Help...

[7wildwaysup]

As I mentioned in my post last week, my computer seems to be experiencing a slow painful death… I spend two hundred dollar so far this week on anti-virus software, a new wireless keyboard and mouse and several travel drives so I can backup my stories and pictures.

Of course when I get home I realize that my computer, that is ten years old doesn’t have the right connection to plug in the chip thingy to download the anti-virus software. Talking with my sister Jan she says to me, “Maybe it’s time to come out of the Stone Age and get a new computer; maybe a laptop instead of a desk top.”

And of course she’s right, I’ve just been procrastinating the inevitable. Because my current computer is slow and sluggish and I know it has some viruses and Trojan horses on it. So now I’m concerned about graphics software; I have Photoshop on my current computer and I know it and its files take up a lot of memory. And this is another problem I’m having right now because I have too much stored on my hard drive.

So I don’t know how much memory I’ll need on my new computer to run Photoshop? My other sister Mary asks me if I really need Photoshop and of course I tell her I have to be able to make banners and pics for my stories. She seems to think that there is other easier software out there that does the same thing. So I’m just wondering what software other people are using these days as well as what else I’ll need on my new computer?

Any and all suggestions are welcome as I’m completely in the dark about what everyone is using these days. I greatly appreciate it because I’m a complete idiot when it comes to technical stuff.

Thanks so much for all your help. ~ Kathleen

Comments

[cheburashka-2.livejournal.com]

Hi Kathleen,

I am so sorry for your computer issues. I hope you get it all figured out and that your new computer will do everything you need it to and will last you for years.

I wish I could advise you with absolute confidence on your choice of computers, but I don't know enough to give that kind of advice. I will tell you that I have a 4 year old Dell laptop that was middle of the road on tech specs and cheap (I picked it up on sale) and it handled various kinds of software without much trouble. It did seem to slow down with age and with more use, but I still have it and it still works, so I know that you don't have to spend a fortune for a PC or laptop that will do everything you need it to.

Also, about 3 months ago I picked up a refurbished MacBook Air (Size: 11"; Processor: 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5; Memory: 4GB installed, 125 GB flash storage, 1600 MHz) for my trip to Russia. I needed something very portable and that would handle basic web surfing, word processing and photo/movie editing. The guy at the Apple store said that this laptop can handle a lot, but is too low on memory for any professional or "heavy duty" photo editing. He advised me to get something like a mid-level MacBook Pro for anything like that. I ended up getting the cheapest REFURBISHED MB Air and I LOVE IT! I've definitely become an Apple convert and I am not ashamed to say it. LOL!

Anyway, I don't use PhotoShop (too expensive for me), I use the open source software called GIMP instead. It does almost everything that photoshop does and I've been told is an excellent alternative to PhotoShop. My Air handles GIMP without a problem and as of today I have close to 5000 (yes, five thousand) pictures saved on it. Let's just say my trip home was productive. :) I am slowly going through the pics and editing them and I've had no problems with my laptop so far.

Speaking of GIMP, I've used it on my Dell laptop too, as well as Adobe Elements for photo and video. I am not as familiar or comfortable with elements, I primarily use GIMP. The only reason I got the two Elements software was because of a hugely discounted package rate, but haven't invested the time to seriously learn them yet. All I know that the Adobe Elements isn't as robust as Photoshop, but is very, very decent software and very well might do everything you need it to without taking up as much space on your hard drive.

OK, I hope that anything at all that I've written will be helpful to you. I wish you good luck and some fun when picking out your new tech gear. :)

Cheers,
Vin

[mander3-swish.livejournal.com]

definitely get a laptop....your life will be free! ...writing and graphic editing in bed is lovely ;)

and the advice from Vin and Kin sounds good to me!

[techgirl-on-ij.livejournal.com]

MacBook Air is wonderful to work with but since you're going to use heavy programs like PS, I'd go with the MacBook Pro.

Watching Brian/Gale while in bed is one of the best things about having a laptop :)

[britinmanor.livejournal.com]

500 gb or more for hard drive; 4 gb of ram should fix you up.

[balrogtweety.livejournal.com]

So sorry to hear about your computer. I went and got an Acer Netbook 11" screen in January. I've never had problems with it. I have 4 GB Ram and 250 GB of space. I use it for Photoshop, games and all my online stuff. I paid $349 before taxes on it. I also have works 9, Turbo Tax, PhotoScape just to mention my big programs on it. It works for me. I love Netbooks because they are small and convenient. But if you want you should go with a MacBook Pro like the others suggested. I've had a
few viruses and Mac's tend not to get them. Shop around. Check out Amazon and Ebay. You just might find what you're looking for. If you shop on ebay make sure you get it through a store so you have some sort of warranty. But go where you think it's safe.

Another thing that works for me is that I back everything up on sticks. I never leave anything on a computer, ever. I learned my lesson when I had a computer crash and lost everything. I never backed up anything. So using a portable drive would be the thing to do.

Good luck.