I committed computer.
Dell has a 300.00 off sale going on, and that brought this one into affordability, a Latitude E5550, which is, I hope, in the ‘reliable workhorse’ category. My own system is wheezing under the load, and its second extension of warranty is running out next month, after having provided me 2-3 keyboards and a new screen. This Latitude D810 has served me since late 2003 or early 2004, and will go on serving as a travel machine—I can do routine operations like keyboard replacement, which ought to keep it operating.
Above all, I was able to get the pointing stick as an option: that’s what sold me that this is the time to make the move. I rely on that solely, and am just lost without it, and finding it as an option is getting harder than it once was. The system has no software but Windows, but I have software to put on it, and that will do just fine, granted I can get it to run with Win 7. We do have a new Word Perfect, which I know will work, and that’s the essential thing.
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7250 with VT (2.00GHz, 2M L2 Cache, 800Mhz FSB)
4.0GB, DDR2-800 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
Internal English Dual Pointing Keyboard
Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
250GB Hard Drive, 5400RPM
Touchpad and Trackstick dual pointing
15.4 inch Wide Screen WXGA Anti-glare LCD Panel
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional with media
90W A/C Adapter (3-pin)
8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio and Cyberlink PowerDVD™
Dell Wireless™ 1397 802.11b/g Mini Card
6 Cell Battery
3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year NBD On-Site Service
3 Year CompleteCare Accidental Damage Protection
1 Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
I will say this, I just upgraded my system to Windows 7. I did all the things they told me to do, back up the system, do the Transfer Files application, moved them to the external hard drive, then when W7 finally told me I could play with the system, I moved them back to the system, and promptly lost the capability of about 60% of those applications I was happily running under Vista. It also reassigned the drives to new sequences, so now what was my D: drive is now the F: drive, and the rest of them have moved up one letter in rank.
I am NOT going to spend $500 on a new Office suite, I am tired of having my email program being unsupported by Windows, I’ll grant I’m using a very, very ancient copy of Eudora (5.1), and for some reason this morning, it crashes whenever I open a message that has an attachment. GRRR.. I’m doing a scan for malware, viruses, spyware, whatever, and have verified that Eudora is set up the way I had it before.
It’s enough that I think I’ll splurge and get a 1 or 2 terabye external drive and run my stuff off that, and let Windows run on the main hard drive. I try to keep from clogging up the external drive with crap, but also try to put most of my applications on the secondary hard drive. 22 years of working with computers in the Navy, 3 years and another Bachelor’s Degree, this time in Business Administration with concentration on Information Systems and Technology and the programmers in Redmond still find a way to break down my fortress walls. I need some help from Barraketh!
Mazel Tov!
A suggestion – if you haven’t got a network disk for automatic backup, and you’ve got a spare $150 lying around, that might be a good investment. You can get 500Gb mirrored for around that price, and it could turn out to be a lifesaver (or at least a filesaver).
Arrgh! I’ve heard that a conversion from Vista to Win7 runs pretty well, but trying to upgrade from xp requires a total c: wipeout and reinstall from System Files up. I haven’t done that since, well, the ’80’s, at least, when I used to format C: every time I got really annoyed. A System Disk lived in my desk drawer, for just such moments. I stayed on DOS long after Windows existed, but since Windows, I do not recall doing a format c:
Now I’m a little trepidatious about doing that for my old D810 workhorse, because honestly, on this laptop, I don’t know if you can get ‘system’ to write to a dvd the way you used to write ‘system’ to a floppy.
I would strongly recommend Steve’s suggestion about the network drive. Having one that just kicks in (without me even having to remember) has been a real blessing and has made recovering from “mishaps” a whole lot easier.
Do you have to upgrade your old computer to Win7? Isn’t that what the new computer is for? I’d just leave the old one well enough alone. Especially if it is just used for typing. Maybe I am getting this confused though. Anyway, your new computer looks like it will awesome. You’ll love the 4 gigs of ram compared to whatever you had been using.
I probably won’t, there being nothing critical on it, and I don’t own an xp disk—one of the problems of buying computers with the software streamed on. The older they get, the crankier the installation gets, too many times updated, maybe; or just an accumulation of registry wonkiness. My current beast loses the internet sometimes 2-3 times a day, can’t run Windows Outlook anymore: it won’t clear the cache on the server, so I have to fall back on Outlook Express and clear the server cache before I can access anything on regular Outlook’s db; it complains about “can’t read memory at 000000” fairly often on save, the recommended fix doesn’t fix it, and it gives a bunch of other signs of creakiness and corrupt files, not to mention that the last keyboard installed has a wonky eraser-mouse, so any slight pressure in steering it makes it grab things on your desktop and invoke programs you didn’t expect to open. So I’ll just tootle along with this under the original xp. I know its workarounds and can make it behave, and I just reboot when it ‘forgets’ things.
Happy New Computer! 😆
A lot of laptops would come with the Windows install files on a separate partition on the hard drive, awaiting the user to run some utility that allowed them to write a backup or reinstall CD themselves.
