Question for computer geeks, netwrk. admins, or anyone

[127.0.0.1]

go with new machines, windows 7, with built-in XP mode

[tomato]

Originally Posted by brotan1x

I am sure you have tried to state your case about life cycle management and software licenses with the business. COST is always the issue with any business and right now everyone is tightening their belts.

Keep in mind that Windows 2000 Extended Support is ending on July 13, 2010

After this what little patch support and driver updates that were being pushed out will cease and you will eventually have to move forward to a new operating system in order keep your network secure. It is possible that Dell will deny your request to extend the warranty based on the operating systems age.


MOVE FORWARD!

Test Windows 7.. Dont' waist your time on Win2k.. XP has little time left.. Vista is more like Millenium Part Duex. (which we all have probable spit on that one a a few times)


Good luck with this gig.. I hope they are paying you well for this.. and if they aren't .. ask for a raise.

Hi, Brotan and thanks very much for the post. I'm not sure I understand exactly what you meant by the first sentence (in bold). But the rest of the comment makes excellent sense to me. I remember Millenium very well

Originally Posted by 127.0.0.1

go with new machines, windows 7, with built-in XP mode

I agree.

You're all being extremely helpful and what you guys are saying makes a lot of sense ! Thanks guys.

Any other ideas, please feel free to keep them coming !

[brotan1x]

Tomato (and sorry I took so long to respond.. I went to the lake for a few days)

What I meant by...

I am sure you have tried to state your case about life cycle management and software licenses with the business.

In my job we always look at the current needs but always weigh in the future needs. The immediate needs may be satisfied by not spending money but what happens when hardware starts to die and the software you are using is no longer compatible or supported by its manufacturers. It is a very good idea to create a technology life cycle plan to manage the work places needs. This way the computers and softwares don't fall to the wayside when you are concerned with support.

Where I work we make it a point to replace each machine 42 months after the purchase. We also purchase the extended warranty. Once the machine hits that 42 month old date the business unit has to option to replace the machine or wait until it dies. We (IT) make the recommendation the business unit replace the machine within the next 12 months as to not lose production time if it fails. The idea being.. If it dies at a critcal point then you lose production time turns to loss of money.

We keep up with software licenses and have deals with specific companies to upgrade our licenses at a discount price as long as we continue our maintenance agreements. This way we stay up to date with the latest software.

The best thing about it is if you keep good records on this stuff you can plan when you need to purchase new equipment and software then submit it in a yearly budget.

A good result is workplace moral.. Less 'end user' complaints about slow equipment... Less driver and software update concerns. Saving money and time in the long run. Lets not forget production time improvements..

Buying on need is a good way to save money.. Planning the future need is the better way to thrive.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by brotan1x

Tomato (and sorry I took so long to respond.. I went to the lake for a few days)

What I meant by...




In my job we always look at the current needs but always weigh in the future needs. The immediate needs may be satisfied by not spending money but what happens when hardware starts to die and the software you are using is no longer compatible or supported by its manufacturers. It is a very good idea to create a technology life cycle plan to manage the work places needs. This way the computers and softwares don't fall to the wayside when you are concerned with support.

Where I work we make it a point to replace each machine 42 months after the purchase. We also purchase the extended warranty. Once the machine hits that 42 month old date the business unit has to option to replace the machine or wait until it dies. We (IT) make the recommendation the business unit replace the machine within the next 12 months as to not lose production time if it fails. The idea being.. If it dies at a critcal point then you lose production time turns to loss of money.

We keep up with software licenses and have deals with specific companies to upgrade our licenses at a discount price as long as we continue our maintenance agreements. This way we stay up to date with the latest software.

The best thing about it is if you keep good records on this stuff you can plan when you need to purchase new equipment and software then submit it in a yearly budget.

A good result is workplace moral.. Less 'end user' complaints about slow equipment... Less driver and software update concerns. Saving money and time in the long run. Lets not forget production time improvements..

Buying on need is a good way to save money.. Planning the future need is the better way to thrive.

Thanks very much for your articulate answer. I appreciate your taking the time to write back.

This company's philosophy is to extract as much as possible of the machines (same with people actually ) until they drop. For that reason, I tend to agree with the posters who suggested to forget about XP and go with Win 7 in a couple of months. The applications *require* windows, perhaps would run on Linux but the users would hate it ...