Hard Drive is Dying need a new computer

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expat

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I just use my computer for Email, surfing the net, streaming videos, nothing high tech.

My 8 year old Duel core started freezing up about Christmas time. I could not find any malware so I ended up taking it to our local computer shop.
They told me, they could check it out, but seeing as I was running Windows XP I might just want to load Windows 7 and start afresh.

It worked OK at first (just a bit slow), but soon began to Freeze again (Once taking 5 mins to view a post on BITOG)

Went back to the store only to find they are out of business!

I have taken the computer to another store and they have told me that the Hard Drive was on the way out and the computer is not worth fixing.

What to do?
How much computer (specs) do I need for what I'm doing?

If I buy a new computer can I transfer Windows 7 from my old one?
(I was told by the computer repair shop that they could do this if they were to custom build a computer for me (it would be an Acer)

Any Deals out there for a suitable Desk top computer?
 
I just go to Best Buy and get a new HD and reload all my old software. $50. If other components are fried I'll get a used Dell off the Dell Auction website. Then max the RAM and new 1TB drive. I buy the Precision Workstations

http://www.dellauction.com/
 
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Sounds like its time to switch to Linux!

When is the last time you took it apart and cleaned it? I'm sure there are dust bunnies and webs in there.
 
IMO...for surfing, e-mails, paying bills etc....you're best bet would be getting a refurbished chromebook.

I picked one up a year ago on Amazon's gold box deal for around $150 and this HP Chromebook serves my needs for everyday posting, buying, paying bills and reading e-mail messages.
 
desktop computers are a cheap commodity. buy a dell or hp or acer whatever starting like under $300 and it'll last you another 8 years.

If you want to speed it up, spend another $100 or so to stick in more ram and an SSD and it'll boot, websurf, watch youtube as fast as a $2000 machine.


Windows by itself will be like 1/3rd of the cost if you're trying to buy it separated.
 
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Originally Posted By: raytseng
desktop computers are a cheap commodity. buy a dell or hp or acer whatever starting like under $300 and it'll last you another 8 years.

If you want to speed it up, spend another $100 or so to stick in more ram and an SSD and it'll boot, websurf, watch youtube as fast as a $2000 machine.


Windows by itself will be like 1/3rd of the cost if you're trying to buy it separated.



That's good to know if I grab another desktop here...
 
Even a brand new Chromebook with a warranty can be had for $200. Try it...you'll like it!!! (Actually, for your applications, you will LOVE it.) They are fast, no malware or update intervention, and inexpensive. I've had one for over 2 years and will never go back to a Windows laptop for non-business use. The best way to describe it is to compare it to a refrigerator - it works reliably like an appliance & requires no maintenance on your part. The only drawback is that you must have WiFi or mobile hotspot connectivity for it to work.
 
I recommend the Chrome OS for your use. I have a Chromebook, and it's really quite a nice little device. Not necessarily in terms of material or build quality, but it's such a lightweight OS and should do everything you do very well.

A Chromebook is a laptop computer and a Chromebox is a small desktop unit...think outsized hockey puck for size. If you prefer the desktop style computer (full keyboard, mouse, screen, etc), a Chromebox may be a better fit. You certainly can use a Chromebook in desktop mode (I do it with ours often), but there' one awkward step where you have to open the lid to turn the computer on...once it's asleep, you cannot wake it up with the keyboard or mouse.
 
I just bought a refurbished HP 14" touchscreen with Win 8 for $166 at Walmart. I had bought the exact same one for my church for $295 a year ago. Does everything just fine, no CD/DVD drive is the only possible issue.

Load Crystal Disk Info on your machine and see what it says about your HD. Its free.
 
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Just get an SSD. $55 with prime shipping. I love mine.

This. You already own Windows 7 (right?) so assuming the rest of the PC is in good shape, just buy a cheap SSD and install W7 from scratch. It'll be plenty fast and overall the cheapest way to go. And it's familiar Windows, not Linux, not OSX, not ChromeOS.
 
"it would be a custom build" and "an acer" don't belong together, LOL! The ACER would be a box computer.

Assuming you have the license/media for Windows 7, just grab a new hard drive as others have said.
 
You will be surprised how much younger the old Core Duo feels with SSD and maxed out RAM. I/O - - Input and Output is as important as the CPU computational capacity.

Of course, with the current market, you could simply get a new low-end computer for comparable money.
 
Thanks guys, will look into a SSD

How do I transfer windows to the new SSD hard drive?
 
Your OP reads like you loaded Windows 7 onto your old system. If so, do you have a Windows 7 DVD and a product key? You can use the same DVD to reload Windows on the new SSD.

If you have any valuable documents on the old hard drive, and the hard drive still works, you can try to copy them out to a flash drive or SD card (if Windows still runs for long enough) before removing the old hard drive. Or put that hard drive in an external USB SATA enclosure so you can read it from your new configuration.

But if that computer is eight years old, it really is about time to replace it. Consider both the effort and cash you'd spend fixing the old vs buying a new, and the end results, then decide.
 
$50-$75 and a few hours of time seems plenty worth fixing a computer that should last another year or three for doing basic stuff.

OP, what computer is it? A homemade job or something like a Dell or HP? If you can get a model number or service tag off it we would have more info to go on to give you some more informed guidance.
 
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