This shouldn't be as hard as it is...

[DMfromhell]

How do I convince my dad (who blames my installation and use of programs like Firefox and Foxit Reader for the sloth of the thing) to upgrade his computer (or, better yet, buy a new one):

Intel Pentium 4 2GHz

256 MB of RAM

28 GB Hard Drive

The thing takes about half an hour to boot up before it is fully functional, and when it does get up and running, well, functional really isn't the word to describe it. Let's just say it freezes up when I play Four Second Fury (http://www.armorgames.com/games/foursecondfury_popup.html). I realize that all I really need to do is double or quadruple the RAM space, but at this rate, is that really even worth it?

The one I've got is a bit better: twice as much ram, 100 GB Hard Drive, 2.4 GHz Processor. Not a gaming computer, but enough for a student to get by with, and I get frustrated with that...

[matty_1210]

u buy him a new 1 or use MR HAMMER.

o no dad the pc is broken we need a new one lol.

[robodude666]

Your dad reminds me of this story:

Is Your Son a Computer Hacker?
http://www.adequacy.org/stories/2001.12.2.42056.2147.html

Anyhow, slow computers suck... I would agree.

You can maybe try to explain to benifits of more ram and faster processor. Possibly dual core as AMD's X2s are $60+ for a dual core.

That processor really wouldn't play that many games, at least recent games... but if you upgrade to 1GB of ram you'll be set with XP. You can possibly try going back to 98 or 95..... or 2000, which i hear sucks. Or you can try linux as it requires minimum system requirements. Its like a toaster can run linux!

Although, if it is HIS computer and he is happy with it then why should he have to replace it? You can possibly try playing mind tricks into making him think it sucks and get him frustrated with it so he'd upgrade or buy a new one.

Just my 2c,
-robodude666

[hascet]

Tell him it will improve his productivity, and will lower load times and such so he won't have to spend so much time waiting for the computer so he can do his work. Also, try putting together a build and presenting it to him and just make sure you tell him the benefits of getting a new computer.

[matty_1210]

out of the list of things about is ur son a hacker most of them i say yes to but im not a hacker.

[aznmaster69]

Is that story a joke? I hope it is :\

I just convinced my dad to get a new computer by putting my computer in my room and then he couldn't use my computer anymore and was stuck with his slower older one and then he just bought a new one.

[Titus]

Oh. My. Gawd. That hacker article is awesome. I love how that faster video cards link goes to matrox...

I keep my computer that is connected to the internet spanky-clean with msconfig. It's a p3 800 (oc to 1ghz) with 1gb ram and 64mb graphics (geforce2). It starts up faster than my main rig for some reason... Anyway, msconfig is my friend. I run it about once every two weeks, as well as after I install a program. I would also try cleaning out unused programs and files and defragmenting. Physical maintenance works wonders as well.

If you want some sdram, I have a couple of sticks here. Just pay shipping. I think the total runs up to 512 mb with 1 256 and 2 128s. I may have more or less though as I've been giving sticks away right and left to friends here. :shifty:shifty:shifty

[JustinEss]

You could throw together a decent system, for a few hundred dollars, that may be a good 'selling point'



If your son has requested a new "processor" from a company called "AMD", this is genuine cause for alarm. AMD is a third-world based company who make inferior, "knock-off" copies of American processor chips. They use child labor extensively in their third world sweatshops, and they deliberately disable the security features that American processor makers, such as Intel, use to prevent hacking. AMD chips are never sold in stores, and you will most likely be told that you have to order them from internet sites. Do not buy this chip! This is one request that you must refuse your son, if you are to have any hope of raising him well.
All I can say about that is :lmao

BSD, Lunix, Debian and Mandrake are all versions of an illegal hacker operation system, invented by a Soviet computer hacker named Linyos Torovoltos, before the Russians lost the Cold War.
lol, the article only keeps getting better!

[egarrard]

Ask him to at least buy the poor thing more ram. No wonder it runs like a brick,

[DMfromhell]

Yup... I keep telling him that, but he keeps blaming it on Firefox and LimeWire (which I'm starting to hate, but it doesn't run at startup anyways.)

Not a computer expert, but here's a question: how much Hard Drive space do you need to fill up before your computer starts to slow down? Does it even slow it down at all?

Oh, and the article is a joke... I think. Go to the main page and look at the other articles there.

[Titus]

Hard drives don't usually slow down noticeably until about 75% capacity. Most people fun into huge fragmentation problems at that point as well, which doesn't help. What you need to do is get any graphics card (even a Rage or something) in there plus a little RAM. Yes, the article is a joke... I read something similar to it about three years ago.

[DMfromhell]

Well, it's not even half full...

I've told him he needs RAM, but he wants it professionally installed, and won't let me touch the motherboard.

[Titus]

Tell him to pay you and then you'll be professional! Maybe there's somebody on the forum who lives nearby and could help you out by posing as a professional. (I'll cut the booty with you fitty-fitty) ;) :shifty

[DMfromhell]

If only it were that simple...

[Titus]

Just find some way to get him to trust your tech knowledge. I had really tech savvy older bros who broke his computers a couple times, so he only trusts me now because I'm more cautious. Just research everything like mad and talk sense with loads of paperwork to back it up. That's what I had to do to get my dad to trust me. Research like mad and have stuff that backs you up in layman terms.

[nilzxx]

Your dad reminds me of this story:

Is Your Son a Computer Hacker?
http://www.adequacy.org/stories/2001.12.2.42056.2147.html


Lol, i agree. Seen that before and laughed at it.



Seriously, that computer is BAD. My server has better hardware than that, and that should mean something since I build that thing only with spare parts i got from upgrading my main mashine..