Possibly the last blog...

...I'll make on this computer, as my new PC is arriving today. This old machine has given me and my family over seven years of service, although early on, it had to be serviced many times. (I believe the problem was bad wiring in our house. We must have moved it to a steady breaker, as it's been working fine for about five years now.)

I've been the only one who's bothered to upgrade this thing, except for some software. I first added a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive (it came with a CD-ROM drive), then later, after I bought it from my parents for $300 (which is more than it's worth), I added a DVD-RW drive, an 80GB hard drive, and most recently, I doubled the memory.

However, I decided to get a new one, because what I really needed was a better processor (Intel Celeron sucks), and that could mean a new motherboard, and that would be too much trouble. Also, the memory could only be upgraded to 512 MB, and it still wasn't enough for some applications I need to run. Also, we're looking at 1.10 GHz, making the fact that I've made so many YouTube videos on this an astounding accomplishment.

After I get my files moved and everything moved and set up, I'm giving this old computer back to my dad.

Here's a comparison of this old one to my new one:
Hard Drive Space
Old = 20GB, added a 80GB drive
New = 80GB (I will be adding my secondary 80GB drive from this one)
Memory/RAM
Old = 256MB, 512MB with upgrade
NEW = 1GB, 2GB with upgrade I have ordered
Gigahertz (GHz)
Old = 1.1 GHz
New = 2.8 GHz
Processor
Old = Intel Celeron Processor
New = Intel Pentium 4 Processor
USB Ports
Old = 4 1.0 USB ports
New = 6 2.0 USB ports
Operating System
Old = Windows XP Home
New = Windows XP Pro

I'm not interested in Vista...

Can you TELL I'm a little excited? The only thing I'll need to get a replacement for is the monitor, but dad says I can keep it until I can get one, and Shaun has offered to let me use one he has stored here. I'm also looking for a good deal on a new printer/scanner, as the one I bought back in 2005 has bit the dust.

The only other electronics I'm wanting to get is a camcorder, because I'd like to film better-quality videos (I can do it with my digital camera, but you don't get good video unless you have very good lighting, which means BRIGHT lights or natural light), and I do want to get an iPod so I can enjoy more of my music, such as I have.

I also have the nagging feeling that someday I'll have to get an HDTV and Blu-Ray player, because vinyl records vs. audio cassettes vs. CD vs. digital audio and VHS vs. DVD taught us that companies won't do dual formats forever, so eventually, in order to see new movies, I'll have to make the switch. Fortunately, I've noted you no longer need to spend thousands of dollars on a HDTV and Blu-Ray player (you can buy them for less than $1000), so by the time that happens, it should be less of a wallop on the pocket, but I'm holding out with DVD.