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.
With the new one, DO make the recommended backup/imaging DVD disks. They can be life savers later.
I’m very happy with this:
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/703711/Dell-Inspiron-3646-Desktop-Computer-With/
$279, no monitor. Was $50 bucks cheaper...
+1 re getting a Mac (though I fear the hard drives on the Air- what do you do when you run out of space?) I’ve never had anything but laptops (2 Compaqs & 3 Macs)
Apple’s tech support is Fantastic! (& I’m clueless with tech) You will get sooo spoiled so fast.
BH Camera has always had as good or better prices as anyone & fast, free shipping.
NONSENSE!!!
Agreed. I’d buy a laptop over a desktop any day.
I have gone the portable route.
Today the biggest machine I have is a Windows 8.1 tablet.
I have a full sized keyword, a trackball, two portable hard drives and an external DVD drive that I can hook up to it using a powered USB hub.
It depends on what you need. The only real program I run much is the Caliber Ebook library and format conversion suite.
It will play some Steam Games. Path of Exile runs okay if you see well enough to play on a screen that small.
Mostly I do things on the Internet and a tablet is fine by itself for that.
Seconded. The build quality on any Apple laptop far exceeds what you can get in the PC world.
Replace the power supply before buying anything new. If that doesn’t work, take your hard drive to a computer repair shop and have them test it to see if it is fried. If it is, then buy a new computer. It is rare for the power supply, motherboard and hard drive to all go out with a single surge.
Also your TV power supply is probably blown out too. But if it’s a new model, it’s probably cheaper to just buy a new TV.
Oh heck!
That stinks!
Grab a surge protector and an APC uninterruptable power supply.
That should, fingers crossed, protected t anything you purchase next assuming the cable/DSL lines are run through the surge protection ports for such stuff.
Laptop has its own quirks, but is more portable.
And can be setup for wi fi so lightning striking a phone line won’t kill your machine.
Bets Buy has REFURBISHED @ $179.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-geek-squad-certified-refurbished-inspiron-desktop-intel-celeron-4gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive/8905007.p?id=1219378310741&skuId=8905007
Maybe someone else can advise you about ‘refurbished’ computers.
Most laptops come with the touchpad, but you can install almost any USB connection mouse.
Just be sure the laptop has plenty of USB ports. Some mfgrs get stingy with them. My Dell has 2 ver 2.0 and 2 ver 3.0 USB ports. The ver 3.0s are backward compatible.
Okay thank you so much I will take the old one to the repair shop there’s only one in the small town.
I would seek that local shops input first on the actual condition of your "dead" pc. Sometimes they're not soo dead. Maybe a few parts replaced..maybe you're lucky. They should be able to give you an assessment in less than a day if they're busy, 1-2 hours if they're not busy.
Second, if it is dead, then focus on your price point. If your old hard drive still works, then grab a cheap desktop and slap that old hd in as a second hd. That pc repair shop might also have some used desktops sitting around that you can pick up for cheap.
Finally, Laptops are cool, but don't offer much upgrade possibilities these days. Most manufacturers make it hard to upgrade parts, unlike desktop models.
Check. Newegg. You can get a temp for a couple hundred refurb then get a Skylake win10 around Christmas.
Do you primarily use for FR, Internet access, photos, email, YouTube or do you do work ie. Excel, graphics programs, running big programs, etc?
If it’s the former I don’t see why a laptop with a docking station won’t work just fine.
You have the router, mouse, keyboard, printer and monitor plugged into the docking station, slide the laptop into it and you have desktop ease when you need it.
Or slide it out and use the laptop on the go or in another room or on the deck, etc when you want.
I have sent you a Freepmail. I have been in the same condition and need you to read what I did.
Many of the computers sold by Walmart are actually refurbished, so be sure to ask if it is new or refurbished. Refurbished can be a good bargain, but it needs to be backed up with a warranty.
You can go online and see what computers you can order and have delivered to the store, or you can enter your zipcode and see what they have on hand at the local store. This way you can narrow down your selection before arriving.
Buy a desktop and you are stuck with using it in one spot, but you can have a very large monitor with it if you wish. Buy a laptop and you can go anywhere with it. Most people buy laptops today.
Installation is as easy as answering questions about what to name the computer and setting up a password.
You also need to check that your internet service is still working OK and wasn’t damaged by the electrical surge.
bfl
Check out craigslist. I got a Dell laptop with Win 7 Pro last week for $80 and it is great, plus it is upgradable to Win 10 for free.
So sorry for your problem. I’ve had that happen to me before, too.
I just bought a laptop, but my main computer that I also just bought is an all-in-one with a large screen. I think you might find it more user friendly. I do. A good IT person can pull all your files and documents from the old hard drive and put them on the new model.
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