BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

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patricia
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BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby patricia » Sat Sep 30, 2017 8:57 am

My small slim line tower died on me last week although I understand it is repairable. However I was thinking of buying a new one as some of the ports do not work but I do not want to pay a lot of money. I have seen HP for something like 230 euros, however it has no operating system. Would the operating system in my old computer ie the hard drive etc fit into a similar model or of course can I - hopefully - transfer all the information of my old computer onto the new!

Also where it the best place to buy a small slim line tower. I have looked at Eroski and also the computer place there - forgot what it is called - and towers were about 350 euros. Obviously that is with an operating system.

There is a PC world in Malag - called something else though - Is it worth a visit do you think!
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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby Enrique » Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:17 am

Hi patricia,

" Would the operating system in my old compute" ......no, Windows is locked in to the Mother Board

You may be able to use the old HDD if its compatible with the New system i.e if it a SATA drive, old systems used IDE drives
Please post the Make , Model and Year of the dead system

" I have seen HP for something like 230 euros"....what is the Model number :?:
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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby patricia » Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:26 am

Morning Enrique. HP 260-a108ns AMD E2-7110 / 4GB / 1TB This is the model number. Perhaps then it would be better if I had my old computer mended. The chap did say that he could repair it. The problem is that every time I plugged in the computer the electrics tripped, fortunately at the first two goes I used a multiple plug with an anti surge device. Could not find them for love nor money yesterday when I went to Eroski etc. I then thought that there must be something wrong with the computer as to why it made the electrics trip - not they do not trip a lot because they do - however I thought I did no fancy using a computer with perhaps an electric fault in it or perhaps it was just that the computer used more power and that is why the electrics tripped! Just to see if it was the computer I plugged it in without using the multiple socked without the anti surge plug and the computer blew along with the electrics! :thumbdown:

I want a few more anti surge multiple plugs as I also used two without the anti surge and they also went west :o
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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby Enrique » Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:50 am

Hi patricia,
Sounds like its the power supply unit on your dead computer, would be an easy and inexpensive fix.

The HP sounds OK, you could buy Windows 10 Home (can set it up to look like Window 7) for circa £100 from Microsoft or get a Free Linux Distro..... :D
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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby patricia » Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:08 am

Hi Enrique, do not think I fancy paying 100 pounds for windows! I can buy a small tower for 300 odd with an OS! Thanks for letting me know that. Looks like a trip to the compute shop to get this old one fixed then :D

I will do that next week. It is doing my head in using a lap top :thumbdown: Only two ports and I am afraid they are taken up with the key board and mouse. I cannot stand fiddling about with my finger on the thingy - whatever it is called - and typing on it is a nightmare I would have deformed wrists :problem:

I will get that sorted out :thumbup:
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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby Chunky Monky » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:06 pm

Patricia

With regard your limited number of USB sockets you could always use a hub. I use this one by Aukey and it works very well. https://goo.gl/6qM529

As for a keyboard and mouse I use a Logitech Keyboard. https://goo.gl/8LZKjB and
Mouse. https://goo.gl/LGSwD5 I think the mouse is slightly smaller than usual and it suits my wife's hand better.

The Logitech wireless devices come with a tiny dongle each and I have them both plugged into the Aukey powered hub.

I have been using this setup for years and it works perfectly.

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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby El Cid » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:09 pm

I think you only need one of the USB receivers plugged in. If you buy the keyboard and mouse as a set, you only get one.

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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby patricia » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:24 pm

I have a cordless mouse, but you do need a USB plugged in and I have thought about getting one of those cordless key boards, so thanks for that. However I prefer to have a tower. I like to have a larger screen and also I stream the TV from the tower which I cannot do with the Laptop. Well I could but finding the right cord is hard because of my laptops age. The cords I saw in the computer place in El Engenio all had a different part to my laptop which would fit in my TV OK, but not this computer. I only use the lap top in emergencies and I also take it to the UK with me when I go although it weighs a ton as it is an old one.

That hub looks good though. I plug that into the laptop do I and then I can put in as many gadgets as I like!! I would get one of those anyway. However I do need one of those multiple plugs with a surge break in it. Which I cannot seem to find!

Thank you for all your suggestions. Very useful.
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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby patricia » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:27 pm

El Cid wrote:I think you only need one of the USB receivers plugged in. If you buy the keyboard and mouse as a set, you only get one.

Sid
Thats interesting. You only need one USB for both. :thumbup:

I still have to have my tower though. I am a tower girl. No doubt about it :thumbup: Lap tops fine when you go away etc but when I am typing up letters documents etc it has to be a "proper" computer. :D
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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby Chunky Monky » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:47 pm

El Cid wrote:I think you only need one of the USB receivers plugged in. If you buy the keyboard and mouse as a set, you only get one.

Sid
I just tried unplugging each of the wireless dongles and I do need them both plugged in.

