Chuck Van Eekelen

I just went (PC iTunes) to store and bought a track, it downloaded and now sits in my iTunes folder. It’s M4A-format, but that should not be a problem to convert to something useful LOL

And good ole boombox Blex works too!

<Moderator comment>

Just so there are no misunderstandings:

@Fixmymixer: Please change your username. Our Posting guidelines specifically state that it is only allowed to use your real name or your DJ name. All other (commercial) names are strictly prohibited. Failure to comply WILL lead to a ban from the forums. When you originally posted you had a different username, hence I too let it slide, due to the usefulness of the comment. Clearly you have changed your username since.

@all: Please take a moment to read the Posting Guidelines before posting things. It makes our moderator lives so much easier if everyone just sticks to them.

A tool for getting rid of bloatware (although I feel it’s slightly less useful than in the times of Windows XP through to Windows 7) is pcdecrapifier.

@Todd: There is a probable connection to the anti-spam system, something that can’t easily be changed or pinpointed apparently.

It seems to happen especially when you try the link option from the “menu”. If you just put the link in the text it (mostly) works.

Keep reporting problems though, please, it will help us with improvement of the forums.

This is what we call here “Supermarket”-controllers. They are on sale at places like Lidl and Aldi, low-end supermarkets that have lots of different non-food specials on every week. One week it’s running gear, the next time socks and the third time it could be controllers like these. If that stuff interests you, but you don’t have budget/knowledge, it’s very easy to get lured into getting one. I think this one at full retail is only 125 euro or so, including sound card and LE version of Cross DJ.

While it’s true that Mac are targeted less than Windows PCs, doesn’t mean they are “invulnerable”. As I use my Mac only for DJ-ing/Music purposes I hardly ever go online with it. Still I have a free version of Avira for Mac running.

The Windows 10 update thing is a pain indeed. As Peter said killing the network connection will sort of solve that in the moment. And you could also (have someone) make your system dual-boot with a separate install of Windows 7 for example that you use only for DJ-ing.

CCleaner (formerly known as CrapCleaner, hence the two Cs) is a free download for private use. Windows has a thing called Registry where all kinds (10s of thousands of them) of settings are saved for all the programs you use as well as Windows itself. Also Windows will store tons of temporary files. While they are intended to help you work faster, after time both Register deterioration (too much entries that are no longer correct) and loads of temporary files start to slow down the overall performance. Something like CCleaner (I use it in combination with Wise Disk and Wise Registry cleaners) will clean your disk and registry and provide a noticeable performance increase or keep your performance high if used on a regular basis.

On Windows I would use the dual-boot option I mentioned earlier to have a DJ-only mode for your laptop and a regular use mode. At startup you pick which one you want. You can make both share a part of the hard-drive where you share your music so it can be accessed from the general use option (downloading, preparing, etx) and from the DJ side, without the need to ever go online with the DJ side. This way, if something goes wrong with the general use side, you can still DJ and even reinstall the other mode without “hurting” your DJ mode.

For Mac this is not really an option or necessary (although there are some multi-boot options, typically used to add a Windows option to your Mac next to the original Mac OS), I’d always opt to have two different users setup. One for DJ-ing, the other for general use stuff. On a Mac user separation in the Operating System seems better than on Windows, but that might just be my perception.

As for getting used gear, I understand your problem. I have had two now and are happy with both. Not saying there is no risk and obviously only buy after you saw it working, looked it over closely, tried out all connections (USB, video port). If you don’t feel comfortable invite a computer-savvy friend along when you go inspect the goods.

Refurb is often an option as they will have been professionally tested and cleaned, often with a clean install of the OS with the latest updates and even come with some warranty on it. Clearly you will pay more, so that’s a decision you’d have to make.

Macs are expensive, no two ways about it. People that spend that kind of money on a laptop tend to take good care of their stuff. Unless you are very rich, you don’t generally throw around your 2.500 dollar laptop like it’s an old blanket. If you are buying from the original owner, there is a more than fair chance that you will get a well-cared for Mac. Things like the sturdiness of them help keeping them in good condition as well.
So, is it risk-free? No. But I feel far more comfortable buying used Macs than I would be buying other brands.

The choice between Air/Pro is a personal one. If you want a bigger screen than 13″ (and I personally can’t use that small a screen with age-deteriorating eyes), the choice is pretty much made for you as that is the biggest screen you can get on an Air I think. That said, it’s nice and compact and I know of plenty of DJs who use one of them. Things like no DVD player are no longer an issue as the more recent Pro’s don’t have those anymore either. Also, who uses DVD players anymore. For CD ripping purposes you can get a simple USB attached CD/DVD player.