Laptop advice for complete novice!

feelingblue

I apologise straight away for starting another thread on this subject but have been reading 'laptop' posts and feel more confused than ever!

I am a 'mature' student and not a techie! I appreciate all your 'techie' advice but really need information on buying a laptop in 'non-techie' language. Please reply as if I were a child and no offence will be taken!!!

Here goes! I need a laptop really for word processing (am used to Microsoft Word), spreadsheets (Microsoft Office, I think), and to use the internet from my bedroom (no telephone line) so I assume I need wireless. Four things:-

1. We have PC downstairs with a black box thingy (modem?) plugged into telephone cable (broadband) for internet. Will this need to change?
2. As I am with tiscali downstairs for £15.99 per month for broadband - do I have to sign up on a laptop with a provider and pay twice? Or is it free? Really cannot afford twice for the limited time I will be using it.
3. In really simple terms what should I look for in a laptop for my sort of usage? There is a medion MD98300 Windows Vista with dual core technology coming to Aldi on 10th May for £460 which is a bit more that I wanted to pay but is it worth paying that extra? Brochure sounds excellent but then I don't understand what I need!
4. Because I am useless at dealing with problems on my desktop PC (and having been ripped off in the past by certain repair/PC maintenance people), I really need something reliable, fool-proof and relatively simple!

I would really, really appreciate any advice! Thanking you all in advance!

BeerBelly

Hi Blue,

Hopefully this will shed some light:

1.) What type of device is the black box? Is it quite small and does it connect to your PC and then the phone line or is it the size of a DVD cover, with a lot o fports at the back? You need to check whether you have a broadband modem or a broadband router - most new installs will give you a adsl/broadband router, which is most cases also has wireless compatibilities. This second one is what you need. If you don;t have one, don't fret as you can pick tyhem up shortly now-a-days.

2.) If you already have Internet, no you don't have to pay twice. In the older, early days of Broadband, you would of had to pay for business broadband, but this is no longer as issue. You can connect several devices to your internet without any trouble. via an ethernet connection (network cable directly into back of router) or in your case, buy a wireless card for you laptop (also very chear now-a-days.

3.) Don't be blinded just by Vista, have a look at the hardware spec of it. Dell also do good laptops for a good price. Bear in mind if you just want to use it for office apps and the internet, your unlikely to want an all singing and dancing one that has a powerful graphics card ..etc. Look for the main 3 things: Processor Type and Speed, RAM (512MB, 1GB ..etc.) and Hard Drive Space (60GB, 100GB ..etc.) - if your looking to get the price down and are using it for those purposes its unlikely you will need one with a widescreen, really high resolution, powerful graphics and sound cards - however don't compromise on the 3 main things I mentioned for the sake of price as you want it to last you a while.

4.) In that case stick with a laptop that has Win XP on it for now! You will automatically get a year's warranty on the laptop if it develops a hardware problem because it is a new electronic good, but you might want to barton and see what warranty deals the vendor offers - although a lot of problems can be fixed by doing a bit of digging on forums, so don't look to spend much money! I managed to get a 3 year warranty in Dixons down from £84.95 to £54.95 untl he offered it to for me £24.95 - in that 3 years I had 3 brand new, different (better model) MP3 players when mine had a fault. Also, I wouldn't go to an idenpendent company for a one-off computer fault/problem, as you will pay over the odds, they want take any liability and can't provide you with a replacement laptop if worse comes to worse - you will need to look at what you feel comfortable doing.

Hope thats given you some ideas to think about.

feelingblue

The black box thingy in the back of my computer has two solid lights (when connected) and is connected to my phone line and computer. It says speedtouch on it and is slightly larger than a cigarette box.

I know I sound really naive - but what is an 'ethernet' cable?

Having read other posts I am also concerned about 'the future' (aren't we all!!!:D ) because I shall be studying for another 4 years which is a long time in computer technology, I understand! And should I buy hi-spec which will last?

My brother recently purchased a desk top pc from dell and he has had lots of trouble with it and terrible after service - when the driver (?whatever that may be!) packed up the next day they wanted him to pay to fix it! Obviously he wouldn't and it was sorted but has continued to have other probs so am a bit wary of that particular make!

Do you know much about medion? Just briefly it states in mag:-
AMD Turion 64 x 2 TL-50 dual core processor (1.6Hz)
15.4" WXGA Widescreen Display
1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM
120GB Hard Disk
NVidia GeForce Go6150 graphics
8 x Multi-standard DVD/CD Burner with DVD-Ram and Dual Layer Support
Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g
6-channel audio out (analogue + S/P-DIF)
4 in 1 memory card reader
2 multimedia speakers
Fast Ethernet 10/100Mbit/s on board
V.90 Modem including modem connection cable.

Do you think £549 is a good price for this spec or could it be cheaper

If you have time I would really appreciate if you could explain the above in simple terms too!!!

The software package is Windows Vista Home Premium (would this have Word on it?), Microsoft Works (is this spreadsheet/data base), WinDVD, MediaOne Gallery, Video Studio, PhotImpact 12 SE, Nero Essentials, AOL pre-installed - (Would this be a problem as I use Tiscali downstairs?), Symantec system recovery and bullguard internet security package. Phew!!

I will be expected to make powerpoint presentations too so would this software be suitable?

It also comes with 3 year manufacturer's warranty.

