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Eratic and difficult Boot-ups , computer stops working for no reason , etc..

I cannot reload my old operating system , Microsoft has seen to THAT.

I do not think that it is a virus problem , I am carefull about that :).

My present computer is probably more than 15 years old , I think that it is just getting tired :D.

This is what I am experiencing.

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My present computer is probably more than 15 years old , I think that it is just getting tired :D.

15 human years equals about 150 computer years. It's not just tired, it's senile and in the twilight of its days!

 

Whatever the current "state of the art" is, it's well out of date in 5 years or so, and almost totally obsolete after a decade or more. IDE disk interfaces, PCI slots, AGP slots, PS2 mice and keyboards, serial ports, floppy disks, parallel printer ports, Molex power connectors, CD ROMs, DVD-R and RW, Zip drives (remember them?) have all gone the way of the Dodo in the past 20 years or so. Even the venerable 15 pin VGA video connector is now being phased out.

 

Yes, at some point a component will fail and the whole machine stop working, but that's usually long after it should really have been replaced or updated anyway.

 

Current software is RAM, CPU power and disk-space greedy, and loading it on an old computer is a pretty surefire way to slow it to a crawl.

 

Things move on, and you have to accept that pretty much - to paraphrase - "A computer is just for Christmas, not for life".

 

Incidentally, the main cause of component failure is heat, possibly caused by a build-up of dust on fans. This also makes a fan noisy. So a periodic vacuum-clean of any vents is a good idea. Perhaps with an annual removal of any easily accessed panels and a good manual dusting of the innards.

 

FWIW, I just built a new system only a month ago. I would have stuck with Win 7, but driver support is now almost non-existent. I loaded Win 10 + Classic Shell instead, and so far the transition has been pretty painless; with much the same 'look & feel' as Win 7. Win 11? Not for me, thanks MS. Some people prize data security over a 24/7 Internet connection, and I have a smartphone for that.

Edited by rodeo_joe|1
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Do computers that are built yourself have diagnostic programs provided as Dell does to help test the various components and systems?

A power-on-self-test (POST) checks RAM and peripheral integrity every time a PC is powered up. And most HDDs and SSDs are SMART enabled to provide self-diagnostic metadata on demand.

Then there are many free hardware monitor programs that can provide temperature and resource usage information, or monitor those in the background.

Also, most AV software will run a software and resource 'health check' automatically or on demand.

What else could Dell possibly offer?

 

My only experience with 'warranty' support was with an HP printer, that was about two weeks and 12 months old, and suddenly started spewing out garbage. HP wanted £20 for a telephone call to support. While it turned out that 5 minutes Googling threw up the exact same symptoms and provided the solution - a rogue DLL clash as it happened, and not directly HP's fault - but I can't believe HP weren't fully aware of the issue.

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Right, it is failing because modern programs get more bloated every year with security updates and extra processing, memory requirements and often unwanted features. Then there are all useless programs that occupy read time during start up. There are diagnostic programs that can help clean these up (but they can become a problem themselves). Then there are unwanted anti-virus programs that are frequently downloaded often unintentionally when downloading other programs. Then, if you have lots of data the scratch disc on your hard drive gets too small which really cramps your style. My Dell was "failing", but installing a much bigger 3TB SSD as the startup disc solved that. It'll give it another 3 years of useful life, I'm hoping.
Robin Smith
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Times change, and needs with them. A computer constitutes the core of my AV business.

 

Two years ago, 4K video was almost a novelty. Now I'm expected to render four 4K60 streams into a program file, without resorting to proxies. Audio is 8-16 channels of 96K/32F by default, and some clients demand 192K. I had to restore almost 220,000 images into a Lightroom library after a primary disk failure, computer replacement, and rebuild.

 

I have a MacBook Pro (and spare) which could handle the computational load, but the ergonomics were pure torture.

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I’m not a computer expert by any means, I use them mostly because I have to. I use laptops because I want the mobility and my newest is about three years old. I’ve not added much in the way of software and don’t store many images there but when it was brand new it would boot up in a matter of seconds. Now it takes two or three minutes to go through whatever crap was downloaded in updates that were not optional. I’m an OTB and when I just want something that runs without asking a lot of questions I get out a Windows XP machine. It boots up quickly and simply works. I still have a Windows 7 that I can turn on and go have lunch while waiting on it. Shutdown isn’t much better. This is why I still enjoy film. I spent less time developing 7 rolls of b&w Ilford one or two at a time this afternoon than I spent trying to get something done electronically.

