Free Computer Consultant ………. Daily Insights

The debate is over on whether Windows 7 is good, bad or ugly. It has to be good, we have no other choice. Windows XP is long in the tooth and its owner seems intent on killing it. Vista needs to be put behind like another bad dream, Windows ME (and “Bob”, remember?).

So when you buy a new PC, the only thing that should really keep you from getting it loaded with Windows 7 is software you HAVE to have; very few people, percentage wise, need a device that has no support in W7.

And if your software will not run on Windows 7, then think again about what vendor you buy your software from and why.

I have clients who, in the past were victims of software that held them back; turned out it was just the vendor trying intentionally to hold us back for their own profit. It cost my client thousands of dollars before I finally “forced” the vendors hand.

Configuring a new PC for Windows 7

The key items to keep in mind for Windows 7 hardware are these:

1. RAM (memory): Windows has always been a hog, but finally, if you go 64 bit Windows 7, you can use more than 4GB, or more than 3 GB which is what many PC’s have been limited to with previous versions of Windows. I recommend buying 4 GB RAM even with 32 bit Windows, even if you can only use 3 GB. As Adrian Monk would say, “You’ll thank me later”.
2. Video: Don’t skimp on video. One of the benefits to Windows 7 is the way it looks. Onboard video is not the answer,  I would get a 512 video card if the budget allows. Many corporate customers may feel 256 is adequate. Know your monitors, though, there are VGA, DVI and now DP (DataPort) monitor connections; adapters can be expensive and clunky.
3. Hard drive: Nothing less than 7200 rpm, not even in a laptop. 10,000 rpm SATA are out here, and if you want the best, go for SAS 10,000 rpm – but SAS will really up the price point, and likely increase cold boot times.
4. CPU: Multiple Cores. The Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0 Ghz from Intel is my “base” purchase. Windows 7 finally knows how to use cores, especially with 64 bit. Quad Core, i7 are better but pricier. If you go Quad Core, 2.66 Ghz should be the minimum.
5. Optical Drive: DVD +/-RW is both the minimum and the norm, Blue Ray for entertainment.
6. Floppy Drive: Laugh away, make sure that for $9 more you don’t wish you had one later. If it’s a server, think drivers, bios updates and support later. Dell Support will thank you if you have a floppy on the server you are working on together.
7. Power Supply: If a better one is offered as an option, you are typically better off taking it.

Dell Configuration

Here is the basic workstation I am ordering from Dell:

Dell Small Business has some aggressive pricing now through the end of the month; the machine above is available in the low $900’s.

I would use the above link even for a home PC; Dell Small Business has better offerings in my opinion.

When you buy a new Dell computer, you probably bought it so it would be faster than what you had, right? So why not optimize your new PC?

You may have noticed that it came with a bunch of crap you do not need.

Here is what I remove:

• Windows Components
  • Fax Service
  • MSN Explorer
  • Networking Services
  • Outlook Express
  • Windows Messenger

(No Reboot is needed, despite the question in dialog box)

Then for applications:

• Windows Live Essentials (124 MB!)
  • Removes SQL Server CE
  • Sync framework services
• 3 Versions of .NET??? Why? Load only what you need. Unload v1 & v2
• Live Sign-in Assistant
• Live Sync
• Live Upload Tool
• Windows Search 4.0 (will warn you about ALL this stuff that won’t work – BS)
• SilverLight

Get rid of all of that garbage, then defrag the disk. And don’t ever fall for Microsoft wanting to install SilverLight or Windows Live. Windows Live Mail – why would you want that?

My opinion, comment if you agree or disagree.

How do I replace a laptop hard drive?

How about why?

The answers to both of those questions can be found in this new video:

The hard drive I was replacing in this video was junk; no data recovery possible. Emphasizes the importance of good backups, right?

You might also replace a hard drive if you are upgrading to a larger one. In that case, I would have used Acronis True Image to clone the hard drive to the newer unit.

I always install the Windows XP recovery console on workstations (actually, servers too). It can prevent you from needing to reach for that XP CD to do a repair, and is a heckuva lot quicker than booting from CD.

But it turns out that a bug in Windows XP can give you a BSOD (blue screen of death) 0×0000007B when booting to the installed recovery console due to an inability to access the SATA driver when needed (likely, nvrd32.sys).  It may tell you nvrd32.sys is not present, even though it is.

Unfortunately, your only recourse may be to reach for that XP CD and boot to the recovery console from it.

I had this problem recently with a Dell E5400 laptop.

A person wanted to know what laptop to buy for a college student that would last the entire 4 years of college. This was asked in a members only forum I belong to.

Here is my reply:

You mentioned you want it to last for 3 or 4 years. Whenever people tell me that I try to steer them towards a machine that I think will has the power, features and durability to do so.

And to make sure it has the durability – warranty.

You can get a nice Dell Lattitude E5500 with the power and features she needs, with either a 3 or 4 year CompleteCare warranty for about $1300 (3 yr).

