Possumblog

I looked around at tigerdirect.com but didn't see anything too spectacular. You may want to wait and see what the after-Christmas specials look like. You can get laptops with Windows XP, but they will typically be refurbs. Refurbs are not necessarily bad, but you do take your chances.

More than anything else you will want to extend the warranty by at least one year, if not two. Laptops are potentially expensive doorstops and very difficult to fix on your own (unlike desktop computers). Next in the line of concerns is RAM. Even with XP you should have 1 GB of RAM. If you find the need to run Vista, most reports I have heard recommend 2 GB of RAM (notice a doubling trend?). Installing RAM in a laptop is not too terribly difficult, but you have to consider the price.

Finally, even though she would be eligible for the studen version, a copy of M$ Office will run a little over $100. Try to get the version of Office that has OneNote. Having her learn how to effectively use it will be a big difference maker in her future as a student and employee.

One of the new MacBooks can run both Mac OS X and any M$ OS. I find my Mac runs XP w/better results and far fewer glitches, headaches & other asstd ills prone to the PC world. Price wise I find them equal to comparable HP, Del etc.

MarcV: One note rocks!

PS: iPods & iTunes work great on either platform. IMO Apple writes the best M$ apps out there. I use Safari on both BTW.

How much would I expect her to have to pay for a Mac, Tony?

Brand new w/a educational discount the least spendy is $999 including free shipping. One step up is the sweet spot IMO It has:

2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB memory (you really need 2 gig to make is sing)
120GB hard drive (Mine has the 250 gig)
Double-layer SuperDrive (CD& DVD read write)

This is $1299 and is what I use for most stuff here at Festung von Krag. I'd add in Apple Care too, it extends the warrantee to 3 years always a good thing w/laptops. Student Office is $100 or so and a adapter to hook to a external monitor is $17.

I have XP Pro on mine plus Unbutou Linux all running at the same time. But then I'm both a geek & a Moron®. :)

I don't know how the student version deal works for high school students, but at UAB college students can get Office 2003 or 2007, Vista or XP for about $8 each.

Wow--that's a really good deal, MBeth. We can order similar stuff through my work, but it's still more expensive than that--MS Office Pro XP is $19.95. And Tony, are you sure there's nothing lower priced? Remember, we're on the poverty plan.

We have an Acer, which has served us well for the past couple years. I doubt it is the best computer out there, but it was reasonably priced (we got it at Sam's Club) and it does the things we need it to do.

Jordana, I've looked at those, too. I've heard both good and bad about their quality control, though, and it makes me a bit leery of spending money on one. Stan the Former Gummint Man sent me a link yesterday to a Gateway (which I've ALSO heard good and bad about as far as QC) at Best Buy that's only 399.99, regularly 599.99. I took some particular child there last night, and it really is a pretty darned okay looking and performing machine. Problem? Sold out. In Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. No deliveries expected anytime soon, either.

::sigh::

Hey Terry, I still check in here every week or so, to see if you've posted anything new!

As for notebooks, my family has three Dells (all different models) that we've had good service from. One XP and two Vistas. I'm not into all the tech metrics, but they're just the basic models.

My son seems to like his Vista fine for college use. The newest is for my wife, and it seems ok other than a couple of minor issues (Lexmark doesn't have Vista drivers for my old printer, and I can't figure out how to make the screensaver work!).

Terry,

Thanks for letting us know the results of your trip to Best Buy. Oh well--I was hoping at least SOMEBODY I knew might get a deal like that.

Bill, I like Dell (I'm using one now!) but I do wish they could find a way to sell something just a bit less costly. And our employee discount thing isn't quite enough to make up for the difference in cost compared to that Gateway. Then again, even Gateway's site isn't as cheap as Best Buy on the same computer.

We had a refurbished Gateway before the Acer. It too was a good machine that really never gave us any problems until the older girl threw up on it. It never was quite the same after that.

Whatever laptop you get, remind the girl child not to drink liquid near it or to puke on it. I say this as I sit next to my computer with a cup of hot chocolate.

I was never the same after our kids threw up on me.

My Compaq is 2 years old now, runs XP perfectly, has a wireless internet coneection and I recommend the brand to anyone. And they are cheap- probably $500-600. Mine has been trouble free and the extended warranty I purchased went entirely unused. It does need a battery.

So, my recommendation? Whatever Compaq is pushing right now through Circuit City, CompUSA or Best Buy. And if I were buying for myself right now, I'd pay to have XP installed over Vista!

That's the one nice thing about Gateway, IF you order through the Gateway site--they'll still install XP for you instead of Vista.