h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have a Fender bass guitar, worth as far as i can tell, approx. $400. Someone i know wants thei guitar pretty badly; he offered me $200 for it, i said no. But he knows i DO need another computer; this one (an ancient Compaq) is dying.

This guy is a bit of a computer , whereas i know sod all. He is offering me a "Getaway" computer, about 2 to 3 yrs old,, with printer, possibly CD writer. i am suspicious, never heard of such a beast. He assures me that if it breaks down, spare parts are compatible with all major brands.

If i hang on for a while (putting up with slow speed & unreliability) i can probably get hold of a computer through another friend; who i DO trust, for little or nothing....but if this really IS a bargain, i don't want to pass up on it!; If it was at all possible, i would rather NOT lose the guitar, but i need the computer more.

Please advise. No use me googling it, i wouldn't have a clue what thaey are talking about technically!



Terri

ps: i use the computer for hootoo, MSN, email, general stuff, don't do games, videaos, would download CD's if it was quicker, but that's about it.

I would be very wary of somebody selling a computer 2-3 years old. $200 dollars is about all it will be worth providing everything is in good working order. If you value your guitar at $400, it is he that is getting the bargain.

You could buy a brand new computer with more advanced specs for $500 or so.

I would wait for this guy who going to get you one for little or nothing

Look at this:

http://www.gateway.com/home/products/hm_dtp_catalog.shtml

About half way down the page a Gateway 310S. Probably out of your price range but gives you and idea of what you could expect to pay. You can get cheaper than this. You could go for the 310SE at $399. Comes without monitor and you could use your existing monitor. This will do everything you want with room to spare.

Donald

Donald! This confirms my "gut instinct". Ok, i don't know much, but i do recognise established brand names (why else would I have bought a Fender?) & i do not want to be taken for a ride!

zdt

aren't gateways just rebadged HP or something these days? Sure they got bought out at some point.

he is French, so some bits may have got lost in translation, but i got the impression it's not actually a "known brand" but some sort of DIY thing?

*becoming even more suspicious*

zdt

Probably they are. It's difficult to keep track of who owns what these days.

However, musician I am not, not by any stretch of the imagination, but I do recognise the name of Fender in relation to guitars. John Lennon had one.

Donald

Well, if it is a bitsa then it isn;t a gateway. But the case may be gateway badged, or it may be made from several other gateways. Hard to say really.

Anyways, is it worth $200 to you? Doesn;t sound like something I would go for unless I knew the person well and knew what their computer skills were like.

You could always say 'well, why don;t you sell the computer for $200 and then give me the money?' Least that way you get hard cash and they either get what they want (with a bit more aggro) and possible get some money into the bargain.

Doesn;t sound like you are really predisposed to the idea!

Probably I AM NOT! i get the distinct impression he reckons i am an idiot because i am A) female B) english & C) non-computer savvy!

(but he doesn't know about "ask h2g2"!)

but, in his defence, he has helped me get this thing up & running in the past, so i "owe him one" in that respect. As a compromise, just phoned my other friend (who reckons he can get me one later) & he will be here too, they can battle it out in French & technosqueak...i will just sit back & see what happens.

Yes, John (RIP) & many others... Fender has certainly stood the test of time & rock 'n roll madness. Not that i can play it properly but....we live in hope!

zdt

"i get the distinct impression he reckons i am an idiot because i am A) female B) english & C) non-computer savvy"

*says nothing*

hiya,

There's nothing wrong with a homemade PC, mine was a very cheap sort which is now sort of adjusted. As far as I can work out PCs are like cars - bits of them go wrong at diferent rates and need replaceing.

Currently in my flat we have three computers, however bettween them we have two functional modems, and two functional keyboards, one of the computers bleeps randomly for no apperent reason. We usually just swap them around so that we can get the computer we fancy using fully functional.

You can either buy packages or you can work out what you want and buy it seperately.

Firstly you already have a monitor - so you don't need a new one of them. Do you still have the CD that you're operating system came on? If so you don't need to buy a new operating system?

You also don't need a keyboard and mouse or a printer as you have one of them

If you are going to exchange your guiter for a computer then you might as well sell it. For three hundrend pounds you could get a new tower - the grey bit that you plug every thing into - and everything's more expensive over here anyway.

I'm going on a trustworthy online shopping site, I know it's trustworthy because that's where my computer came from.

What you do need is a trustworthy who can come around and sort out you problems, becuase with the biggest will in the world, however nice your system is it will go wrong eventually.

You'll also need someone who can plug everything together and installan operating system on your PC.

If you do have that person then you should just sell you guiter and get a much nicer computer for your money.

Another thing that you need to do is to position your computer where you can access the back of it, so you can see how everything is plugged in.

DONT SELL IT!!!!!!!!!!!

You'll never forgive yourself, a good guitar or bass will last a lifetime, and a computer a couple of years before you need to replace bits. The bass lets you get your feelings out, things you could never put into words, wether or not you play it right.

I say wait for the other new beast and don't be pressured into selling your bass by this person.

Z!! Much appreciated advice! (For those who don't know, Z has acually been here & knows my Beast)

The "box" bit is now under the screen, so it's a bit easier (again; for those who don't know me, i have physical probs & can't bend down easily)

The printer died a while back, so i would need a new one. i am not bothered about the screen, OK, it's small but i am used to it; so i suppose really i just need the basic computer stuff? i am terrified of losing everything, i have loads of data & no means of saving it except floppy discs, everyone says "no way, out of date method, too much info!"

It's all complicated of course by the fact that any computer round here is French, so i don't have much clue what's going on... dual language problems, Frog & Techno squeak! So very grateful for help on here, to all of you!

zdt

It sounds like what you need is.

