Where can I see a Dell Adamo (not the new XPS, but the one that was released last year) in person, in the San Francisco Bay Area? Frys doesn't seem to carry it, and I don't know who else would. I'm considering buying one, and want to handle it and check out the keyboard, weight, etc., in person, before making a decision. Thanks for any help you can provide :-)
posted by Susan PG on Nov 20, 2009 - 2 answers

Is there good sites that provide ranking of computer processors performance? [more inside]
posted by idyllhands on Oct 30, 2009 - 17 answers

My Inspiron 1545 thinks I'm pressing ctrl and I don't know why. [more inside]
posted by Pope Guilty on Oct 27, 2009 - 5 answers

I've got $500.00 to spend for a new computer. I want to get the most bang for my buck. My needs are: - Play music - Edit and view photos - Edit and view videos - Create DVDs & Surf the Internet. My past history has been in PCs. I am open to building my own computer. So what should I get?
posted by jserdula on Jun 29, 2009 - 19 answers

We have an HP Slimline machine running video with an Nvidia Geforce 6150 SE graphics card. We are wanting to use a VGA->HDMI box to convert the video output of the desktop and connect it to our television: [more inside]
posted by ao4047 on Jan 9, 2009 - 1 answer

Replacing my laptop's hard drive. I think I've almost got it but have some questions about the cloning process. [more inside]
posted by nomad73 on Aug 29, 2008 - 8 answers

What to do with a spare laptop hard drive...please help [more inside]
posted by TeachTheDead on Jul 24, 2008 - 13 answers

2 used laptops: what to do with them? One will be new to me (from my wonderful girlfriend), one will be new to my grandma (from me) [more inside]
posted by whiskey point on Apr 8, 2008 - 14 answers

Where can I find online laptop ratings about durability, repairs, or typical problems, the way Consumer Reports does for cars? [more inside]
posted by salvia on Mar 14, 2008 - 17 answers

What's the best strategy for buying new laptops and selling old ones? I usually buy a new computer once every five years or so and then sell my old one. Say I spend $3000 for a new one and sell the old one for $300. Would I be better off buying a new one every year and selling the old one each year? In other words, would I get more for the old one that it would make up for the depreciation in waiting five years? [more inside]
posted by moedym on Feb 14, 2008 - 17 answers

I own a Dell Inspiron 9100 that uses 200-pin DDR PC3200 SODIMM RAM. I've found a good deal on 200-pin DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz SODIMM RAM. Would this be backward compatible? Can't seem to find a quick answer on this, many thanks mefites.
posted by MrHappyGoLucky on Oct 9, 2007 - 4 answers

Without warning, my laptop suddenly turned off. [more inside]
posted by Pants! on Sep 15, 2007 - 9 answers

[NoseBleedFilter] How to maintain a file library on Big Computer, and a small selection on Little Computer, so Big Computer Looks like Little Computer, but Little Computer doesn't need to carry all the files in file library? [more inside]
posted by mrgreyisyelling on Aug 22, 2007 - 7 answers

How to run a program/script automatically when laptop connects to Home wireless network? [more inside]
posted by mrgreyisyelling on Aug 13, 2007 - 7 answers

BSODFilter: I tried to install a RAM upgrade in my girlfriend's Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop, and got nothing on screen after powerup. So I replaced the old DIMM, and got the BSOD -- the file that was missing was a driver for the Intel video adapter. Long story short, it's still not working. [more inside]
posted by YoungAmerican on Aug 2, 2007 - 10 answers

Am I killing my laptop by holding it sideways (like a book)? [more inside]
posted by Rock Steady on May 25, 2007 - 12 answers

My laptop has been infected something called Bloodhound.Exploit.106 which is darn hard to get rid of... Help! Please! [more inside]
posted by zaelic on May 21, 2007 - 11 answers

Advice would be greatly appreciated on purchasing a laptop. The laptop im using is dying, i want to replace it but im not that up on technical specs and the like. [more inside]
posted by Reggie Knoble on Jan 11, 2007 - 29 answers

