windows machine.

[Jody Ake]

hey guys,
i need a new computer to run my desktop. i have been running off an old mac but its on the way out. So i thought i would buy a new windows laptop but i am not sure if can run the shopbot on widows 8. I have never owned a windows machine and i am not sure what to get. any advice?

[dana_swift]

What I did.. was let my friends know that if they had any old XP boxes they were going to retire to let me have them, I would give them a good home.

I ended up getting about 10 running computers FREE several with early LCD monitors! I use one of them to control the SB. One is dedicated to browsing the web, what would it hurt if it got a virus? I dont do any business or buying on that machine. One I put linux on running Ubuntu (a real nice Linux version).

That leaves several computes sitting around without any specific application.

XP works great for controlling the bot. So save some scratch and see what you can get for nothing!

The newer versions of Windows don't offer anything the bot or the design software requires. Ask around, you may surprise yourself!

D

[jTr]

Dana's option sounds fantastic.

If you'd rather go new, I recommend going straight to a local computer tech store that can build one specific to your needs. If you buy off the shelf, you'll need to be aware of all the pre-loaded garbage that sometimes cannot be completely cleaned out. You can visit the Black Viper web page for help on safely disabling many of the disruptive things you do not need or want running on your control computer, but He's not fully up to speed on dealing with Win8 yet.

For the value of your time considering all the above, I think it is wisest to have one built from scratch - super clean and tweaked for it's intended use.

Also, I started with a laptop for my Alpha 9660, but experienced USB issues (not uncommon) - settled on an Asus tower and have had no glitches since.

jeff