The Conservative Cave
The Help Desk => Computer Related Discussions & Questions => Topic started by: franksolich on November 26, 2014, 05:51:41 PM
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This is all new to me; the first time I've bought an entirely new computer.
franksolich: According to the owner's manual, it's a Dell.
franksolich: Inspiron 3646 3000 series.
franksolich: I don't see the specifications; they must be on the computer itself.
franksolich: Little card with a UPC label on it.
franksolich: Microsoft Product Identifier.
franksolich: "activation key to Microsoft Office 2013"
franksolich: Well, I'll start messing with it tomorrow.
franksolich: It used to be a lot easier buying a used unit that one just plugged in, and it was ready to go.
franksolich: After sales tax, it was $294.33.
franksolich: The tower, the keyboard, the mouse.
franksolich: <<<already have paper-thin monitor, gotten from Big Dog.
franksolich: <<<bets the whole thing weighs less than the keyboard currently in use.
franksolich: It doesn't take up much acreage on the table.
franksolich: The one I'm using right now, the monitor's the size of a portable television set.
franksolich: The tower's pretty big and thick.
franksolich: <<<so will have acres of more empty space on the table.
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I bought this locally, at the telephone company.
One big thing in its favor is that if something needs serviced, they send a guy out here to take care of it.
No more taking things apart, putting them into the car, and driving to the big city, and then having to wait a couple of days until it's fixed.
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If you have problems, I think there are people here that can help and won't charge anything.
I google most of my problems and can usually fix them that way. :)
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So.....I checked the reviews.
http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-3646-small-desktop/pd#secondaryContent
I have had this PC for a few weeks now and it's a very good value. Just to get Windows 8 with a new PC it's worth it. If you need Microsoft Word or Excel may may want to research a little more.
^^^not sure what that means; "word-processes" a lot.
Well I searched and looked everywhere for a new small desktop as fed up of high priced laptops and tablets. This dell has more than surpassed all my needs for a general pc that can move round the net fast and deal with photo editing with no problems. been organising and making videos with no effort at all. as for the 8.1 debate just buy it there are no issues that I have found only a rapid learning curve, once you sort that out it has so many advantages. I would recommend dell and this desktop to anyone.
Pros:small no noise at all looks good loads of ports, easy to set up
Cons:none that i can find
This computer is used for a replacement (7 year old) computer. And with a little online help I was able to make it look a lot like the older versions of Windows. Being a senior citizen and on a budget this unit fits my needs. It's great with online audio/video, e-mail, and basic internet surfing.
Pros:good value good product
Cons:only two usb ports on rear panel
I was after an inexpensive Windows PC for my home office and I finally settled for the Inspiron “small desktopâ€. This computer represents a fantastic deal. Among other things, it comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and is also bundled with a keyboard and mouse. It would have been even better if Office 2013 came pre-installed as with my Dell Venue 8 Pro.
I have been using it mainly for word processing, browsing the web and sending emails and after several weeks of daily use I am yet to encounter any hardware or software related issues. My only complaint is that apps can sometimes take longer to launch than what I’m used to but this is understandable given that it is not running on very powerful hardware. Overall, I would recommend this computer to anyone looking for an affordable yet capable PC.
<<<no idea exactly what Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are (they're just words I've read, nothing more), but suspect they have something to do with sound, which of course is meaningless to me.
I bought this Dell Inspiron 3646 from the Home Depot.
I opened a cover of the computer and was surprised. The motherboard was similar to a laptop motherboard. It doesnt havea a PCI socket. there no way to upgrade or replace integrated graphic card. Its a common problem when graphics chip of laptops burns out. And you cant install a new one and it doesnt worth to pay to repair.
Another bad thing is very small radiator and fan of the processor, like on IBM 20 years ago. today graphic cards have much stronger cooling system.
Also, there no socket to add extra RAM.
So, this desktop is like a laptop but without a screen.
Does one need a "PCI socket"?
I'll start off by saying that it runs most programs fairly well. The dual core processor is a bit under powered but coupled with the 4 gig of RAM it has no lag running basic programs or viewing video. I don't game so I don't know how well that would go.
