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    #1

    "Buying A Cheap Used Computer"

    Is it worth the hassle? It depends on who you talk to -- I'm in the middle of it right now.

    I know the arguments against -- computer's the mainstay of your trade, why would you skimp, etc., etc.? Money, of course. Previously I've shelled out $600-$900 about every two years for a new Dell but...

    in Nov-2011 I bought a used Dell XP Optiplex GX620 online from Walmart for $199 and had no problems whatever (I did 11-12 taxes on it and am typing on it right now). However, ATX has sent out a hardware minimum specs sheet and I'm 2 Gig short on RAM this season. Tech guy quotes $100+ for an upgrade and, as you know, we will need WIN 7 or up next time. I checked WMT online, found a refurbished Dell Optiplex 745 w/4GB Memory, 1 TB Hard Drive, Intel processor, and Windows 7 Pro for $238. Ordered it, arrived 4 days later at local WMT but contained only tower/Win 7 Disc (no keyboard, mouse, power cord, Quickstart Guide). Call the store, nothing else there, then WMT 800#, say they'll check and call back. Didn't of course, so I email, they respond, apologize for missing parts, say send it back for a refund, don't even suggest sending the parts. Thing is, it looks pretty good and I kind of want to keep it (I read the WMT reviews - 77% favorable, the rest got junk & I don't want to try my luck twice). WMT buys these from Dell and sends them to a "Joy Systems" (no, I never heard of them either) for refurbishing. I called Joy and "Dan" says I'll get the missing parts in two working days.

    Meanwhile, WMT says I've got 15 days from receipt to return it. Even if parts don't show up (I'm not optimistic), I've got enough old stuff around here to hook it up, so I may call tech guy to walk me through it -- Joy wipes the disc clean; there's nothing at all on it and I don't want to foul it up installing something. Anyway I'm on hold for now. Hope it works out, otherwise there's an expensive new Dell in my future (but, shoot, I don't want to run Win 8).
    Last edited by Black Bart; 11-18-2013, 01:15 AM.
    Tags: None
    #2
    Send it back

    I'm no I.T. whiz, but with a new Dell costing $500 that would put an end to all such hassles, you can still get $238 back on the used unit. There are still going to be accessories to spend money on, unless the unit comes with a mouse, keyboard, etc. (and it probably does not).

    And ATX is a resource hog. (I used to have ATX). Switched to Drake and never regretted it. The only thing I did like about ATX was it was forms-based. Not questionnaire-based like many of the others.

    As I grow older, I am more firmly convinced that "bigger" does not equate to "better." Especially if the "bigger" is part of a conglomerate. The pressure for profit is not evil itself as some believe, but this leads to thinning out the resources, both in number and in quality, for its member companies. Better if the company is small enough that its ownership is intimate with the product itself and not so enamored with wonderful speeches.

    Comment

      #3
      I have two

      Bart
      I have purchased two of the same units from WM. Have had the about a year. They have worked fine. Only thing is they did not have wifi. I do not run my tax program on them. Red

      Comment

        #4
        >>>>

        .... However, ATX has sent out a hardware minimum specs sheet and I'm 2 Gig short on RAM this season. Tech guy quotes $100+ for an upgrade and, as you know, we will need WIN 7 or up next time.
        ....
        Meanwhile, WMT says I've got 15 days from receipt to return it.

        <<<<

        Hardware is not very expensive these days you can get a decent system that meets ATX requirements for less than $500. Check Tigerdirect.com; Newegg.com and a few online store for quotes.

        I do not buy computers on Craigslist for business use.

        Here is an offer from OfficeMax that looks reasonable to me.

        HP Pavilion 500-070 Desktop
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        Reg: $559.99
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        Your Price: $449.99
        SPECIAL OFFER ON MCAFEE
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        Buy this Computer and Save $60 on McAfee LiveSafe s (24060604) (Limit 1. Offer Can Not Be Combined with Any Other Offers. Offer Valid 07/07-12/12 Midnight CDT)
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        Buy this Computer or Tablet and Save $20 on Select Microsoft Office Software (23881328, 23882452, 23882461, 23907337) (Limit 1. Offer Can Not Be Combined with Any Other Offers. Offer Valid 01/29-12/28 Midnight CST)
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        Ships In: 1 to 3 days
        Item #: 24041145
        Manufacturer #: H5P76AA#ABA
        Last edited by ATSMAN; 11-18-2013, 11:53 AM.
        Taxes after all are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society. - FDR

        Comment

          #5
          re: memory hoging, I use Drake and still use WinXP and it runs fine, I plan to go one more tax season with WinXP, thank you Drake. My strategy on buying new computers has been buy way more capacity than you need and keep the computer longer, I have had my Dell Tower for 6 years and it's still running fine, so I plan to stick to this strategy.

