Back to Windows

Cross-Posted on A Veteran Runnah

PC vs. Mac, the age old dispute continues in the Shaw household.

So what does this have to do with a running blog? My computer is how I stay connected to my online running community and write to this blog.

My MacBook Pro has been acting wonky the last couple of weeks and finally on Easter it died. In all likelihood it is the Logic board and the cost of repairing it, would be the same a buying a cheaper, but new PC and the time I would be without it – about 2 weeks.

So not having my own computer (that works), to get things done has definitely put a crimp in my style over the last week or so.


Don’t get me wrong I liked my MBP and when it worked it was a great tool, but even after 2.5 years of daily use, it just didn’t feel intuitive for me. I guess it was too many years in the Windows environment. Also the MBP is a “high end” product and repairing/replacing is expensive on a “low-end” budget.

So I had the choice:

• repair the MBP
• getting a cheaper Windows laptop, with more horsepower and memory than the MBP

I had a couple of other computer nerds in the family here on Easter. Over the course of the day, we did a bunch of researching and talking about my next step fix the MBP or buy a cheap PC. They are both Windows fans and to be honest, when I used my wife’s Dell over the previous few days, it felt a lot more intuitive than my Mac.

My old Dell is still going strong after almost 6 years and based on that TheWife suggested - that I just order another Dell, as long as I could keep it under $500.00. That price point was achieved quickly and while the Dell Inspiron is a plastic body and has a bigger footprint, the specs are where I wanted them to be.

The hardest thing was waiting to get the laptop, but it came in yesterday and believe it or not I didn’t start working on it right away. I went for a run and waited until after my doctor’s appointment before turning it on. The biggest pain is getting rid of the crapware installed on it and then installing the software that I want and need. The computer is about 80% setup the way that I want and I will just have to keep plugging away at it.

A couple of software applications that I found especially helpful were:

• MacDrive 9: which allowed me to move my files from a Mac formatted drive to my Dell quickly and easily. It has a free trial period and if I was going to continue working with both Mac and PC it would be well worth having.
• Softi-scan to PDF: I needed an application that could quickly use my scanner to create PDF copies of documents for the VA and found Softi-scan to PDF worked like a charm. If I can’t find a freeware application that does pretty much the same thing, I have a feeling that I will break down an purchase this one. It has a 30 day trial period, so I will have a pretty good idea of how well and how often I will need to use it.

Luckily, I didn’t get rid of a lot of my old PC software and still had M/S Office 2007 and all my games that want to use. Most of the other software just needs to be downloaded from the Internet. The best part is that I can use Windows Live Writer again, I just have to get used to the improvements they have made to it, since I used it last.

To be honest I was a little disappointed that my MacBook Pro only lasted this long. To me 2.5 years is not a long time for a computer that costs that much to last. I would just as soon get a cheaper model, that works for 2-3 years and replace it with a new one than be tied to the more expensive machine.

I guess that I just am not really a Mac person.

I do know that it feels good to be back using Windows and the programs that I have on my new Dell. Oh sure, I am sure that I will whine and complain about things that I have to do with it, but I have always been a tinkerer so owning a Windows machine is more my style.

Hey Harold welcome back to being a PC.

 

Originally written by Harold Shaw or Mary Shaw and published at One Foot In Reality, © 2011 – All Rights Reserved. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Harold Shaw or Mary Shaw and One Foot In Reality with appropriate and specific directions or links to the original content.

Posted in: Dell,Dell Inspiron,Easter,Get a Mac,Mac,MacBook Pro,Microsoft Windows,Windows