Last summer I replaced an 80 year old relative's XP computer (Dell 2003) with a REBUILT Windows 7 computer.
He used the old one for crossword puzzles from USA Today, for playing card games on-line, and for email and storing photos of his grandchildren.
When the card game application wouldn't work anymore, that was okay with him. When the crossword puzzle application broke and needed me to fix it twice month that was okay for a while, but then I couldn't fix it one day. When he couldn't open the files with pictures of grandchildren he nearly had a heart attack. (Luckily, I had backed up all of the old pictures (about 400 of them) onto a single flash drive just a few weeks before the melt-down.)
So I shopped on-line and bought a 2010 Dell windows computer through a Best Buy on-line refurbished computer dealership in Ohio, (I am in New England). You pay Best Buy, the supplier ships the computer, and gets paid when Best Buy knows the computer was delivered and in good working order. The refurbished computer is just like new, it might even be new and never sold before, I could not tell.
The price of the refurbished Windows 7 with 4 GB RAM was $289. delivered.
I set it up in an hour, had his pictures loaded onto the new computer, his card game application working, his crossword puzzle application working, and even the speakers for his music application working, after 2 year of him not having music to play while doing his crossword puzzles.
The problems with old XP computers are many, and they often have only 2 GB RAM, which is not adequate for many new versions of applications.
I told him to bite the bullet. A $300 replacement will work for several years, (it may even outlive him!)
Now, he spends 2-3 hours a day on his computer again, and he's a happy man, not angry that his computer isn't working at all for him every other week, as he was last summer with the old XP. How much is happiness worth when you're 80? Don't spend hours and hours and hours of your life having your computer short-change your free time.
He bought the old XP new in about 2003, for $1,200 !!! When I told him he could get a replacement computer for $300 he was shocked at the cheap price.
Search around on Google for refurbished computers, or do a search on Best Buy narrowing the search down to machines with Windows 7 operating system. (I recommend it over Windows 8 because 8 is too difficult for someone older to get used to after XP ...Windows 7 looks about the same as XP and is much faster and relatively glitch free.
One final note: it's the Christmas rush, so shopping for something like this on-line is probably not the best time of year to be doing it. Expect delays or short inventory, with better delivery times and more inventory in January, but then again, why wait, unless you need to save up for it.
I just did a search on Best Buy for Windows 7 Dell machines with 4 GB RAM... here is one for $129 !!
Dell - Refurbished - Optiplex Desktop Computer - 4 GB Memory - 160 GB Hard Drive - Gray
Model: 755 SKU: 1306041186 Customer Rating:
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Sold & Shipped by: Joy Systems Seller Rating: 4.27 out of 5
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