Have you ever considered getting some more RAM? Or perhaps a newer OS? You sound like the kind of guy who thinks "they don't make `em like they used to" and still runs XP and complains when it crashes I run simulation software on Win7, and in the mean time I`m surfing, I have pdf/word documents open, skype, all that jazz. Maybe even play a game for a while on top of that. Never had a crash... Check your hard drive isn`t failing on you (or your RAM sticks) You computer isn`t supposed to crash at all....you act like Bill Gates wanted computers to crash
Friday, April 20, 2012 10:43:51 PM
...some companies pushing out updates without proper testing and then fixing the bugs from said updates. this isn't typically the larger companies (apple/microsoft), but it happens often enough that I let newest versions of things to be established for a few weeks before I even considering updating.
Are you serious? MS puts out nothing but half-baked beta crapware, and then lets us find the bugs for them. They quit supporting Office `97 5 yrs ago, and they NEVER DID get the bugs out of that. "What? You have a new OS? Call me when you release SP3." And it`s not just MS, but they`re the worst.
Most people don`t have crashes because they don`t make their computers work. When I`m working, I have 8-10 browser tabs, 4-5 Word files, 2 email clients, and 1-2 Excel files, and yes, from time to time it crashes. I curse the bloody hole from which Bill Gates was spewed, and then I go back to work. When I`m just surfing, though, it NEVER crashes.
Friday, April 20, 2012 10:32:07 PM
it's not really that hard to figure out what`s wrong...just check temps and hard drive health with free and user-friendly software. if there are obvious signs of ram/slot failure (random frustrating BSODs) then run memtest86. 90% of the time you can pinpoint the problem, and from there it`s easy to fix
Friday, April 20, 2012 12:51:16 AM
Or - build your own system without all the backdoors and useless add-ons, with solid hardware and an OEM OS for about the same price - and learn how to use safe mode.
Thursday, April 19, 2012 8:36:44 PM
Langer, there's one other difference: in business, they pay you $40k/yr.; in academia you pay THEM $40k/yr. And syncing Outlook to a phone is a useful skill that is probably beyond the capabilities of most computer science professors.