wilkes

Thanks again Chris87. I so appreciate it. I have learned from what you have told me.

You're certainly welcome. Yes the monitor is sold separate, which would make it higher than the price that they have it listed for. You could always reuse the same monitor you have until you could get another one. Growing up in the PC era you kind of have to learn it to be able to support and use it. Plus I work in the IT world, so technology is my second language :).

Hopefully you'll find you a good job soon and can get you some more money saved up. Where I work at we are strictly Dell with a pro support warranty so everything is covered if it breaks or stops working. Before we went will Dell, we leased Lenovo's. Personally I wouldn't own a Dell, but that's what the company went with.

My firewall is on and I run AVG. I don't have bad browsing habits. I don't browse off the wall sites. I like go to the movie sites where I watch movies, tv shows because I don't have a TV. YouTube watch video's and so on. FB, GoWilkes, I don't browse much unless I'm looking for information on something. I have been looking at HP for a while. I saw on the site you gave me it said, the monitor was sold separately. I help a friend clean offices, and it seem all they have are HP's. Some are desktops, some are laptops, Guess it's what ever they prefer. I think I'll save up for a good HP since you said I could run my Sony for a while longer. I so appreciate all the info you have given me. I understand a little more about PC's now than before. As of right now cleaning offices with a friend is my only income at this time. I don't have a 40 hour week job and can't find one. So that's why I'm on a budget. Might take me a while to save that kinda money unless I get a 40 hour a week job fast. I'm hoping my PC will hold out until then. Again you're been very helpful and I so appreciate it so much. Wish me luck sounds like I'm going to need it. I love my computer and would be totally lost without it. I have income tax coming but most of it's already spent for bills that have piled up from not having a full time job. If I didn't have those bills I could go but a super HP and pay cash, but oh well that's not the case.

Thanks, again Chris87. Wish I was smart as you when it comes to PC's. I read a lot about them, but I don't understand a lot of it. either.....lol

Something like this would hold you over for a good while.

http://www.amazon.com/HP-70...amp;sr=1-4

Please note, I'm not saying to go with HP, but just look at the specs that the HP machine provides and make sure that you're getting a computer with those specs or better.

If it was me and I was running XP come april, I would make sure I had good anti virus and firewall protection. Also I would be making sure I have good browsing habits and not go anywhere I shouldn't. Now note, you do need to upgrade to Windows 7, but only when you can provide the hardware to support the OS. Don't go out here thinking you have to do this right now and go in debt for a new PC all because of Windows XP. Save you some more money up around $600-700 to get a decent PC, then upgrade to a system builders copy of Windows 7 or 8 and then go from there.

Your pc is going to run just fine after April when Windows stops providing updates. It's not like there's going to be tons of vulnerabilities pop up all at one time after April... TBH, I would not worry about it. Make sure you have windows firewall turned on, and are running a good anti virus such as Avast.

Please read this discussion here on Spiceworks "Where IT pros go for help and discussions" about the EOL on xp.
http://community.spiceworks...ows-xp-eol

Thanks, Chris87. You have been very helpful, with the info. I so appreciate it. I have one more question. How long do you think the PC I have will run after it stops updating? And if I get a new one, do you think anyone would want to buy this one?

You can run windows 7 off of that PC. The only worry you would have would be the 1gb of ram as on idle Windows 7 runs at about 512mb of memory without anything open. Also you was wanting to know what to do with that pc. You can put a Linux distro on it and you will be surprised at how well it will run. Linux is not as demanding as Windows when it comes to resources.

TBH, you will need to save some more money up to get a decent PC that will last you for a couple of years and not degrade in quality as the years go on... Newegg.com has this setup going to where you pay no interest and make no payments for 12 months if you spend I believe $599 or more. Might be something worth considering and then you could use your tax money next year to pay it off, or make payments on it along the way.

Forgot to put this in the last message. This is what my computer is now, If that tells you anything. I had it worked on one time, they took it home with them, and a friend said he thought they took some of the RAM out. I don't know. What do you think?

Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition. Version 2002

Computer.....Intel{R}
Pentium{R} 4 CPU 2.00GHz
2.02 GHz, 0.99 GB of RAM

I appreciate the feed back. I didn't know that a All-In-One is better. That's why I came to the forum to get some info. Like I said I know how to use a computer, but I don't know much about the contents of it's' parts. So all in all what would you suggest? I just know I need a decent computer and didn't want to get a crapy one. It's just for home use like, downloading music, pictures, gaming, video's, watching movies, tv, and I use Microsoft Office sometines. Surfing the net and so on. Just the basic things. It's for my entertainment.

What would you suggest since I'm on a budget?

What makes you think that an All in one will be better? You won't find a decent one for that price with the most recent hardware that will future proof you. Times are not like that were in 2002 where more games and software demand more cpu and memory usage. You would need to spend at least $600 for an All in one with just an i3 processor which is the lowest of the new line of Intel chips and not be stuck with the pentium line series of processors...

Closest one that I can find that's $399.99 is this one
http://www.bestbuy.com/site...&lp=12

Only downside is you'll need to buy your own monitor.

If you're really wanting an All in one for $400-450 then this will do for you.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site...1&lp=7

Just note that an all in one is not upgradable as a tower pc would be.

Your going to have to bump up your spending limit if you want to get a PC that will last you as long as the one you have now sorry.

Need more advice!!! I'm going to go with a desktop. Price around $400-$450. That's all I can afford at this time. Since I can't build one myself. I checked at Walmart & Staples & a couple more sites online. I need an All-In -One. Can I get a decent desktop at that price? I know how to work and get around on a computer, but know nothing about buying one. I didn't buy the Sony I have now. I got it for Valentines Day in 2002. Would be nice if that were too happen again at this time....lol....but I don't see that happening. Let me know what you think.

And what can I do with my Sony, since I won't be working later when Microsoft stops Updating Windows XP?

I think I will go with a desktop. I have heard they give better service. I have internet on my phone, so there for I don't need a laptop to carry around with me, since I only use it for home entertainment. Thanks, Chris for the articles. I will check them out for sure.

Thanks, Guys I appreciate the info.

If you want mobility (IE; use the computer in different rooms, take it on vacation, work, etc) then go with a laptop. You can even set it up like a desktop at home with an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.

However,

If you are going to stay in one spot, I would go with a desktop - easier to upgrade or add new technology.

We can't answer that question for you. I can however, give you some articles where you can make the choice yourself.

You will pay more to get the same specs for a laptop than you would for a desktop. Laptops are not upgradable besides the hard drive and memory than say a desktop would be. If you're not concerned about portability, then a desktop would be the way to go and pick you up a tablet. However, if you're concerned about portability then get a laptop, but take note that you'll be spending more money on a laptop to equal the same specs of a desktop.

Also on a side note, your cpu has nothing to do with your internet speed. Webpages may load slower if you maximize the cpu usage to 100% but also your hdd and memory will be affected as well. Your computer will handle the tasks that you throw at it up to a certain percent, but your internet speed has no factor when it comes to your cpu.

What you might of meant to say is you want a computer that has a fast enough processor, memory and hdd/ssd to handle browsing sessions and also other running programs. Ultimately that's up to your budget as it can go as fast as your money will allow.

As far as the name brand, everyone will have different opinions and results will vary. I've had very good luck with HP & Toshiba laptops. I always stay away from Dell as I've had nothing but problems and plus they're overpriced. However, someone else may have a different opinion and say that Dell is #1... When it comes to a desktop, I custom build all of my desktops that way I pay for what parts I want and the name brand that I want and also get better quality parts. Also the quality you get is not some OEM quality build that you'll get from Walmart or Best Buy...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/fe...1001064751
http://www.intel.com/conten...r-you.html

Need advice!!! I'm needing a new computer. I have a Sony desktop at this time that's running Windows XP. Have learned that Microsoft isn't going to be updating after April. My computer does not have what it takes to run Windows 7 or 8. Was thinking about going with a laptop this time. Or would a desktop be better? It's just for home use but need one with a fast processor that can go with the speed I have with my internet provider. I have 6.0 speed. So any suggestions on what name brand is best? And where the best place to buy it? Thanks!