My Gateway’s days are now officially numbered.
February 21, 2007, 6:15 PM
Yes, my Gateway’s days are officially numbered. I’ve ordered two computers as its replacement. A Dell Dimension and a Dell Inspiron. So I will have a desktop and a laptop. Why both? Well, the old Lappy showed promise as being something useful for me, but as it turned out, Dad and I seem to each be unable to share.
It works out, too, because the amount I’d budgeted for a new desktop machine worked out to be enough for a desktop and a laptop – which is the arrangement I really wanted anyway.
What’s really going to be weird is to actually retire the Gateway (Gateway 2000, to be accurate). I’ve had that computer for nearly nine years. I got it on the same day that the last episode of Seinfeld aired: Thursday, May 14, 1998. I remember it was state-of-the-art when I first got it. A 400 MHz Pentium II, 128 MB of RAM, a 10 GB hard drive, a DVD-ROM drive, and a TV tuner card were considered high power back in their day. A Zip drive was added to the system in December 1998, and a CD burner in January 2000.
Then during the summer of 2001, I gave the computer a mid-life rehabilitation, intended to outfit it for another three years of service. The 10 GB hard drive was replaced with an 80 GB drive, 128 MB became 384 MB, the DVD-ROM and the CD burner were replaced with more powerful versions, four USB ports were added, and the TV card was replaced after the old one had proven problematic. Then in March 2003, the Zip drive was replaced with a second DVD-ROM drive (making three CD/DVD drives total), inherited from my sister’s old Gateway. Then I changed to a dual-monitor configuration in early 2005.
The old Gateway had also seen three scanners and four printers. The scanners were first a Mustek scanner, and then later an HP ScanJet 4300C. The third and final scanner was an HP Photosmart C3140, a combination printer and scanner. Printer-wise, it’s only seen HP products, going from a DeskJet 600C (carried over from previous computer) to a DeskJet 672C, then to a DeskJet 930C. Then when that went kaputskie in September 2006, I replaced it with the aforementioned Photosmart C3140.
It’s also seen six different operating systems – probably more than most computers see. It started out with Windows 95, went to Windows 98, went to Windows 98 Second Edition, then to Windows ME, Windows 2000, and then finally Windows XP Professional. I want to say that the computer spent the shortest time with Windows ME, since it was generally a hideous operating system. The longest time was spent with Windows XP, from October 2001 to the present.
And now, it has almost reached the end of the road. I’m currently waiting around the house for UPS to show up with the Dimension. The Inspiron has not yet shipped. Once I get settled into my new computer, the old Gateway will essentially be scattered to the four winds. Some components will be sold. Some components will be discarded. And others will be carried over to the new computer. The case itself will likely be sold, to house someone else’s future computer dream. The reason for this, as I figure it, is that it has greater resale value as individual components than as a single operational unit.
And while I’m waiting for my new machine to show up, I’m goign to start burning CDs, to help lighten the move. Plus I’ve been meaning to burn a whole bunch of stuff to CD for a while anyway, so this is as good of a time as any.
Song: What is the name of the actual song that "Bugging You" is based on? I heard it recently in a restaurant, but have no idea what the actual title is.
Quote: And by the way, there was never any thought about buying another Gateway machine. Gateway used to be an awesome company, but I'm no longer as thrilled with them as I once was.
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