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Computer setup for solo operation – Advice please (LONG)
Well, the time is coming where I am going to have to upgrade/replace my computers. I have had my trusty desktop for 6.5 years, and my laptop for about 5 years.
The desktop works great, and I have no problems with it. It is running XP professional. It is a workhorse. It only has 2GB of Ram, well it may have 4GB of RAM, I can’t remember.
My laptop is pretty good, but it does struggle sometimes with some stuff. I think it is more of a Vista issue as opposed to the actual hardware.
I was told that any and all support for XP is stopping in April, and that there may be potential security issues after that. The desktop has some age, and I am concerned about hard drive failure. I have all of my important data copied onto two separate external hard drives. I want to keep it running, but will probably take it off of the internet, and install a second hard drive with the original hard drive mirrored on it, if that is possible.
The desktop is my main workstation, as it is just more comfortable for hard core drafting, word processing, etc., in my opinion.
The laptop is great for field calcs, and traveling, which I seem to be doing on a regular basis, at least this past year. I also seem to picking up more construction layout, so having the laptop is crucial.
One problem I do seem to have sometimes is keep up with the most current version of my jobs between the desktop and laptop. Emails in two different computers can also be difficult to keep up with sometimes as well. Chris uses a laptop as his main computer for his business, and doesn’t seem to have any issues.
My daughter is getting a Toshiba Laptop 64 bit running Windows 8, and it has 6GB of RAM (expandable to 32GB) for Christmas. I cranked it up right after it got here to go ahead and get the shared printers and network set up on it, and that thing is smoking fast. I am not sure I like the Windows 8, but I could probably get used to it. One thing I do like is the built in keypad, which is real handy when keying in deeds using Carlson. I paid $375 for it including taxes and shipping.
My main concerns are compatability with my existing equipment. I have an HP Designjet 650C that works great, and I do not have the means or desire to replace it anytime soon, as long as it is working. I live too far away from the city to use a print service, so a plotter at the office is a must. I have Hiper Lites, and a Ranger 200T, and they use a serial port, but I have a good serial to USB converter.
I use Carlson Survey Standalone 2008 with embedded Autocad, Topcon Tools 8,2, GNSS Solutions, Open Office, NitroPDF on a daily basis.
I am considering getting a laptop similar to my daughter’s new laptop, and possibly using that as my main workstation, and keep using my existing laptop in the field. I do carry one of my external hard drives with me at all times, which is handy when I need to access older jobs when on the road, and Dropbox is pretty handy as well.
I am also considering upgrading to Carlson 2014 with embedded AutoCad, but am concerned that my current laptop may struggle with it. My Carlson Survey 2008 works great for my design surveys and boundary surveys, but it is becoming more common for me to get drawings that I have to run through TruView, which can be a pain sometimes. I also need to coordinate software upgrades with Chris, because we are having some compatability issues now. We work together enough that is important.
I am looking for suggestions, pros and cons, etc. I want to keep things simple. Thank you very much for any and all advice.
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