# Advice needed re computer repairs and privacy **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 19, 2015, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-re-computer-repairs-and-privacy/718034 "2015-04-19T11:06:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-re-computer-repairs-and-privacy/718034/21 "2015-04-20T03:41:14Z")
> [@ZSParanoiaSZ](#): > > But if things still work that way then new tech is at least one more year old than when you buy it. > > So since the store tech is a year out of date forever he is the same amount out of date, not extra out of date. > > The rules dont go bisexual, just one sexual. year older both ways or not year older both ways. > > Men or Women, you can’t liek both. OK, I was using some “nerd shorthand” and running with the assumption that the OP wasn’t talking about a custom-build bleeding-edge system because honestly, if he had built/used such a system we’d not be answering his question. So it’s almost certainly a system bought at retail, that’d been “in stock” for a while, say maybe a year. In addition to the normal development lag time (that all systems have) and it’s actual age. I can do math as well. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-re-computer-repairs-and-privacy/718034/22 "2015-04-20T16:49:47Z")
What **DrAchillix** said. If it’s not something “super naughty,” any IT pro worth his paycheck has seen it before; we sort of become half-assed psychologists, given the things we see. Replacement is probably the best option, and if you need to retain the data (and the HDD isn’t toast), you could always mount it as a slave drive and then migrate the data to your new, higher-volume storage media. If you’re just worried about credit card info or something, well, when you pay someone that way they already have the data (in some form, hopefully masked/obfuscated at least). And, as previously mentioned… it’s always good to have an IT guy you trust on hand. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-re-computer-repairs-and-privacy/718034/23 "2015-04-20T18:06:53Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Don’t buy a new computer unless you need a new computer (or, of course, _want_ something new). > > Do you game? Need to run GTA V on its highest settings? Do lots of video or other editing that needs a lot more processing power than you have? Or are you using it for relatively mundane tasks like web browsing and video streaming? If the latter, good tech from five to seven years ago with a few upgrades (which it sounds like you’ve done) does everything you need and upgrading to a new machine will have low marginal benefits. I agree about the hardware, but moving away from Win XP is getting to be a very good idea. Unless the computer is never connected to the internet, it really needs updates to the OS. But no need to buy a brand-new computer. My advice is go to a computer store, and get the cheapest refurbished one you can find that has Win7 or Windows 8 on it. Shouldn’t be more than $125 or so. You won’t get anyone to fix your old one for too much less than that. And you won’t be able to buy a copy of Windows for much less than that either. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-re-computer-repairs-and-privacy/718034/24 "2015-04-20T18:43:39Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > I agree with this. There is no point into putting money into a 7 year old computer. A new computer that will function much better than a 7 year old computer can be had for around $250. A refurbished one can be had for less. If you know something about computers, there are places where you can buy computers that have been returned and not refurbished, that usually have something simple wrong with them. I got one that retailed for about $400 for $150 because the video on the motherboard didn’t work. I had a video card on my old computer because it didn’t have onboard video, and I was planning to make alterations to the computer anyway, like adding RAM and installing the HD from my old computer, moving data, then reformatting it and using it for backup. It all went off without a hitch. I didn’t need a mouse, keyboard or monitor, just the PC, so it was perfect. It had WIN7, which was standard at the time. It didn’t have Office, but I had an old installation disk, so I’m still using Office 2007, but so what? I don’t do desktop publishing. My point is that since you have a laptop, and it isn’t imperative that you have a new computer ASAP, you might Google around for some good deals. You really might find something for not much more than what the repair would cost you. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-re-computer-repairs-and-privacy/718034/25 "2015-04-20T18:53:35Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > I agree about the hardware, but moving away from Win XP is getting to be a very good idea. Unless the computer is never connected to the internet, it really needs updates to the OS. > > But no need to buy a brand-new computer. My advice is go to a computer store, and get the cheapest refurbished one you can find that has Win7 or Windows 8 on it. Shouldn’t be more than $125 or so. You won’t get anyone to fix your old one for too much less than that. And you won’t be able to buy a copy of Windows for much less than that either. Definitely agree on moving away from XP–didn’t catch that when I was writing. I’m the friends/family system builder and requests have really tapered off over the last few years. Mostly because most people’s needs for processing power have really tapered off. Remember when you _needed_ to upgrade the whole machine every three or four years or you could barely function? As much as I miss it, it’s kind of a relief that a six- or seven-year old mid-grade laptop is more than enough to run MS Office (and work on 200-page, graph-heavy books ) and handle anything the web can throw at it—all by merely maxing out the RAM and changing to an SSD. Sure, there’s a need/market for higher end, cutting-edge machines, but most people really couldn’t tell if they were working on something one year or five years old (form factors and a few other things excepted). ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-re-computer-repairs-and-privacy/718034/26 "2015-04-20T19:10:49Z")
> [@GiantRat](#): > > What **DrAchillix** said. If it’s not something “super naughty,” any IT pro worth his paycheck has seen it before; we sort of become half-assed psychologists, given the things we see. Nothing like that, I’m probably just being overly-paranoid. 🙂 Thanks for the answers everyone, I’ve decided to use the laptop for the moment and save up for a new PC, as I do occasionally play games I’d like one with a decent graphics card so that’s going to push up the price. I assume there is no particular reason to hold off on buying for some reason, I know Windows 10 is on the way but after the debacle of Windows 8 I’m not excited about it. I did like Win 7 when I got used to it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-re-computer-repairs-and-privacy/718034.md?page=1)