Planet Cheapskate

Other People's Problems

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Q: Help! I need a new computer! My current PC (bought about 5 years ago) has slowed to a crawl, I think maybe it’s full of viruses from the web (even though I have anti-virus software). I’m considering a Mac, but they’re sooo expensive. Any advice?

—WP, Digby, Nova Scotia

(This is a pretty common question. We’ve asked our Planet Cheapskate IT Department to help. —Eds.)
A: You don’t mention the type of work you’re using your current machine for, so we’ll assume that it’s either a pretty typical home or small business computer used for surfing the web and fairly common tasks.
Planet Cheapskate runs on Macs. We use the latest 24″ iMac with powerfully fast processors, but we’re on them ALL the time, it’s our business, so you probably don’t need quite that much muscle. Even if you opt for a lesser machine, you’ll find that Macs tend to require less maintenance, are unaffected by the vast majority of internet mal-ware, and are simply an elegant pleasure to use. But first,

Option 1:
Revive your current machine
Maybe you don’t need a fun, shiny, new computer after all (sorry!) You can do some things that will greatly revive your current Win-box or laptop, and not cost a dime.

Spybot Search and Destroy
If your PC has slowed to a crawl (especially while surfing the web) chances are it’s filled up with spyware — bits of code planted on your machine (macs are unaffected) by websites to monitor and track your activity. Anti-virus software won’t remove this, but there’s a wonderful FREE program that will. Visit: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html, download, install and run the application periodically to cleanse your system. The junk it finds and removes is quite satisfying, and you’ll see a noticeable improvement in your machine’s performance.

DeClutter & Defrag
When called upon to troubleshoot other people’s computers, we’re often amazed at the results of a simple “Spring Cleaning.” Double-delete old e-mails from the trash, clean up that desktop, throw out (or at least copy to CD/DVD and then delete from the computer) seldom used files. If you don’t know how to “defrag your hard drive,” here’s a more extensive discussion from PCword Magazine.  This should be part of your periodic maintenence and it may help. Even if your computer doesn’t feel better, you will!

Start over
We used to follow this process about once every 6 months with each PC. A chore, but it really helped. The Mac’s don’t seem to need it, and the time-is-money law led to Planet Cheapskate going all Mac.
a) Back-up everything
b) Completely wipe Hard Drive clean
c) Reinstall operating system, updates, and all programs
d) selectively reload files

Replace Hard Drive
Discussed a bit more below, this may be a cheaper solution than buying a new machine. You can do it yourself if you have the desire and patience (though specific instructions are beyond the scope of this article here). Essentially you’ll want to test your current drive for bad sectors, find a compatible NEW replacement drive, look up some online instructions and decide if the proceedure seems do-able. It’s kinda fun if you’re not in a rush, but then, we’re wearing pocket-protectors.

Option 2:
Purchasing a Mac on the Cheap
Just can’t stand the thought of dealing with Windows anymore? We’re with you. In fact, BusinessWeek recently published a wonderful article detailing What You Don’t Get For Your Money when owning a PC vs. a Mac. Here’s how to escape the evil empire.

Beware e-bay unless you’re ready for a fix-it
You might first consider eBay, but often used computers will arrive with slightly damaged hard drives. “Bad Sectors” occur when little areas of the hard drives become un-writable/readable, and this damage, while not apparent at first, can result in slow or unreliable performance — in fact there’s a chance that’s what’s affecting the machine you’re using now. If you’re willing to try your hand at becoming a computer repair person, HDs can be replaced fairly easily (there are plenty of excellent pages on the web with detailed instructions for nearly every model out there). We recently bought a well-used ibook for $200, dropped in a new HD ($60 and 45 minutes of tinkering) and ended up with a great laptop that had cost thousands when new. But it did require a little bravery to crack open the case….

The Refurbished Apple store (or for our Canadian readers)
Time is money right? Or you don’t feel comfortable wearing a pocket-protector and acting like a computer giga-nerd? Here’s the best solution.
Follow the links above to Apple’s on-line store that sells factory refurbished, nearly good-as-new, equipment (computers, ipods & more). This is where the Planet Cheapskate IT department goes shopping. There’s always a full selection, the equipment has nearly the same guarantees as absolutely-brand-new and arrives at your door via free shipping. In fact, the only real difference we’ve seen from Apple’s full price product is the color of the box it arrives in.

The Mac High-Cost Myth
Here’s the secret: Macs retain their resale value far, far better than PCs. Did you visit ebay earlier? Look at what they’re getting for Macs that are 2 or 3 (or more!) years old. Now compare what a used PC will bring in — nothing! So if the purchase price of a refurbished Mac is giving you pause, consider selling it in 5 or 6 years and re:cooping some of your initial expense. The best you can hope for with a PC is that you’ll find someone to take it to the landfill.

—Cheapskate IT Department: Signing out!

—the Editors, on April 2, 2009