Dear Sun,
Thank you for your suggestions.
I hope that your computation device does not decide to take a permanent vacation, one week before you must take time to pay all your bills electronically.
The Grand Fixer-Uppers had my Lenovo for 3 weeks, and could not divine how to bring my installed CD/DVD drive back online. (Uhh, it had to be a vicious malware to do that!) So, they had it there, thumbs embedded in their alimentary canal, and then decided to call the machine ‘void and beyond reparable condition’. The good thing was, the pre-charged repair fee of $200.00 before they did anything, was accreditted towards my purchase of a new machine (not in stock of course). Now, does the new machine have all the equivalent of my declared-dead Lenovo? NO!! But, i am doing what i can, and can pay the bills. The Lenovo? It still operates enough, as a game board for the one simulation game i had loaded on it, Silent Hunter III.
I have seen Dell machines, from the first desktop model on through, and do not care for them. I had a Gateway machine ... 3 trips to the shop in the first 6 months, it died a glorious death as a bullet-stopper for a friend on a private range. I had a previous Toshiba, so that is the direction i took.
I’m sorry for your computer troubles, and wonder if your Lenovo problem was a fluke or common.
Since I’m afraid to pay bills, etc. online, at least I don’t have to worry about that.
It sounds as if you are all set with your computer for awhile, but here’s a list of computers which use Linux, anyway (given to me by another FReeper):
https://system76.com
http://zareason.com/shop/home.php
https://www.thinkpenguin.com/
http://emperorlinux.com/