          Comment

            #6
            I like the way you think.
            "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectful" - John Kenneth Galbraith

            Comment

              #7
              Used never made a lot of sense to me.

              Go to your local office supply store and check out their clearance section. Add memory until you have the most it'll hold and you are most likely going to be fine for many years. From a quick glance, it appears to me you could get a desktop for $380ish that will last many years.

              I prefer laptops so I can take work home or to the clients office. Bestbuy online for some unknown reason discounted a particular color of laptop by 40% and kept the model going. I got a great deal.

              Comment

                #8
                Originally posted by John of PA View Post
                re: memory hoging, I use Drake and still use WinXP and it runs fine, I plan to go one more tax season with WinXP, thank you Drake. .
                Assuming you got that from the horse's mouth (Drake), thank you for the information. I had it on my list this week to check. Looks like I can get one more year out of my HP and that'll make it 11 years.
                ChEAr$,
                Harlan Lunsford, EA n LA

                Comment

                  #9
                  Chea,
                  Drake actually told me the software actualy runs better on WinXP, thank on Win7 or 8. Of course, Drake will have to abandon XP when Microsoft stops supporting it, in a year or 2, maybe?

                  Comment

                    #10
                    The issue is looming larger than you might think.
                    April 8, 2014 is the magic date.

                    After than, MS will no longer issue updates & fixes, which means XP will be highly vulnerable to hackers and other mischief-makers. Reading the attached article is a little scary, especially since the first "permanent zero day" is exactly one week before the tax filing deadline.

                    Zero day forever–move away from Windows XP, now
                    http://www.pcworld.com/article/2046839/zero-day-forever-move-away-from-windows-xp-now.html
                    In a new post, Microsoft reminds users--again--that Windows XP support ends in April. But this time, Microsoft attempts to demonstrate the security risks of XP.


                    Maybe others who are more computer knowledgeable than I can comment on the seriousness of this threat, and the risks involved in staying with XP.
                    Last edited by JohnH; 11-19-2013, 12:25 PM.
                    "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectful" - John Kenneth Galbraith

                    Comment

                      #11
                      Make it 2014, because Microsoft will stop issuing security patches for Win XP on April 6, 2014. So for any tax prep software for tax year 2014, they would have to make sure it runs on Win 7, Win 8 and Win 8.1.

                      They may not technically support Win XP, but if you can make it run, more power to you. But keep in mind you are missing security patches so it may be dangerous to have confidential client data exposed to hackers.
                      Taxes after all are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society. - FDR

                      Comment

                        #12
                        Drake said XP should be fine as long as we have a good anti virus software (I use ESET). Many of Drake's tech support people will still be on XP. In the long run, (not right away) without Microsoft supporting XP, it will become easier for hackers to hack into your system (Hackers being organized crime, anywhere in the world) but that degree of "easier" slowly developes, it slowly gets easier each year Microsoft no longer has upgrades. I do plan on going to Win 7 or 8 in the fall (2014). In surrmary, the security risk very slowly developes, starting April 8th and we should be fine for the rest of 2014. If we were, for example, still running Windows Professional 2000, hooked up to the internet, which has not had Microsoft upgrades for a few years now, we would be very vuneralbe to being hacked into.

                        Comment

                          #13
                          You could still keep the Win XP computer to run old versions of tax prep software as long as you don't connect to the internet. I have an old Gateway computer with Win 2000 and previous versions of tax software.
                          Taxes after all are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society. - FDR

                          Comment

                            #14
                            That sounds fine except for Efiling I have to be connected, unless you mean only connect while Efiling.

                            Comment

                              #15
                              With the older software I am not doing any e-files and neither am I checking for any updates for a 2008 version.

                              I guess you could e-file if your software allows a prior version.
                              Taxes after all are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society. - FDR

                              Comment

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