{A wise poster on this forum} makes great recommendations; but you might find that if you try to get all of the features you want AND a warranty you will be spending much more – even double – the number he mentioned.

If you buy a laptop for $500 – $600, it’s not going to have a very long warranty. If you are willing to take the chance that it gets dropped or “happens” to die one month after the short warranty period, then that’s Ok, as long as you accept that chance up front.

Parents who want to know that the purchase they make will be a one time shot for the whole 4 years (now just make sure they graduate in 4…) have been very pleased buying a Dell with enough power to be relevant in 3 – 4 years from now, with a CompleteCare warranty to make sure it works that long.

Here are the specs of one I just ordered yesterday (with 3 year CompleteCare):
Qty Part # Description
— ——– ———————————————
1 223-9862 Latitude E5500, Intel Core 2 Duo P8400, 2.26GHz, 3M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB
1 311-9241 2.0GB, DDR2-800 SDRAM, 1 DIMM for Latitude E5X00
1 330-1000 Internal English Keyboard Single Pointing, for Latitude Notebooks
1 330-1652 Documentation (English) Latitude E-Family/Mobile Precision
1 320-6894 Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, Latitude E5X00
1 341-6441 160GB Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive 9.5MM, 7200RPM,Latitude
1 311-8955 Single pointing touchpad for Latitude E5500
1 320-7083 15.4 inch Wide Screen WXGA+ Anti-glare LCD for Latitude E5500
1 467-5799 Windows XP PRO SP3 with Windows Vista Business LicenseEnglish,Dell Latitude
1 330-0879 US – 3-FT, 3-Pin Flat E-FamilyPower Cord for Latitude E-Family
1 330-1970 90W 3-Pin, AC Adapter for Latitude E5400/5500
1 313-6663 8X DVD+/-RW for Latitude E5X00
1 420-9184 Cyberlink Power DVD 8.1,with Media,Dell Latitude/Mobile Precision
1 420-8010 Roxio Creator Dell Edition,9.0Dell Latitude/Mobile Precision
1 430-3362 Intel WiFi Link 5300 (802.11 a/g/n 3X3) 1/2 MiniCard for VPRO Latitude E/Mobile Precision
1 330-1005 Resource DVD with Diagnostics and Drivers for Latitude e5500Notebook
1 312-0743 6-Cell/54-WHr Battery for Latitude E5X00
1 991-5277 Dell Hardware Limited Warranty Plus Onsite Service Initial Year
1 991-5408 Dell Hardware Limited Warranty Plus Onsite Service Extended Year(s)
1 989-8690 Basic Support: Next Business Day Parts and Labor Onsite Response Initial Year
1 989-5982 Basic Support: Next Business Day Parts and Labor Onsite Response 2 Year Extended
1 991-2878 Dell ProSupport Service Offering Declined
1 900-9987 Standard On-Site Installation Declined
1 989-6252 CompleteCare Accidental Damage Protection, 3 Year
1 988-7689 Info, Complete Care
1 330-1152 Intel Centrino 2 Core Duo Processor
1 310-9160 Vista Premium Downgrade Relationship Notebook

Notice it has XP.

There is no bluetooth because these people didn’t want it.

They are paying under $1300 using the methods I have promoted on this forum for some time now (and offer on my website as an eBook). Add about $100 for a 4 year CompleteCare warranty. You can also extend it just before it expires.

I consider a $500 computer with a 1 year warranty to be a “throw away” after 1 year. Any time longer than that is a bonus.

Many people on this forum get new computers every year or so anyway, so don’t care about warranty. The people I deal with want more than that – and we often get 5 years from a laptop and 7 from a desktop – but we do pay more up front.

Hope this helps.

Shop Dell Here

The other day I was installing VMWare ESX server onto a new Dell PowerEdge 2900 server and when I installed the client operating system, Windows Server 2008 64bit, I received this error message:

0xC000035a

Attempt to load 64 bit application; CPU is not compatible with 64 bit mode.

This struck me as very odd for a brand new Dell Server with 12GB RAM and VMWare ESX. Google, however, came to the rescue and I found out that one must go into the DELL Server BIOS and change a CPU setting to “allow virtualization”.

Once that was done, Windows Server 2008 installed just fine.

This is an age old expression, but true:

“You Make Money When You Buy, Not When You Sell”

When it comes to computer hardware and software, you will likely be selling it for ZERO! so it really matters how much you pay for it.

My clients and I do a lot of business with Dell Computer, not because they’re perfect, but because we can’t find anyone to do better. And when it comes to an expensive laptop, CompleteCare is a definite advantage.

Most everything I do on this website is for free, no one pays me a dime. Since it started out to help the individuals who worked for my clients, that’s no big deal; in fact, it freed me up from answering (or trying not to answer) personal questions on company time.