It has a small case which I like. It has the feel of a laptop chassis inside a desktop case. In fact it has a DC power supply just like a laptop. Since there's no internal power supply the desktop is extremely quiet. There's only a slight hum from the CPU fan. Like a laptop, you can forget about adding any cards onto the motherboard.
You are limited to 3 USB slots on the rear and 2 more on the front. The single 3.0 USB is one of those on the rear. Since your keyboard and mouse take up 2 of the slots, you'll probably want to get a USB hub if you need to hook up some hardware.
I'm familiar with Windows 8.1 and I like it. There's a bit of a learning curve if you're coming from an older version of Windows but you'll get used to just getting into the familiar Desktop screen and then it feels just like XP.
Depending on your use it should serve your purpose.
Pros:low price, very quiet, small size, dvd burner
Cons:only 5 usb slots, no expansion slots, fairly weak processor
<<<doesn't "game." So is this important?
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If you have problems, I think there are people here that can help and won't charge anything.
I google most of my problems and can usually fix them that way. :)
If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them....maybe you can hire the A-Team. :rotf:
EagleKeeper is pretty good at this stuff when he's around. I try to avoid doing computer stuff when I'm not at work... my job is already boring enough.
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How do you connect to your ISP? Did you say it was a satellite?
Windows 8 has issues handling some wireless network adapters but I don't think you'll have that problem.
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How do you connect to your ISP? Did you say it was a satellite?
Windows 8 has issues handling some wireless network adapters but I don't think you'll have that problem.
Wireless, or as I call it, "antenna."
The antenna's right outside the house, shaped like a square dish platter (and about that size), facing the water tower in town eight miles away.
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Wireless, or as I call it, "antenna."
The antenna's right outside the house, shaped like a square dish platter (and about that size), facing the water tower in town eight miles away.
Wi-fi refers to how a computer connects to the router . You either use wi-fi or have a cable connected.
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I bought this locally, at the telephone company.
One big thing in its favor is that if something needs serviced, they send a guy out here to take care of it.
No more taking things apart, putting them into the car, and driving to the big city, and then having to wait a couple of days until it's fixed.
Maybe I'll move to your area, around here it's $125 for travel (regardless of distance and time) plus $125/hour. :-)
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Okay, so this morning I took the tower out of its plastic bag.
Man, that thing is light, when compared with the heavy bulky behemoth I'm using right now. But I was assured this new unit has more power, more speed, more "space," than any other computer I've ever owned, so it's all good.
However, when examining the new tower, I noticed it has no slot for 3.5" discs.
Not that it matters, as I don't have any 3.5" discs around, but are 3.5" discs now a thing of the past?
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Yep. very few computers come with floppy disk drives. People use USB drives or memory cards, and they hold a lot more data. You might have a built in card reader on that one.
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It's too bad the 3½" floppies are obsolete. My favorite word processor of all time was AmiPro. It's well over 20 years old, but it had everything I needed from grammar check to simple-to-use pagination. I could compose books with indices, index and image insertion. And it was free with my first Packard Bell desktop. But it was on 3½" floppies; now useless.
I salvaged the load files after my most recent head crash, and I can still perform the formatting tasks, but it won't print because a something is wrong with the printer interface. And I can't reload AmiPro without a 3½" drive. I could save the documents as ASCII files, but all the formatting would be lost.
Microsoft Works sucks because what I need is buried beneath tons of bells and whistles I don't use or need.
Oh well, I'll muddle through.
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Okay now, problem.
This is with an old computer, not the new one (which hasn't been totally unpackaged and set up yet).
I thought I'd take stuff from the old computer, that I want on the new computer, put it on a compact disc, and transfer it when I have the new computer set up.
I have Maxwell CD-RW discs, brand-new, never used.
On the old computer, the D drive goes through its thing, "formatting" the disc for use, and when about 99.9% done, abruptly stops, telling me "Windows was unable to complete the format."
Am I out of luck? Will I have to just "attach" all these images and stuff onto juno e-mails to send to myself, and when the new computer's set up, pull up those juno e-mails for the images?
