New Computer

[imjulier]

Hi gang-

I'm in the market for a new computer and wanted to see if anyone out there would like to rave about a new computer or tell me your "must-haves" to help me think about what I might want. I'm interested in a desk top as I find it much easier to stay focused when I stay put. Also, how do I handle getting previous years ATX data (client data) onto my new computer? I assume I can re-install the ATX software and copy over client data by using an external hard drive....but I'm not sure. Any help?

Thanks,

Julie

[Margaret CPA in OH]

For the last several years I have bonded with a local computer guru who has built about 5 for me. He puts in the memory and the hard drive I want and copies all my data over. He has installed a backup system for an external drive which I put into a fireproof safe every night. For safety, he has an "Old" file which contains everything until I check out all the programs and data access.

There are no extra bells and whistles (he did put on Google Earth the last time) and when anything goes wrong or isn't what I expect, he knows exactly what to do because he built it. He networked everything just the way I want it. I do have a Dell laptop, too, but it's the Vostro 1500 with XP and no bells and whistles. I am very pleased with my choices and have very few issues.

It seemed with "off the shelf" products, I had too many problems although I am sure many folks are quite happy with their choices and will let you know of their experiences. Good luck!

[BulldogTom]

I like the local pro building it the way I want it method also. Had 2 desktops and an HP laptop built for me by my pro. They all work seamlessly together, and I don't have a ton of extra software popping up telling me it is time to renew or register or buy life insurance....you get the idea.

If I was going to buy something off the shelf, I would go Dell. They do a great job. We have them at my day job. The bigger you are, the better the deals. We buy 30 laptops at a time from them, so it may not be the best comparison for a small business, but they are great to us.

Tom

Lodi, CA

[Kea]

My experience is with laptops because I like to work in the living room sometimes and to be able to have it on vacations. (I try not to use it on vacation, but if I hear from a client I like to respond within a day or 2.)

I had nothing but problems with my Compaq. That company is now owned by HP and I don't know if that helped or hurt - I haven't used one since.

I have had very good success (so far) with my Toshibas.

To move your data - in each year's tax software, "backup" and "export" all your files. Also copy the ATX folders for each year - especially make sure you have the Database folders. On the new computer you will now have the option of "restore" (using the backed up files) or "import" (using the exported files). I don't remember now which method worked best for me. You may also run into a few issues if you are moving from XP to Vista. The more recent years transferred pretty well, but I had more problems with the early years.

Good luck.

[RoyDaleOne]

I am told that the quality at Dell has slipped some. I have an HP portable, works great for me.

I also use a local company to build my computers. I get a good machine with a three year warranty.

When I do upgrade, say memory. I am given credit for the old memory.

[kcjenkins]

I too had a problem or three with the old Compaq lines, but I've never had the first problem with the multiple HP computers that I use now. I'd recommend them without hesitation. The best things, tho, about having a system 'built' for you by a local pro is that 1) you get a system that does not waste memory and disk space on a bunch of 'trial versions' of junk you do not want. It's rather amazing how much of that they put into every 'off the shelf' system, and how hard it is to get all of it out of the computer. Today's operating systems are not like the old DOS machines, where deleting a program took one or two steps, and you got rid of it all. Todays programs stick parts of themselves in lots of different places, and 'removing' a program does not necessarily remove it all.

Then 2) the second big advantage is that you then have a local person you can call if you do need help with a problem, and he knows your system, and what it contains, and can usually fix it fast, on the spot. Or at worst, you only have to take it in to a local store, no shipping and waiting.

And 3) because you told him what you wanted to do with it, he has built it to maximize the system to your type of usage, so it usually runs faster and better, but actually cost less because you did not buy parts that you will not need. A 'game playing machine', for example, will have expensive video and audio cards, to properly display those high-speed graphics on the hot new games, which you may never need if you are buying it to do tax work, and the only games you will play on it are the occasional game of solitaire. They actually slow down some other things, and don't add a thing to the looks of the tax software, or Excel or Word, etc.

Most 'off the shelf' systems have at least a good portion of their cost in the cards and parts that are designed to make those popular games look and sound great, because that is how so many people judge whether it is a good machine. But they are worthless to a business computer, unless it's used for a CAD program, or such. Why pay for a great sound system, if you are not going to be playing a lot of music on it? You can buy a great CD player for that, much cheaper.

One of the reasons for Dell's popularity is simply that they ask you about uses, and then sell you a system that maximizes the usage you tell them about. They remind me a bit of CCH, in that they have a good basic product, but much less good marketing, support, and accounting departments.

[MAMalody]

Hmmm. My experience with custom built is not real world, however, when I asked some about it, they referred me to the commercial companies. They said they could not build one to match the price of the Dells, HPs etc. Recommended that I check with those companies. I was asking about custom built laptops. That may be why.

Mike

[mcb39]

I do all of my ordering direct from Gateway. (Since IBM sold out to Lenovo). I order it the way I want it and then have my local man set up and install the additional things that I need. To date, no problems. And, having a friendly helper is a MUST. I prepare his Income and Sales Tax Returns as well as his families' so we work well together. Oftentimes it is just a phone call. Have had absolutely no problems with the folks at Gateway or their products so far. Have ordered 3 notebooks and 2 desktops for myself and sons. Much better than purchasing from local retailer such as Best Buy because of the personal support. And, oftentimes, the discounts and prices are better if you watch the website.

