Rangerland Forum Information

[gkrangers]

Okay Rick - my turn:

I finally took the plunge and bought a macbook after using a PC for years. I have been using an external hard drive to back up my files so I'm not concerned about transferring documents, songs and pictures. But what about transferring the itunes library and all the playlists? I started to look it up online and it looked complicated to me and I'm afraid to trust it. Also, and maybe this is all related, what will happen when I plug my ipod and iphone into the mac? How do I make sure I don't lose what's on the iphone?

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the club!

Rick is afraid of Macs.

I can help you out later. It's not particularly difficult, but you need to be a little careful when you sync the iPhone for the first time. Moving iTunes will be easy, but you will need to re-format your iPod for Mac. So you will lose everything on that, and will just have to refill it from iTunes.

[Rick91981]

Best to let GK handle this one. I'm not fluent in Mac.

[Mike B.]

I got distracted and never bought a system, so since I've been on a little bit of a spending spree lately, it's time to revisit this. Also, my p.o.s. seven year old laptop has gotten to the point that it's intolerable, so time to upgrade. I've narrowed it down to these two choices. The first is the Newegg Gateway combination I cited earlier in the thread:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16883113094

And this monitor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16824009163

Total about $600, includes shipping.

The second is a Dell machine I customized, here are the specs:



As you can see, the cost of that machine is $950. However, I saw a coupon online for 15% off, so that brings it down to $800, free shipping. Also, the Dell looks like a slightly better machine - for one, it has a better processor. Also, I added a software package, don't think that comes with the Gateway machine. I also need a floppy drive, since (incredibly) we still use them sometimes where I work, so I would need the drive to work at home. Lastly, I added a wireless keyboard and mouse to the Dell.

So, it seems like the Dell is only slightly more costly, all things considered. I'm leaning towards them, since I had a pretty good experience with my first purchase. But I would appreciate any comments anyone has, in case you think I'm missing something. For example, I would need a wireless network in my apartment, so if either of these machines will be problematic for that, it would be good to know.

[Beamer]

I may have missed this, but are you sure you want to go 64 bit?

[Beamer]

Also, right now HP has $350 off customized HP Pavilion Desktop $999+, limit 400 uses w/ code: DT5685.
With free shipping.

If you're quick you can get it.

[gkrangers]

I got distracted and never bought a system, so since I've been on a little bit of a spending spree lately, it's time to revisit this. Also, my p.o.s. seven year old laptop has gotten to the point that it's intolerable, so time to upgrade. I've narrowed it down to these two choices. The first is the Newegg Gateway combination I cited earlier in the thread:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16883113094

And this monitor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16824009163

Total about $600, includes shipping.

The second is a Dell machine I customized, here are the specs:



As you can see, the cost of that machine is $950. However, I saw a coupon online for 15% off, so that brings it down to $800, free shipping. Also, the Dell looks like a slightly better machine - for one, it has a better processor. Also, I added a software package, don't think that comes with the Gateway machine. I also need a floppy drive, since (incredibly) we still use them sometimes where I work, so I would need the drive to work at home. Lastly, I added a wireless keyboard and mouse to the Dell.

So, it seems like the Dell is only slightly more costly, all things considered. I'm leaning towards them, since I had a pretty good experience with my first purchase. But I would appreciate any comments anyone has, in case you think I'm missing something. For example, I would need a wireless network in my apartment, so if either of these machines will be problematic for that, it would be good to know.

Mike,

That is an weak system at an awful price.

If you want to get something good and are fine with spending $950, get this:

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/con...&oc=DXDNZT1

Overkill for you, but you'll have no complaints. I'm also fairly confident you'll get more than half a decade out of it.

Oh and just because: http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB418LL/A?mco=NDE4Mzg4NA

If you really want the best bang for your buck, you're just gonna need to wait until a nice deal comes along http://forums.slickdeals.net/forumdisplay.php?f=9 here and pounce on it.