I expect this is because I bought the keyboard and mouse at different times. Some years ago I bought a wireless mouse and keyboard as a "set" and that only had one dongle.

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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby Chunky Monky » Sat Sep 30, 2017 5:07 pm

patricia wrote:also I stream the TV from the tower which I cannot do with the Laptop.
This is exacly what I do with my Toshiba laptop, 5+ years old now. I use an HDMI cable from laptop to tv. I use my tv screen as a monitor for the laptop so I am reading email, using the internet and everything else you would expect to do on a laptop (even Skype).

The screen of the laptop is permanently switched off now. The laptop is in the corner of the room hence the need for the wireless keyboard and mouse.

I had an old XP laptop years ago that didn't have an HDMI socket so I used the appropriate converter leads to connect to my old tv (VGA to coloured phono plugs I think - don't quote me!) It worked well.

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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby patricia » Sat Sep 30, 2017 5:47 pm

The thing is that the sound is so poor from the laptop and also I sit at a desk when I use the computer. I would not want to sit in the settee to type. Everything I need for typing etc is situated around the desk and then when I am not using it I turn if off. I just use it at certain times of the day. I like my chair to sit in at the computer as it is nice and straight.

I will use some of your ideas they are good - thank you - but it is the tower for me and my desk for typing and answering emails etc.
Last edited by patricia on Sat Sep 30, 2017 7:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby El Cid » Sat Sep 30, 2017 6:17 pm

Until recently, I had a laptop which I connected to a 24" screen. The laptop sat, closed, behind the keyboard on the pull out keyboard shelf. The keyboard and mouse were Logitech wireless and the laptop connected to the router via WiFi and also to the WiFi printer. For extra USB ports I used a cheap USB hub. The sound was not an issue, but if it was, a couple of cheap speakers standing next to the screen would solve that problem.

There are many "proper" computers about the size of a paperback, a tower system is only required for really powerful gaming systems. Apart from that a "tower" is a big box 90% full of nothing!

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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby patricia » Sat Sep 30, 2017 7:11 pm

I use speakers on the laptop but it is still poor and very slow, I would have to buy a new laptop if I wanted to get good sound but I do not want to. My tower is a slim line one and it fits nicely in the desk area along with other equipment and I use a screen on the top and the keyboard is a bit lower
so that I can type comfortably. I am not really interested in the latest technology. I have a smaller laptop which is an HP as well as a tablet and that is all I want apart from a working tower. The tower is a lot lighter then this laptop I am using.
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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby chrissiehope » Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:51 pm

Technology may have moved on, but when I had a keyboard & mouse set, you couldn't use both at the same time, for example if you wanted to multi select several different files individually from a list, you can't because you need to hold the Ctrl key down while selecting the file with your mouse, and the receiver will only accept one 'command' at a time. If you have two different brands, each with their own settings, it shouldn't be a problem.
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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby Chunky Monky » Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:10 pm

chrissiehope wrote:Technology may have moved on, but when I had a keyboard & mouse set, you couldn't use both at the same time
No such problems these days. Thank Goodness!

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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby chrissiehope » Sun Oct 01, 2017 8:44 am

Glad to hear that :-)
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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby markwilding » Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:45 am

I have an all in one with only two USB ports. The keyboard connects via Bluetooth freeing up one and I have a wired mouse in the other. A USB hub is in the free one, giving me 4 more ports.

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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby Wicksey » Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:55 am

My big old noisy tower PC was on its last legs and I bought a reconditioned minitower from a local computer man and I'm really pleased with it. I also have a 24" TV for a screen and have good quality speakers and already have the other peripheral bits and pieces so I have kept to using my PC for day to day stuff. When the tower wasn't working then I used an HDMi cable to link my laptop to the TV but prefer my proper keyboard and mouse. The 'new' tower is so much faster to use but it did take me a while to transfer all my files, downloads and photos over which had been backed up on a memory stick and to set up all the programs on it, but I'm pleased with how much faster it is overall.

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Re: BUYING A TOWER WITH NO OPERATING SYSTEM

Postby patricia » Sat Oct 07, 2017 11:33 am

Well I have ordered my "new" computer and it is coming over from the UK! I have actually purchased a "reconditioned" Dell computer for the princely sum of £97 pounds plus £16 for postage! Has some excellent reviews and people have been very pleased with it :D . I also noticed it has the same plug I can use for my cable to stream the TV which is good as I have not been able to find the right cable to fit my old lap top. Also the computer as Windows 10 on it, even though I would have preferred Windows 7. Still I am managing on my HP lap top with windows 10 (although I do not use it a lot) so I will have to get used to it. :roll: . Anyway I am sure I will be back on here after it arrives for more help :thumbup:

One year guarantee plus one year of an anti virus program.

I shall be pleased when it arrives as watching the TV on the laptop is irritating, the woman sound like men, and the men sound like Daleks from Doctor Who.
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