Computers

[Flinty_McFlint]

Originally posted by notcasesensitive
so my home computer is totally fucked up. I know that I need to take everything off, reformat, etc. assuming I can get whatever shit that is screwing it up off of the machine, what anti-virus and firewall do people recommend? I have Norton right now but the subscription has lapsed. Is it better to go buy a newer version (this one was bought probably 2 years ago) or does renewing the subscription do it? BTW, I have dsl, if that matters.

all of this is crucial information because I must regain my ability to take flinty's fake money at cards.

gracias.

Regain? It is to laugh....

[pretermitted_child]

Originally posted by notcasesensitive
so my home computer is totally fucked up. I know that I need to take everything off, reformat, etc. assuming I can get whatever shit that is screwing it up off of the machine, what anti-virus and firewall do people recommend?

You can try the following in order and see if your performance improves (because reformatting, etc. is a pain): (1) download a spyware blocker and purge your harddrive of any parasitic adware programs that run everytime you surf the net; and (2) defrag your harddrive (if you have at least 20% of your disk space free).

C|net has a list of spyware blockers. I use Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.2, which is OK (I haven't tried out others, so if anyone has a better recommendation, please post).

After you've purged the spyware, defragging would be a good idea (if you have a block of time when you won't be using your computer (e.g., overnight), just let your computer sit and defrag -- depending on the size of your harddrive and the extent of the fragmentation, it could take hours). Also, be sure to back up any important files beforehand in case anything goes wrong.

As for firewalls, ZoneAlarm has a free version that appears to work competently. Other options are listed here.

I have Norton right now but the subscription has lapsed. Is it better to go buy a newer version (this one was bought probably 2 years ago) or does renewing the subscription do it?

If the price difference isn't substantial, I'd probably buy the newer version.

BTW, I have dsl, if that matters.

In terms of needing a firewall, it's highly recommended whether you're using dsl or a cable modem.

all of this is crucial information because I must regain my ability to take flinty's fake money at cards.

Or mine.

gracias.

De nada.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by notcasesensitive
so my home computer is totally fucked up. I know that I need to take everything off, reformat, etc. assuming I can get whatever shit that is screwing it up off of the machine, what anti-virus and firewall do people recommend? I have Norton right now but the subscription has lapsed. Is it better to go buy a newer version (this one was bought probably 2 years ago) or does renewing the subscription do it? BTW, I have dsl, if that matters.

all of this is crucial information because I must regain my ability to take flinty's fake money at cards.

gracias.

In figuring out what is screwing up your system, you should think through what you were doing right before the crash and check those areas first.

My system recently crashed and it turned out the cause was an infected music CD that a teenage relative played in the system, and that most of the damage was focused on music match, especially music match's interface with the internet (screwing up rest of internet). Of course, said teenage relative denied even using system. The fact that the CD was still in the drive, though, helped me figure this out.

Once I completely purged the directly affected areas, cleaning up the rest of the system was easy.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by pretermitted_child
Cat Theorem: A cat has nine lives.
Proof: No cat has eight lives. A cat has one life more than no cat. Therefore, a cat has nine lives.

This has been bothering me. If a cat has nine lives, then it has eight lives, in which case it can't have nine lives.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
This has been bothering me. If a cat has nine lives, then it has eight lives, in which case it can't have nine lives.

Further raising the question, is Penske a cat?

[pretermitted_child]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
This has been bothering me. If a cat has nine lives, then it has eight lives, in which case it can't have nine lives.

Party pooper.

[notcasesensitive]

Home computer reformatting has been going on this weekend. So far everything is going great, EXCEPT the fucking Norton internet security system that I bought (includes both a firewall and anti-virus). Can't get the damn thing to enable. And Norton charges you money to call their help line. Bastards.

I'm sure I'll figure it out in time, but a few hours of my life (and Mr Man's) have already been ruined.