Other laptops would come with a “drivers” disk that actually had an image of the as delivered hard disk or a Windows installer inside it. You might look for those in your spare time, or when you clean out the office looking for an old manuscript or tax records.
But, I agree: stay with XP on the old workhorse.
I am going to have to check into WordPerfect. I didn’t know it was still around – I thought Corel had killed it. Do they have a version for Mac? I’ve got my wife running Open Office, but I’m sure she would prefer WP if she could have it.
– S
PS. I just reread “Finity’s End” and saw a couple small mistakes (mixing up A and B decks a couple spots in Chapters 12 and on (US hard cover) and maybe one spot of swapping one minor character’s name for another in a scene). Didn’t know how long before the eBook came out on this one or what fixes went into the paperback.
Um, I really wouldn’t suggest using Windows as your ‘production’ operating system. I switched to a combination of Linux and OSX 3-4 years back, both are a lot more reliable than Windows.
Once you have the old machine backed up download a copy of Linux, and try it out. Good easy versions to learn on are:
Mandriva
XUbuntu
Linux Mint
Crunch Bang
PC Linux OS
There’s others as well, but these ones I’ve run myself, and liked. Linux is virus proof, which is a great feature. All of these come with Open Office, and if you’d prefer to keep running Word Perfect you can install it under WINE and it will run fine. If you lived in the Toronto area I’d offer to come over and show you what it’s like.
Oh, and if you click on the ‘do not accept’ button when Windows starts up you can ask Dell for a refund on Windows, and get a refund. Dell doesn’t like giving Windows refunds, but they will do it, if you push them.
Wayne
Personally, while I’ve been tempted to switch completely over to Linux, I still find Windows to be a more productive work environment for normal office type applications. I like open office, but it still isn’t as mature as MS Office or WP. I do write software for systems running a real-time variant of Linux and I have Ubuntu installed on one out of the three desktops in my lab.
From the various issues and resolutions to issues I’ve seen over the last couple of years, I think both you and Jane could “handle” Linux, but it would be a learning curve at a time when you would probably concentrate on the writing. For all its faults, Windows still tries to be simple for users and tries to be bulletproof. Linux assumes the user wants to have all the configuration choices wide open to her, so while it is usually better programmed, the user can more easily get into trouble 🙂
– S
I third having external backup that happens automatically and frequently. Get a mirrored drive, or look into one of the places online like Carbonite, although I am very leery about entrusting my work to a third party. DH found a tiny drive that can be slaved as a server to the main, and perform system backups nightly. If your system spazzes, you can turn the backup into an almost instant new server by simply popping out a flash chip and connecting it in the place of your previous server; he calls it a ‘Keiki Server’ in his business promos.
If you are familiar with Linux and wouldn’t mind using it, then by all means go for it, but if not, be aware of the learning curve.
I’m a great fan of Carbonite. I’ve tried Mozy and didn’t like it near as well.
Obligatory Linux cautionary tale: http://xkcd.com/456/
Oh, and the whole “you have to wipe your system and than put everything back to go from XP to 7” is verkacht. I like XP, even though my 5-year-old installation is getting pretty crufty. With XP I’m going to be like CJ was with DOS. And when it finally dies, I’ll probably go back to being exclusively Mac. (with a VMWare installation of XP 🙂
Congrats on the new addition – glad you could find one with a pointing stick. Have you looked on e-bay for a copy of XP?
mmm, not a bad idea.
The arrival of a new computer is always a blessed event!
The advent of my “new” computer with 17″ screen
has been hampered by few 17″ers able to be loaded
with XP. My cousin’s boy is going nuts trying to
come up with the right combo. I’m practiced at
patience.
I think you got a stone cold steal on that new
computer!!!
Hope it’s soon!
Sandor,
Are your problems with Linux or Open Office? If they are with Open Office, Word Perfect does run under WINE.
And as to a learning curve, if my 75 year old mother-in-law could master Linux inside of a weekend, anyone can. Linux doesn’t leave Configuration choices wide open, it’s better than Windows in this regard.
Don’t you recognize sarcasm when you see it? The only people I know who compile their own kernel are way out geeks. I’ve never compiled a kernel since I started using Linux, and expect that I will never have to.
And of course, Linux doesn’t have a registry – another plus.
Windows just is not reliable enough to be used for production. It cannot be trusted to run properly, it is the ONLY operating system which is susceptible to virii, the only operating system susceptible to ‘surf by’ attacks, and the only operating system which can be pwned simply by connecting it to the internet without a firewall.
My main machine is a MacBook (what I do my writing on) but since CJ is buying a Dell, well
OSX isn’t an option for her. Linux however is, and I recommend it highly. I have one system that has been running without interruption for 8 months – in other words since I set it up.
And since CJ has the old machine still functional, she has the option of testing Linux out. A win-win situation, and anyone who could handle DOS shouldn’t have any problems.
I don’t have any problem with the cartoon – I haven’t sunk to compiling my own kernel. Yet 🙂
On the other hand, at work, we’ve been limited to the VMWare method of running Windows programs, so I haven’t dug into WINE. Now that I have (for only a couple minutes), it sure looks promising.
