Kurts, can you please expound on this a bit? Do you mean the print driver (within windows) is faulty from the factory, or is it just a terrible platform, or are you in fact referencing to HP printers have trouble communicating with 64-bit Vista applications?

I *think* I know what you're referencing but I wanted to be sure.

I'm looking to grab a new printer soon, wanting to go totally wireless in the office and keep a sleek look. But, I'm wondering if there are actions I need to take to prepare beforehand.

Thoughts?

 

Gotta admit I've never run across Malwarebytes but I'll give it a once over - thanks for the suggestion, 70!

I HAVE heard of TuneUp '09 & everyone who has tried it loves it. Indeed, for those of you who aren't interested in futzing with Msconfig or your registry or any other number of computer optimization software you cannot go wrong with 70's suggestion!!

 

John,

I'll admit, the drivers that haven given me grief personally have been those for printers a year or 2 old that we've tried to get to work on our virtualized 64 bit server platforms - & we get the runaround from HP Support. Frankly, we've just given up on some of our older HP MFP's & just went out & bought either newer HP devices or have gone, in some instances, with Lanier MFP's.
I would assume that if you plan on purchasing a new printer, & HP is in your sights, you may not have this same trouble.

I am a big fan of HP printers (the LJ 1200/1300 series are as durable a printer as I've ever worked with & I've been fixing printers for 25 years. Plastic yes, but we've beaten the crap out of ours) but try to stick with their laser printers. Ink jets are cheap but you'll pay in the end for their overpriced cartridges. Kodak sells an excellent ink jet & have purposely priced their cartridges cheaply to try to grab market share from printer manufacturers like Lexmark & HP. The problem is trying to find one!
It always depends on your budget!!!

Good luck!

BTW, whats the latest word on the new PC? Any more issues?

Oh, SRT's suggestion is definitely worth some time! Bad power will certainly create all kinds of weird, sporadic, hard-to-figure-out issues. If you even suspect your power is questionable spend the money on a line conditioner.

 

HP printers seem to win in paper handling - they just plain seem to do it better.
One thing to try is download JUST the drivers - stay away from the HP printing suites that offer all the ,widards, helps, utiilites and other crap. In the long run these applications always cause trouble. Plus they are always transmitting info and looking for updates.
If you can not get just the drivers see if there is a custom install option during install, some of the newer HP offerings allow you to choose aps or just drivers.

 

Next time get a Mac. Never need anti-virus software.... never get a blue screen.... never have headaches with software/hardware problems. My wife's PC notebook died after a little over a year. Paid $1,200 for it new. Now we are a Mac only home. We have a 13in White Macbook, and the new 13in Macbook pro. I am a software engineer, and develop applications in C#/.Net for the PC platform, but I am so glad to be PC free at home. Cheers

 

Don't Macs run Intel chips now instead of the Motorolas?? Macs have less viruses because of less marketshare, but isn't that on the rise now??

 

Yes, Intel inside! BTW even Apple says they have never run better since switching over to our Intel processors.

The real difference is the OS. Yes, more chance to get a virus using Windows. Far fewer if using Linux. But Jeep2Xfire is spot on, it has to do with the sheer numbers. If you run a Mac unprotected, it is only a matter of time before you will hit a virus.

 

Mac OS X, is built on the Unix kernel, which is one of the oldest and most secure operating systems available. so, yes..... you can attribute fewer if any viruses to the OS. Beyond that, and aside from the intel processors, MAC hardware in my experience is much more reliable. I leave my macs running 24/7, and have never had to reboot either of them due to a lock up or blue screen. Before I owned a Mac, I did not get it when others praised their Macs. It is one of those things that once you do own one, you get it.

 

Not to belabor a point, but it is mainly because of the OS.

That said, the manufacture and components in Macs are tightly (you can pick a stronger word if you want) controlled by Apple. Take off the cover and it would be hard to tell a PC from a Mac. But because there is ONLY ONE source to buy a Mac, they can and ususally do use the highest quality components. You pay a price for this. On the PC side, you have literally hundreds of brands many who build mainly to a price point. Overclocking and aftermarket add-ons/ins can severly compromise a system. End users taking advantage of the easy upgrade choices for the PC often overlook using validated or tested components (especially memory). A good independent and even the major brands offer lines that also use the best components. When comparing them, price is pretty close to even with a quality Mac.

Like I say it mainly comes down to the OS. In Microsoft's defense, they have to put in a lot of extra code to handle software and hardware that is generations old. Because of the huge marketshare for the Windows OS, some of the software is written "loosely" which further compounds issues.

What it really boils down to is software and what you want to do with the computer. Mac or PC, get a good one and be happy

 

I have been using Mac sense 1980 and in all these years NEVER had a single virus. Now I do from time to time have hard-drive problem, my iMac is at the repair shop now getting a new hard drive, but this is the very first time I've ever had to call anyone to repair my system. I run mine extremely hard 24 -7 for Graphic Design application, heavy on memory eating programs and HUGE working files like magazines and large maps etc. It is by far the best computer I have ever owned... I have three.

Deb

 

And now for a timely article on free A/V applications:

http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/5670545/321998/214265/0/

 

Sounds like AVG is a good choice - easy to use and not difficult to use and not intrusive. I do not mind about the malware being a bit behind as I also use Malwarebytes