. IE add-ons are kept to a minimum.

Most users' computers I work on have way too much junk running, including IE browser toolbars!

I agree with the advice given in the article. I have a dinosaur of a computer and it's becoming a bit of a pain to use (its 5-6 years old). Of course, I am a gamer, albeit a cheap one. If you have to change your motherboard to upgrade, I would just get a new machine. If I wanted to upgrade mine, I would need a new case, motherboard, processor, and more RAM. Basically it's not worth upgrading unless you only have to buy one or two new parts. If your computer uses an AGP video card, I would buy a new one.

What to do with an older PC, when you are done with it. One suggestion that I read somewhere is to donate it to a senior citizen center. Most older PCs can connect to the Internet, handle Email, do Word Processing, so on and so forth. Is speed really important for those who don't have computer access? I don't think so.

I totally agree that a 7200 RPM Hard Drive makes definite changes. The faster a hard drive can write & read data, the faster you feel your PC is working. What most people do not realize is the most laptops use 5400 RPM Hard Drives, while most Desktops utilize the 7200 RPM Hard Drives. This is one reason why I prefer a Desktop PC.

Must note, that many of the older motherboards in the older PCs, can only handle up to 2 GBs of memory. Too many people try to 'upgrade' their memory, without knowing the limitations of their motherboards. Bottom line, they spend money that is totally wasted, because the motherboard will only recognize a maximum amount of memory.

Plus, for people who don't keep up maintenance on their PCs, getting a newer one will make no difference in the long run. Why? Because, they will 'slow down' their new PC, with essentially the exact same 'bad habits', that caused their older PC to 'slow down'.

Thank you !

I was one of the guys who kept W98 until I got my current systems in 2006 (the main unit has been completely upgraded) and only recently moved XP to SP3 on the grounds that if it ain't broke why fix it? Folk used to worry me that XP would not support my DOS applications which as a family CPA I still need to view occasionally even though I no longer have a printer for them. It's not simple but it does indeed support them.

I like W7 on my laptop but my question is, can DOS applications (in Hebrew, right to left) run on it or will I need to always keep one machine on XP?

I have a Packard Bell 300CD computer purchased in 1993 with DOS and Windows 3.I kept it for a database program that I have used almost every day since. In the mean time I have gone through two newer computers that I use for updated email, web browsing and word processing.

Being an X Comp.(hardwareTec.77) I'm shy on software. Run XP,hate Vista. But LINUX looks interesting. I agree that a new system is a waste of money,for most of us. Clean & Defrag first.

Mike(06-01-2011) makes a very good point in his comment and one I'm faced with. I'm running Win 7 Home Premium and using a pc I built over 5 years ago. I want better graphics but I'm now forced to upgrade my mobo in order to use the PCI-Express cards. My AGP has limitations and, for the most part, is unsupported in retail markets for upgrades. Unless someone makes a retrofit card adapter I'm at a stand-still.