But there are two eBooks that I created and placed for sale. The “One Secret Can Save You 8 – 16% Buying Dell Online” I feel particularly good about because you can easily pay for the cost of the eBook with the savings on just one purchase.

Granted, the savings are higher if you are buying for a company, not only will you likely use the information over and over, but the tactics described in the eBook seem to have better results in working with the Dell Small Business than with Dell Home.

[Note to home buyers: Check out the small business side of Dell, not just the home side. Then compare.]

I have recently seen fantastic savings using the tactic in my Save Money On Dell eBook when procuring some Dell workstations. The T3400 from Dell is a actually a great unit for either home, home office, or business of any size.

When the T3400 was spec’d out for the clients needs, the cost ran up to around $1633 plus $109 shipping when pricing online. If they would have bought the Dell online, that’s what they would have paid. Did the price indicate some savings already built in? Absolutely. But not enough.

After applying the tactics I reveal in my eBook, the price of those T3400 workstations dropped to around $1400 a piece, with FREE SHIPPING!

Worth the cost of a $17 eBook? You bet.

There were several workstations I quoted over the past couple of weeks, and the specifications and prices varied as to the need. But the savings didn’t vary. They consistently were at the high end of the 8 – 16% I quote in the title of the eBook. In fact, some were higher than that.

The price you get online with Dell can vary by the day. And to me there is nothing worse than buying something yesterday at one price, then checking today to find out the price just dropped due to a new sale, coupon or whatever.

Get the best, lowest price up front when buying your new Dell laptop, workstation or server. My $17 eBook will help.

With Windows operating systems it is common practice to have to reboot the server or workstation from time to time just to straighten things out. Add to that the times you reboot because you installed or updated a program and you can be rebooting quite often.

Don’t Touch That Dial!

I think the narrator in the TV version of Batman used to yell that out, but I could be wrong. What I mean is this: Don’t reboot without considering that the computer may not come up after the reboot.

When was your last backup?

Before you reboot, make a quick backup of at least the work you know has changed since your last good backup. Also think about your contingency plan in case the server or workstation chooses not to come alive again.

It’s just a fact with computer hardware that any time it’s running, it might be the last time. Does this happen frequently? Thankfully, no. But over the last couple of decades I have received enough frantic calls when it hasn’t to warrant mentioning it here.

Then there is the Windows operating system.

Just last week a client called me to say that their Windows 2000 server had a BSOD (blue screen of death) with 0×0000007B “Inaccessible Boot Device” on the screen. Not good.

Everything was working just fine except that a vendor support person couldn’t get in with pcAnywhere (an old as the hills remote control program). Why they haven’t joined the 21st century by using a product like GoToMyPC for tech support access is beyond me. So, without thinking about the last 3 nights backups that did NOT complete successfully, they rebooted.

After spending about 3 hours following all of Microsoft’s suggestions and Googling for any other hints, I punted. With a Windows Server 2003 CD at arms reach I couldn’t justify spending any more time trying to fix Windows 2000.

Fortunately, Windows 2000 Server was all that was corrupt; the data was all good (sigh of relief here). This is a client that does NOT hire me to monitor their server and such items as backup – that may change. A new Dell PowerEdge Server has also been ordered.

So before you click on Start | Shutdown | Restart – ask yourself what you will do if it doesn’t restart; and do a quick backup first.

You may know that my clients have tended to buy an awful lot of Dell computer equipment over the years so I have kept up pretty well with Dell and their computer / laptop offerings.

That’s why when I had the chance to attend a webinar yesterday to hear about what’s going on with their product line I was willing to part with my time to do so.

As a reward for attendance, which wasn’t too great by my estimation, we were given some special coupon codes to use at the Dell website. These are not widely distributed codes.

Coupons are now expired, but shop Dell Values here.

Check it out and let me know if you found these helpful and were able to take advantage of them.

I’m wondering if I need to change the name of my eBook.

You see, I originally named it “One Secret Can Save You 8 – 16% Buying Dell Online”. But today something unexpected happened.

A client of mine was pricing a new Dell computer for his office. Armed with my eBook he was expecting to save around 10 – 15%. Since the Dell computer he was looking at wasn’t all that expensive, he presumed his savings would be toward the low end of the scale.

He wanted a Dell Optiplex 755 with a monitor and priced out a nice one online at $1268 with the 19″ ultra sharp monitor.

Then he put to use the One Secret to Save Money Buying Dell Online. Final price? $1022. That’s $246 in savings on a $1268 computer. That’s a savings of 19.4% !!!

He was blown away. And he likely will buy 3, maybe even 4 computers from Dell. He’s going to save up to $1000 with the information I charged only $14.95 for. That’s a pretty good return on investment. (Note: He bought before the price went up, hint, hint)

If you want to buy a Dell computer at the lowest price possible, get a copy of my eBook “One Secret Can Save You 8 – 16% Buying Dell Online”.

Just don’t be disappointed if you end up saving even more!