[TenTec] (ham station computer choice)

[Ron Notarius W3WN]

FWIW:
 
I just spent time & shekels over the last few months to upgrade all of the "home" computers -- mine, my wife's and my daughters.
 
I was able to get refurbished Dell Optiplex 760's from Dell Financial Services.  They all came with at least 2 GB of RAM, an 80 GB hard drive, and Windows Vista Business installed.  Clean install, no other "stuff."  And they come with a 30 day factory warranty.
 
All three machines easily upgraded to Windows 7 Professional using the Dell OEM Windows 7 restore DVD.   Not surprisingly, they run even better under Win 7 than Vista.
 
Now... I bought the machines from DFS via eBay.  So prices may vary, but in every case, it was less than buying comparable machine from the DFS outlet page on Dell's web site.  In fact, I just got another one the other day to set up for another ham.  Cost for the machine was $65, plus tax and $10 shipping.
 
Anyway, this has let me phase out the old Compaq mini-towers we used the last few years, all of which were XP machines.  If anyone would like a Compaq (either with 'native' XP or with Linux (Ubuntu) installed) just let me know and we can work something out... I hate to simply trash working machines...
 
73