Best place to buy a Desktop by Thankgiving Weekend?

I'm in a time crunch as my father needs a new Desktop and I am only home for a few days around Thanksgiving to set it up. I need the bare minimum: He only uses it for email, music and light web-surfing. He doesn't game or watch movies. He's a grandpa - you get it.

He lives in the 18020 zipcode and I was going to build him a DELL, but it would never get to him in time. Here are the stats and I'm hoping someone will refresh my mind about a great store to go to (Best Buy is the only thing coming to my mind for some reason) or an online dependable store that can ship that fast.

Specs needed:

• Windows XP or Windows 7 (he's used to XP and I don't want to blow his mind with something too different)
• Word/Excel (is Open Office a good idea?)
• Outlook Express (this is what he's used to)
• 100 GB is plenty of space for him (though I think most start at 250)
• He uses RCN cable (no wifi needed)
• He has a monitor - so a tower alone is fine
• No virus protection as I'll upload him the free ones from here
• $400 tops

I'd love any and all advice. I just am not savvy on where to buy one since I am a Mac user. Costco?

I will also need to transfer his stuff from the old one to the new one. Is it called a "crossover cable?" Is that what I should get and how much should it run me? Do I need a software as well?

He's going to need his emails from the old computer as well. Do I create (it's been awhile...bear with me) .pst files in order to do this?

I know - a lot of questions, but if you can answer any part of this, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for helping me and my father!!

Stephanie

 

Greetings, Stephanie...

I've always had good purchasing, variety, and support experiences with Best Buy, and with the economy situation, I'm sure they would price-match any better deals...

It's going to be hard to find an in-store machine with XP installed - most outlets are really pushing Win 7, or trying to clear out the Vista models...

As far as the Outlook Express, I'm not familiar with the exact procedures, but there should be an Export function that will transfer files to another computer...

Data file transfer can always be tricky when you let Windows handle it - my preference would be to use a USB flash drive to just copy/paste data between machines...you'll have to reinstall any programs he's using on the new machine, anyway...

Good luck - and I hope your father enjoys his Thanksgiving gift!

 

Outlook Express was replaced by Windows Mail in Windows Vista and by Windows Live Mail in Windows 7. This should help with the migration: Migrating Messages in Accounts from Outlook Express to Windows Live Mail. I believe the best way to do this would be to install Windows Live Mail on the old computer, transfer the mail into Windows Live Mail on it, and then export to a folder than can be copied to the new computer and then imported into Windows Live Mail on the new computer.

Here's a good computer from Staples: http://www.staples.com/Compaq-Presario-CQ5210F-Desktop-PC/product_828021?cmArea=FEATURED:SC3:CG71. Retail is $400, so it would be a little above $400 with sales tax.

 

Thank you all so much! This is a great to work from. Will the Window's Live look and act similar to Outlook Express? And if I download Window's Live to my dad's old computer, it'll be able to grab his emails he has saved in folders? That's what's most important.

 

Windows Live Mail looks significantly different from Outlook Express but, in my opinion, acts similar. It has three folders that Outlook Express does not have; they are: Unread e-mail, Unread from Contacts, and Unread feeds. These three folders are under a separate section heading called Quick Views. Below that, the folders Outlook Express users are familiar with (Inbox, Drafts, Send Items, etc.) are displayed. Instead of a button named Send/Receive All, it has a button named Sync. Both Windows Mail and Windows Live Mail have calendars integrated with them.

Actually, Windows Live Mail looks more like the Outlook component of Microsoft Office than Outlook Express. If you're running Win XP or later Windows, you could download it and take a look before you visit your father.

And yes, it'll be able to grab his emails he has saved in folders. However, it will create a separate group of folders for the imported mail. In other words, he'll see two Inboxes, two Sent Items, etc. Some manual effort is required to move messages from the imported Inbox to the regular Windows Live Mail Inbox, and so on, if desired. This is discussed in the link I posted in my previous post.

 

So I just bought the EMachines EL1300G-01W as it was on a Rollback sale at Walmart. They didn't have it at my store and to ship it there may mean getting it in December, so I spent the $30 I saved on the computer on 1 day delivery so I am ensured it gets there on time.

The drawback is that it is Windows Vista. Does this mean Windows Live still or Outlook Express? If you know, please let me know so I can prepare for the swap.

Thanks again!

Stephanie

 

As previously stated:

Windows Live Mail can be downloaded and installed with Vista if desired but Windows Mail is fine and has a closer resemblance to Outlook Express.

 

Oh, good. I'm sorry to ask one more question: What's the best way then to get Outlook Express folders into Windows Mail?

 

Same as with Windows Live Mail. See my first reply.

 

I just wanted to tell everyone that the computer upgrade and transfer of files/email went SMOOTHLY AND WITHOUT A HITCH!!! I was in complete shock how easy it was.

Thank you SOOOO much for helping me out of what could've been a very stressful Holiday.

Happy Holidays!

Stephanie