We are currently experiencing "technical difficulties" at the G. household (basically, the gerbils that power the ancient computer in the office have gone on strike and are refusing to power anything any more).
Will be attempting to restore some semblance of order; barring that, it may be time to pony up and buy a laptop (bringing our computing power into the late 2000s rather than relying on turn-of-the-millenium hardware)... Any thoughts on good/bad laptops? Minimum configs, etc.? We're hoping to wipe the old computer and use it as a server for the laptop(s) down the road and possibly as a homework machine for the kids down the road...
Stay tuned. It may be a bumpy ride, but we'll get it sorted out. And watch the news for "man goes berzerk and shoots PC 185 times with a rifle"... In which case it may be significanty longer before we're back...
That is all.
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Don't get Vista, at least if you run iTunes.
It automatically sets your desktop wallpaper to the "BSOD" theme ....
That said, we got a good, inexpensive Acer laptop for the Mrs. at Circuit City. She's pretty happy with it.
No advice on specific models. In general
Avoid Vista if practical. (probably difficult at this point) If you need Microsoft Office, it is usually cheaper to get it pre-installed. If you just need something *like* MS Office, Open Office is a free download and works fine.
I'm happy with a very low-end laptop ($515 including tax, in December of 06), using an external keyboard and mouse most of the time. I did upgrade the memory from 512mb to 2g--Cost about $50 from Crucial.com, well worth the cost. I'd pay more attention to how the keyboard and such feels than speed. (Then again, I'm a keyboard snob, anything but an IBM Type M is a poor compromise...The older Thinkpads were close)
Avoid.Vista.Like.The.Black.Plague.
Get at least 1gb of RAM.
Couple questions to ask... How much do you want to spend? FYI, you'll get twice the computer out of a desktop for the money vs a laptop/notebook.
Microcenter has some good bargains, usually, and even if you're stuck in-store pickup only, they're right on MemDrive in Cambridge.
For instance, Microcenter has this Acer Aspire laptop for $379.99, in store pickup. Newegg reviews seem to love Acers. It's also hard to go wrong with Levanos (IBM got rebranded to Levano). Sony and HP are good brands, but more expensive for what you get.
Another thing, you definitely want to stay WAY away from vista, but if you get a machine pre-loaded with it, your vista product key is still good to use for a downgrade to XP, you just need to borrow someone's CDs to install. With Windows OSes, what counts is the product key, not the disks themselves. The only issue you may run into with downgrading is possibly drivers issues. But with the bargain machines you say you want, you probably won't have a problem.
My favorite source online is newegg.com and I find the product reviews useful. I've built Bill's current computer and My current win/linux desktop from parts from there.
OTOH, if it's just a powersupply, that's a really easy repair/replacement and perfectly good powersupplies can be had for well under $100. Depending on your needs, you might be able to pick one up for $50.
I got the Dell Vostro from their business line of computers. No pre-loaded crapware, and you can order it with XP.
Pretty happy with it so far.
I'm pretty sure it's a software issue - basically, the machine just starts running slower and slower until it freezes completely and I have to reboot it.
I don't know it was coincidence or not, but I was in the process of updating Spybot when it started. There was a glitch in the update and everything went pear-shaped after that...
I'm going to try to download SpyBot again and re-load and see if that helps in a few.
Connection is spotty right now - sometimes I can get on and stay on for 10-20 minutes; sometimes 10-20 seconds.
I took Monday off; I think I'll hit Circuit City and see what I can get for a cheap laptop...
Thanks for the advice everyone!
Here is one in my price range.
Now all I need to do is figure out how to get it hooked up to the internet...
Guess I need to finally figure out how to hook up a router, eh?
I've been using a Lenovo 3000 N100 for the last few months. Serves well for work, checking blogs, surfing porn... everything a good ladpot should do. Paid around $500 for it as a refurb.
Only issues have been the speakers (I could care less: brining a $10 set of externals to the office with me), and Firfox 3 was giving me issues (cleared up after switching from AVG to Comodo). Otherwise, it's been perfect...
One note of caution, I bought an Acer a few years ago. On my recommendation two other friends bought one also.
All three were dead as fried chicken within 16 months.
I've since heard many similar horror stories about Acer.
Joe
Mental note: Spring for extended warranty if getting the Acer...
Important safety tip. Thanks Joe!
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