 

Rick H.

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I use CCleaner to review the various startup programmes. Many of these can be disabled to streamline the startup process and free up capacity. They are often added by different applications without the operator's knowledge. On one machine there are hardly any items in startup. Obviously you have to make sure a startup item is not essential before disabling it, but it's surprising how few are actually necessary.
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15 human years equals about 150 computer years. It's not just tired, it's senile and in the twilight of its days!

 

Whatever the current "state of the art" is, it's well out of date in 5 years or so, and almost totally obsolete after a decade or more. IDE disk interfaces, PCI slots, AGP slots, PS2 mice and keyboards, serial ports, floppy disks, parallel printer ports, Molex power connectors, CD ROMs, DVD-R and RW, Zip drives (remember them?) have all gone the way of the Dodo in the past 20 years or so. Even the venerable 15 pin VGA video connector is now being phased out.

 

Yes, at some point a component will fail and the whole machine stop working, but that's usually long after it should really have been replaced or updated anyway.

 

Current software is RAM, CPU power and disk-space greedy, and loading it on an old computer is a pretty surefire way to slow it to a crawl.

 

Things move on, and you have to accept that pretty much - to paraphrase - "A computer is just for Christmas, not for life".

 

Incidentally, the main cause of component failure is heat, possibly caused by a build-up of dust on fans. This also makes a fan noisy. So a periodic vacuum-clean of any vents is a good idea. Perhaps with an annual removal of any easily accessed panels and a good manual dusting of the innards.

 

FWIW, I just built a new system only a month ago. I would have stuck with Win 7, but driver support is now almost non-existent. I loaded Win 10 + Classic Shell instead, and so far the transition has been pretty painless; with much the same 'look & feel' as Win 7. Win 11? Not for me, thanks MS. Some people prize data security over a 24/7 Internet connection, and I have a smartphone for that.

The way I put off early obsolescence was to buy the fastest at the time with extra storage etc. My 7-year-old was no slower than my new desktop except when booting. Once running, the programs run pretty much at the same speed.

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A power-on-self-test (POST) checks RAM and peripheral integrity every time a PC is powered up. And most HDDs and SSDs are SMART enabled to provide self-diagnostic metadata on demand.

Then there are many free hardware monitor programs that can provide temperature and resource usage information, or monitor those in the background.

Also, most AV software will run a software and resource 'health check' automatically or on demand.

What else could Dell possibly offer?

 

My only experience with 'warranty' support was with an HP printer, that was about two weeks and 12 months old, and suddenly started spewing out garbage. HP wanted £20 for a telephone call to support. While it turned out that 5 minutes Googling threw up the exact same symptoms and provided the solution - a rogue DLL clash as it happened, and not directly HP's fault - but I can't believe HP weren't fully aware of the issue.

Dell provides various manual and automatic diagnostic programs that test out the complete computer or parts of it depending on issues. It will often find the problem on its own and reset back to operation auotmatically. Dell also provides complete schematics of how to remove and install replacement parts with drawings to show how it's done.. It "knows" the computer they furnished you with all parts and provides in effect a complete service manual.

 

Do home-built systems have these things? Having support, backup, construction details, automatic diagnostic programs to analyze and correct problems, etc are needed for good service. What is the poor guy who isn't even a tech going to do without these things when he runs into a problem? Who are they going to call? Ghostbusters? ;)

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Lots of misinformation in this thread:

 

1. It's untrue that Windows 11 always requires a Microsoft Account for log-in. Although Microsoft doesn't make it easy, it's still possible to install or configure Windows 11 with a Local Account. If you search the Internet for "windows 11 local account setup" you'll find at least three different methods.

 

2. It's untrue that a Local Account won't receive Microsoft updates, including security updates. If the computer with a Local Account has an Internet connection, it can receive the same updates as everyone else.

 

3. It's untrue that a Local Account won't require a password to log in. By default, a Local Account still requires a password. Although there are ways to bypass it, I don't recommend it, even for a single-user home computer. You never know who might try to access the computer when you're not looking.