This post has been edited by gkrangers: Jun 22 2009, 04:09 PM

[Display Name]

Welcome to the club!

Rick is afraid of Macs.

I can help you out later. It's not particularly difficult, but you need to be a little careful when you sync the iPhone for the first time. Moving iTunes will be easy, but you will need to re-format your iPod for Mac. So you will lose everything on that, and will just have to refill it from iTunes.

Great - thanks.

[Beamer]

The Dell Mike configured is $550 cheaper than the iMac with more RAM and a faster processor, same HDD and a much lesser monitor.
The system he has configured is decent. The issue is that it isn't one of Dell's deals. Dell usually has deals on better computers for 30% off.

[gkrangers]

The Dell Mike configured is $550 cheaper than the iMac with more RAM and a faster processor, same HDD and a much lesser monitor.
The system he has configured is decent. The issue is that it isn't one of Dell's deals. Dell usually has deals on better computers for 30% off.

It's a matter of just buying something nice at a decent price, or spending the time to refresh SlickDeals all day waiting for something good to pop-up.

If the money isn't that big of a deal, I'd get the i7 system and be done with it. (Actually I'd get the iMac, but that's just me) Spoil yourself a little Mike.

[Mike B.]

It's a matter of just buying something nice at a decent price, or spending the time to refresh SlickDeals all day waiting for something good to pop-up.

If the money isn't that big of a deal, I'd get the i7 system and be done with it. (Actually I'd get the iMac, but that's just me) Spoil yourself a little Mike.

Thanks...since you don't have to upgrade the i7 machine too much, it only comes out to be about $100 more. I'll look around some more, and see if any deals pop up.

[gkrangers]

Thanks...since you don't have to upgrade the i7 machine too much, it only comes out to be about $100 more. I'll look around some more, and see if any deals pop up.

Buy the i7 system as is with whatever keyboard/mouse you want. You'll never have to upgrade it and it'll kick the ass of any budget system you come across till you have your next big technological breakthrough and buy a TV about 7 years from now.

[Mike B.]

Buy the i7 system as is with whatever keyboard/mouse you want. You'll never have to upgrade it and it'll kick the ass of any budget system you come across till you have your next big technological breakthrough and buy a TV about 7 years from now.

With that machine, I would never need a TV! That's sort of the idea behind getting a nice machine, actually, so I can watch sports and TV shows without having to buy a television.

[gkrangers]

With that machine, I would never need a TV! That's sort of the idea behind getting a nice machine, actually, so I can watch sports and TV shows without having to buy a television.

Well, a lot of newer TV series get broadcast online and you can always subscribe to NHL GameCenter or MLB.TV or whatever.

What kind of internet connection do you have?

[Mike B.]

Well, a lot of newer TV series get broadcast online and you can always subscribe to NHL GameCenter or MLB.TV or whatever.

What kind of internet connection do you have?

Right now? Errr...._{stolen wireless.}

We are getting FiOS in our building pretty soon.

This post has been edited by Mike B.: Jun 22 2009, 05:01 PM

[gkrangers]

Great - thanks.

You can try this: http://www.myfirstmac.com/index.php/mac/ar...settings-intact

It doesn't involve much tweaking and seems pretty simple. Naturally, make sure you have backed up the appropriate files on your PC in case it doesn't work.

[gkrangers]

Right now? Errr...._{stolen wireless.}

We are getting FiOS in our building pretty soon.

FiOS plus that computer = awesomeness.

[Rick91981]

I may have missed this, but are you sure you want to go 64 bit?

Nothing wrong with 64-bit.



Mike: If you can hold off 2 or 3 weeks, OEMs will begin offering a free upgrade to Windows 7 if you buy after the cutoff date. The two dates I have heard are June 26th, and July 1st. Should start hearing more information about it in the coming weeks.

[Zaylenz]

The only thing 64-bit still has trouble with are 16-bit applications. For old DOS stuff, DOSBox works fine to emulate them, so really the only things you'd be out of luck with are Win95 programs. Pretty much anything that's 32-bit works fine. Drivers are pretty much updated for everything, so really there's no reason not to get 64-bit.

