Would Apple be better than Windows for me?

Here is the deal—

Own a 5 year old Windows ME (supposedly really all it is is a Windows 98 redone to its last legs before XP came out. ---------- (OK I bought an over the hill lemon 5 years ago—so shoot me)

The 5 year old ME is getting seriously flaky. Almost never shuts down anymore without me having to “pull the switch” and when turn on again go through the old “improper shut down, looking for errors” crapola. Over and over again. Plus it has gotten slow as hell. I have always heard that a 5 year old computer is, by definition, a dinosaur. Good for the trash bin and nothing else. Correct or not?

Thinking about just buying a new 'puter. I have a good moniter, a good keyboard, a good mouse, good speakers. All I really need is the 'puter part (forget its name right now---------OK I just remembered the term-- a CPU)

Does anyone just sell the 'puter part? Or do you have to buy the whole nine yards every time?

Main question here. -------

---- I am sick to death of Windows and its problems and its occasional “blue screen of death”.

Thinking of buying an Apple computer this time out.

I know one advantage of Windows is all the auxiliary software. -------I have almost no auxiliary software, doubt that will ever change. All I really want is to be able to go on the internet reliably and get off the internet reliably with no problemo. I don’t play games so could give a crap about that part.

So why wouldn’t Apple be a better choice for me than Windows next time out?

And could I keep my old perfectly working HP monitor, my perfectly working HP keyboard, my perfectly working HP mouse my perfectly working Radio Shack speakers---------and just buy a damned Apple CPU at a reasonable price?

And, if so ------what do you all think that a reasonable price would be for the best and most powerful and most reliable Apple CPU?------a chip within greater than God?

Or am I completely confused about the whole 'puter thing?

If so -----please straighten me out. Thanks in advance.

Well, as an Apple user it sounds to me like you might enjoy an Apple. They’re intuitive, they “just work” (mostly), they’re a lot harder to catch a nasty virus on. You could just get a Mac Mini and have a leetle tiny box to plug in your existing stuff into, wouldn’t that be cool? It’s not the “best and most powerful” Apple CPU, but mostly the people who get those need them for video and graphics editing. I think it sounds like you’d be very happy with just a Mini.

You can get just about any computer with just the box, though - no need to buy all the rest of it.

PS - Apples aren’t cheap. That’s the one thing you might not like about them.

How cheap or expensive is “not so cheap”? for an Apple?

We talking $500 or more for just the CPU?

I would give $500 for a little reliability.

And where do you buy an Apple anyway? Most every place just sells Windows.

Would going from Windows ME to the latest Mac seem like a revelation? Yup. Would going from Windows ME to a decent modern system running XP seem like a revelation? Yup.

If you’ve survived with ME this long, you’re clearly not incompetent when it comes to keeping the system secure. I’ve seen only one BSOD with two years of XP, which includes multiple reinstalls, all sorts of ebay alienware, and plenty of software from all sorts of sources. If all you want to buy is the basic computer, and plug your own peripherals into it, there’s oodles of suppliers who’ll give you just that.

That’s a very complex set of questions you have there. Let me answer what I think you’re asking:

  1. If you want to sell your 5-year-old WinMe computer, you’re going to have a tough time of it. New systems are so cheap that it’s hard to even give away 5-year-old CPUs. I tried to donate some computers to schools and various charities, and ended up having to pay to have them hauled off…and they were only 4 years old.

  2. There are a lot of differences between Mac and Windows. I’ve used both, and switched to exclusively Mac at home because I, too, was sick of the unreliable piece of trash that is Windows Me. I’m glad I did–if for no other reason than people don’t write so many cursed viruses for the Mac, and Apple’s free email program is far more secure than Microsoft’s. If you switch to Mac, you definitely want the book Switching to the Mac by David Pogue. It’ll pay for itself ten times over in lessened frustration and improved ramp-up time.

  3. The newest Windows XP is no longer as flaky, unreliable, and crash-prone as Windows Me was. They’ve come a long way. I still get more crashes and flakiness out of XP than I do out of the Mac, but my Windows XP system at work often goes weeks between crashes/reboots now–a vast improvement over Windows Me.

  4. We’ll need a lot more information before recommending a specific computer. If you’re really just looking at price, though, check out the Mac Mini. It’s inexpensive (<$500), and it’ll work with your existing Windows monitor, keyboard, mouse, and printer–at least mine did.

Doesn’t the Mac Mini require USB connections for just about everything? If the OP is migrating from Windows ME, this probably would entail a new mouse, keyboard, possibly even printer.

Not necessarily. It should run as fast as it did the day you bought it, assuming the software programs are original. Newer applications may put more of a load on it, but computers do not slow down simply because they are old. If you having more problems now than you did originally (WinMe shortcomings notwithstanding), it is probably due to maintenance issues that can be corrected.

My suggestion, is a Mac Mini. You can use your mouse and keyboard (although you’ll probably need a couple of adapters), and your monitor will work fine, too. You can get a Mini for $499+.

I got fed up with the continual troubleshooting I had to do on my parents Windows PC every time I visited, so I just bought them one and sent it to them with a note that said, “try this.” They love it, and the transition has been pretty easy. I’ve had to give them a few tips here and there, and I have their computer set up so I can connect to it from my house (via VNC) to troubleshoot when necessary, but it has been trouble-free and I think it was a good move for them.

-Tofer

if all you want is to replace your computer as cheaply as possible, just stay with a windows box. Even the lowest of the low end will be far more powerful than what you’ve got currently and can be had for under 500. Just make sure it has XP installed.
It may not be as pretty as the Apples, but you won’t really have to learn anything new, or change any of your software (which will be a problem if you switch and there’s anything you still use). Both considerations you should think on.

