My mom uses it for Freecell, my dad occaisionally uses it to go on the internet and my sister uses it to do numerous things online. My sister is also an avid photographer. Our old computer is prone to viruses and my parents would rather not have to deal with that. What would be a good buy that is not prone to viruses and is user friendly? My parents are definitely not computer literate.
2006-11-05 14:49:16 · 10 answers · asked by Katie 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Hewlitt Packard... It is best to buy a new complete XP computer system.. Including Printer, keyboard, monitor, external drives etc.. Do not add any old harware to XP.... Windows XP does like OLD hardware and nor does it like some of the older software.. All computers are likely to get viruses if you use email or the internet. So do install a good antivirus such as Norton AntiVirus.
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2006-11-05 14:57:39 · answer #1 · answered by Elaine B 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on their usage of it. If all you forsee them doing is checking email and surfing the web, a $500 pc from Dell (choke) or the like will be fine. If you think they might be a tad more demanding of their system, the only real way to go is a custom built system. Heres why. When an OEM vendor (like Dell or HP or Gateway) puts a system together for sale, they bid the job for all the parts out to their suppliers, and the cheapest supplier for that part gets the bid to supply it. So what you get when you get ANY OEM pc is the sum total of the cheapest possible crap they can stuff in there to do the job (hopefully for the warranty period).
With a custom built system, you have complete control over the quality and specifications of the hardware placed within. Parts for custom systems can be found at newegg.com , zipzoomfly.com, and tigerdirect.com (newegg being about the best imo, I've spent over $7000 with them). There are TONS of sites on the web dedicated to building your first computer. Its REALLY not hard at all. Just do a www.google.com search "how to build a computer".
If you've ever worked with Legos you can build a computer.
2006-11-05 14:58:17 · answer #2 · answered by letmepicyou 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First, tell your mom and dad this is from one born with an umbilical cord, rather than a USB cable like your generation! I use Dell at work and home and swear by it. Have them go to the site and they can choose what they want on it. It is not overpriced and I love it. It comes with anti-virus and I backed it up with a second (both home and work). Your sister can add any photography program she would like. I know as that is my passion as well and I have three on mine. I recommend a Cannon copier and Cannon camera, but that is up to them. They'll be fine, be patient with them, we don't have your advantages. Ask them to tell you about punch cards, you will think they are making it up!
2006-11-05 14:57:20 · answer #3 · answered by swarr2001 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Check this site, they list amazing PC deals frequently :
http://www.techbargains.com/
Given the reasons you listed, you should be able to get a really nice PC for very little. Example :
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayitem.cfm/73280
Dell Dual-Core for $419, or regular for $299! Add cheap upgrades like Dell 19" LCD for $170!! (Dell LCDs are NICE!).
2006-11-05 16:02:36 · answer #4 · answered by mylifeisapea 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
any pc is prone to viruses you need a antivirus program and avoid dell computers ive owned 2 of them and had absolute terror from them
2006-11-05 20:47:11 · answer #5 · answered by zippy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Katie, my first choice would be to recommend an HP Media Center PC, your sister will love it but be prepared to pay a couple of thousand bucks for it. However, Go to www.pcworld.com and look in their PC reviews and you will get a very good idea of what to get and how much to pay for it. You could also go to CNET site reviews too.
Good luck.
2006-11-05 15:02:39 · answer #6 · answered by Nikolas S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
on thanksgiving, go to a major store. computers are insanely cheap during that time. i got a 1000 dollar computer for about 600 bucks at best buy last thanksgiving.
happy shoppin!
2006-11-05 14:53:15 · answer #7 · answered by life_will_be_ok 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you dont build your own hp compaq and dell have good deals and you get a free upgrade to vista if you buy befroe a certian time
2006-11-05 14:52:36 · answer #8 · answered by Douglas G 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Forget the new computer. Enroll everyone in a computer class.
2006-11-05 14:53:41 · answer #9 · answered by orlandobillybob 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore
2006-11-05 19:13:02 · answer #10 · answered by Elbert 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