New Computer Suggestions

[Kathy Teulie]

Hi,

We need to get a new PC (probably desktop). The current one was eaten by spy ware, which I can't remove. Also, the current PC is old (over 5 years old) and it has been having issues.

What brands are good (Dell, HP, Gateway etc.)

Where is a good place to buy the computer?

What are the minimum specs we should consider? This is a home computer which is used for job searching, home financing, picture storage, car video watching etc.

What kind of video card etc do we need? We don't play games but someday I want to upload our driving videos once we buy an in car camera.

What is a good virus/spyware/malware etc scanner to add to the McAfee that we already purchased. I want something in addition to McAfee since it did not catch the spyware/worm and was not able to fix it.

Keep in mind that I can't spend much money since I am unemployed. I was hoping to stay around $1,000 or less.

Thank you,

Kathy

[Kurt Rahn]

I'm not sure if you're good keeping the old computer, but if you reformat the hard drive and start over, the spyware/worms/other crap will go away. Just a thought, to save $$$.

[Rick Brown]

Your really didn't say what you want to use it for, that can make a difference in the specs. But I've had very good luck with Dell, all our work computers at work we bought online, got good deals and they have been very reliable. They regularly have online specials and you can get quite a bit for $1000, including a good size flat screen. And I believe they now offer the option to not put on all the junk software that many new computers come with.

Not impressed with McAfee or any of the other "brand name" packages. I currently have AVG, but it has way too much overhead and is very intrusive.

[Jeff Shyu]

Dell has pretty good product, though they've shifted their production to overseas just like every other computer manufacturer. only the Dell XPS is built in the US now.

if you do decide on a dell, make sure you check out http://www.edealinfo.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, there ALWAYS deals on dell there.

i'd say any of the core2 duos would be fine for your need (they're all 2.0+ now, so they'll be lightspeeds faster than whatever you have now.) video playback isn't that dependent upon the video card since most are fairly powerful now, and will be able to handle in-car vid with no problem. I'd try to get 3gig+ of ram though, which is also pretty much standard now.

[Jeff Wong]

http://www.frys-electronics-ads.com/ads ... ssor-5000-" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This seems like a pretty good deal for $350.00 and will suit your needs.

[Jeff Wong]

http://www.frys-electronics-ads.com/ads ... with-1080P" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Add a 21.5" monitor for 170 dollars, that's a steal!

[Robert Puertas]

Buy.com has a refurb'd Dell studios at a pretty good price right now.

http://www.buy.com/prod/dell-studio-hyb ... 57320.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

only the Dell XPS is built in the US now.

After 12yrs on and OLD, OLD, OLD Dell...I recently upgraded to a DELL XPS 730. Talk about going from a Honda Civic to a Ferrari!
Kathy you can't go wrong with a Dell.

[Jeff Shyu]

you can save *some* money by going with an assembled / barebone system from Fry's or Mwave or something, but ultimately, if you're a true end user that doesn't want to mess with the computer, and just want it to WORK, get a pre-assembled from one of the major manufacturers, ie, Dell, HP, gateway, etc.

the problem with them is that they're all loaded up with a bunch of useless crap that i don't want (aol, trial virus protection, etc, etc), so the first thing i do is usually to wipe everything.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Dell makes a good product for a good price.

If you're using a broadband connection, you could add a router between the computer and modem. Even if you only have one machine plugged into the router, it will offer some firewall protection.

[Q V]

I'm with Kurt on the reformatting. I'm betting that you may be able to remove all of the spyware w/o even reformatting. Unless you want a new PC, or the current PC is not enough power for what you want to do (w/ the spyware/crap not there), I'd try to fix the current PC first.

If you aren't comfortable working on it, I could even fix it for you - I should have some time after this weekend.

[Jason Flores]

Talk about going from a Honda Civic to a Ferrari!

Whats wrong with civic, sometimes they can give the Ferrari' a run for their money!!! .. just ask Yeoh!!! :gpower:

+1 for reformatting old if you happy and strapped for cash..