[Lion EA]

I've had great luck with Gateway. I like their color coded connections and their helpful people on the telephone. Necessary for an old lady like me. I need a teenager back in the house to deal with our computers. But, since they've grown up, I'm on the lookout for a friendly, local techie who'll answer the phone in the middle of the night during tax season.

[BulldogTom]

Hmmm. My experience with custom built is not real world, however, when I asked some about it, they referred me to the commercial companies. They said they could not build one to match the price of the Dells, HPs etc. Recommended that I check with those companies. I was asking about custom built laptops. That may be why.

Mike

My laptop came from HP and was set up by my local pro for that reason- all the junk removed and the operating system set to match the other two workstations that they built for me. They are an authorized reseller for HP, so I got the same deal I would have gotten from HP on the laptop from anywhere else. They could have built me one, but the price would have been more than the HP. But my pro knew what I was doing, and set everything up to work together seamlessly. Since I am not that techie, I was very happy.

Tom

Lodi, CA

[Eric]

I recently built myself a new workstation machine. I'm not sure if this will come in handy, but here's the parts list:

Case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811112158

Power Supply:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817341012

Motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813128344

Processor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115017

RAM:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820231122

Video Card (nothing special, but fine for a workstation. Went with this over the 8400GS because this doesn’t require a fan)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814150255

CD/DVD Burner:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16827151154

Hard Drives: (three of these)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822148262

[Randall]

I know you built this yourself, but what was your cost? I just wanted to get a general comparison of paying someone else to build something similar.

[Eric]

Sorry for taking so long to respond.. The grand total (with three hard drives) was less than $850. This does not include monitors, keyboard, mouse, operating system.. I already had all of these. With only a single 250GB hard drive, the price would be closer to $720. With a single 500GB hard drive, the price would be around $830.

I figured that although not everyone is interested in putting together their own computer, they might be able to benefit from the research I put into picking the parts. (I'm picky about nerdy stuff like this)

Also, if you give someone a nice shopping list of parts with prices, you're probably less likely to be overcharged for the system. (it shouldn't take more than a couple hours to put together the computer and maybe another half an hour to install the operating system)

[Randall]

Thanks. I'm not going to be so bold to try to put one together, but this gives me some comparative info. I don't mind paying the extra for someone else to build it but I've been wondering about the cost of things. Maybe some day, I'll try to do this.

[FixRollover]

Tips:

Windows XP Service Pack 2: Works fine with all years of ATX.

Windows Vista (all versions): Works fine with all years of ATX (with some minor tweaking).

If you have to get Vista, it's best to give ATX a call for help with things like UAC and Compatibility mode. Sometimes Run As Administrator is also required. Their tech department can help you with those things.

Backup:

The 100% BEST backup is to grab the ENTIRE ATXyyyy (EX: ATX2007) folders (usually located in the Program Files folder) for all the years you want to backup. DON'T SKIMP ON THIS! In some cases if you only grab your backup folder, bad things can happen and you won't get all your returns.

Restore:

Call ATX, most of the time you just have to copy the ATXyyyy folders back onto the new computer and run NetSetup. If that fails they can handle it. There are several ways to restore data.

[zeke]

I have today added FixRollover to my friends list. From his/her few posts I guess the following:

1. Drawing a paycheck from CCH as tech.

2. Wants (must?) to keep a low profile.

3. Likes the job & wants to help.

4. Has potential to be great asset to this board.

5. Should be encouraged to participate further.

Zeke

[mcb39]

I have today added FixRollover to my friends list. From his/her few posts I guess the following:

1. Drawing a paycheck from CCH as tech.

2. Wants (must?) to keep a low profile.

3. Likes the job & wants to help.

4. Has potential to be great asset to this board.

5. Should be encouraged to participate further.

Zeke

Absolutely....I have drawn the same conclusion and have already found FixRollover to be an asset.

[clay]

I need a computer that can travel with me, hence I bought a notebook. A Toshiba with 4 Gig of memory (max out on the memory as an edge to extend the useful life of the computer). It replaces another Toshiba that is 5 years old, still works great but runs a little too slow.

The new computer cost $700 but then I added the extra memory and a 9 cell lithium battery. I paid as high as $2500 about 10 years ago for a notebook. It sure is nice to see the price drop.

I see Vista as a modern day ME operating system. I view this notebook as a temporary solution until Microsoft comes out with something as stable as XP.

[Eric]

I see Vista as a modern day ME operating system. I view this notebook as a temporary solution until Microsoft comes out with something as stable as XP.

If Microsoft were to continue to fix Vista for 7 years as they did for XP, then I'm sure it could reach XP's level of stability. One issue with (32bit) XP is that it's only going to recognize a maximum of 3.5GB of RAM.

[Catherine]

If Microsoft were to continue to fix Vista for 7 years as they did for XP, then I'm sure it could reach XP's level of stability. One issue with (32bit) XP is that it's only going to recognize a maximum of 3.5GB of RAM.

And the problem with _that_ is, the way Microsoft does bloatware, 3.5GB of RAM soon won't be enough to load Office, let alone any more useful programs.

Open Office, anyone?

Catherine

[PapaJoe]

"Open Office, anyone?"

I'm using it now for new work. I still have some legacy spreadsheets, etc. in Office 97. Open Office does all I need it to do. Now, if there was just a linux version of ATX...