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PC Alamode

Announcing
My New PC

by
Rose Lynn Saenger

December 2001

I received my first PC more than three years ago and I have spent a large part of my time since then learning all that I could about computers and keeping up with the changes in the industry. I knew that as rapidly as technology changed, I would need to invest in an entirely new computer because at a certain point further upgrading would be cost inefficient. By spring of 2001, I was ready to take the leap but what I wanted was just not quite available. I came to grips with the fact that unless I built my own, there were certain things that I could not get like empty external bays, a super disk (they never became popular) and, for a while, the memory that I wanted. Finally I made the decision to wait until I could get a PC with Windows XP installed. I spent hours comparing computer models on the Internet and in the current magazines. I watched through August, September, and early October while prices on computers dropped and memory got super cheap, always afraid that prices would return to the earlier, higher prices. At long last what I wanted all came together. Hewlett Packard had a model with a 1.7 GHz processor, an 80 GB hard drive, 512 MB SDRAM upgradeable to 1024 MB, a CD-RW and a DVD-ROM. With this computer I got a 17-inch flat screen monitor and a multi-function printer, scanner, copier. I followed my own advice and got the most that I could get for the amount of money that I was willing to spend. And best of all it is running Windows XP.

Of course, now I have a lot, and I do mean a lot, of learning to do. Windows XP is new and differs from Win 9x to the point that I now believe that Win 98SE and Win Me were major updates rather than new operating systems. But my learning will need to go beyond the operating system. In many ways I will need to learn to work in a manner that is different from how I have worked in the past. I have come to grips with the idea that it really is more economical to save things to a CD rather than to a super disk or a zip disk. Fred at CompUSA caused it all to make sense.

I have already had occasion to call Hewlett Packard technical support and learned something there that I want to share with all of you who may purchase your own new computer soon. In spite of the lead-time that companies have had to prepare for Windows XP, not everything is ready at this time. XP has built in drivers for my multi-function machine, but there are some preferences that my machine needs HP drivers in order to perform and the HP drivers will not be available until this spring. Hewlett Packard has promised to notify me as soon as the new drivers are available. At that time my wonderful new machine will be perfect.