I'm not sure when OEM's might offer a free upgrade, but I know Win7's release date is October 22nd. It really would be worth waiting for it in my opinion.

[gkrangers]

The only thing 64-bit still has trouble with are 16-bit applications. For old DOS stuff, DOSBox works fine to emulate them, so really the only things you'd be out of luck with are Win95 programs. Pretty much anything that's 32-bit works fine. Drivers are pretty much updated for everything, so really there's no reason not to get 64-bit.

I'm not sure when OEM's might offer a free upgrade, but I know Win7's release date is October 22nd. It really would be worth waiting for it in my opinion.

Or do neither, and just downgrade to XP.

[Kusand]

Why would he not get 64-bit? At least then he can upgrade past 4GB RAM.

[Rick91981]

I'm not sure when OEM's might offer a free upgrade, but I know Win7's release date is October 22nd. It really would be worth waiting for it in my opinion.

When shipping a new computer with Vista, they will include a coupon for a free upgrade to Win7 when it comes out in Oct. The only thing I am unsure of is the exact date they will begin including them. It should be very soon though. All I know is when we sell another Vista machine at work I'm keeping an upgrade coupon for myself!

[Beamer]

Why would he not get 64-bit? At least then he can upgrade past 4GB RAM.

Little is taking advantage of 64 bit right now. You're far more likely to run into software that has issues with it than software that takes advantage. And there's little need for more than 4 gigs of RAM right now. Even games aren't supporting it (or 64 bit.)

Hopefully Windows 7 will change that, but with XP being so much more preferred than Vista (which, comparing the two as they stand now, makes no sense) there's been no reason for developers to support 64 bit.

[Display Name]

You can try this: http://www.myfirstmac.com/index.php/mac/ar...settings-intact

It doesn't involve much tweaking and seems pretty simple. Naturally, make sure you have backed up the appropriate files on your PC in case it doesn't work.

What about the iphone information? The old computer obviously has everything backed up. Will the iphone get erased when it syncs with the new computer?

[gkrangers]

When shipping a new computer with Vista, they will include a coupon for a free upgrade to Win7 when it comes out in Oct. The only thing I am unsure of is the exact date they will begin including them. It should be very soon though. All I know is when we sell another Vista machine at work I'm keeping an upgrade coupon for myself!

Kind of interesting that Apple and Microsoft are taking a similar approach to the new OS upgrades. Snow Leopard will be $10 for those who purchased a Mac after June 8th, or $30 for any user.

[gkrangers]

What about the iphone information? The old computer obviously has everything backed up. Will the iphone get erased when it syncs with the new computer?

Sync it with your PC and make a fresh backup of the iPhone. You can always revert back to this if things go awry.

Now plug the iPhone into the Mac. When iTunes loads, it should ask to sync your data (Calendar, Address Book, etc) with the Mac. I'm assuming it lets you select what to sync at this point. Be careful at this point that you don't replace the data on the iPhone with the data (nothing) on the Mac. You'll want to "merge" the two, so that both the iPhone and Mac end up with the same data. Now your Mac will have your calendar, contacts, etc. What it won't sync is the iTunes library. It'll tell you this, and ask you to erase and sync. It'll erase the iTunes library on your iPhone (because it can only associate with one computer's iTunes library at a time) and sync it with the new one on your Mac. Obviously, you need to transfer your library from your PC to Mac before doing this, so that there is something to sync. At this point you should have all your data and your iTunes library synced with the Mac.

I've never done PC to Mac with the iPhone, but this is the way I understand it works. Good luck. You can always restore from the PC and start over if you eff it up.

[Zaylenz]

Kind of interesting that Apple and Microsoft are taking a similar approach to the new OS upgrades. Snow Leopard will be $10 for those who purchased a Mac after June 8th, or $30 for any user.

