They are old, they do not like change. They want a big 24"ish screen and an all-in-one. They use it for essentially nothing, web shopping, E-mail, occasional word processing. Windows only.
What's the best for lack of bloatware that will just work forever, and run windows? Cheap is better.
Thanks!
There are 24” tablets now. Worth a look as they’ll do all of that without the inherent instability of Windows.
In reply to Stefan :
You've exceeded the operating parameters for a pair of octogenarians who won't handle it.
I feel like this is a trick question. I've never found an all in one that I liked. How about a PC with a 72" monitor? Easy for you to tear into when the memory takes a dump on your free time?
tuna55 said:In reply to Stefan :
You've exceeded the operating parameters for a pair of octogenarians who won't handle it.
Right and Windows 10 is soooo easy to learn compared to Windows XP or 7 for said octogenarians.
I’ve done the PC for old people thing and it never works out the way you think.
The best thing to do is find a reasonable piece of hardware that is generic and sturdy enough to be able to build and rebuild when some piece goes awry. Then build the OS they are most likely to use and configure it just the way they want, then lock it down so they can’t make any changes. Now snapshot it and put it on a DVD image that you can make available to whomever is closest to support it.
None of the above works with an All-in-one. The closest thing would be, a tablet as they have their OS loaded as a firmware that is difficult to permanently change or break for the average user.
The parameters of what you’re asking for are wrong, I’m suggesting a different set of parameters and solutions to solve the actual problem.
Obsolete gaming PC running Ubuntu (Linex)? This will give you 0 bloat ware. I did this for my mother 4-5 years back and she love it.
Chrome book running an external monitor?
Chrome book running an external monitor?
Chromebooks are the easy button. Quick, simple, automatically updated.
All wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.
This is is what they have now. Replace in kind or do not play.
In reply to tuna55 :
This thread is going in typical GRM fashion.....
I suggest and iMac....LOL.
A Chromebook with external monitor actually is a decent suggestion if you are willing to get them used to the changes.
What windows are they running now? Windows 10 is strange and takes a a decent amount of tinkering to get it to look and act more like Windows 7.
I don't know much about windows all in one boxes, so I can't really offer any sugestions.
I had the /exact/ same parameters for both my grandmother and my in-laws. All lifetime windows users and terrible with computers. We shopped basic windows boxes hard.
Both got iPads, both complained for about 12 hours, and ever since they love them. Literally couldn’t imagine going back to PCs.
Could a Microsoft surface tablet fill the void?
Get a refurbished Optiplex 9020 AIO install a $60 SSD and call it a day?
Tom Suddard said:I had the /exact/ same parameters for both my grandmother and my in-laws. All lifetime windows users and terrible with computers. We shopped basic windows boxes hard.
Both got iPads, both complained for about 12 hours, and ever since they love them. Literally couldn’t imagine going back to PCs.
I too replace my 80+ M-I-L with an ipad. I even went so far as to add a keypad case so that it generally felt like a laptop initially. She has loved it and is on her second one now so it must have been 5+ years now.
She's not great with it but it gives her what she needs and...she can sit in her recliner and use it!!!! She has taken it on cruises so that she still has her card games with her.
Find a local guy. Spend too much money having him build you a dedicated box with nothing but the bare essentials.
This is GRM, why aren't we recommending the cheapest Android tablet possible instead of an iPad? 
To the OP's question - with your parameters I'd be tempted to get a used 21" or 27" iMac and Bootcamp it if they really want Windows. Probably not the latest generation, but one a few years old should be pretty affordable.
tuna55 said:All wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.
This is is what they have now. Replace in kind or do not play.
Ok, I wish you good luck, but there's nothing more that we can do to help you as you are being stubborn and want things spoon fed to you.
http://bfy.tw/JeiF
We all love you, but seriously AIOC's are terrible pieces of kit and generally aren't built well or last terribly long and Windows is a terrible OS for older people to learn as the interface changes dramatically from version to version on top of the chances for it to fail in random and obtuse ways.
BoxheadTim said:This is GRM, why aren't we recommending the cheapest Android tablet possible instead of an iPad?
To the OP's question - with your parameters I'd be tempted to get a used 21" or 27" iMac and Bootcamp it if they really want Windows. Probably not the latest generation, but one a few years old should be pretty affordable.
because he's being stubborn and he's ignoring people who do this for a living and understand the underlying needs rather than just replacing like for like and hoping they can adjust to Windows 10 without blowing it up or refusing to use it.
Stefan said:We all love you, but seriously AIOC's are terrible pieces of kit and generally aren't built well or last terribly long
Pretty much agree on this, which is where the recommendation for the iMac came from. At least the ones that are a few years seem to last OK-ish compared to other AIOC. But like laptops and their lack of repairability, AIOC are pretty expensive and generally not that great compared to your average beige under-desk box.
I don't get what's so hard about Windows 10? It sounds like they need 2-3 desktop icons. Web Browser, Word Processor, and Email.
The corporate-spec Optiplex AIOs that I would suggest have been very reliable in my environment. You might also consider a Mini with a VESA mount on the back of a 24" monitor:
In reply to Stefan :
With all due respect, just because you do this for a living doesn’t mean you have a clue about his needs.
One of the wisest things I’ve ever heard was said by my son in law (a software engineer)... “We engineers make lousy users”.
He didn’t ask what was easy. He asked what was similar. They don’t need to learn 10. They know it.
(Although I do agree there are sometimes better solutions)
Change is a real fear for older people. My 92 year old father is incapable of pressing the power button on an iPad with someone watching over his shoulder. He never will.
Stefan said:BoxheadTim said:This is GRM, why aren't we recommending the cheapest Android tablet possible instead of an iPad?
To the OP's question - with your parameters I'd be tempted to get a used 21" or 27" iMac and Bootcamp it if they really want Windows. Probably not the latest generation, but one a few years old should be pretty affordable.
because he's being stubborn and he's ignoring people who do this for a living and understand the underlying needs rather than just replacing like for like and hoping they can adjust to Windows 10 without blowing it up or refusing to use it.
Or maybe you're being stubborn and ignoring what he's asking for to push your opinion instead? I'll never understand the, "no my opinion is right" mindset when you're talking about a situation you really don't understand.
Ok, so after close to 20 posts, it looks like red_stapler actually provided something that Tuna originally asked for.
Let's talk about Dell Optiplex pros and cons and/or alternatives. If you want to talk about non windows based all in one PCs, then make your own thread about it. Alternatives have been suggested and rejected. Move on.
tuna55 said:What's the best for lack of bloatware that will just work forever, and run windows? Cheap is better.
The maximum period a Windows computer can run, with careful maintenance, is defined by the support period of the OS release plus the time needed to develop a crippling remote exploit. So you have to go with Windows 10 which is a rolling release that will go to at least 2025.
Which computer? Just about any one will do if you install yourself and avoid all bloatware. Lenovo has good hardware quality and little bloatware from my experience.
Best Buy's pricing has become pretty competitive for stuff like this; just go down there and see what looks good. Push comes to shove, download a Windows 10 installer to build a loadable flash drive with, format and re-install the image from Microsoft. Right now they've got a Lenovo, 24"-ish screen all-in-one for $700.
If you have a micro center near you look at there referbs. I have found some really good deals there over the years.
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