Heck, maybe CJ should go Linux 🙂 Maybe I should download WINE for Mac and let my wife run Word Perfect 🙂 That’d be a killer Valentine’s present for my wife if it worked reliably. I probably will move one of my desktops (not the blades) over to WINE and try it myself…see if Matlab will run under WINE – that would be the cincher for me.
– S
I use a Latitude E5550 as the backup to my Dell desktop computer for my classroom, hybrid, and online classes. The college preloaded MSOffice2007 on it; I use the spreadsheet, graphics, presentation, and word processing functions almost daily. I’ve had no problems running those programs simultaneously while using internet-based course software (Blackboard). Combined with a webcam, I can even use Camtasia to overdub my power points; we tried to do the same on a student’s Mac and had significant compatibility issues. The college purchases the Dells, because they are sturdy, powerful, and fairly user friendly. My computer technology students tell me parts are easy to obtain.
Choice of word processing software, I’ve found, should be dependent on the assignment. WordPerfect isn’t as compatible with Bb’s programming; the subprograms TurnItIn (plagiarism detector) and Grademark (digital marking and commenting system) aren’t currently accepting WordPerfect files easily. I just have the WP users save as a .doc or .rtf; the documents then upload easily. Word Perfect and MSWord programmers realize the programs must be compatible and make allowances. For my students on a tight budget, I recommend they download shareware OpenOffice, which is recommended by our IT group and Computer Science instructors. It’s good software and compatible with MSOffice and WP. If I operated from a Linux system, Open Office would be my first choice.
When dinosaurs roamed the earth, I used the first releases of WordPerfect. To my thinking it is STILL the best for long documents, including your short stories and novels. At my college, it’s used for the college catalog, policy and procedures manual, and other documents over 30 pages. The majority of instructors use versions of MSWord; 3 of my coworkers employed MSWord for dissertations (I was called in for formatting assistance.)
From my days as a technical writer, I retain respect for Linux and even the Mac platforms. Certainly you can tweak a program to run perfectly on either of those platforms. Migrating data back and forth across Safari, Linux, and Windows can be extremely time consuming and frustrating; we’ve found that problem even on our campus servers (some are Linux and some are Windows). Please consider that for any on-the-road computers.
I very much agree you should purchase an external drive, and also recommend considering a backup service. In your business, your writing is your personal and professional life, and you need reliable copies.
I really like the Dell Lattitude laptops, you can get spare parts from Ebay and upgrade the hard disk in short order. Re-installing XP is really easy on the D810 as the Dell XP install disks don’t ask for a license key. ALL Dell D series Lattitudes are automatically licensed via a BIOS check.
All you need is a Dell XP Professional install disk you can buy from Ebay for approx $3. As the license key is covered by the BIOS check, you don’t have to worry about illegal OS issues. Make sure you download from Dell the network, graphics and sound drivers for your laptop and put them onto a USB key before you re-install, otherwise you end up with a machine with limited communication abilities… and expect to spend several hours downloading Windows patches with multiple reboots.
If you want to minimise the re-install risk further, buy a new hard disk. Swap out the current with the new and install XP onto the new hard disk. If you have major problems with the XP install, you can just pop the old disk back in and go back to where you were…
Does that help?
Thanks! Glad to know. I have one of those cables that connects laptop hard disks, among other things. Keeping this for reference!
Up to the point at which I left Windows (XP) for Linux (PCLinuxOS and SimplyMEPIS), I was using WorPerfect 8. I much prefer OpenOffice to the next most common WYSIWYG Linux word prokker, AbiWord.
With OpenOffice, there are several circumstances in which all blank lines you insert become horizontal (graphic) lines (i.e. chapter breaks), and should you insert a horizontal line in the wrong place, if you don’t catch it quickly (removeable with ctrl-z) it becomes a real pain to remove later. But this is a minor quibble, I’m otherwise happy with OOWriter (aka StarOffice).
I’ve seen WP-X3 in use, and I don’t see the real difference between it and earlier versions — except that people shelled out for it.
I’m using firefox/thunderbird now for communications, but Win7 has been much better behaved than Vista—I saw Jane having her troubles with it, and was glad to skip that experience. As long as I stay away from IE and Outlook, life seems good.
I’ve used WP forever, and even used its predecessor, Letter Perfect. It’s thoughtless, fast, and, lately, cheap (under 40.00)…I use just the bare bones, don’t need presentations: but it is the best little bandit going, for conversion from other formats, and writes clean for conversion to e-books. Funny thing, all the e-book softwares assure you Word is just the dandy prelim file, and then when you actually run the conversion, it’s foul beyond belief. Many, many fossils, and 3 pages of crud just to start the file. Anything but elegant. I tried Word, valiantly; I got programs to clean its stuff out, and they failed. I went back to WP and life is so much better. You can see the code, at a keypush, and you can search and replace code, and that makes my job so much easier…
My motto is “Anything Before Word!”