Comments on: Being your own IT person sucks

My new laptop just arrived. But instead of being excited, I'm afraid to touch the thing. When it comes to computers, nothing is ever as easy as it's supposed to be. I really miss having IT support.

[javajeff818]

The industry has changed. Where a computer 5 years ago costs $2400 and included support, now costs $500 with no support. You just have to buy the support separately now. They were able to lower the price by removing support, since we live in a low price world. Nothing changed as long as you buy the tech support separately.

[cvaldes1831]

Get a Mac with AppleCare support. Then book an appointment at the Genius Bar to move all the stuff from your old computer to your new computer. You can still have someone else provide IT support.

[james968]

Hmm,

New version of my accounting program
...download and
...copy to my application folder. (Enter admin password).

Want to backup,
...go to time machine menu, select "Backup now"

Increase Disk space:
...At USB or Firewire Disk
...Click Format Button
...See New HD on Desktop

Migrate Data from my old machine:
...Boot Old-Machine holding down the T-Key
...Attach to new Machine (Shows up on Desktop)
...Run Migration Assistant (Including in OS (also I think on initial first-time boot, it asks if you want to run it).

Remove program:
....Drag program (or program folder to trash).

I have one system which is probably a decade old which we still use and a Laptop which is 4 years old, which still runs perfectly well. (It is on its 3rd power brick though). My web/email server and Desktop are both 3 years old as well. Generally I find that Mac's tend to be viable for a much longer period of time than a PC.

[bobdue1]

Hmmm.... I bought a new Vista PC and was able to run the File and Settings transfer wizard - it saved a file and I used the same tool on hte new machine - all done. Took about an hour - didn't need to add a hard drive or anything else (I do have a terabyte of storage about 50% used) - my old system is still up and running after 5 years - Windows XP - only been down during power outages and only after the UPS ran the automated shut down. 5 years and stil going strong - had to transfer stuff to a new Vista laptop - works great and was twice the capable hardware at 1/3 the price of a Mac. I'll never own a Apple - too expensive and too proprietary. Besides, I dislike the bully Steve Jobs.

[arosania]

Heh... dislike the bully Jobs but love the bullier Ballmer... nice choice... also.. what "Vista laptop" with twice the hardware capabilities of a Mac did u buy for $350? LOL.
"My old system from 5 yrs is running smoothly, XP", well why don't you installed vista on it? I have an iMac from year 2001 and I have leopard (OS X 10.5) in it. Its not a better system, according to you?

[sgtlyon]

Some of the pro-Vista people may be right. I did not "upgrade" from DOS and Win 3.11 until mid 1997. I actually enjoyed win98 except for the daily reboot. Then came the disaster that was Win ME. Oh god was that a peice of worthless junk. Then XP came along which I also enjoy.

Vista has too many bugs. Last March, Windows support could not even figure out why my Visual Studio would not work. I got the right click "run as admin" answer from an online forum after hours of searching. You have to jump through too many hoops. It is not a learning curve issue. I've moved easily through various forms of UNIX and Linux, and through the good and bad of Windows. I also enjoy playing with new OS's. I finally got my invitation to play on iCloud beta last week!

Vista is as crappy as ME was. Microsoft seems to have trouble with their OS on every other attempt. Win 3.11 - Good, Win 95 - bad, Win 98 - good, Win ME - bad, Win XP - good, Win Vista - BAD. I'm sure I will love their next operating system. I just need to keep my XP machines running until what, 2010?

[sgtlyon]

I hate to reply to my own comment, but I wonder if this is Microsoft's version of beta testing? After their official "beta tests", they sell the $129+++ crappy software to see if the same beta complaints come back. Then they actually fix the problems three years later and sell it as a brand new OS. Wouldn't that make you '95, ME and Vista people look sillly?

[mhinnewyork]

Steve,
My CNET blog, Defensive Computing, is targeted at people like you - those who need their computers for serious (read: income-producing) work but don't have an IT department to call on. Give it a look-see.
Michael Horowitz