My computer sucks

[Youth N Asia 0]

I finally got my computer working again (kinda), but it has the same problem as before. The computer will be on and everything will be running just fine then out of nowhere it'll shut off. No warning at all. Sometimes it'll run an hour, sometimes 5 minutes. And to get it going again I need to unplug it, let it sit, and then plug it back in

[Guest Princess Leena]

Likely a faulty power supply.

 

I suggest replacing it before it possibly does more damage.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Pardon my computer ignorance, but what exactly are we talking about? I am entirely computer stupid. Are you just talking about the cord I plug from the back of the computer into the outlet?

 

thanks

[Guest Princess Leena]

Ok, you're not going to be installing a new one by yourself then.

 

It's the thing you plug the big black power cord into.

[Youth N Asia 0]

thanks, I'll get someone that knows things on it

[Mik 0]

Buy a Mac.

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

Poking around inside your own computer can be daunting the first time you do it. It is my opinion that anyone who owns a computer must learn how to replace parts, and outright put the machine together if need be. Little beside the point but if you find you need something fixed in your system, find a good online information resource for how to's, or consult your manual. Basic rule is that you can't plug anything in wrong because there's only slot/connection that something can go into for the most part. My recommendation is the same as Leena's, find a high quality (may cost a few pennies) and replace your existing one. I have no recommendation for brands to start you off though, but osnn.net seems to have good information and a decent forum.

 

 

Macs are garbage.

 

It takes about three years after they introduce a new marketing campaign for reality to intrude, which is why without 5-7 years experience, most people can't see why macs are computers for untermenschen. They see the pretty cases, hear the disproportionate amount of self-promotional material from the Mac community, and see how their favorite neurotic celebrities (and other people who use their computer for three tasks, max) gab up about them. It's like peer pressure in high school... after three years, you stop giving a damn, and then you graduate.

 

The latest hilarious embarrassment for Apple can be read here, where it is revealed that even with a far smaller userbase (2.8% versus over 90%) the Mac's vaunted OS X is full of security holes, on par with Windows XP. But of course, we have to ask, if that many holes were found in an operating system that almost no one uses, imagine what would happen if Apple were in Microsoft's place - even more of a disaster.

 

The Apple happy camp has been bragging about OS X security and stability for some time now, but the results haven't been as great as they had hoped. Once again, after the hype, we see the truth starting to emerge. In the 1990s they were claiming "greater productivity," but after Windows 95 proved to be more stable and adaptable than their OS at the time, they abandoned that. Then the hype was all about how much "faster" than Intel the Mac's CPUs were. Remember the "velocity engine"? The G5 didn't live up to the hype, so now a new tack is needed. OS X is the latest Jesus Christ the Savior for the Macintosh line, but here we see the facade beginning to crack.

 

In reality, Apple will continue to sell machines to the same 2.8% of the market, which are the people who are both insecure about their computer knowledge and pretentious enough to be fooled by a good-looking, expensive machine. It reminds me of what IBM was offering in the late 1980s with the PS/2. Both will hang on, but neither will actually conquer the market or move it ahead, which is now exclusively the province of Windows and Linux (though I'm still planning to get an Itanium so I can run OpenVMS, the world's most stable operating system). Nothing left to do but laugh at the people still inexperienced enough to believe the Apple propaganda, and thus to shell out five times the cost of a good machine for a mediocre one with "art deco" styling.

 

Mik: Typical Macintosh user

 

work warning

[Mik 0]

Not sure where the 5x figure is coming from. Slightly more expensive, but 5x...hardly.

 

I'm no computer genius and not claiming that Macs are better but it's pretty apparent that whoever wrote that article has a pretty large bias.

 

And thanks for the picture.

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

For me personally, I can't imagine why anyone would use a Mac in place of a windows based machine, even for basic needs. I'm not the biggest expert but everything I've ever heard is that Windows is just better as a basic general platform. The only thing I can come up with is that it really is just an image thing.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Macs have their advantages... they're much more stable and easier to use with my design programs at work. But, for home use, there's really no need to change.

 

I agree that it never hurts to open up your computer and such... BUT, I wouldn't make my first part change a power supply. You need some knowledge to make sure you're getting the right amount of voltage, amongst ATX, AX, whatever the newer ones are. It is easy to do... but, very bad things can happen.

 

If it's a hard drive, DVD drive, ethernet card, etc... go nuts. It's worth it to learn.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Macs are great for video, picture, and music editing...I don't think they're really needed for your average user who is just going to do internet surfing, word processing, and play games, though.