Just call around a bit. You can also order from mail-order places like Mac Warehouse, or even from Apple themselves. The Apple online store (www.apple.com) sells everything for straight list price, but the shipping is fast and free.

ME and XP are two totally different beasts - changing between them would be as significant as changing to a Mac. I had 98SE, which is less crash-prone than ME, and moving from that to XP was amazing. I can’t remember one instance of the blue screen of death with XP and I’ve been using it since the week the operating system came out. It has crashed only once or twice on me totally - if a program happens to crash, it no longer means the entire system comes down, you can usually just minimize the crash to that one app.

As for Macs, I’ve just started using them this year in school. I enjoy them, but getting used to the interface is so awkward. A Mac is so much more keyboard-oriented than mouse-oriented. Stuff I’ve wanted to do on a Mac that I’ve done via mouse on a PC can only be done with a keyboard shortcut. If you have the patience though, learning the interface will be easy. I’ve seen OS X hang more than Windows XP.

Have had now a couple of recommendations for the Mac Mini, and at about $500 —sounds like the price range I am looking for -------just for a CPU.

Will seriously consider that one.

Where do you buy Apples? Best Buy, Office Despot, Circuit City---------all seem to sell exclusively Windows-------at least by the flyers I receive. Are there special Apple stores?

(I hadn’t planned on selling the old ME. Would freely give it away or just plain junk it if nobody wanted it)

I use Windows at work and Mac at home, and I generally prefer the Macs. Once you’ve gotten over the curve of learning to use it, you will probably be very happy with a Mac. They don’t get viruses, spyware or any of that crap. I spend a good couple hours a month just updating and running all kinds of cleanup software on my Windows machines, but aside from the occasional software updates for Apple software (and even then it is usually upgrades, not fixing gaping security holes), the Macs are plug and play.

A Mac mini costs $500-700 depending on options. They can be bought online and through Apple resellers. One big disadvantage (aside from the price) is that they use notebook harddrives which are generally smaller and slower than the full size harddrives that come in full size computers.

I would also encourage you to look at used G4 PowerMacs. These computers are very easy to upgrade, should you choose to do so and you may find one locally used in the $250-300 range that has been upgraded with RAM, bigger HD and the newest operating system, Mac OS X Tiger. The only thing that the mini has over a used PowerMac is processor speed, which is not really important for what you’re using it for. There is lots of good information about going this route on lowendmac.com

Also, there are student discounts from the Apple store if you happen to be a student, as there are for many PC retailers.

I am fully fluent on both OS’es, having a PowerBook laptop, using exclusively Mac OS for everything during graduate school, and Windows XP/2000/NT for everything else in the world. I love OS X, especially Tiger. I think it is the perfect implementation of an operating system. But I know others hate it. I would recommend that you sit down at a MicroCenter or Fry’s or a friend with a Mac’s house wherever has some Macs on the floor and mess around with one for an hour to see if you can adjust. My wife, who’s a very smart cookie, absolutely refuses – she learned one OS and that is enough.

The other thing I would say is that if you are looking to get a computer this week or next week or in the next few months, you may want to hold off on the Mac. Mac is in the process of changing their CPUs from PowerPCs to Intels. This won’t have any effect on the end user except for making the computers a whole lot faster for no more money, but it may also mean that there will be some deals as they dump their PowerPC inventory. They have already switched the iMac and the PowerBook; presumably the tower, MacMini, and iBook are next. May be best to wait a few months and see what happens with price on the old machines or decide whether a new machine is worth it for you. FWIW, my PowerBook G4 1.67 GHz runs Tiger just fine.

Sorry--------a whole bunch of posts came in before I posted this last one------many questions in it already answered.

(This can be a very fast forum)

Moved to IMHO.

-xash
General Questions Moderator

The latest thing the ME has done is to not recognize my laser printer. (something about there being no file for it, or can’t find the file, or some such foolishness) Can’t use it at all anymore.

Happily it still does recognize my 3 in one ink jet color —scanner, copier, printer--------altho it does give a notice that something is seriously wrong with the hook up for it. I just check OK—and it prints anyway.

The whole thing is getting annoying. I do miss the laser printer----it was soo fast.

At least I have the ink jet printer, at least for now.

I have heard that Windows is going to discontinue tech support for 95, 98 and ME in June of this year.

Sounds like they are trying to tell me something.

It sounds to me like you would be quite happy with a Mac Mini.

One more caveat: Macs crash too. In my experience, they do so less often than Windows (and sometimes less catastrophically), but they are not magical devices that always work perfectly.

You can buy them online or from a local reseller. I bought mine online, at www.apple.com, which should also have information on a local supplier if you’d prefer that. And, since it’s your first Mac, I’d suggest going to a local store to try it out. They should have some display models set up and you can decide if you like the interface.

Be careful when buying a new computer. Both Mac and PC are moving to 64-bit, so make sure your new computer can cope.

I just bought my first Mac last week - though it won’t ship until tomorrow. Go figure.

You should bear in mind a few things:

(1) Expense. Minis are cheap, but they’re not as cheap as an equivalent Mactel - for $400 you can buy a brand new Dell that’s faster, has as much memory, and includes new peripherals - including a 17 inch monitor that you can do what you want with.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=4d11h299&s=bsd

(2) Your mouse, keyboard, printer, etc, as stated above, are probably PS2 and won’t work with your mini, without PS2-USB adapters.

(3) Mac is moving to a new processor architecture. I don’t think it matters much now … but if you plan to keep this as your primary machine for five years, it will probably eventually matter.