The companies have to do this, otherwise they'd see a larger dip in sales than they already do as a lot of people will wait until the new OS launches before buying their new computer. Offering a free upgrade option will get some of those who would otherwise wait to buy now and upgrade later.

[Rick91981]

Little is taking advantage of 64 bit right now. You're far more likely to run into software that has issues with it than software that takes advantage. And there's little need for more than 4 gigs of RAM right now. Even games aren't supporting it (or 64 bit.)

Hopefully Windows 7 will change that, but with XP being so much more preferred than Vista (which, comparing the two as they stand now, makes no sense) there's been no reason for developers to support 64 bit.

I have no issues with older programs on 64 bit Windows. As long as your hardware has 64-bit drivers then you should have few if any problems.

[Zaylenz]

The only programs that really have any issue with 64-bit processing are the old 16-bit Windows 95 era stuff. I have plenty of 32-bit software running on my 64-bit W7 RC and my 64-bit Vista OS beforehand. I never ran into any compatibility issues. All my 32-bit programs and games run fine, and any game that was older would run fine in DOSBox.

I actually have more issues with my widescreen monitor with my old games than I have issues with having a 64-bit OS.

[Display Name]

Sync it with your PC and make a fresh backup of the iPhone. You can always revert back to this if things go awry.

Now plug the iPhone into the Mac. When iTunes loads, it should ask to sync your data (Calendar, Address Book, etc) with the Mac. I'm assuming it lets you select what to sync at this point. Be careful at this point that you don't replace the data on the iPhone with the data (nothing) on the Mac. You'll want to "merge" the two, so that both the iPhone and Mac end up with the same data. Now your Mac will have your calendar, contacts, etc. What it won't sync is the iTunes library. It'll tell you this, and ask you to erase and sync. It'll erase the iTunes library on your iPhone (because it can only associate with one computer's iTunes library at a time) and sync it with the new one on your Mac. Obviously, you need to transfer your library from your PC to Mac before doing this, so that there is something to sync. At this point you should have all your data and your iTunes library synced with the Mac.

I've never done PC to Mac with the iPhone, but this is the way I understand it works. Good luck. You can always restore from the PC and start over if you eff it up.

Thanks for the tips. I'll give it a shot and let you know what happens.

[gkrangers]

Thanks for the tips. I'll give it a shot and let you know what happens.

Godspeed.

[Mike B.]

Thanks for all the input everyone. My need is a little less urgent then I initially thought, so I can wait a week or two to see what happens with Windows 7.

[Rick91981]

Thanks for all the input everyone. My need is a little less urgent then I initially thought, so I can wait a week or two to see what happens with Windows 7.

MS announced it is indeed June 26th. More details as to which vendors will offer it and which models they will offer it with should be available soon. Check the following page for up to date info:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/buy/offers/upgrade.aspx

Microsoft would not charge consumers for Windows 7 if they purchased a Vista PC between tomorrow and the day of general availability. He did admit, however, that OEMs can choose the price of the upgrade, possibly charging for shipping and handling fees. Furthermore, it will be up to OEMs to decide which computers the upgrade offer will be available on, so it's unlikely that low-end computers like netbooks or PCs on sale will have this offer.

This post has been edited by Rick91981: Jun 25 2009, 11:11 AM

[BoomStrakaLaka]

I am looking for some help with my email setup. Here's my situation:

-primarily use an @optonline.net account. i use outlook to retrieve and send my emails. i rarely go to optonline.net to access my emails anymore.
-i work in a school district, so they filter any web based email accounts. i was able to circumvent that by using my old college email address.
-my college now utilizes gmail to organize their email system (of that makes sense). my school email addy is not @gmail, rather it is @mail.adelphi.edu
-i initiated IMAP to retrieve and send my @optonline.net emails. this was fantastic at first.

i ran into a problem. sometimes, it seems that some emails sent to optonline.net will never reach my outlook. i only check my @mail.adelphi.edu when i am at work, since i like the features of outlook more than that gmail.

so for instance, if you are confused by my issue....an email was sent to me from the guy who is in charge of my softball team's league. it was sent to my optonline.net account. it was never grabbed by outlook. instead, it was only grabbed by the gmail application used by my old school.

as always, thanks in advance for any help.