A tower (the white bit things plug into) make sure it's got USB and Ps2 sockets then you can fit you current keyboard and mouse into them, -whatever sort that they are.
A CD burner to make back ups of things - that's part of the tower, but it may be an extra.
Some recordable CDs
A printer - do you really need one? I manage fine without one, but I can work quite effecitly off screens - I just think that they are very expensive to run.

When you are getting someone to install windows for you ask them to install it in English - I belive the CD has all the language options on it.

Quote: "You owe him one" OK, do him the favour of having first refusal at $400, since *somebody* is offering $420

The "$" puzzeled me, yet you're English? Wel if you're in the US, Wallmart, $=low value=reasonable, they even sell Linux pre-loaded versions if your fed-up with M$ stuff.

Here in the UK, I've been looking for a cheap 'consumer' box, not even a 'bare bones' add to box, just a retail box. Commet. £300, yes 300 of our english pounds, for an "acer brand." 17" CRT monitor £99 extra inc. VAT (Sales tax).

But if you're going to buy cheap... Corners will be shaved, if not cut. Hard drives that are ATA-100 are fine, in most cases motherboard can only obtain data as if it was ATA-75 (if such a thing existed) so ATA-133 is a waste. But the spin speed will not be 7200RPM, but the slower speed, this does affect your system performence alot. The video is proberbly intergrated, so you may need a new Videocard for games anyway before long. Only 256Mb of RAM is common. - In short despite any CPU speed looking high ie 2400Mhz a slower system is what you will have, compared to that if you pick the parts yourself.

DIY systems, the hardest part can be setting a budget, with all the latest *must have* cards popping up in reviews. Must have a:- 256Mb Radion 9800 Pro with Omega drivers. A SATA-150 drive (min 160GB). 64bit CPU, 4Gb RAM - No, no no! This will look old rubbish in about 4 months anyway.

One last word of warning. Gateway. It's common to find PC System builders call themself something that sounds like a known brand.

There is Gateway, the brand, and a shop called Gateways Systems for example.

Often refered to as "garage builders" - Not out of respect for Mr. Hewlet and Mr. Packard, and how their humble start-up in a garage. No, more becase it's not a proper company you are dealing with, but some bloke that screws bits togeter, with no proper production method, no testing for compatability, not even bothering to get the latest drivers installed, as a download from the net would involve effort. There are some shops that fall into this group.

If you goto say the Asus website, look at the downloads, ie BIOS. Read the text, reasons for the new version. You will see all sorts, like ATAPTEC cards boot problem fix. You may be bothered to check, but I could name one company in Birmingham that quote:

"We never update any BIOS"

This despite the box saying a selling feature is that regular updates are available, the user guide for assembly of a PC system says "it is recomended you download and flash the latest BIOS"

Two questions: What brand PC would you trust? What 'made to order' system builders would you trust.

Terri, do you know about the thread that got started on Ask offering free computer gear to digi users? As far as I know there is still gear to give away, and I'm sure people would be happy for you to have it.

The cost of shipping to France from the Uk would be less than buying a secondhand computer?

And people were offering technical support as well (online I guess).

It'd all be in English too

I'll see if I can find the link tomorrow, unless someone else has it handy.


kea.

hi Kea,

Abbi mentioned a link & i got sidetracked (moi?) & didn't visit it. So yes, a link would be appreciated. If i end up with a "new" beast, this one might even get added to the giveaways if someone is truly desperate, it's slow, but still working at the moment! How it would travel i dread to think though!

I use $ sign 'cos i live in France, the euro is about the same as a dollar.

All the tech stuff is lost on me BUT won't be on Philippe. Despite not having much English he swoops like a hawk on numbers & anything involving computersqueak, so i will show him all this. I will probably end up doing the ultimate feminine copout & say "you deal with it!"

Hmm, the "self build" business bothers me somewhat. L does build beasts, this is quite probably one he has made himself; it may be absolutely marvellous, then again....

for all the advice, i really appreciate it. I am trying to amass as much info as possible before tomorrow morning, i am aware i might get railroaded into a decision based on very little knowledge, which would be difficult to back out of. If L wanted to set it up so i could play with it & compare it to this Beast, would i have to transfer all the files etc? What if I then decide i don't want it? Could they be transferred back? Will changing affect my internet connection, passwords etc? , as you can see, i am a TOTAL moron with all this, i just turn the damn thing on & pray basically!

zdt

the main difference between you and so called computer experts is that you switch the computer on and pray, a computer expert sacrifices a chicken first,t hen switches on and prays, just to be sure.

Self builds are a wonderful cheap way to get maximum performance. But reliability is an issue. Not even really a problem with the builder per se, because the components may be faulty. I wouldn;t buy a self build off someone else unless you knew the computer yourself. There's a lot of very cheap but very good stuff from tthe likes of Dell and Carrera and Mesh and so forth. Don't know any french specific ones but I guess you could get Dell to stick some onions on a string round one and make it say 'oh-he-oh-he-on' on boot up to get it through french customs

Terri since you want a machine that will stay reliable for a long time, I was wondering if you'd consider switching to a Mac.

Plastic or gaberdine?

, couldn't resist it, blame Ictoan, all the images of Frog Beasts & onions squeaking "ooh la la!" (yup, they really do say that here!)

spim had a Mac, it was very pretty,and breathed to show you it was still alive, but they seem to need all sorts of different stuff to these ones (which he disparagingly referred to as "the colour of an artificial limb")

what i would really like is a laptop, but this is chasings!

zdt