One last build before smart phones take over

[pheasant16]

Last build was an Athlon XP 2500 unlocked Barton with Win XP. It's still
serving well, just showing it's age when power hungry apps are running.

Am looking at either an i7 or Phenom processor with a Radeon 4800 series
video card as starters. Will leave out the floppy drive this time.

From what I've read, unless I buy a 64 bit os, the quad core processors
don't get fully utilized. Figure I can always update software when the
need arises, but want hardware that will stay only modestly out of date
for a few years. I still like XP much better than 7, and wondering what
kind of stumbling blocks I'm creating if attempting to use it as my os.
Will be like the old days of hunting for drivers I assume.

The thought of all new apps seems to be what holds me back from diving
head first into Win 7 64 bit at this point. Like the way the old beater
is set up, just has a hard time when streaming videos and working on
spreadsheets simultaneously. I could cook an egg on it, and it stutters
when trying to do more than one task.

Please advise on new build with XP and keeping my old apps.

Thanks

 

[John Doe]

From what I've read, unless I buy a 64 bit os, the quad core
processors don't get fully utilized.

Do not believe everything you read. I have a quad core CPU with a
32-bit Windows XP and the CPU gets fully utilized.

Addressing the subject... I have an iPhone 3G. It is wonderful
if/when you are on the go. But an iPhone will never replace my
desktop computer. Desktop computers continue to grow at a
proportional rate as mobile processing units grow. We always find
better uses for our desktop computers as their processing power
increases, and (government willing) desktop computers will always
be leaps and bounds more powerful (and useful) at home than mobile
units will be. The hardware should fit your applications. If you
are always on the go, mobile units are for you... And vice versa.
--

 

[ToolPackinMama]

Please advise on new build with XP and keeping my old apps.

Well, open your mind about using the old apps. There are newer versions
of everything.

I upgraded this year to this:

AMD Phenom II X2 550 (not "unlocked", stock heatsink and settings)
Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 (Socket M2) motherboard
4.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 RAM (unganged)
1024MB GeForce GTS 250 Vid card (Gigabyte)
Asus X233H LCD widescreen display @ 1920x1080
OCZ 600 MOD-X Stream Pro PSU

and etc.

488GB Seagate SATA Hard drive, Sony FDD, ASUS DVD R/W (SATA), With Win 7
64 bit pro as the operating system. Got a nice all-aluminum Lian Li
case for it.

The case, and drives, I had before - all else is new.

I didn't want to spend a lot to get a lot, and my criteria was met. I
get excellent performance from this machine. Running the RAM in
unganged mode is better for multi-tasking.

I still use my floppy on rare occasions, but I outgrew the need for a
parallel port a while ago.

I am not one of these "bleeding edge" people. I can wait to let new
programs and technologies shake themselves out. I like to wait until
the price comes down, heh heh. I'm cheap!

I understand your resistance to adopting Win 7. I was well accustomed
to dear old XP and preferred it for a while. But after using Win 7 on
my main for a while I became accustomed to it, and now I prefer it. Now
when I use the XP environment (laptop) I am aware of its limitions and
annoyances... the way I was when I was first getting used to it.

 

[John Doe]

I understand your resistance to adopting Win 7. I was well
accustomed to dear old XP and preferred it for a while. But
after using Win 7 on my main for a while I became accustomed to
it, and now I prefer it. Now when I use the XP environment
(laptop) I am aware of its limitions and annoyances... the way I
was when I was first getting used to it.

What are Windows XP limitations and annoyances?

Windows Explorer after Windows XP no longer allows common
operations that I use regularly. Using the arrow key to move up
one folder no longer exposes the sub folders/files in that folder
in the right-hand pane. Using the mouse to click on a folder in
the left hand pane no longer expands that folder, you have to aim
for the tiny arrow on the left of that folder name.

I like the folder path bar, but it does not replace the left and
right hand panes. As I recall, you cannot even drag a file(s) to
that folder bar in order to put the file in one of the folders in
the path.

 

[John Doe]

Please advise on new build with XP and keeping my old apps.

A small SSD drive as primary, with a conventional drive as
secondary. Works fine with all of your old apps and with Windows
XP. For reassurance, check the reviews for the specific SSD drive.

 

[Jon Danniken]

Windows Explorer after Windows XP no longer allows common
operations that I use regularly. Using the arrow key to move up
one folder no longer exposes the sub folders/files in that folder
in the right-hand pane. Using the mouse to click on a folder in
the left hand pane no longer expands that folder, you have to aim
for the tiny arrow on the left of that folder name.

Ammending the command line for windows explorer with the /e switch is one of
the very first things I do on an XP install. One pane to rule them all.

Jon

 

[John Doe]

John Doe wrote:

Ammending the command line for windows explorer with the /e
switch is one of the very first things I do on an XP install.
One pane to rule them all.

What is that supposed to mean, and how does that make using
Windows Explorer easier?
--

Jon

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From: "Jon Danniken" <jonSPAMMENOTdanniken yahSPAMhoo.com>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
Subject: Re: One last build before smart phones take over
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:53:34 -0700
Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server
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[John Doe]

Windows Explorer after Windows XP no longer allows common

operations that I use regularly. Using the arrow key to move up
one folder no longer exposes the sub folders/files in that
folder in the right-hand pane. Using the mouse to click on a
folder in the left hand pane no longer expands that folder, you
have to aim for the tiny arrow on the left of that folder name.

I still get reply notices agreeing/complaining about that stuff
after posting many moons ago about it on Microsoft's TechNet
Forums. Why on earth Microsoft crippled Windows Explorer is a
mystery.