Buying a computer system/Purchase

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Expert: - 3/22/2007


Question
I am on a tight budget and need a new machine. I found an eMachine t3604 for $299 after rebate. I have heard that Vista takes up so much memory that it bogs the machine down horribly. A ram upgrade would probably fix this but I can't afford it. I have heard it runs well with XP though.

My question is: would it make sense to buy this computer, uninstall Vista and install XP. Also what is the best way to uninstall an OS?



Thanks in advance!"


Answer
Yeah, I'd personally just avoid Vista in general, not only does it eat memory and system resources, it has a lot of problems even when it does "work". To uninstall the OS, just set the BIOS to boot your CD drive first (before the HD) and put your XP CD in, and reformat and install WindowsXP, if it asks if you want to reformat the partition that it'll likely find NTFS on, say yes.

-bob

Buying a computer system

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Bobbert

Expertise

I have nearly two decades of experience in IT, computer repair, and related fields and will attempt to provide the most solid, brand-agnostic advice when it comes time to purchase a new computer, or upgrade an existing machine. I can answer anything from the seemingly basic to the downright complicated - and will do my best to provide this information in a clear and concise manner.

Experience

I have been an enthusiast of PC's for many years, and can answer questions about the purchase/use of a new computer or the purchase, installation, and use of upgrades for existing computers. There probably isn't a whole lot related to the home computer that I haven't seen over the years.

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15+ years of experience

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