There you are!!! You are difficult to find. So you think (as do I) that my problem (crashes) has been not with "XP" per se, but the limitations with this Inspiron 8200? What do you think of this I am running? Processor Mobile Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 - M CPU 1.80GHz, Processor Speed 1.75 GHz, Memory (RAM) 512 MB, Operating System Version 5.1.2600

The above for Boxxi! "There you are!!!"

No I think it is user error. What I mean is it could be the way you are using it or maybe it is a hardware glitch. I dunno.

No hard feelings.
[Message Edited]

Ouch Kona0187!!!

Ron: I know nothing at all about laptop computers, but as someone else said, the crashes are more likely to be software related.

Alrighty then, I will do some looking at Dell desktops and build a couple of monsters! Thanks Boxi!

Oops! Boxxi...it's getting late.

The specs you gave on the Dell laptop are fine for running XP. You'd need to do some troubleshooting and be more specific about the behavior that led you to say that XP was unstable. Sometimes it's the little things.

Ronald, Apple computers aren't bad computers at all. But bear in mind that if you already have purchased a bunch of programs for your Windows computers, NONE of them will work on your Mac. You'll have to purchase them all over again. Word, Photoshop, or whichever... It'll be like starting all over again from zero. Your Stardock programs will NOT work, but nothing else will either. No games, nothing.

You'll find the switch quite expensive.

BTW: I have a DELL Inspiron 8500 and it's extremely stable.  I suspect you have a software conflict somewhere. You should use your DELL CD and restore your computer from it's original condition if you don't find another solution, way before you should buy a newe computer.

I have used current Macs and PCs.  My father-in-law is a die-hard Mac user.  He keeps his OS current and uses all the current stuff, so I try it out whenever I am over there.  Now, I will say, his monitor kicks my monitor's butt.  That is about all it has going for it over my Dell.  The OS itself is a pig.  When he is showing me "features", it will randomly hang or crash.  He blames it on the new OS, which is possible.  Also, remember that the graphics are not going to be "better" than on a PC because they are both using the same video cards.

I run Dell's at both home and work.  The only time that I have had to reboot is when I do something completely stupid.  My home machine has not been rebooted in months.  My work has only been rebooted when I test stuff. 

The Mac is also more difficult to network, especially if you try to share printers with a PC.

I had thought about getting a Mac for home, but they cost too much and the ones that I have played with seem quite unstable.  I do have to agree that it is most likely the OS, not the hardware that causes the issues with Macs.

And, yes, you can use XP on a Mac through virtual PC......if you like a lot of pain and incompatibilities

ronald, my old man's got an inspiron 8200. once a month, its on the workbench in our IT department because something's gone wrong with it. i don't know WHAT he does to it but his platform is VERY unstable. on the otherhand, my boss has the same computer and never has had a problem with it. my guess is there is a software problem, a driver of some sort, that is bringing you down. dell's are not the best built machines, albeit they are certainly the most popular. some programs bring them to a grinding halt, i've heard Norton is one of them.

all of my friends/buisness partners in my field use macs, and i'll tell ya.. macs are real nice for certain jobs, but you have to pay a lot of moeny to get them to a stable point and outperforming windows.

Thank you sig101, paxx, KarmaGirl, and DesignCaddy. Your information (input) is well-taken. Yeah, I will go with Dell Desktops. You are correct DesignCaddy, Norton does in fact slow things down. When I go to build the desktops, I will ensure (hopefully) that they are as solid as possible. One of the major problems we have over here in the U.S. Virgin Islands is tech support. The folks from DELL Latin America are clearly not being trained enough. Most of them give up too soon and recommend a clean installation of XP. Personally, I think (since January 2003) 5 clean installations were not necessary, but I am limited in knowledge.

WinCustomize is a Web site and it is not Platform specific...

If you go to the Dell Support forums you will probably run across the exact same problems you are running into which someone will have posted a solution to...

Also, their admins actually do know the hardware and will help as much as they can...

just a thought...

WinCustomize is a Web site

Didn't I say that waaaaaaay back on #2

yes

But, I'm slooooooooooow getting there tonight