Posted on 06/19/2015 2:43:57 PM PDT by onyx
A huge thunderstorm ripped through here four days ago. It blew out my TV and my computer. My small town only has a Walmart and an Office Depot. I would prefer to go buy a new computer at Walmart. I'm thinking a laptop would be a better purchase. I have no idea how to install it on my own. I'm thinking of asking a clerk to come home with me to install it and I will pay him $50. I need this new computer installed before the start of our FReepathon on July 1
I will also need one that I can operate with a mouse. I need serious suggestions and price is extremely important.
I am truly at a loss. Attempts to shop online using my iPhone are about as productive as my attempts to successfully post here using my iPhone
My dearest FRiend in the whole world, penelopesire, and her husband Allen were just here and they both confirmed that both my computer and TV ARE KAPUT!!
Which brand and model? I'd like to buy it today. Vicksburg Mississippi Walmart No secrecy here.
P S. I have lost everything on the old computer. I guess that means I would have to start from scratch to install the colored font thing right? I am such a novice I am just absolutely overwhelmed. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. God bless you all.
Whatever you do, try and save the HD from your old machine. The data may still be intact even if the motherboard has blown. You still may be able to transfer data/files from the old to the new.
While I used to build my own desktops, I purchase Dells now. And remember, you get what you pay for. (Don’t be cheap) ;-)
I saw the fire ball hit the sidewalk in front of my house I was shocked.
Wifey always insists. Dang!
I'm sure your FReeper family will give you good advice.
Keep these three things in mind: CPU (fast for what you need it). Memory (can't get enough memory). Storage (large amounts).
Good luck.
5.56mm
Did it blow through your surge protective device?
Okay thank you so much I will take the old one to the repair shop there’s only one in the small town.
Surface pro 3
Very scary stuff!
R U a VEPCO customer in that area?
Whatever you buy, I’ve no doubt folks here.. even me..
will happily assist with instructions made simple and even pix.
It ain’t that hard, internet and mouse and speakers and such..
You are more than capable of the task and need not be having random Walmart employees in your home.
I have the "luxury" of a small network here (one for everybody in the family!), so have a few spare parts, cannibalized machines, etc. hanging around. Plus knowing how they work allows me to recover from breakdowns, pretty quickly. Used Thinkpad T420 from ebay (200-250 bucks) is a snappy enough machine, and as other pointed out, if the screen or keyboard on it are not suitable, just hook it up to external monitor and keyboard.
I'd go the laptop route, stingy on power, portable if the urge hits, and can run through desktop like interface (keyboard, mouse, display) on the cheap.
IM intrigued by this one.. I could use a multiOS tablet. Will it run Windows 10 and Android?
And backup, backup, backup. Use a service or get an external hard drive you backup with and then take offline to protect.
Laptops are better now but they do get heated. You can hook up a big monitor or use your old one. Check what got “fried” on your system. If it’s only the CPU board it might be cheaper and easier to have it replaced. As long as the hard drive is still okay it will have all your programs and files.
Laptop is a good choice. You want to go out on the deck and browse freerepublc just pick it up and go out there. Set it on the counter in the kitchen to follow your recipes. Go somewhere for the weekend and no more waiting until you get home to check out something on your computer.
Every brand has it supporters and opponents.
DON’T BUY SAMJUNK, however. I bought an $800 i7 processor laptop with Win7. It worked fine until the month following the expiration of the warranty. It died. Local shop said it was the motherboard. They tried to be a replacement from Samsung. Apparently, Samsung didn’t make replacement parts. So, I have an $800 door stop.
I replaced it with a Dell i5 processor with Win7. It was always sluggish. After about 8 months, I seemed to have problems with the hard drive. I bought a new, faster hard drive locally and installed it using the Dell image disk. Have not had any problems since — and that was about 2-1/2 years ago. The Dell laptop is heavy, however.
Best Buy has techs who do onsight installations, etc., but I have no experience with them. I have always installed my own. Win7 was real easy to set up, connect to the internet, set up the local network, etc. Win XP was not.
I have no experience/advice with Win 8 or 8.1 or the coming 10.
Go to the store and what they have IN STOCK that you can carry out.
Write it down and come back here and I am sure FReepers will give you their opinion on what to do (which one to buy).
I always had desktops (Dell, IIRC) but after they died, I bought a Toshiba Satellite laptop. Works fine, under $400.
I had a friend set it up for me.
Ditto that.
Yeah - if they can’t get the old one going, ask that they pull the hard disk(s) to see if there’s any data/files remaining. If so, you’re in luck. ;-)
I have repaired many computers. More than likely the power supply is what has failed.
The second most likely failure would be the motherboard.
Your data is located on the hard drive. The hard drive probably okay.
Is there anyone you know who is a bit tech savvy? You can get a replacement supply from Newegg in a few days. They are quite easy to replace.
For example, here is a $350.00 desktop.
I shopped around a few months back. I got a decent 17” HP laptop for about $300. The cheapest desktops were around $500.
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