[Kathy Teulie]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good antivirus/spyware etc software? McAfee missed the spyware and they will not fix it. I am trying a 30 day trial of Kaspersky and so far it has been ok. Kaspersky didn't find the spyware though that McAfee found and Kaspersky found worms that McAfee didn't find. Very scary that they both miss things.

Kaspersky won't let me have McAfee running at the same time.

We may reformat the computer for now. I don't want these spyware/viruses back though. I have been reading about the Trojan worms and they sound very dangerous. One of the ones I got lurks in job search sites.

Thanks,

Kathy

[Max Hayter]

Try Adware

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

Talk about going from a Honda Civic to a Ferrari!

Whats wrong with civic, sometimes they can give the Ferrari' a run for their money!!! .. just ask Yeoh!!! :gpower:

Talking straight line speeds or open track...not auto-x Thus going from a slow 450mhz PC to a 2.6Ghz Dual Core CPU is my comparison.

[Rick Brown]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good antivirus/spyware etc software? McAfee missed the spyware and they will not fix it. I am trying a 30 day trial of Kaspersky and so far it has been ok. Kaspersky didn't find the spyware though that McAfee found and Kaspersky found worms that McAfee didn't find. Very scary that they both miss things.

Kaspersky won't let me have McAfee running at the same time.

We may reformat the computer for now. I don't want these spyware/viruses back though. I have been reading about the Trojan worms and they sound very dangerous. One of the ones I got lurks in job search sites.

Thanks,

Kathy

I've heard good things about ESET NOD32: http://www.eset.com/products/nod32.php, but haven't tried it myself yet.

[Will Kalman]

We may reformat the computer for now. I don't want these spyware/viruses back though. I have been reading about the Trojan worms and they sound very dangerous. One of the ones I got lurks in job search sites.

Don't waste too much time trying to get rid of all the spy/mal/ad-ware. Due to ever-present "Windows Rot", a reinstallation of Windows will have your system running better than if you only remove the spy/mal/ad-ware. But do add an antivirus/security afterward - I use Avast, which is free. Don't touch any product made by Symantec. Ever.

And don't add any toolbars, gadgets, widgets, helpers, weather reporters, stock tickers, etc to your browser. Those things are invariably bad and in almost all cases, and unnecessary burden on your system. If your old system has less than 1GB of RAM, upgrade it for sure.

If you do consider a new system, you *can* build a good, modern system for just a few hundred bucks. Motherboards have almost everything integrated on them now so in most cases, you don't need add-in cards at all. Motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive, and a new case+power supply is about all you need. Everything else will transfer over (keyboard, mouse, monitor, CD/DVD ROM drive). Just buy a couple notches down from the "main stream" system and the cost drops rapidly for just a couple percentage points in speed. Look for the Fry's motherboard/CPU specials. New Egg is also highly recommended.

The hardware is easy and fun to assemble. It's the OS that's a pain but you're looking at that anyways with the old system.

[Jeff Shyu]

The hardware is easy and fun to assemble. It's the OS that's a pain but you're looking at that anyways with the old system.

at least you don't have to deal with changing IRQ settings with jumpers anymore..

[Kurt Rahn]

We may reformat the computer for now. I don't want these spyware/viruses back though. I have been reading about the Trojan worms and they sound very dangerous. One of the ones I got lurks in job search sites.

Don't waste too much time trying to get rid of all the spy/mal/ad-ware. Due to ever-present "Windows Rot", a reinstallation of Windows will have your system running better than if you only remove the spy/mal/ad-ware. But do add an antivirus/security afterward - I use Avast, which is free. Don't touch any product made by Symantec. Ever.

And don't add any toolbars, gadgets, widgets, helpers, weather reporters, stock tickers, etc to your browser. Those things are invariably bad and in almost all cases, and unnecessary burden on your system. If your old system has less than 1GB of RAM, upgrade it for sure.