On the plus side, I now have Windows XP on the computer and an upgraded DSL connection through SW Bell. And no more annoying whirring hard drive.

[robustpuppy]

My ancient Dell laptop died recently and my home PC is wheezing. I'd like to replace both with a new laptop. I'd love to get an Apple (based on a possibly inaccurate notion that Apple is better for playing around with photos and videos, and because they're just cooler). I'm trying to figure out what best suits my purposes. I primarily use the computer at home for Internet access (but I don't download a lot of files or play games), Quicken/Turbo Tax, word and excel, and photo/video storage. I want to get one laptop to replace both machines.

So, I have a few questions:

First, is Apple actually better for photo/video editing and storage? I have lots of old family photos I'd like to scan and "restore," as well as videos I'd like to compile and transfer to digital format and transfer to DVD (I guess I'll need a DVD burner) or simply store as files on the computer. I recall reading at least a year ago that the software you can use on an Apple was generally better than software you could buy for a PC.

Second, am I in for a lot of pain in terms of transferring existing files from my PC? I suppose I could buy an Apple and also buy a relatively inexpensive PC just to make life easier if my existing desktop PC ever completely dies. I occasionally email files from work to home to work on Word documents. Will this be impossible if I only have an Apple?

And finally, we currently have wireless set up for (cable) internet access. If I have only a laptop, can I still set up the router or whatever it's called, or will I always need a stationary computer near the cable outlet?

Admittedly these questions are pretty dumb, but indulge me. Thanks.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
My ancient Dell laptop died recently and my home PC is wheezing. I'd like to replace both with a new laptop. I'd love to get an Apple (based on a possibly inaccurate notion that Apple is better for playing around with photos and videos, and because they're just cooler). I'm trying to figure out what best suits my purposes. I primarily use the computer at home for Internet access (but I don't download a lot of files or play games), Quicken/Turbo Tax, word and excel, and photo/video storage. I want to get one laptop to replace both machines.

So, I have a few questions:

First, is Apple actually better for photo/video editing and storage? I have lots of old family photos I'd like to scan and "restore," as well as videos I'd like to compile and transfer to digital format and transfer to DVD (I guess I'll need a DVD burner) or simply store as files on the computer. I recall reading at least a year ago that the software you can use on an Apple was generally better than software you could buy for a PC.

Second, am I in for a lot of pain in terms of transferring existing files from my PC? I suppose I could buy an Apple and also buy a relatively inexpensive PC just to make life easier if my existing desktop PC ever completely dies. I occasionally email files from work to home to work on Word documents. Will this be impossible if I only have an Apple?

And finally, we currently have wireless set up for (cable) internet access. If I have only a laptop, can I still set up the router or whatever it's called, or will I always need a stationary computer near the cable outlet?

Admittedly these questions are pretty dumb, but indulge me. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I'm a diehard mac fan. THat said,

1) Not necessarily better, but almost certainly easier. A mac will come bundled with excellent basic level software for photos and movies. You can buy similar, although somewhat less slick, stuff for PCs. If you want something more advanced, you'll have to buy it either way. For example, iPhoto, the apple photo software, has only very basic editing tools (crop, reduce redeye, "enhance", the same stuff you can do online at, e.g., ofoto)--it's not photoshop. But photoshop doesn't come for free. Same with movies. iMovie is a very solid basic movie editor, probably good enough for home movies, unless you want to get into serious cinematography. (And, if you do, then talk to the studios, many of which use high-end macs).

File transfer is very easy. Any word/excel file can be read by the mac software without any problems. To transfer, either burn a CD or connect an ethernet cable between the two (ie, network 'em). Email works too. Basically, the files are cross-compatible. Quicken evidently has problems, and if you use quicken heavily, be aware the Mac version is kind of sucky and buggy.

