02-22-2004, 04:39 AM
Don't feel so bad. My previous computer was a Compaq :(
My hard drive went bad, so I bought a new one (out of warrantee). The new drive worked fine, but I wasn't able to re-install Windows because my Compaq came with a "recovery CD" instead of a full OEM Windows installation CD. It needed to be able to access a few files on my dead drive, which was just stupid.
I would have had to buy a full retail Windows OS. I spent $100 on the new drive, and wasn't about to fork over another $200 for an OS. I seriously considered "obtaining" a pirated copy of Windows 98SE at that point, seeing as though I owned a license for one to be installed on my machine.
I ended up buying a new computer from a local mom 'n pop shop for a song (which featured an ACTUAL Windows XP Home CD), and the specs kicked my old Compaq six ways from sunday.
Local private computer places are a nice place to do business. As long as they are well-established, it's not likely that they are out to screw you. You'll usually also get excellent technical support (bad word-of-mouth kills a business like that very quickly), and it's never hard to just drop your malfunctioning computer off for them to troubleshoot it.
And if you're a return customer, they'll go out of their way to make you happy. That's how they stay in business. Plus, it's nice to talk to a real live person face-to-face once in a while. When my car isn't running right, I don't want to have to explain what's wrong to a guy living halfway around the world from me, and hope he sends me the correct replacement part. I also don't want to be asked stupid questions like "Have you put gas in it?" or "Is the correct key in the ignition?".
This isn't to say that every local computer dealer is honest; there are always a few shady dealers. You just have to find someone you like and trust. It's a lot like shopping around for a car mechanic.
Of course, the really smart shoppers learn how to build their own computers - just like the really smart shoppers learn how to fix their own cars (I'm a bit surprised Pete didn't suggest that already :) )
My hard drive went bad, so I bought a new one (out of warrantee). The new drive worked fine, but I wasn't able to re-install Windows because my Compaq came with a "recovery CD" instead of a full OEM Windows installation CD. It needed to be able to access a few files on my dead drive, which was just stupid.
I would have had to buy a full retail Windows OS. I spent $100 on the new drive, and wasn't about to fork over another $200 for an OS. I seriously considered "obtaining" a pirated copy of Windows 98SE at that point, seeing as though I owned a license for one to be installed on my machine.
I ended up buying a new computer from a local mom 'n pop shop for a song (which featured an ACTUAL Windows XP Home CD), and the specs kicked my old Compaq six ways from sunday.
Local private computer places are a nice place to do business. As long as they are well-established, it's not likely that they are out to screw you. You'll usually also get excellent technical support (bad word-of-mouth kills a business like that very quickly), and it's never hard to just drop your malfunctioning computer off for them to troubleshoot it.
And if you're a return customer, they'll go out of their way to make you happy. That's how they stay in business. Plus, it's nice to talk to a real live person face-to-face once in a while. When my car isn't running right, I don't want to have to explain what's wrong to a guy living halfway around the world from me, and hope he sends me the correct replacement part. I also don't want to be asked stupid questions like "Have you put gas in it?" or "Is the correct key in the ignition?".
This isn't to say that every local computer dealer is honest; there are always a few shady dealers. You just have to find someone you like and trust. It's a lot like shopping around for a car mechanic.
Of course, the really smart shoppers learn how to build their own computers - just like the really smart shoppers learn how to fix their own cars (I'm a bit surprised Pete didn't suggest that already :) )