best deals on new laptop

dprovan

Hi all

I am looking for a new laptop... My current laptop dell inspiron 6400 is almost dead (3 years old) and has become very unreliable constantly shutting down on its own etc...

I need a laptop that has wireless capability, other than that I am easy...dont really use the laptop for games or anything too consuming... Just to surf net, listen to music etc.... Any recommendations for current good deals?

I am also looking to get internet connectivity on the move and had considered a deal to add the two together...free laptop with 24 month connection... But my suspicions are that those deals will be dearer in the long term... no such thing as a free lunch and all that.....

Any advice appreciated

thanks

Marty_J

What's your budget?

Apple MacBooks are very nice. Apple have the highest customer satisfaction of any computer manufacturer, and of course, you'll get the world's most advanced operating system, MacOS X.

macman

Dell Inspiron 1525 (if you have been happy with Dell)? Or a netbook if you want true portability and don't mind cramped keyboard and no optical drive.
I think you have answered your own question on mobile broadband. If you are not happy with the connectivity you are already locked into a long contract. Work out the total cost over 2 years and compare what you can get elswhere-and consider that mobile bb prices will most likely come down over the next 2 years.

dprovan

thanks guys

my budget I suppose no more than £500 ideally... Feel I should be able to get what I need for that

penrhyn

Check out the latest Dell customer offers here:-

http://www.dmxdimension.com/

dprovan

hi loaner

im not sure i even have the original windows disk to install.... is this easy to do?

mrdtrotter

Dell XPS M1530, if you have had Dell in the past don't make the mistake of changing now...

penrhyn

dprovan wrote: »

hi loaner

im not sure i even have the original windows disk to install.... is this easy to do?

If you don't have a disk you may still be able to use the Dell system restore facility.
Running it will wipe everything off the harddisk and restore the syetem to its as shipped state. So you would need to back up anything you want to keep before you start.

Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec

NOTICE: Using Dell PC Restore permanently deletes all data on the hard drive and removes any application programs or drivers installed after you received your computer. If possible, back up the data before using PC Restore. Use PC Restore only if System Restore (see Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore) did not resolve your operating system problem. NOTE: Dell PC Restore by Symantec may not be available in certain countries nor on certain computers. Use Dell PC Restore by Symantec only as the last method to restore your operating system. PC Restore restores your hard drive to the operating state it was in when you purchased the computer. Any programs or files added since you received your computer—including data files—are permanently deleted from the hard drive. Data files include documents, spreadsheets, e-mail messages, digital photos, music files, and so on. If possible, back up all data before using PC Restore.
To use PC Restore:

1. Turn on the computer.

During the boot process, a blue bar with https://www.dell.com appears at the top of the screen.

1. Immediately upon seeing the blue bar, press <Ctrl><F11>.

If you do not press <Ctrl><F11> in time, let the computer finish starting, and then restart the computer again.
NOTICE: If you do not want to proceed with PC Restore, click Reboot in the following step.

1. On the next screen that appears, click Restore.
2. On the next screen, click Confirm.

The restore process takes approximately 6–10 minutes to complete.

1. When prompted, click Finish to reboot the computer.

NOTE: Do not manually shut down the computer. Click Finish and let the computer completely reboot.

1. When prompted, click Yes.

The computer restarts. Because the computer is restored to its original operating state, the screens that appear, such as the End User License Agreement, are the same ones that appeared the first time the computer was turned on.

1. Click Next.

The System Restore screen appears and the computer restarts.
After the computer restarts, click OK.

This was extracted from the user manual which you can find here:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins6400/en/om/trouble.htm#wp1064105