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#1
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Hi,
I need to buy a laptop for my daughter before she starts college. Her school is currently Win XP Pro based and will be changing to Vista in the late spring. The IT dept stated that they have had some compatability issues with students using Vista and that if possible I should find a Vista compatible system running XP. Of course I am looking for speed and memory. Any info would be appreciated. I realize everyone has their horor stories relating to customer service but that is the nature of the beast.
Thanks
I need to buy a laptop for my daughter before she starts college. Her school is currently Win XP Pro based and will be changing to Vista in the late spring. The IT dept stated that they have had some compatability issues with students using Vista and that if possible I should find a Vista compatible system running XP. Of course I am looking for speed and memory. Any info would be appreciated. I realize everyone has their horor stories relating to customer service but that is the nature of the beast.
Thanks
#3
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Do you need a system running XP that is compatible with vista ?
why not just buy a machine running Vista ?
why not just buy a machine running Vista ?
#4
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Originally Posted by ReallyAGXP
why not just buy a machine running Vista ?
You might as well tough it out through the problems until the new patch updates are available. All new operating systems have their issues early on. Good luck!
#5
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I have fixed these things for years.
remember the most important part of purchasing a laptop.
HOW MUCH IS THIS P.O.*. GONNA COST ME TO FIX.
Cause it may break remember to get the AWWW #$%^& warranty. It costs more and covers the display and sometimes liquid spills
Now on the actual cost. Per part the Toshiba brand is most cost effective.
IE: sony mother board 900.00 IBM 1500.00 Toshiba 300.00.
Also the most commonly broken part in a laptop is NOT the display. It is the ac power jack (like I said I have done this for alot of years) toshiba designed their mb with a seperate ac power connector, 15.00 for the part plus labor (which costs)..... Ibm, Dell, Compaq etc and the ac power connector is soldered to the MB which requires attempting to fix it or replacing the mb. see above for prices.
Anyhow.. I have not seen the latest models of every maker but from past expeirence I would buy a toshiba for myself. I am currently typing on an IBM cause work provides it.
Others.. may have more first hand knowledge of the newest models but this is what I have seen in the past.
remember the most important part of purchasing a laptop.
HOW MUCH IS THIS P.O.*. GONNA COST ME TO FIX.
Cause it may break remember to get the AWWW #$%^& warranty. It costs more and covers the display and sometimes liquid spills
Now on the actual cost. Per part the Toshiba brand is most cost effective.
IE: sony mother board 900.00 IBM 1500.00 Toshiba 300.00.
Also the most commonly broken part in a laptop is NOT the display. It is the ac power jack (like I said I have done this for alot of years) toshiba designed their mb with a seperate ac power connector, 15.00 for the part plus labor (which costs)..... Ibm, Dell, Compaq etc and the ac power connector is soldered to the MB which requires attempting to fix it or replacing the mb. see above for prices.
Anyhow.. I have not seen the latest models of every maker but from past expeirence I would buy a toshiba for myself. I am currently typing on an IBM cause work provides it.
Others.. may have more first hand knowledge of the newest models but this is what I have seen in the past.
#7
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ya if she is goin away to collge make sure ya get the warrenty!!! i paid like 400$ for a 4 yr warrenty and its already paid for itsself.. the only thing it doenst cover is if it gets thrown intot a pool.. but ive already had the screen replaced and the hdd
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Originally Posted by mstrwolfgang
Originally Posted by ReallyAGXP
why not just buy a machine running Vista ?
You might as well tough it out through the problems until the new patch updates are available. All new operating systems have their issues early on. Good luck!
#9
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I do need a system that is running XP now but can run Vista when the school converts over. I did speak with Dell and they offered one low end unit which could be upgraded but would have only Core Duo processor and not the Core 2 Duo processor and other such restrictions, basically older units. I have had my problems with both Dell & HP service, I just cannot decide which was worse.I understand that college is about learning and the system will need to multi task ie: My Space, FaceBook, U-Tube, IM, Music & Video Downloads and of some educational tasks.
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If you want a good computer with XP that is "vista ready" i would think about going to someplace like best buy. when i got my laptop with vista on it they said i could request that the laptop be loaded with XP and they could order it for me. but beyond that you'll just want a laptop with a good processor, no less then 1 Gb ram, 2Gb is better for Vista. and a good video card for the possibility of using vista. other then that its all about what you personally want. deffinetly get the warrenty, their worth their weight in gold!!! Another thing that just crossed my mind, what is your daughter going to be doing in college. if she is going to be in the engineering or computer science department she may want to get a lot higher end machine for running CAD programs or other engineering software. If its just going to be used for things like Word and Power Point then you don't need to spend the big bucks.