[Alitaki]

I am looking for some help with my email setup. Here's my situation:

-primarily use an @optonline.net account. i use outlook to retrieve and send my emails. i rarely go to optonline.net to access my emails anymore.
-i work in a school district, so they filter any web based email accounts. i was able to circumvent that by using my old college email address.
-my college now utilizes gmail to organize their email system (of that makes sense). my school email addy is not @gmail, rather it is @mail.adelphi.edu
-i initiated IMAP to retrieve and send my @optonline.net emails. this was fantastic at first.

i ran into a problem. sometimes, it seems that some emails sent to optonline.net will never reach my outlook. i only check my @mail.adelphi.edu when i am at work, since i like the features of outlook more than that gmail.

so for instance, if you are confused by my issue....an email was sent to me from the guy who is in charge of my softball team's league. it was sent to my optonline.net account. it was never grabbed by outlook. instead, it was only grabbed by the gmail application used by my old school.

as always, thanks in advance for any help.

Check the setup for your email at school to make sure its leaving a copy of the mail on the server. Its probably grabbing it and since your main mail server is seeing the mail downloaded it deletes it. I've got a similar thing setup for mine. There should be an option to leave the message on the server

[Zaylenz]

For those of you who are running Windows Vista, Newegg is having a preorder deal on Windows 7 for 50% off. This is only for the upgrade versions. W7 Home Premium is $50 and W7 Pro is $100.

Edit: Apparently the deal also works if you want to upgrade from XP, but you'd have to do a clean install of W7.

This post has been edited by Zaylenz: Jun 26 2009, 02:24 PM

[Scuubs]

Hey Rick,

I have a bunch of video files that have 2 english and 1 japanese audio tracks playing all at once. By a bunch I mean over 200. My question is, is there a way to isolate one of the english tracks without having to do it individually? I'm using a program called mkvmerge to do it now, but I have to do it one at a time and it becomes very tedious.

[Rick91981]

Hey Rick,

I have a bunch of video files that have 2 english and 1 japanese audio tracks playing all at once. By a bunch I mean over 200. My question is, is there a way to isolate one of the english tracks without having to do it individually? I'm using a program called mkvmerge to do it now, but I have to do it one at a time and it becomes very tedious.

One at a time is super easy, but I don't know of any programs that would do it all automatically. I use VirtualDubMod(dated, but effective) using direct stream copy(no re-encoding) so it goes very rapidly. You would still need to do it file by file though. I know it supports queuing up jobs but I don't think you can just point it to a bunch of files and have it work on its own. I have never used mkvmerge but check out for any options to do batch processing.

[Scuubs]

One at a time is super easy, but I don't know of any programs that would do it all automatically. I use VirtualDubMod(dated, but effective) using direct stream copy(no re-encoding) so it goes very rapidly. You would still need to do it file by file though. I know it supports queuing up jobs but I don't think you can just point it to a bunch of files and have it work on its own. I have never used mkvmerge but check out for any options to do batch processing.

Thanks. It only takes 4-7 seconds per file so it' going pretty quickly.

[BoomStrakaLaka]

I am looking for some help.

My father's laptop has been bombarded with DLL errors. Every time a new application is ran (run?), the following appears: (Please not that this is for all executable files, or at least it seems...it is not just solely for computer security programs)

I just clicked Search for Updates on spybot, the following popped up:

(Title of window) SDUupdate.exe - Bad Image

(Body of window) The application or DLL C:\Windows\system32\udbokg.dll is not a valid Windows image. Please check this against your installation diskette.

What the hell is going on?

I ran SAS and MAB, both found a few trojans. Restarted after each program was run, the Bad Image windows still appear. AVG virus scan found nothing.

[gkrangers]

Get a Mac, no DLLs!