If you do consider a new system, you *can* build a good, modern system for just a few hundred bucks. Motherboards have almost everything integrated on them now so in most cases, you don't need add-in cards at all. Motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive, and a new case+power supply is about all you need. Everything else will transfer over (keyboard, mouse, monitor, CD/DVD ROM drive). Just buy a couple notches down from the "main stream" system and the cost drops rapidly for just a couple percentage points in speed. Look for the Fry's motherboard/CPU specials. New Egg is also highly recommended.

The hardware is easy and fun to assemble. It's the OS that's a pain but you're looking at that anyways with the old system.

Will's advice is sound. My general rule is to run as little software as possible to do what I need/want to do. Everything else is just a risk of crashing the computer. I also recommend a HD wipe and system re-install every 3 years or so.

[Mako Koiwai]

So sad reading this ... yeah a Mac :heyes: might be more expensive ... but it runs essentially trouble free. How much is THAT worth!? Spyware, viruses, worms? Whose got time to deal with that crap.

You can buy a refurbished Macs here: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/s ... co=MTE3NjY

For a desktop model, get a iMac ... terrific value

But nothing like being able to move your MacBook laptop around.

[Jeff Shyu]

once again, macs have *less* virus because there's less of them, and the malware creators stand to gain less by creating one for macs.

so i guess it supports your argument, in a way.

you can make a PC more secure for cheaper though.

[Mako Koiwai]

That's OK for all of you computer/IT experts ... but for the average person ... a lot of people feel the extra price is justified by the Mac's simplicity. We're still trying to get my old PC gaming computer up and running for Karen to use as a desktop. JPL engineer Andrew B. still doesn't all of the drivers, etc. downloaded and installed.

To me it's like having a Toyota or Honda daily driver vs a temperamental sports car. I'd deal with the sports car on the weekends, but wouldn't want to have to deal with it on a daily basis.

We taped a Mattel toy Promo yesterday ... 7 Mac laptops vs No PC's ... even among the corporate clients ... marketing people.

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

but it runs essentially trouble free.

Absolute non-sense! Mac's are toys and are no more trouble-free than a PC.

but wouldn't want to have to deal with it on a daily basis.

And so I guess all the Fortune-100/500/1000 companies don't know what they're doing then ordering PCs instead of Macs.

[Steve Ekstrand]

Marketing, PR, entertainment, media, and artsy types are not normal human beings nor part of any real business environments.

They are fashionistas who if they ever showed up to a meeting with the only Mac and the rest of their ilk had switched would panic, fain illness and rush to a computer shop to buy the "in" machine.

MAC's do less, in a simple streamlined way. Its like comparing a toaster with a combo oven/range/microwave. Sometimes, if all you want is toast, the Mac will serve you well.

[Stephen Yeoh]

Instead of talking about buying buying spyware removing software, why don't we start with simple steps to prevent this stuff from happening. This is not directed specifically at you Kathy.

Don't visit strange/unknown/porn sites - still to the reputable sites
Don't install neat/cool browser toolbars - they are responsible for a lot of the spyware that I've seen
Don't install useless junk
Don't run your pc while logged in as an administrator (the default)
Don't open emails from strangers - even if the subject appears to be legitimate - ever
Don't click on the 'cool' thing that your buddy sent you by email - their system could have been hijacked and just mailed out the the entire address book
Call and confirm if you feel you need to open something received via email - do this before you open the email

There are other steps, but they are more extreme and require a little bit more technical knowledge.

Some users might say that they are not technical - and that's true. However, very little of the prevention steps require technical knowledge. It requires some education (read articles available on the net) and taking the time to read dialog boxes and interpret what they are really saying instead of just clicking to make an annoying dialog box go away.

Assuming you have the Windows CD's available to you, +1 to reformat and reinstall. There isn't anything that you have mentioned that can't be done by your 5 year old computer. That's what I'm still running.

+1 for Will's comment about adding memory. That's probably the cheapest performance upgrade you can get. My minimum RAM configuration 3+ years ago was already 1GB. If I were to buy a computer today, I probably would not buy anything starting at less than 2GB of RAM.