Forums Scaring me Away?

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  1. Posts : 78
    Windows 7 Professional
       #1

    Forums Scaring me Away?


    Hey everyone. :)
    I've been using a Mac my entire life. So I'm used to a limited, slow, but stable system that basically has run plug and play forever.

    Recently, I've been interested in building a windows 7 PC for gaming and general use. I've had some experience with windows 7, and some with XP.
    So i did my research and put together a shopping list of things I need and hardware and such.
    But after being on these forums for a few weeks, it seems like all I see is threads about this or that failing, bsods, and problems with things. Honestly, this may sounds stupid, but seeing all these issues on here is kind of scaring me away from building and using a windows 7 PC. I don't know what to do or think. :/
    Am I basically guaranteed to experience problems by using a windows 7 PC? My aunt has been using a cheap dell laptop, and it runs pretty badly. :/
    Help!
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 7,683
    Windows 10 Pro
       #2

    charkzilla20 said:
    Hey everyone. :)
    I've been using a Mac my entire life. So I'm used to a limited, slow, but stable system that basically has run plug and play forever.

    Recently, I've been interested in building a windows 7 PC for gaming and general use. I've had some experience with windows 7, and some with XP.
    So i did my research and put together a shopping list of things I need and hardware and such.
    But after being on these forums for a few weeks, it seems like all I see is threads about this or that failing, bsods, and problems with things. Honestly, this may sounds stupid, but seeing all these issues on here is kind of scaring me away from building and using a windows 7 PC. I don't know what to do or think. :/
    Am I basically guaranteed to experience problems by using a windows 7 PC? My aunt has been using a cheap dell laptop, and it runs pretty badly. :/
    Help!
    When you go to a hospital and see nothing but sick people, do you conclude the whole world is sick?

    This is a tech forum with all sorts of users, to include enthusiasts who build and tinker with their PC's. With that, there are bound to be problems.

    Some even take the motto that if it ain't broke you ain't using it. This is a joke of course, but because Windows based PC's gives us a flexibility to build/tweak/tinker or upgrade, you are going to see some issues. Where on the other hand, being that Macs are basically closed off systems, they going to be more stability - you can't break it if you can't tinker with it.

    You also have to consider that the Windows PC is the most prevalent PC around, so yes, there are bound to be more issues just from the shear volume.

    And before you get the wrong idea, do consider there are many of us here who don't have problems, or at least major problems like BSOD's or crashes. That though most everyone here does tinker with their systems, they still manage to keep them stable.

    Windows is not as bad as some (non-windows uses) make it out to be, and when you have basically a 8:2/7:3 ratio, yes there are going to be a lot more Windows issues than Mac issues.

    Now I'm not here to convince you one way or the other - either you will or you won't, but at least consider what I said.

    Peace
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 176
    Win 7 Ult 64-bit
       #3

    Hi , charkzilla20 ! Don't be afraid so much.
    Just remember , the complains in the forums are from people that are having problems , most of which they made themselves . If You read some books and articles and learn some basic rules and tricks , You will enjoy the work with Win7 computers. I myself had 3 machines (1 desktop and 2 laptops with Win7 Ultimate ) for over 3 years and never had a serious problem that can not be resolved with some brain using :) . I usualy read this forum to see how things are going and sometimes I'm wondering how much problems occur from neglecting the basic fact - the computer is never wrong - mistakes are made by humans. A lot of users blame the software manufactures for all the problems they have - the fact that there is people (like me) working with the same software and not having those problems is telling the truth. So , here is some rules I think will be useful :
    1. I don't know if You intend to buy a system with pre-installed OS or not , but is better to have 2 discs or partitions - one for the OS and other for Your data. On the first disk put only the OS and the program files . So , if some real problems happen and You must preinstall the OS , Your data will not be lost .
    2. Always backup Your sensitive data on a external HD .
    3. Take care of the cooling and cleaning of the computer.
    4. The decision to have or not an antivirus program is up to You , but it's better to have one.
    5. Always made a system restore point before installing a software You are not sure about.

    Everything else You will learn by yourself . Don't be afraid to experiment .
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 1
    Windows 7 Professional 32bit
       #4

    I LOVE sygnus21 illustration about the hospital!

    As a less eloquent variation, if you go to the Apple Support Communities website, you'll see the majority of posts are problems. That's probably not been your experience charkzilla20. Similarly, many, many Windows 7 users are quite happily using an OS that is ticking over quite nicely.

    And if you hit problems, you know here to come!
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 20,583
    Win-7-Pro64bit 7-H-Prem-64bit
       #5

    Most issues with windows comes from your very good example "Dell" plus a host of others/ Acer/ h-p....
    Manufactures like Dell... had nothing to do with designing Windows but tweak the os into some sort of product they sell/ Pre-installed Junkware.
    Your already a leg up on these manufactures because they do not exist on your machine
    A fresh install of windows 7 is the only way to go and pretty cheap/ 99.00 u.s. for win-7 home premium.
    An Old School Geek’s approach to Installing & Setting Up a Windows PC
    Last edited by ThrashZone; 03 Jul 2013 at 08:45.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 1,397
    Win 10 Pro 64
       #6

    I hardly ever ask questions on any forum. I have had enough training on PC's that I usually can figure it out. If no Google is your Friend? Sort of.
      My Computer


  7. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #7

    What you see on the forums is like looking into the checklist of doctors - all the sick and pathological cases show up. But the real windows life is not quite as bad.

    I run 6 windows PCs (Windows 7 and Vista plus a few virtual partitions with Windows 8 and some Linux distros) and I have never encountered a problem that I could not fix myself.

    And should you really encounter some issues, post the problem here and I am sure we'll find a solution.
      My Computer


  8. Dom
    Posts : 2,295
    Windows Seven Ultimate
       #8

    Built my first PC, instructions coming entirely from these forums. It is not difficult at all (I'm only a teenager), and it worked first time for me (using it now to type this). Although, be wary about second hand parts, and try not to tinker with the system. That sort of stuff often ends up with the problems posted here.
    I was a little nervous at first, and its understandable, but you'll never find out unless you "jump in the deep end" to see what happens.
    If you decide to go ahead with the build, good luck and remember to ask questions! There are no stupid questions
      My Computer

  9.    #9

    I've never had a problem with my laptop, and the other computers my family are using (2 Windows 7, 1 Windows XP and 1 Windows 8) have either have no problems or very minor problems.

    For example, my dad's Windows 7 system (upgrade from Vista) had a few trojans because he of his own error. My step-dads Windows XP laptop, has had one small virus a few years ago, and has had no problems since then. My step-brother's Windows 8 laptop had a regular BSODs because went and ran loads of different programs to "clean and optimize his computer".

    To summarize, problems are usually caused by the user, and you shouldn't worry about having major problems with your build.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 78
    Windows 7 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #10

    Thanks guys so much :)
    I get that now. The Hospital metaphor is great btw.
    To answer a couple of your questions, I already have a fresh copy of Windows 7 Professional.
    I don't plan on tinkering around with it much besides some visual things like themes and skins, icons and such.

    I feel a lot more confident about going ahead with this purchase and build :)
    Thanks everyone!
      My Computer


 
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