All right. As most of you know I got a new computer last week and it came with this beautiful operating system called Vista.
Vista and I are not doing too well. We are doing a lot of fighting lately. We just can’t see eye to eye and it’s making it very hard for me to even want to give it a chance now.
The latest problem is that my video card just stops working. Poof. In the middle of something it just gives out and the monitor decides it wants to go to sleep. I then have to open up the computer, unplug and then plug back in every cable. The tech people insist this is normal and that it’s just what has to be done sometimes. HOW CAN THAT BE POSSIBLE? I have had to do it THREE times and then this morning I turn it on to check my emails and once again it’s crashed. Needless to say I just turned it off and walked away because I don’t have time to do all that mess before work.
(If you have emailed me anything in the last 12 hours or so do not expect a reply until late tomorrow. I apologize for the inconvenience.)
Now, my husband and I decided it would be smart to invest in a laptop because in the next few months I will be doing a lot of traveling and that way I can keep on top of my business and my blog as well as various gossip sites and emails. I really hate being disconnected from the world - if that makes any sense. Like, I will turn off the ringer to my phone so I won’t be bothered, but I always check my email in case of an emergency and stuff like that.
Anyway, yesterday we headed out to buy a laptop. Something really cheap since I only need it to type, download photographs from my camera, update my blogs, and send emails. My husband figured $400 would get me far but clearly he forgot who he was married to. I am a $1500 kind of girl!
We decided to go to a store called Micro Center because some guy from the Geek Squad told him that Acer had a $300 laptop that would be perfect for me. The minute I touched that cheap ass Acer I knew we would never get along. I’m impatient at times and so any machine that takes more than 30 seconds to do anything will make me cranky. The Acer took about 2 minutes to open up Internet Explorer. Yeah, no thanks.
They had a Compaq on sale for $500 which I agreed I could settle for. The salesman came over and did his thing… telling us all the pro’s and con’s each one. He told us to foget about the Acer (which we already had done) because it didn’t have the specs needed to properly run Vista. We finally agreed on the cheap Compaq and told him to hook us up.
Five minutes later, dude comes walking out with a big box and sits it down in front of us. He announces they are out of the one I am interested in but this other one was “similar”. The moment he sat the box down my blood began to boil. Allow me to explain why.
- He brought out a REFURBISHED laptop.
- It COST MORE than the new one I wanted.
- It was SLOWER than the new one. Wayyyyyy slower. Slower like the Acer he told us to not bother with.
When my husband called him on all of that, he turns to us and says “Well this is the best I can do.” Actually, the best you could have done was not even bring that mess out and offer it to us for $50 more.
So, we left.
On a whim we decided to stop by a store called Fry’s to see what they had to offer. Low and behold they had the one I had been looking at for the exact same price. Of course we said “WE’LL TAKE IT!!” The guy informs us they only have one left and he doesn’t know if it’s sold or not. Um, go look?
We got the last one they had in stock and raced out of there. I got home I set it up, I went through the initial installation process and what does this S.O.B do?
It crashed.
I kid you not.
So now, I don’t have just one cranky Vista computer… I have two.
Aren’t I lucky?
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
OMG I know what you mean! My old IBM Thinkpad was making me nervous and my hubby finally decided I deserved something newer (aka better). So he went and got me what I thought was going to be a great deal. Guess what? Not only is it running that horrid Vista, but it’s an Acer!!!!!
NONE of my embroidery software was compatible with Vista, like you said….IE takes FOREVER sometimes, and in general, I hate it!
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You should seriously consider Linux.
With all the horror stories I’ve heard about Vista, I won’t be buying anything new with Microsoft on it until they come out with a new system - or I’ll buy something with Linux on it and deal with that. Maybe an old copy of XP? I’ve not had any problems with XP (at least compared to your Vista issues).
I certainly would never buy a car that required me to pop the hood & unplug and plug back in all the cables every time I started it - I wouldn’t accept it from a computer, either.
Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley
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Once you go MAC, you’ll never go back.
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Oh a mac user. I have to agree, Mac’s are very nice. They are only a little different than a windows system as far as how it works, but they tend to (not always, but pretty close) to run smoother. Of course, I am yet to get one of my own, so who am I to talk. lol.
Vista sounds like a nightmare, so I am actually glad I have my slightly older computer after reading your posts. My lord, I would smash the thing and throw it out the window I think. Reading your post about it annoys me and makes me want to smack it! hah.
WORK DAMN YOU, WORK!!!
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Never ever trust a Geek Squad from BB. Ooooops! They advised me one time to fork off $300-$500 to fix my laptop [you think?!] and all it took for my hubba bubba was an $11 inverter bought from eBay to make things right again.
Toshiba is great. I have the heavy duty Satellite with Media Center. Yes, I won’t exchange it for a Mac which R has. He once installed Vista on mine but I made him take it off. I just want a life, not a techie life thank you.
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
I really really reallly want to get a Vista, but I rarely hear any good news about them(besides the fact that they are pretty). I think I’ll stick with XP until Microsoft gets it together lol.
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Seriously consider “upgrading” back to XP. My wife just ordered a new Dell laptop and it’s coming with XP - when it finally comes, that is.
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Have you updated your video drivers? We had several issues with Vista when we got our new machines a couple months ago. We didn’t have the exact issue you have, but I did have to manually update a number of drivers.
Most of the machines we buy are Dells. We usually go refurbished. What most people don’t know is that Dell offers the same warranty on their refurbished computers as they do on their new ones.
Vista isn’t my favorite either. It’s made for people who have NO tech knowledge at all. It’s like Microsoft is trying to beat AOL at dumbing everything down for people who are too lazy to learn anything. Some things that used to be so simple in XP take 4x as many clicks to do. It’s ridiculous.
I’m hoping SP1 will make things better, but I’m not holding my breath
VG
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I’m with Mike. Macs are AWESOME.
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i agree with hubby..not to plunk down too much for something that’s a back up or won’t be used much.
i have an acer, it didn’t cost 300 bucks and it runs well. doesn’t have vista on it though.
refurbished? all of it is not bad, but if you are looking for new you should get new and not duped.
Crashed? They don’t build crap to last. It’s a shame. Disposable laptops, coming to a shack near you!
Sorry, Monique. I hate to love computers.
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I can truly relate to your Vista nightmares! I just got a new laptop at Christmas-time… I absolutely LOVE the laptop (it is more than I ever dreamed of)… It’s Vista I’m not loving so much
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You bought a Compaq? I hope the motherboard doesn’t fry on you in a year. That’s what happened with mine; I’ll never buy a Compaq again.
I am so afraid of the Vista problem that I’ll be getting my next laptop used from work. Besides, it will save me some money.
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