[Rick91981]

Sounds like the spyware deeply embedded itself into the system. First things first, backup everything important. A reload may be necessary. You can try the following at your own risk. First backup the registry. Start->Run->Regedit then hit enter. In Regedit, go to File->Export. Choose the bubble for All and then pick a safe location to save it. Then if it is WinXP(don't use this if it is Vista), try this to fix it. Just save the .reg file to your desktop and dbl click it. When it prompts you if you want to merge the file with the registry click yes. If that doesn't work then it may just be easiest to reload Windows.

[Rick91981]

Get a Mac, no DLLs!

And for only twice the price!

[Display Name]

Godspeed.

I finally got around to transferring to the Mac. The link you gave me for transferring the iTunes "library" worked perfectly, so all the playlists are still there. I had a bit of an issue though when I plugged my iphone in - it erased all my apps! I had to go back and copy the apps from the old computer to the new one, then had to import them into the new iTunes - after that it worked fine (just took a while - backing up the iphone for the first time on the Mac was excruciatingly long, to the point that I thought iTunes had frozen).

So the stuff is transferred, the phone is safe. All I need to do now is figure out how to use a mac (I really need to get used to the lack of two mouse buttons - I know there are ways to "right-click", but I have not mastered them yet).

Anyway, thanks for your help!

[LeNea]

So the stuff is transferred, the phone is safe. All I need to do now is figure out how to use a mac (I really need to get used to the lack of two mouse buttons - I know there are ways to "right-click", but I have not mastered them yet).

Anyway, thanks for your help!

Welcome to the light side

Control+click to get the right click menu. It gets easier.

[leedsy99]

Just to revive an issue we've discussed roughly 1045 times here on this forum.

I'm thinking about buying a new laptop. My previous laptop is about six years old, worn to bits, and the display screen just cut out, rendering it useless as a laptop. Fixing it is probably not an option because it would require both an internal and external repair: the bridge between the screen and the keyboard/computer center is cracked and missing, which exposed the wire connecting the two -- I imagine that the wire shorted, so to fix things they would both need to both replace the wire and fix the bridge with replacement parts. I'd estimate the repair at about two hundred dollars, which is a lot to pay for a computer with outdated software and hardware, missing keys, cracked frame, glitched sound, and the occasional crash/reboot error. I was going to buy a new laptop in the next six months anyway, so this only quickens the process.

What do people like? I'm getting a PC and won't even consider a Mac because I'm cranky and stubborn. I use my computer only for minimal functions: web, email, Word, music storage and occasional gaming. I want something durable, reliable, user friendly (but not overloaded with retarded crap). It doesn't have to be ultrafast, but I want to incorporate it into some of the work that I do. The wireless network for it is my own home, of which I'm the only user. Storage capacity is important, though that's just a matter of harddrive selection.

Do people like the Dell Inspirons? Seems like the logical choice right now. The previous laptop was a Toshiba Tecra, and to be honest I'm feeling loyal to them because, overall, it was a good machine. The problem is that the Tecra's are expensive and I'm not sure that the extra cost amount to much in terms of production.

[Beamer]

For laptops I'd go Lenovo or a netbook. If you want to do some gaming the netbook won't work so I'd just stick with Lenovo.

Tough as hell, reliable, and not gaudy.

[Rick91981]

Lenovo is good, but no better than HP or Dell. Any of them can have problems at any given time. It's a crapshoot whether you get a lemon or not. I would stay away from a netbook as the sluggishness will drive you crazy. They are really only good for light internet surfing and email. Not worth it in my opinion, at least not as a main PC. Would be fine as a spare-bring-on-vacation-to-check-your-email-PC, but not one for everyday use. The Inspiron line of Dell is their home version for the most part. The Latitude ones are much nicer, but pricier.

[Giac]

Just because I can......

[Rick91981]

Just because I can......

That machine is well built!

[spitz]

I have the inspirion 1525. Paid like 600 bucks for it. Seems okay considering price. Though the fan or whatever runs lots. I think its a fan