Shopping for a cheap used laptop: What are the minimum specs I should be looking for with respect to CPU, RAM, HD? I'm planning to use WinXP (maybe I'll settle for 2K), Open Office, and FireFox (including some AJAX-heavy web sites such as gmail, Google Docs, del.icio.us), with a wifi card. And not much else. I want to avoid "I'm always waiting for this stupid slow computer!" but not spend much more than the minimum needed to avoid that.
posted by Leonard of Vince on Dec 18, 2006 - 24 answers

New laptop three part question; Just got a new Lenovo Thinkpad, a. I want to make sure I have all the correct settings to make it run properly. b. Wanted to see what accessories I should look at to make it easier/efficient to use? I have an ipod, a pda, and use microsoft office for work. c. Any other comments or suggestions I should be aware of? Thanks for the help guys!
posted by boyinmiami on May 31, 2006 - 7 answers

What's a good laptop cooling system for, you know, your lap? [more inside]
posted by mkultra on May 9, 2006 - 17 answers

What is the best morning routine, especially for someone who is (a) in college and (b) wants to fight something starting to look like internet addiction? [more inside]
posted by Ash3000 on Apr 17, 2006 - 12 answers

What specific laptop computer, Mac or PC, has the longest battery life? [more inside]
posted by idontlikewords on Jan 22, 2006 - 10 answers

My laptop is crashing frequently and I am trying to track down the problem. I suspect it's the hard drive, but I want to know more so I can work around the issue. Any logging/debugging utilities or tips? [more inside]
posted by costas on Jan 7, 2006 - 8 answers

What's the advantage of having a desktop? [more inside]
posted by dpx.mfx on Nov 9, 2005 - 28 answers

The new 15 inch Powerbook suits my computing needs perfectly, but one of those plus new software would actually break the bank. What's the closest I can get with a Windows laptop? [more inside]
posted by godawful on Nov 6, 2005 - 25 answers

Windows XP help needed! I suddenly can't copy photos onto my laptop. I'm getting a weird error... [more inside]
posted by kdern on Oct 31, 2005 - 11 answers

I have a laptop computer that is used almost exclusively on a glass table. It has had problems with overheating in the past; one the fans has gone out and had to be replaced. Does it make a difference what kind of surface I have the laptop on and is glass a poor choice for a its workspace?
posted by Ber on Sep 29, 2005 - 9 answers

Windows XP reinstall troubles. I'm fixing a laptop for a friend of mine, but in the middle of Windows XP Pro reinstall, the installer stops at 35 minutes remaining, while 'Installing Devices'. [more inside]
posted by armoured-ant on Sep 29, 2005 - 9 answers

I am looking to buy an ibook / powerbook. I found a Lombard Powerbook G3 400 for $250 [more inside]
posted by bsexton on Aug 27, 2005 - 16 answers

I just got a new used laptop, and it has a lot of error messages showing up, so I want to completely clean it up before I start using it. Is it better to use the manufacturer's Quick Restore discs (Compaq), or to reformat the HD completely and install an operating system clean? [more inside]
posted by ruwan on May 19, 2005 - 9 answers

My Powerbook (15" G4 1.25 Ghz) is criminally hot. Temperature Monitor reports that my Processor/Controller Bottomside temp. is 140°F, Power Supply Bottomside is 142.2°F, Battery is 95°F, and my Hard Disk is 104°F. The metal bottom of the "laptop" is too hot to touch for more than a moment. Is this reasonable? Is my computer broken? [MI] [more inside]
posted by maniactown on May 12, 2005 - 29 answers

Is it insane to want to buy upgrades for a new laptop? [more inside]
posted by tozturk on May 10, 2005 - 10 answers

I've decided to buy my first ever laptop of my own (ie not a cast-off from a parent.) I know what I want it to do/have in functional terms, but I don't know enough about hardware to really make a truly educated choice. [more inside]
posted by Kololo on Mar 15, 2005 - 23 answers

I have a Toshiba e310, that mysteriously stopped starting up when I turned it on. It's not completely dead, it comes up with the default bootscreen and then just sits there. Windows XP detects an unknown device, and that's it. I've tried doing a hard reset, soft reset, and letting the battery drain. Is there any use for it? Does anyone know of a way to recover it? [more inside]
posted by jackofsaxons on Feb 13, 2005 - 5 answers

