How long should a computer last?

Question

I've had my eMachines desktop since Summer 2004. It says that the hard drive has serious errors, and this is about 2-3 weeks after I reformatted it. How long should a computer last before I consider replacing it?

Answer 1

Hard disks fail all the time, it is a waste of your money to replace the whole computer just because a hard disk has gone bad, everything else is working fine. All you have to do is buy a new hard disk and either install it yourself or have a tech at a repair shop replace it for you.

I stil had my old pentium just a year ago, and it still was running fine. A couple hard disks on that thing have had to be replaced in the past, but the computer itself never died. I got rid of it because it was way to slow to do anything now on it.

some people still own the very old os/2 IBM computers from the 80's and they still work fine!

So computers can last a very long time!

Answer 2

We've had our desktop, for about six years. I run okay for being a dell, but it's not super. But typically a desktop should run at least 7 years, although I have heard that eMachines do have a short life spane, which is why they're so cheap.

If you have reformated and still are getting series hard drive errors, then it is likely the hard drive is going bad.

If you are thinking about geting another computer, in the near future I would get something like an HP, Gateway, Tosebia, defently stay away from Dell, which it has lasted, it's a pretty crummy computer and has terrible tech support.

I'm a fan of the hp, computer. I've owned two laptops and loved them both.

Answer 3

Well , Acc. to Moore's law, Computers will obsolete after every 2 yrs. And thats all coz of new advancements, and not due to any hardware faults. i have been running my pc since more than 4 yrs.
If h/w shud be of good quality and always do dusting once in a month, keep pc coolest.

Answer 4

Any computer will last as long as the individual components last. i.e. memory, graphics card, HDD, cpu, PSU, etc. When you realize that programs are running slow or slow to load, then you either need to do a complete re-install of your OS or get a new computer. It's up to the user to recognize this. Go here http://www.hdtune.com/ and download and install this program to give your HDD a complete checkout to verify its integrity. Good Luck

Answer 5

that really all depends on how one takes care of the system.... where you go on the internet... how much online games you download.... all sorts of things..... if you reformat your hard drive and keep installing the soft ware.... you can make your computer last for a LONG time..... i mean this computer i built 2001... and its still running strong..... i have computers that i am using that was made in the 90's..... course I'm not using windows on them but a computer can last for pritty much how ever long you want them to.................

think of it this way.... a computer is like a car........ you take care of your computer....... your computer will take care of you.....