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I’m an OTB and when I just want something that runs without asking a lot of questions I get out a Windows XP machine. It boots up quickly and simply works. I still have a Windows 7 that I can turn on and go have lunch while waiting on it.

It's true that XP is probably the most reliable OS that Microsoft ever produced, but it's only 32 bit and doesn't make the most of a modern processor and RAM bus width. There was a short-lived 64 bit version of XP, but driver support is very sparse.

 

Nothing wrong with, nor slow about Win 7. I've run two Win7 desktop machines for the last 6 years or so. They only have pedestrian, by today's standard, CPUs and DDR3 RAM, but they boot up in under 30 seconds. The reason? SSD disks for the OS and virtual memory. And nothing unnecessary in the 'Startup' directory. Together with a regular housekeeping sweep of the temp and ~tmp files that MS Office and Adobe leave a trail of.

Edited by rodeo_joe|1
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Lots of misinformation in this thread:

 

1. It's untrue that Windows 11 always requires a Microsoft Account for log-in. Although Microsoft doesn't make it easy, it's still possible to install or configure Windows 11 with a Local Account. If you search the Internet for "windows 11 local account setup" you'll find at least three different methods.

 

2. It's untrue that a Local Account won't receive Microsoft updates, including security updates. If the computer with a Local Account has an Internet connection, it can receive the same updates as everyone else.

 

3. It's untrue that a Local Account won't require a password to log in. By default, a Local Account still requires a password. Although there are ways to bypass it, I don't recommend it, even for a single-user home computer. You never know who might try to access the computer when you're not looking.

 

Well according to several recent comments that I have read on the Internet while investigating this matter , it appears that Microsoft has now "plugged" all these "loopholes" :).

I may be wrong , just going on what I have read here and there :)

Resistance indeed appears to be futile :D.

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Win 10 is still available for use on hardware that doesn't meet the 'trusted platform' spec required by Win 11. Win 10 will easily create a local, non online account. It comes with the added bonus of being able to uninstall MS Edge and use a browser of your own choice, such as Opera that comes with a built-in VPN facility.

 

I really can't understand why someone would want their computer permanently online and exposing their data to potential snooping and virus attack.

 

Rule #1 of data security: The most secure computer is one that isn't connected to any network. WAN or LAN.

 

Do any serious or confidential work on an isolated machine, and pootle about on the Internet and social media on something else.

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Win 10 is still available for use on hardware that doesn't meet the 'trusted platform' spec required by Win 11. Win 10 will easily create a local, non online account. It comes with the added bonus of being able to uninstall MS Edge and use a browser of your own choice, such as Opera that comes with a built-in VPN facility.

 

I really can't understand why someone would want their computer permanently online and exposing their data to potential snooping and virus attack.

 

Rule #1 of data security: The most secure computer is one that isn't connected to any network. WAN or LAN.

 

Do any serious or confidential work on an isolated machine, and pootle about on the Internet and social media on something else.

I agree. Unfortunately, for most computer users, there are so many apps and things going on in a computer, it's too difficult to track all the niceties of how these apps grab control and talk to your computer in ways you're not even aware of. Just trying to change the defaults and other settings becomes too complicated for most users, so you just give up and hope you don't get compromised. Of course,the software companies deliberately write the software that way because they know most people don't have the wherewithal to turn off and adjust these settings. It's like who reads the agreement to software license before clicking OK to install? No one reads the small print. Similar kind of thing.

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Win 10 is still available for use on hardware that doesn't meet the 'trusted platform' spec required by Win 11. Win 10 will easily create a local, non online account. It comes with the added bonus of being able to uninstall MS Edge and use a browser of your own choice, such as Opera that comes with a built-in VPN facility.

 

I really can't understand why someone would want their computer permanently online and exposing their data to potential snooping and virus attack.

 

Rule #1 of data security: The most secure computer is one that isn't connected to any network. WAN or LAN.

 

Do any serious or confidential work on an isolated machine, and pootle about on the Internet and social media on something else.

I agree whole heartedly, but since I don't do any confidential work (or any work at all for that matter), I leave my computer on, on-line, 24-7-365. It is protected by secure, computer-generated passwords for login, router config access, and a VPN. Safe enough for surfing, methinks!