My PowerBook is shocking my delicate forearms. The light silver paint on front edge of the laptop is majorly wearing off. What's a quick and inexpensive way to fix it? [+] [more inside]
posted by ArsncHeart on Feb 4, 2005 - 9 answers

The family and I will emabark on a 8-9 month world trip in August. This trip will occur mostly in the developing world. Despite reading all kinds of advice about leaving behind the gadgets, we intend on taking a basic 12" laptop, a cell phone and a PDA. Should We take a leap into the unknown or should we stick to the safe and familiar"? [MI] [more inside]
posted by Hash on Feb 1, 2005 - 21 answers

Possible LAN/Network adaptor issue with my laptop..more inside [more inside]
posted by puffin on Jan 21, 2005 - 3 answers

Laptop Clean XP Install:
1] My (on board?) sound card is unrecognised. How do I find out what drivers to use?

2] What programs do you really think I need? I already have VNC, VLC, Firefox, Thunderbird and AVG installed. What else should I add? (Freeware/OS appriciated but not needed.) [more inside]
posted by twine42 on Dec 16, 2004 - 8 answers

Can you upgrade your laptop's video card at all? I was curious as I have a 32mb NVidea card on it however I'd love to upgrade it. Is this possible or is there a way to enhance it's performance? (I'm 99.9% the answer is "NO" but I thought I'd ask)
posted by Hands of Manos on Dec 14, 2004 - 11 answers

I'm looking for a light laptop (< 4lbs) to do basic work when at labs. cd/dvd a bonus (not required), hd > 10 Gb, RAM ideally >= 256 Mb, wireless inbuilt or pcmia slot. Budget ~$500. Extendable battery availability would be nice. Does anyone have any recommendations on good 2nd/3rd gen models?
posted by Mossy on Dec 7, 2004 - 15 answers

I want to watch TV on my laptop via wifi. Does anyone know how I can do this? For example, Toshiba's new Qosmio laptops come with a 'Wifi TV Router'. Does anyone else make a WiFi TV router? Or, alternatively, I have another computer with a TV card in it. What software could I install to stream the live TV signal from my server? I know there are streaming video products, but I don't know if any of them can also handle changing channels on a live TV stream. Any helpful suggestions appreciated. Thanks! [more inside]
posted by PigAlien on Sep 1, 2004 - 3 answers

PouredSodaInMyLaptopFilter: Thanks to a remarkable gust of wind, I managed to deposit about 1/2 of a Coca-Cola into my the right third of my laptop keyboard. Now the keys stick. Ideas? (inside) [more inside]
posted by Sinner on Aug 25, 2004 - 10 answers

LaptopRepairFilter: I need to remove the bezel on a Fujitsu Lifebook C-series (C-6530) to measure and replace the cold cathode lamps that have failed. I've Googled off and on for a few months now, looking for service or dis-assembly manuals, with no love to be found. (Much more inside) [more inside]
posted by loquacious on Jul 28, 2004 - 3 answers

Is it possible to build a new laptop into an existing case? {More Inside} [more inside]
posted by Grod on Mar 18, 2004 - 6 answers

I am sorry if this is a stupid noob question, but my laptop has gotten really slow the last few days- things take forever to load up and I get overlapping in windows, etc. I suspect there has been a buildup of processes, but I really am too computer dumb to know which ones I need and which I can shut off to improve the situation. I have run ad-aware, virus scan, defrag, etc. Is there somewhere I can go that is a cheater site to help me sort out what I can shut off?
posted by oflinkey on Mar 16, 2004 - 12 answers

Suggest an ultralight laptop? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by CunningLinguist on Jan 17, 2004 - 23 answers

i'm thinking of buying a laptop, and i see on bestbuy.com that they have an eMachines M5312 for $999 after rebate. does anyone here have an eMachines laptop, and, if so, how satisfied are you with it?
posted by callicles on Jan 15, 2004 - 20 answers