Now, I must point out I've never used the D drive on this old computer, which I've had for years. Never had a reason to.
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Okay, so this morning I took the tower out of its plastic bag.
Man, that thing is light, when compared with the heavy bulky behemoth I'm using right now. But I was assured this new unit has more power, more speed, more "space," than any other computer I've ever owned, so it's all good.
However, when examining the new tower, I noticed it has no slot for 3.5" discs.
Not that it matters, as I don't have any 3.5" discs around, but are 3.5" discs now a thing of the past?
Very much so. They haven't put drives for those in computers for over 10 years.
And obsolete also are CDs, DVDs and soon even thumb drives.
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Okay now, problem.
This is with an old computer, not the new one (which hasn't been totally unpackaged and set up yet).
I thought I'd take stuff from the old computer, that I want on the new computer, put it on a compact disc, and transfer it when I have the new computer set up.
I have Maxwell CD-RW discs, brand-new, never used.
On the old computer, the D drive goes through its thing, "formatting" the disc for use, and when about 99.9% done, abruptly stops, telling me "Windows was unable to complete the format."
Am I out of luck? Will I have to just "attach" all these images and stuff onto juno e-mails to send to myself, and when the new computer's set up, pull up those juno e-mails for the images?
Now, I must point out I've never used the D drive on this old computer, which I've had for years. Never had a reason to.
Format them on your new computer, then write to them on the old one.
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Format them on your new computer, then write to them on the old one.
Thanks.
When I do that--probably early next week--I'll let you know if that worked.
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Thanks.
When I do that--probably early next week--I'll let you know if that worked.
I'll keep an eye out... in the meantime have a great rest of your Thanksgiving, Coach.
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I'll keep an eye out... in the meantime have a great rest of your Thanksgiving, Coach.
Okay, this afternoon, Tuesday afternoon, I resolved to set up the new computer.
Immediately, a problem (although read on; it's okay now).
When I connected the paper-thin monitor to install stuff, all that happened was that once in a while, the "Pacer" logo would blink on the screen, and then the screen went black again.
I thought, well, it probably takes time to "find" stuff, to get organized, after which all should be okay.
<<<a patient person.
After three hours, I gave it up. But as I wondered if the monitor and not the tower was the problem, I switched back to the old monitor, the one the size of an old-fashioned heavy-duty portable television set.
It worked; I got Microsoft installed and all that, although I hope to be able to change the nouveau settings to more-traditional ones. I'm not retarded, after all; I don't need things that simple.
I contacted the guy at the local telephone company, where I'd gotten the tower, the keyboard, and the mouse, but not the monitor. He said there's probably something with the monitor that makes it "incompatible" with the rest of the computer, and told me to bring it and the tower in to the telephone company, and he could make them compatible.
I'll do that in the morning, after I take the new orange cat Russ to be neutralized at the veterinary.
Per your earlier suggestion, I "burned" the new blank compact discs on this computer, to see if the files can be transferred from the old one to this new one. They "burned" successfully; now I have to dismantle this computer and set up the old one again, to see if the files in fact transfer.
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I'll do that in the morning, after I take the new orange cat Russ to be neutralized at the veterinary.
Dang -- maybe you should have Russ work on the 'puter instead of neutered...
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It's too bad the 3½" floppies are obsolete. My favorite word processor of all time was AmiPro. It's well over 20 years old, but it had everything I needed from grammar check to simple-to-use pagination. I could compose books with indices, index and image insertion. And it was free with my first Packard Bell desktop. But it was on 3½" floppies; now useless.
I salvaged the load files after my most recent head crash, and I can still perform the formatting tasks, but it won't print because a something is wrong with the printer interface. And I can't reload AmiPro without a 3½" drive. I could save the documents as ASCII files, but all the formatting would be lost.
Microsoft Works sucks because what I need is buried beneath tons of bells and whistles I don't use or need.
Oh well, I'll muddle through.
One can still purchase & install a floppy disk read/ writer even though they are way obsolete. I haven't had one in years and haven't missed it.
If I recall, AmiPro is now AMD. I still remember the old AmiPro BIOSes.