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Time to reinstall Windows? Or get a new desktop?

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zridling:
Aram, go over to NewEgg.com, set your price level, and start reading the customer reviews. Last week they were selling 750Gb drives for $99 (sale), and 4Gb of RAM for only $79. And since you've upgraded, videocards have now reached teraflop status!

Anyway, here's the link for some super cheap systems on their daily specials.

40hz:
If you'd like to look at some sample configurations, ExtremeTech publishes some decent ones to get the creative juices flowing:

http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,2843,838239,00.asp

If you're real serious about hardware, get a copy of Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs. Now in its 18th edition. All your hardware questions answered in 1584 pages of readable hard-core tech. (An incredible bargain at $38US from Amazon. Worth every cent.) :up: :up:

http://www.amazon.com/Upgrading-Repairing-PCs-18th/dp/0789736977/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221053761&sr=8-1

You can check out the Table of Contents over at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0789736977/ref=sib_dp_ptu#reader-link

It may be the only hardware book you'll ever need. I bought every edition starting with #8. Great resource for your reference shelf.

Deozaan:
Nobody uses the 3-1/2 disks anymore, so this will be my first computer without it.
-superboyac (September 09, 2008, 03:36 PM)
--- End quote ---

Be careful! If you intend to install Windows XP and you need some sort of RAID/SATA drivers installs, they may not come with XP and you might need a floppy, since the installation of XP doesn't allow you to grab drivers off of USB storage or the hard drive or a CD.

I formatted my computer a couple years ago thinking that Service Pack 2 included the necessary SATA drivers and I had to be without the use of my computer for a few weeks until I could find somebody who had a floppy drive I could borrow. :(

Carol Haynes:
I agree - if you are using Windows XP keep a floppy disc handy. My laptop doesn't have a floppy drive and XP wouldn't install from the CD because the latest SATA drives aren't recognised. I had to use nLite to build a Windows installation CD with the cirrect drivers included which was a real pain - though I suppose I only had to do it once.

f0dder:
Building a CD with nLite is only a pain the first time around - and it's certainly much handier than having to use (slow and unreliable) floppies - nevermind installing a floppy drive in your computer :)

nLite also has the advantage that you can remove unnecessary components, and making unattended setups, which rock... select installation partition, go for a shower and coffee, return to a freshly installed desktop.

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