Not quit sure on your wireless needs, but you can buy an airport card for your apple and use it with other providers' wireless routers. alternatively, you can buy the airport base station, and the airport card, and plug another computer into the ethernet out jack from the base station (it's just a wireless router). There's no need to have a computer set up there so long as you buy a router (I'm assuming you're using "internet sharing" or something on the computer and it's acting as a router as well).

[robustpuppy]

Hmm. The Quicken thing sucks, as I do use it heavily and want to be able to use it from the laptop. Is there any money management software besides MS Money (my financial institutions' websites don't seem to think so). And don't tell me MS Money is less buggy on a Mac than Quicken is!

I could keep the old PC for Quicken purposes, but then I'm stuck in the spare room, when I'd rather pay bills & balance accounts in the kitchen or living room.

Thanks for the info.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
Hmm. The Quicken thing sucks, as I do use it heavily and want to be able to use it from the laptop. Is there any money management software besides MS Money (my financial institutions' websites don't seem to think so). And don't tell me MS Money is less buggy on a Mac than Quicken is!

I could keep the old PC for Quicken purposes, but then I'm stuck in the spare room, when I'd rather pay bills & balance accounts in the kitchen or living room.

Thanks for the info.

I don't mean to make it sound like it doesn't work at all, just that it's not what I'm told the PC experience is. The issue is, however, Intuit, not Apple. They do a half-assed job of support.

There also is a program called Virtual PC that allows you to run PC programs on your mac (it emulates windows software). Supposedly it does quite well, and I expect it would work okay with Quicken.

I've been looking around for alternatives, and there's not a good one. There are plenty of programs for just checking/banking, but none that also manage/organize investments. I don't believe MS MOney is available on macs.

[robustpuppy]

Damn, you're fast. It sounds manageable, especially since I'll have a backup until I figure it all out. I think I'll go to the Apple store on Sunday and check out the powerbooks.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
Damn, you're fast. It sounds manageable, especially since I'll have a backup until I figure it all out. I think I'll go to the Apple store on Sunday and check out the powerbooks.

I have a PowerBook with an AirPort Extreme (gotta love Apple) wireless point. The AirPort plugs directly into my DSL modem with no need for an additional router; I understand cable modems basically are routers and go directly into the AirPort as well.

Ditto Burger on all points; no direct experience of Quicken. Sharing files on MS products is easy; I think the Mac version of Word is actually better than the Windows version.

For sharing files, drop $40 on a mid-sized USB key drive. It's a flash memory card with a built-in USB connector; you plug it in and it's like a removable drive on both machines. You can carry files to and from work that way, too. I spent about $70 on a 256MB card so I could ferry some MP3s to and from work.

As another attorney who's PC at work and Mac at home, I can tell you it works. Check out whether your firm has Terminal Server for remote access; I often run complete Windows session on my Mac screen at home using a free download from MS.

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
And finally, we currently have wireless set up for (cable) internet access. If I have only a laptop, can I still set up the router or whatever it's called, or will I always need a stationary computer near the cable outlet?

I think you have the same set up I do at home: a desktop connected by ethernet to a wireless / wired router that is connected to the cable modem. If typical, the router will take up to four wired connections and (theoretically, at least) an unlimited number of wireless devices.

If that is your setup, you do not need to keep a computer hard-wired into the router, but you do need to keep around the equipment necessary to do so (i.e. an ethernet cable, and an ethernet card or port for you laptop) in case something goes wrong. What could go wrong? You could configure your wireless network to only accept connections from particular MAC addresses (i.e. just your notebook), and then your notebook could crater and you can't get back into the router wirelessly. A physical connection would get you back in to reset the configuration. You will also probably need to be physically connected to do the initial setup.

So long story short, so long as your new computer has the capacity to connect into a physical ethernet system, you do not need a seperate machine hooked into the network. All this applies for Mac or PC.

[Atticus Grinch]

Anyone have an idea why the spam I've been getting recently suddenly started including long strings of 25 cent words that bear no relationship to the product? Is this some way of beating a spam filter?