I cannot find my original post from a few days ago, so I guess the censor deleted it.
in the original post, I asked for advice for a first-time computer purchase. Many of you were kind enough to answer. Thank you. I bought a used computer online and should be up and running on my own dime in a few weeks.

Novice:
So what kind did you get?

Whose dime are you running on now? Remember, Big Brother is watching.

Ditto to Annie's question.... What did you end up buying?

*curious*

Happy Trails,
Paul

I haven't responded until now because I wanted to wait until I could use my "refurbished Toshiba Tecra laptop." Unfortunately, it was defective out of the box, and is being returned. So, I am back to borrowing a friend's computer for now. Any suggestions?

Dude, you shoulda got a Dell.

(I love mine)

ditto on Dell. Bought my first one about 6 years ago. It arrived when quoted and has worked perfectly ever since (I'm using it now). I later purchased 3 more for my office and after 3 or 4 years, (knock wood) they're still working great and have never stopped. I bought a refurbished Dell Inspiron laptop 2 years ago and despite being lugged all around the world and even sort of being dropped a few times, I still love it!
Dude, ya gotta getta Dell!

Don't know much about the used PC market, but I, too, love my Dell. I did extensive and detailed price comparisons on every possible feature, and Dell always came out comparable to or cheaper than the so-called sales the big stores advertise. Add in Dell's outstanding service, and it's a no-brainer---hey, Dell, are you reading this?? You should pay us!

Add my endorsement for the Dell. I have had mine for five years (purchased online from Dell) and have had no problems. Where I work, we are in the process of replacing all the computers with Dell. Of course, I am in Texas --- who else would I buy from!!

The NT guys at my office had been looking for bargains that included lots of space, Windows 2000 and lots of frills. They found one for about $1500. Then a secretary checked Compaq's Web site and found a deal that includes a printer for about $1250, so they went with that. I think the offer ends this month, however. My first computer was a Compaq and I loved it. My Gateway wasn't worth the money. My laptop's a Toshiba and, though heavy, it runs like a charm.

Novice, after all of the "pro-Dell" statements you received the first time the post was active, why in the world did you buy a refurbished Toshiba????

as mentioned before...my gateways (8 over the last few years) have always been great...the only Dell I bought got shipped back after two days..junk!

Hubby bought a Sony - piece of ca-ca.

I would definitely go with an Apple IMac or Macintosh G4 Tower. They are by far the best and most reliable computers on the market. My Mother has a Mac LC 475 from the early 90's, still works like a charm, and has never had major problems.

Mac computers are significantly faster than Windows PC's. An 800 MHz Mac is just as fast as a 1600MHz Pentium computer. In addition, Macs practically never crash, unlike their Windows counterparts which always seem to crash when you in the middle of saving an inportant document.

For a first time user I would recommend an IMac. they start out at around $800. They are more than adequate for most peoples' needs. The other main advantage of Macintosh computers is their ease of use comapred to Windows PC's.

Finally, the myth that there is not much software for mac is entirely false. Microsoft Ofiice X for the Mac even has features that the Windows version of Office does not offer. Also, Macs are totally compatible with PCs. Anything you do on a Mac cand be read and worked with on a Windows machine. Macs even read PC disks, but PC's don not read Mac disks. For certain programs that are exclusive to Windows machines, you can install a program on the Mac called virtual PC and run the latest version of Windows right on the Mac.

Father-in-law has serious problems with his Dell. Tech support seems useless, he spends hours on the phone and can never call back and get the same person. Took a week to get someone out to replace his defective hard drive. Caveat emptor.

novice - hopefully you'll use your new box for travel-related postings in the future. afterall, this is a travel board, right?

for my money - dell. we have 3 at home, 2 for biz. we've had a couple of mechanical problems (fans, monitors) and they were replaced quickly. even had one cpu replaced in advance of returning a problem machine.

HEY PETER - Hope you will give Fodors some commission on the sales of your computer line. Free advertising is not allowed.

Don't tell us this is your opinion either.

xoxoxo,

This IS my personal opinion. I have no affiliation with Apple Computer. Apple computer has a very loyal following for the simple reason that it is the best computer on the market. In fact, the very first Macintosh in 1984 was Y2K compatible. PCs weren't Y2K compatible until around 1997. This is an example of the forward think at Apple Computer

Two Dells and counting.

Very happy with Dell.

Hey, easy on Peter. Many people are *devout* Mac/Apple followers. In fact, during the problems my father-in-law faced with his Dell he pulled out his 6 year-old Mac, fired it up and it worked great. S-l-o-w on the internet but more reliable than his Dell.

I'm curious if any of the folks recommending the Dell have done any upgrades, like an operating system upgrade, without problems?