Computer problems and/or advice 2012

[David Pilling]

I toyed with the idea of a 17" laptop, but bought a 15.6" one and have not regretted it.

[alpines]

As everything in the house is Windows no Apple recommendations please.

It's never too late to change Martin. An Apple a day keeps the PC Doctor away!!!!!! and I'd go with the 17". Nothing quite as tasty as a Big Mac. *LOL*

[David Nicholson]

Don't expect it to last a long time Martin. The smaller they are the smaller the components and the quicker they breakdown it seems to me.

[ChrisB]

I wanted one of those all in one computers with everything in the screen, but my techy guru talked me out of it for that very reason David.  Laptops are another matter, a necessary evil I reckon, but much more difficult to sort out if they malfunction.

[ranunculus]

Don't even consider anything but an Apple, Martin ... from Cliff and Sue STILL in the beautiful and sunny Dolomites.

[David Pilling]

Don't even consider anything but an Apple, Martin ... from Cliff and Sue STILL in the beautiful and sunny Dolomites.

Balance - I mostly use Linux on  my Samsung laptop. So one can escape the Windows devil at no cost.

I suppose you need to decide are you going to carry it around a lot and will you actually use it on your lap when thinking about size.

Battery life in my experience has been a joke. It is almost always tethered to the mains socket.

[Martinr]

Cliff, stay in the Dolomites...it sure as heck aint sunny and dry here!

Sorry we had to leave you behind.


I knew you'd say Apple, Apple, Apple but as I said this is a Windows house with lots of Windows compatible software I'm not going to spend money replacing. Don't have a problem with Windows (internet explorer is another topic!)

Alan, that Big Mac joke was terrible ps have you got humidity to match the termperature just now?

David P, I've already reached the 15.6" decision, our desktop has a big screen if I need one and portability is quite important. Today's machines, if chosen wisely, will give 4-5 hours from a battery charge unless you're doing intensive stuff. My last work supplied Dell would last 5.5 hours doing MS office programmes, e-mail and web surfing.

David N, they last longer if you refrain from using them as a Frisbee

[David Pilling]

Hi,

The life of a programming man is always intense... respect to Dell if you can get that long out of the batteries.

Probably there are machines with ARM chips that will run for a lot longer, and the likes of Chromebook

[David Nicholson]

......................................
David N, they last longer if you refrain from using them as a Frisbee

Oh! Didn't know that

[alpines]

Alan, that Big Mac joke was terrible ps have you got humidity to match the termperature just now?

When did you ever know me to tell a joke that wasn't terrible Martin?
No.....thank goodness, the humidity has stayed relatively low. We've just got back from the 4th July parade in Lexington and it hit 98 degrees and was HOT!!!! but no issue with the humidity. ......but it's coming so they say :-(((((

[Alan_b]

If your car is an Audi then your computer should be an Apple.

If you want a Windows computer then for heavens sake don't wait until Windows 8 comes out because it isn't Windows as we know it.  Most people find Windows 7 pleasant to use.  Right click and use the 'Pin to task bar' and 'Pin to Start menu' options to place your program icons conveniently.

For security software, Microsoft Security Essentials is perfectly fine and free.

The best ordinary laptops I have seen use an Intel Core™ i3 processor.  If you shop around you should be able to find a decent one for around £400.  There may be an option of paying a premium for a long-life battery pack.  For a more premium product step up to Core™ i5

In my opinion Sony Vaio models tend to be overpriced.  Acer tend to be competitively priced but their reputation for build quality is not too good.    Advent is an imaginary brand being the name given by PC World (and their associated companies) to computers bought-in from other manufacturers so any form of technical support can be problematic.  I would probably go with Toshiba or HP, possibly Lenovo or Samsung if buying for myself.

For improved performance and robustness (at the expense of reduced storage capacity) consider a solid state hard drive (SSD).  You might need to retrofit this (or get someone to do it for you) as computer manufacturers still seem to regard these as something that should only be fitted to their top-of-the-range models; this despite the fact that now they are not that much more expensive than a standard hard drive.



 

[TC]

http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/some-ugliness-installing-an-after-market-ssd/

Here is an article by an expert on trying to fit an SSD to a laptop computer.

I'm sorry but I do not know how to make this a direct link.  I just cut and pasted it.

[TC]

  I have just checked it and it seems to work.  The wonders of modern technology!!

[Alan_b]

Terrible article!  Purportedly about SSDs but the conclusions are:

• Crucual disc transfer software is duff.
• Acer computers are badly engineered.

oh and

• If you've got more money than sense you can void your warranty by taking the case off an SSD and still get it to work!

[mark smyth]

Two computer questions

1. any secrets to improving Google ranking?

2. I need to buy a new desk top computer. What should I look for?