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I agree whole heartedly, but since I don't do any confidential work (or any work at all for that matter), I leave my computer on, on-line, 24-7-365. It is protected by secure, computer-generated passwords for login, router config access, and a VPN. Safe enough for surfing, methinks!

Hackers are always finding new exploits, and a 'Zero Day' loophole usually means 'sometime in the next few months will do' for release of a vital security patch. For example: How long was the Reaver WPS setup exploit around before router firmware was widely re-written and distributed? 2 years? 3 years? 5?

Edited by rodeo_joe|1
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I agree whole heartedly, but since I don't do any confidential work (or any work at all for that matter), I leave my computer on, on-line, 24-7-365. It is protected by secure, computer-generated passwords for login, router config access, and a VPN. Safe enough for surfing, methinks!

My McAfee virus program has VPN but I have not activated it.

 

Does it slow anything down or create other potential issues?

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Does it slow anything down or create other potential issues?

No. I've noticed no speed difference using Opera's VPN.

 

However, because a VPN removes location and some other device information, you may find that online banking or payment either doesn't work or requires further verification - e.g. Txt or email code re-sending.

 

This issue is easily circumvented by either turning off the VPN (usually just one click) or using another non-VPN Browser.

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Ok I have pulled the trigger and purchased a brand new Windows 11 Laptop for far too much money , it was this , or not getting a new and updated computer at all :).

The Vendor has a "secret" method of activating W11 through a local account so one of my concerns has been taken care of.

I am still in the process of setting up the computer to meet my needs , but so far I am happy with my purchase.

The learning curve is steep , but I will have to get used to it :D.

Resistance really is futile :D.

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It really isn't that difficult to put a computer together from components. Motherboard, CPU, memory and disk(s) plus box and PSU. The whole lot can be assembled in about 30 minutes. Probably the most difficult bits to source are the screws to hold the MB and HDD in place.

 

Be prepared to faint at the cost of a powerful CPU these days though. You're probably looking at a minimum spend of £500 / $700 for the parts alone. But then you're getting the performance of a supercomputer from 10 years ago..... crippled by the Bloatware of today unfortunately.

 

Linux is entirely Open Source. There are no secrets to its working. It's just a bit reliant on silly phrases used in the CLI and necessary for accessing the repository of apps. Once you're back in the GUI, it's pretty straightforward.

 

It is hard trying to figure out what works with what. Everything is not fungible.

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15 human years equals about 150 computer years. It's not just tired, it's senile and in the twilight of its days!

 

Whatever the current "state of the art" is, it's well out of date in 5 years or so, and almost totally obsolete after a decade or more. IDE disk interfaces, PCI slots, AGP slots, PS2 mice and keyboards, serial ports, floppy disks, parallel printer ports, Molex power connectors, CD ROMs, DVD-R and RW, Zip drives (remember them?) have all gone the way of the Dodo in the past 20 years or so. Even the venerable 15 pin VGA video connector is now being phased out.

 

Yes, at some point a component will fail and the whole machine stop working, but that's usually long after it should really have been replaced or updated anyway.

 

Current software is RAM, CPU power and disk-space greedy, and loading it on an old computer is a pretty surefire way to slow it to a crawl.

 

Things move on, and you have to accept that pretty much - to paraphrase - "A computer is just for Christmas, not for life".

 

Incidentally, the main cause of component failure is heat, possibly caused by a build-up of dust on fans. This also makes a fan noisy. So a periodic vacuum-clean of any vents is a good idea. Perhaps with an annual removal of any easily accessed panels and a good manual dusting of the innards.

 

FWIW, I just built a new system only a month ago. I would have stuck with Win 7, but driver support is now almost non-existent. I loaded Win 10 + Classic Shell instead, and so far the transition has been pretty painless; with much the same 'look & feel' as Win 7. Win 11? Not for me, thanks MS. Some people prize data security over a 24/7 Internet connection, and I have a smartphone for that.

 

Yes, I've been using a household fan to blow air into mine. As I look at the vent holes, they have dust showing. It blows out tremendous heat. You can feel it as you walk by. Looks like they are pushing liquid cooled computers a lot. I'd like to stick with fans. Just don't like having to use a house fan.

Edited by invisibleflash
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