atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Computers & Programming Computers, Software, Accessories Upgrade my PC?

So I'm thinking about upgrading my PC (see my other topic on reboots) but there are a couple of things holding me back.

First - Hardware. I've got some old legacy stuff that I really like and would hate to give up. I don't know if I can get a new machine that supports them. These include:

1-An IBM keyboard with a built in Trackpoint Mouse (Very comfortable for word processing). It requires a mouse port and a keyboard port - Are these still available?
2- A US Robotics external 56K FaxModem. Not for dialup but about every two months I have to send or receive a fax. It rqures a Serial Port - Is that still available?
3- An HP Scanjet SCSI Scanner. We use this every day for scanning, copying, faxing. It requires a Type I or Type II SCSI card. Will I have a problem using this in a new machine?
4- An HP Laserjet 5 printer. Old, B/W only but real solid. I'm real fond of this baby. I guess I could use it as a network printer (it's got an ethernet port) but it's currently connected via a parallel port.

It seems to me that all the new machines I've seen have nothing but USB ports. I've already got a USB laser mouse, a connection to my Treo, my wife's Palm pilot and our digital camera on USB. How much can you cram on that bus?

So, first question - can I get a PC with legacy hardware connections?

Second sticking point - the OS. Vista sucks. We have some machines at work with it and they just bite.

I would think about going to a MAC but besides the hardware I've got too many files on software that's probably not compatible. I know Excel and Word can be read by MACs but how about Paperport, Visio, dbase, Wordperfect & DeScribe?

Anybody have any suggestions?

TIA,

Sam

If you go to the Dell site and look around I think you will find what you are looking for. What you DON'T want is Vista! So I would act now while XP pro is still available.

-Hal

Thanks Hal!

Have you heard anynthing about rotten service with Dell? I've got two friends that have Dell PCs - both under warranty and they've been having real trouble getting them fixed.

Sam

I just got a Dell laptop, I was able to get a serial port and XP Pro
To put it bluntly, Dell's customer service sucks most of the time. It is outsourced to India...

I have been getting screwed with Palm pilot support that's been outsourced to India. They are absolutely horrible.

Whenever I call an "800" number and hear that accent I know I'm not going to be happy.


Sam

USB to mini-DIN adapters (old style keyboard and mouse connectors) and USB to serial adapters exist just for this purpose.

The keyboard adapters are about $2.00. For a serial port adapter, I am extremely happy with my Belkin FSU109. There's a guy selling one on Ebay for $7.00. It works with WinSPM and my Palm Pilot just fine.

I've got an 18-year old HP LaserJet 4 printer that still looks brand new. It is an absolute workhorse and will not die. Since it is so well supported on Windows XP and Vista, I doubt there would be any problems with a LaserJet 5 in the mix.

SCSI support is difficult with newer machines. I've always loved the speed of this architecture, but it never really caught on in the end-user market because of the price. Replace your scanner with a newer USB flavor. Like all other HP products at the time, the ScanJet was a beast. Newer models will seem fragile, but they're not really all that bad. Get a $99 flatbed and I think you'll be surprised. The resolution and color matching is superior to what you've got.

My next machine without question will be a MacIntosh. The newest ones are Intel-based and can be made to "dual boot" (that is, boot into Windows XP or the Mac OS). Alternatively, there is software like Parallels Desktop 3.0. It is written for the Mac OS, but it is smart enough to open the correct alternate OS for you. In other words, if you have WordPerfect 6.1 (like I do cuz I hate MS Word) and you click on a *WPD file, Parallels will automatically open up a copy of XP in a window and run the program natively in that window. It also supports program calls Linux, which is the underbelly of the Mac OS.

I don't know. I've disliked Microsoft for a long time (I was an OS/2 & Unix guy)but Macs are looking awfully good.

Sam

I Have gotten Dells For our fire house and had Problem after problem with them. Not to mention my dell laptop that pooped out.

My new Laptop is an IBM Lenovo X61 that has a paralell port and a Serial port. I am now hooked on the IBMs again
The Little Lenovo M Desktop Has a serial port and a paralell Port, And is available with XP

I had a couple of thinkpads back when and they were excellent. Maybe that's the way to go.

I'm more than a little nervous about going with a Mac after all this time with PCs. My buddy's daughter works part time as a tech support rep for Mac (NOT in India, here in NYC as a matter of fact) maybe I'll talk to her and get some ideas.

Of course I'll have to hear all kinds of abuse first. She tried to talk me in to Macs years ago.

Sam

if you stick to dells enterprise product lines (optiplex, latitude) the call centers are in london ontario and texas