Following National NAPO Conference in Reno we did away with the old, and welcomed the new.
My tech support pro Steve purchased our office a new Dell Inspiron 530 and as of now, we couldn't be happier. Our new Dell replaces a Dell Dimension 4100 (pictured right) purchased just prior to 9-11.
What went from a clunky 512MG of RAM (we think somewhere more memory was installed, who who remembers) and a mass of various downloads, software, wires, and completely nonfunctional technology into something sleek, clean and forward thinking. Now, we're happily on Windows Vista with 4 times the memory-- 2GB.
We learned a few things along the way, allow us to share them with you.
Getting a new computer wasn't as challenging we've thought. We created a plan, did some research, set a budget, hired the right person and pulled out assignments we could reasonably handle on our own.
In planning and in the spirit of the environment, we kept several components of the old system. For reasons of functionality and not budget, we decided to keep these pieces because honestly, there was absolutely nothing wrong with them:
- Sony SDM HS73 display monitor
- Altec Lansing sub-wolfer
- 2 Speakers
- Keyboard and mouse
Once the new unit came, it took about 4 hours start to finish to get the system up and running, transfer data, get Outlook working and receive some training (you can see that process above left and right.) Lesson two is learning that you'll need to bring in an expert to transfer the data, and babysit any troubleshooting.
Still on the list is to install QuickBooks Pro, Neat Receipts Scanalizer, OneNote and other programs. It's a good time now to review what systems we really need, what is outdated and (as Steve says) you can locate online in a more recent version anyway. TomTom is one piece of software we may lose as is some photo sharing programs that seemed to bog down our system with recurrent updates. We'll be taking care of these tasks ourselves which are simple enough, including some wire straightening. We're also going shopping to the Fry's Electronics in Burbank to grab some unit that is supposed to save our data in case of catastrophe.
Steve says Microsoft has spent a fortune on the Media Center so a lot of piece meal software just isn't necessary any more. You just plug the units in via the USB and the Media Center already has most camera software built right in. We say right on.
Our new Dell joins our other high-tech family of technology here at OrganizingLA, a Sony Vaio PCG-4A1L laptop, and allows us to sit firmly poolside in-between appointments, while still keeping in touch.
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I bought a Dell Votstro 200 a few months ago. Very happy with it. 200 GB hardrive! For back up I use Carbonite. It's continuous online backup. I NEVER worry about anything being backed up. If you want an invite to try it, let me know.
Blog on!
Posted by: Denise aka The Blog Squad | April 20, 2008 at 06:17 PM
Congrats John! I replaced an old Dell laptop with a Dell Vostro last August. I received much debate over my choice to go with Vista prior to purchasing. Once I thought about it, the folks who were most concerned about me purchasing Vista were MAC users. Hmmm... I love it. It has given me little trouble. There were no problems with software downloads for my peripherals other then Neat Receipts (which has now been corrected with a free patch). I too use QB, Outlook, etc.
If you have clients who are upgrading from one Dell to another, Dell offers a service called Dell DataSafe PC-to-PC transfer. It allows you to upload the info (files, favorites, wallpaper, contacts, folders, passwords, etc) from your old computer to a Dell site. When you hook up your new computer, you download the data from the site. If you purchase DateSafe with the purchase of your new computer, Dell allows you to upload the data from your old computer and they download it to your new computer before it is shipped. It only costs $29. A whole lot less expensive then hiring a tech person. I bought it for a client who was purchasing a new computer. It worked great and cut the set-up time significantly. If you ever have a need check it out. http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/services/pc_to_pc/pc2pc?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
I hope your luck with your new toy is as postive as mine has been. Congrats & enjoy!
Kim
Posted by: Kim Oser, CPO® | April 20, 2008 at 06:28 PM
I'm still (and committed to remaining) a Mac guy... but I hear ya... sometimes we don't know how much we need something until we get it. Like the heated seats that were in a loaner car we had this winter for a few weeks (ya I know, your in LA but you get the picture!).
Posted by: Jon King | April 21, 2008 at 06:00 AM