And just another point - I am quite a quick touch typist so would a larger keyboard (relevant to size of screen, I assume) be an asset?

Sorry if that's loads of questions but I really am treading water here!!!

searchlight123

ethernet is just a wire that plugs into the back of your computer and into the modem to connect the 2 together. your proposed laptop: ensure it has built in wireless capabilities which means it will connect to your modem/router without the need to plug in a wire (ethernet cable).
i recently bought from pcworld a 15.4" widescreen laptop, compaq, 1024mb of ram, 80gb hard drive, windows vista home premium and its brilliant. they still have them on offer at £399 - an absolute steal!!!

cledor

Your Speedtouch device is probably an ADSL modem only so you will need to replace with a wireless ADSL modem/Router such as Netgear DG834G or Linksys WAG200G or similar. This will connect to your existing PC by wire and to your future laptop by wireless. Make sure your existing PC has a network socket on the back (similar to a telephone connector but wider) and if not you will need to buy a network card (around £5) or a network adapter.

The spec of most currently available models should be more than adequate for your requirements, so it will be a decision based on supplier reputation, reliability and customer reviews. If you get bundled OEM software then MS Works is the cheapest product available as it's a cut down version of MS OFfice. But you can get Open Office for free nowadays so there should be no problem in having a package similar to MS Office.

As for AOL, DO NOT load it as it will take over your browser.

BeerBelly

Ethernet cable is a network cable. Your PC or laptop (which almost certainly will have one) would need a network interface card to use this. They are mainly used whjere you have computers connected to a network (at work, on a domain ..etc.). Don't worry though as you can attach it to your home PC via USB and use a wireless card in the laptop to connect to the router to get your internet.

Thats spec does seem good for the money. Haven't heard of the make before though. Also heard a few battery life issues (not that long) with Sony Viao laptops.

You will need to get a broadband router and wireless card (they usually come bundled together) that sell everywhere now-a-days.

Good Luck with your purchase.

cledor

BeerBelly wrote: »

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You will need to get a broadband router and wireless card (they usually come bundled together) that sell everywhere now-a-days.

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Most new laptops come with built-in wireless "802.11b/g" spec, so you won't need to buy a wireless card with the adsl router.

jampton

Medion laptop seems to be bit pricey - I paid dell £340 for a similar specced machine about a month a go - however if you don't do Dell have a look at this

COMPAQ F504EA at £ 399 at currys link

# AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core TL-50
# 1600 MHz HyperTransport
# 512 KB Cache
# 1 GB RAM
# 80 GB Hard Drive
# DVD ReWriter MultiDrive
# 15.4" BrightView Widescreen
# Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
# 128 MB nVidia GeForce Go 6150 Graphics
# 1 Year Free Warranty

As for explaining it is it enough to say I bought a similar machine recently (for me it provided the right balnce between functionality / price as well as having a reasonable chance of lasting 4 or 5 years (as did the machine it replaces)

I am mature but haven't been a student for a while ! - i think students may get discounted Microsoft Office software. Maybe you could inquire at your college. Yes all new machines should be capable of presentations.

A 'proper' keyboard could be plugged in and would cost a fiver and upwards

Being nosey - what course are you doing ?

BeerBelly

Ethernet cable is a network cable. Your PC or laptop (which almost certainly will have one) would need a network interface card to use this. They are mainly used whjere you have computers connected to a network (at work, on a domain ..etc.). Don't worry though as you can attach it to your home PC via USB and use a wireless card in the laptop to connect to the router to get your internet.

Thats spec does seem good for the money. Haven't heard of the make before though. Also heard a few battery life issues (not that long) with Sony Viao laptops.

You will need to get a broadband router and wireless card (they usually come bundled together) that sell everywhere now-a-days.

Good Luck with your purchase.

gotan

There's a microsoft office student edition but make sure that it has powerpoint and isn't just the basic one (which used to be powerpoint reader only, not doing your own presentations).
Also if you do a lot of typing like I do, you are going to find lots of laptops have truly horrible keyboards, so you may want to get one with enough usb ports to plug in an external keyboard. Dells laptop keyboards are ok for touch typing imo. IBM very good. Otherwise pop into somewhere that sells different makes of laptops and try them out.
Someone on here advised me to check out screens before ordering, which was good advice as most laptops now have glossy screens which can be tricky in certain light or reflective - although I still haven't found a good one within my budget (Sony X black and Lenovo matte are the best imo but send the laptop up to the £1000 mark).

For Dell tech support on the other PC, use https://www.saynoto0870.com and try one of the Ireland nos. I recently had a Dell fixed at home and it was sorted out well. Question of who you get. It's frustrating, but they do tend to replace everything rather than nitpick about exactly what is wrong as they are big.
Definitely if you are not a techie get a laptop with a decent warranty. NBD onsite if possible if you are going to be lost without your pc.

BeerBelly

Ethernet cable is a network cable. Your PC or laptop (which almost certainly will have one) would need a network interface card to use this. They are mainly used whjere you have computers connected to a network (at work, on a domain ..etc.). Don't worry though as you can attach it to your home PC via USB and use a wireless card in the laptop to connect to the router to get your internet.

Thats spec does seem good for the money. Haven't heard of the make before though. Also heard a few battery life issues (not that long) with Sony Viao laptops.

You will need to get a broadband router and wireless card (they usually come bundled together) that sell everywhere now-a-days.

Good Luck with your purchase.