please answer a few computer purchase questions

[davhu1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close davhu1]

so transferring everything would cost me $35, probably worth it. (I do hae an older laptop that I currently use when traveling, but don't have pictures, Itunes, any saved documents on it).

Here is something to consider. Remove the old hard drive and put it in an external case (~$20 usb powered or external power). Copy all the files you want into the new laptop. Now you will also have a back-up copy of everything. Or you can travel with your old laptop with the external drive.

[gophish Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close gophish]

I agree with what most others have told you here. Don't pay Best Buy, there isn't that much to it. Laptop sounds good for your purposes. If you get bogged down in setting it up ask questions here and we will be glad to help.

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

I called comcast today and am going to hook up my old computer and find a laptop at my convenience.
I am wondering. when I save things from my old computer, do all the glitches transfer too?
right now the computer doesn't seem to read or recognize the flashdrive so i am unable to copy my files. also, Itunes only comes up when it wants to. i imagine those are problems with the computer itself and would not transfer with the files to a new computer.

I have heard of external hard drives, but wonder if I can handle them or not.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

The DW is having problems with her CD recorder. I don't know how, but I guess I got her to go to the evil BB and buy an external drive. Now, if she ever figures out how to hook it up, I will be amazed.

But...that didn't answer your questions.

If you are backing up your pictures, tunes, etc, you won't transfer problems. They are software (or higher level) related. You will be fine.

Now if I could transfer my wife I had a dead battery this morning and she refuses to figure out how to do anything with her phone other than send email and text. So there I sat with a dead battery until I got a charge to take.

Sorry...I am ranting.

[gophish Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close gophish]

It sounds like your system is having a hardware or Operating System related problem rather than a virus type problem.
But that being said, a virus can attach to many different kinds of files in different circumstances even pic or text files although you should be more worried about files like emails, or executables.
I would put up a antivirus program, one of the free ones or whatever and check files before I transferred them to a new machine.. Better safe than sorry..

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

I think a registry cleaner would be helpful too. That has caused me problems in the past. Norton has a lot of features that help my computer run better. A version (not sure of the level) is free with Comcast. I would suggest loading that and do a good scan and cleanup of your system.

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

I use Ccleanser, Conch Man installed it.

I also use Microsoft Security Essentials.

I use Adaware from Lavasoft too.

My computer after disk cleanup has 25% free space. Conch Man told me when i had 40% free space that that was not enough. It is 6 and a half years old, and I have used the heck out of it.

Anyhow, I hooked up to comcast today, went to their office and waited in line an hour and got the modem and i am on line and it is wonderful.


I have to say, I have learned how to use everything myself with the help of people on these boards. My computer does some weird things and goes into a funk sometimes, but right now it is running great