What should I lool for in a laptop/notebook? I would like to trade my desktop Dell in on a notebook. Isn't DeBora the one who has had nothing but trouble with her Dell? Any help or tips are welcome!
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"Do the best that you can where you are, and be kind." by Scott Nearing
I got a Compaq Presario. We are happy with it. Before you get the add on insurance, check with your credit card company and see if they have insurance on any electronic purchases made on the credit card. Some do, some don't.
A laptop will be nice when we are on trailer vacations. A desktop is nice to use too.
A mouse can be plugged into a laptop.
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Ellen in PA
"God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of love, power, and a sound mind."
Connie, yes I am the one who has had nothing but trouble with Dell. The 3 times I've had to call them, I've been on hold for hours and then, when I did get a human-being the people that I talked to could NOT speak enough English to carry a conversation. I am still having problems with mine, but none of the techinicians that I have hired can figure out what the problems are. Dell says that if I trade it in for a non-lemon (this was before the warrenty ran out last month) that they would charge me!
My PC is a Gateway and I never had trouble. Mostly, I called because I was a rookie on the Internet and didn't know how to do something. They were always ready and willing to help me. When my fan started making noises while the computer was under warrenty, they sent me a new one. Since I lived in a non-Gateway place, they walked me through how to install in over the phone.
Granted the Dell just may be a flke lemon. But, they refused to help me. I bought the Gateway in 2001 and I am still using it for home use. I have heard people that LOVE Dell. The Gateway may be a bit more expensive, but I wish I had paid the extra price because the the cost of technicians, I am paying what I would have paid for the Gateway. jmo
We had a gateway PC it worked okay. Ds recieved it thru Make a Wish. It was a rebuilt and not all of it worked. BUT the people were so nice and always helped me. They spoke English as a first language. Our Dell we haven't had any problems with it. But if I need to talk to Dell, their people are dumb. I am thinking Dell since I could trade in this PC.
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"Do the best that you can where you are, and be kind." by Scott Nearing
Location: Originally from the Home of the only 6 times Super Bowl Champs!
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Has anyone heard that Michael Dell is making plans to bring his technical help back in the US? We read this about 6 months ago.
I have owned nothing but Dell computers. I have always bought an extended warranty with mine and have never had any trouble with them fixing or replacing a problem. I love my computer!!
I do have a big complaint about talking to people on the phone that I cant understand--especially when Im already upset about my computer problems! Then they want me to run all kinds of tests! I have had to ask to speak to someone who I can understand and then I get the problem resolved.
Tami, I hope that is correct. I know people who have Dell laptops that are totally happy with theirs. I don't know if mine is a lemon and has some glitches or what. The only thing that I haven't had problems with is physical hardware problems. When I first got the computer, the keyboard was broke. I got that replaced right away! Then, when another hardware device broke, they also replaced that right away as well. As for the software or problems with the computer behaving properly, I haven't been able to get that taken care of at all and had to pay a technician to handle them. However, there were a few that he couldn't figure out. That is why I think that my computer may have some glitches or is a lemon. It would have been nice to have had Dell help me fix it or replace the computer as I called with the problems within 2-3 weeks after I received it.
Also, I paid a ton of extra money to get Microsoft Word, as it did not come with it. 21 days after I got my computer and was trying to do a spell check in Spanish, it told me that I did not have that feature. Plus, I was not given the CD so that I could down load it. Dell told me that it was my fault for not telling them that I wanted that feature!!! I paid for the software and should have received all the features that came with it. I ended up having to go buy Microsoft Word at the store.
As you can tell, I am not a happy customer with Dell.
You need to ask yourself what you want the laptop for. No matter what, you want as powerful a machine as you can afford, with high speed, lots of ISB ports, lots if RAM and lots of ROM. If it will be a supplemental machine, you probably will want to be able to network it with your other computer(s). If you want to create a lot of graphics, you will need a highend graphics card on it. If you want to play a lot of audio stuff, you probably want to have additional plug-in speakers. For heavy internet use, speed is essential.
We've had multiple brands of machines over the last 22 1/2 years. We must have had about 45 computers over the years and currently run 7 networked machines (3 laptops, 4 desktops). We've had our best experiences with Dell which also seems to give the best "bang for the buck." We don't like Compaq or HP (which bought Compaq) because the basic chip they use is not "industry standard" and some programs have problems running. Most of the major programs are ok, but if you frequently download programs from development sites like we do, it isn't a "sure thing" that they will work properly. Other than that, however, any of the "brandnames" will be fine.
Thanks again! I think I will go for a Dell. I will also check out my local computer store to see that they have. I think I will trade this desktop in but being four years old, doubt if I will get much out of it. If that is the case, they I may hang on to it. Yep, they will all be networked. I was told there is a new program that runs xp and a mac program. I was also told that medical programs run mac. Need to check this out. I will get a laptop with the plans of using it when I open my own business. That way I have what I need even if I don't open my own business and work for someone else.
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"Do the best that you can where you are, and be kind." by Scott Nearing
I agree with Elizabeth. When I ordered mine, I made sure they knew I needed to be able to do PowerPoint, Excel, Microsoft Word, printing, scanning and so forth. I told them I needed it for school and would need to be able to cart it to class and work on the Internet and many of my professors post their lectures on their Web sites. Some laptops aren't able to handle a lot of stuff such as a printer and a scanner as well as various software.
You might want to make a note of what all you anticipate needing. Also, I paid extra to get Word and soon discovered that it didn't have all the features. I would advise you to inquire to make sure all its features are available to you if you pay for the extra software.
Ellen in PA 
