Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with computer and laptop

Computer Swapping?

StrikeTheViol — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:37:08 -0800

Swapping my laptop for a desktop and monitor instead of selling? My plans have changed, and my laptop and furniture are not working together well and causing me pain. Now that my career plans have changed, I find I have little reason to keep my Sony VAIO AW-series laptop, purchased earlier this year, for its intended purpose, and the laptop, while fitting well with my college's furniture and my old wheelchair, is causing me neck strain and back pain at home. Considering I'll be home at least till September, and then perhaps at another school, I wonder if there's any way to get my hands on a desktop and adjustable monitor without having to sell (and then likely buy) on eBay. Any tips, hive?

Help me pick a new best friend for the next 4 years

amethysts — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:16:33 -0800

Finding a new laptop is making my head spin. I'm finding a lot of advice for "gamers" and "people who only do email and Word docs" or "people who need a mobile video editing suite" but I'm in the middle of the spectrum - the heaviest duty stuff I use is graphics programs like Flash and Photoshop and I don't do video games. I'm finding lot of bad reviews and stuff that says "Great all around except for the graphics". How am I going to make sure I find a laptop that does everything I need and lasts for years and years? I have a 4 year old Gateway M320 (80gb hdd and 512mb ram) which is still doing OK but gets really slow on Flash, Photoshop, Firefox, etc. and is needed elsewhere in the family. Once all the Adobe stuff is gone it will be perfect for that purpose.

I remember hearing at various times that the following brands make absolutely shit products and should be avoided:
Asus, Acer, Toshiba, Sony, Lenovo, HP, Gateway, Mac
The following brands are ones that I can get a discount on through my school:
Acer, Toshiba, Sony, Lenovo, HP
The following brands are ones that I've had good experiences with in the past:
Gateway (2005-present), Lenovo (formerly IBM I guess) 2002-2005

This one is my front-runner so far, Lenovo Thinkpad SL510. It gets positive reviews but the bad ones seem really bad.

These are its main features, which I've been using as a baseline, and seem to be everything I need, but I really don't know:
* Core 2 Duo T5870 / 2 GHz
* Centrino
* RAM 4 GB
* HDD 250 GB
* DVD-Writer
* GMA 4500MHD
* Gigabit Ethernet
* WLAN : 802.11 a/b/g/n (draft)
* Bluetooth 2.1
* Windows 7 Home Premium
* 15.6" Widescreen TFT 1366 x 768 ( WXGA )
* camera
* matte black
* TopSeller
* Microsoft Office Ready

I will be using it for graphics programs like Photoshop and Flash, MS Office, internet, trillian, Itunes, etc., preferably all at the same time.

Also as much as I would like to get a Mac my budget is limited to around $700.

So here's my questions:
Am I on the right path?
Does the one I'm looking at seem like it'll be a good match?
Are there ones that I should be looking at but aren't due to outdated biases?
How do I know I'm making the right decision?

Grandfather's first laptop

XcentricOrbit — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:13:05 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations on setting up a new laptop for my 92 year old grandfather. He is essentially a "first timer" to modern computers, having never used a computer with a modern operating system and internet access, so any ideas to make it simpler and safer for him are welcome. Relevant details:

Gramps: He's 92 years old, and the last time he owned a computer was probably in the early 1990's, and it was running MS-DOS / Win 3.11. As far as I know, he's never used anything more "online" than a BBS. He is "aware" of the internet and web, though, as he watches quite a bit of TV. He recently expressed interest in a netbook or similar that he could keep next to his favorite TV watching seat. His eyes and hearing, while diminished a bit at his age, should be up to the task of using the computer we got for him. His fine motor control is a bit lacking, but the keyboard keys are large enough, and we're getting a wireless mouse just in case the touchpad is an issue.

Laptop: Since the netbooks mostly had too small of a screen for his eyes, we ended up with a 15.4" Celeron-based Acer with a steal of a price from Best Buy ($249!). It has Windows 7 installed, and for now, at least, I think we'd rather keep that than install a flavor of Linux.

My google-fu has mostly failed me, and I haven't found much related on AskMefi (a couple posts about first timer users and children). Essentially, what I'm looking for is software recommendations, tips and tricks, and even hardware and accessories to help him ease into using his first modern computer. A few things that have come to mind:

Browser: What's the best browser and combination of plugins to help him avoid scams, unwanted pop-ups / redirects, and other generally malicious sites, but still leaves the browser easily usable and not confusing? NoScript in FireFox, for instance, is awesome for me, but it seems to boggle many people who aren't aware of exactly what it's doing.

E-mail: Best client or webmail to help him avoid scams and such, but also very simple to use to keep in contact with family and friends.

Security software (antivirus, anti-spyware, etc): Which ones are the best mix of safe, lightweight, and non-intrusive? Basically, what works without getting all up in his (or the laptop's) grill?

Accessibility: Any programs you have experience with that make the computer easier to use for someone of his age? Launchers, desktop mods, etc.

Any other general software recommendations are welcome (or any important areas you think I've omitted), and personal tips and tricks you've seen or used would be great. He has a "lap table" that should be big enough to the laptop with room to spare for a wireless mouse, but if you have a accessory that you think is the bee's knees, definitely link it! Heck, even simple games you think a senior might be interested in would be of interest.

And with that, I've popped my AskMefi question cherry. Thanks everyone! One of these days, I'll get around to doing an FPP too!

Mystery noises and BSOD on my newish Acer Aspire One netbook. Am I screwed?

tealsocks — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:47:12 -0800

Mystery noises and BSOD on my newish Acer Aspire One netbook. Am I screwed? I bought an 11.6" Aspire One at Staples about a month and a half ago, and the night before last it started making a clicking sound followed by a beep which I can only assume is coming from the hard drive. Sometimes this sound is followed by a blue screen of death and sometimes i can just pick the computer up and it goes away. Is this the sound of a hard drive failing? I carry my netbook around a lot, but it's always in a padded laptop bag so I'm pretty sure I haven't damaged it in any way. Do I need to get a replacement?

Which of these 11.6" PC laptops should I get?

ishotjr — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:20:29 -0800

Looking for an ideal 11.6" laptop/netbook for under $600. I have $600 to buy a laptop and I think I've narrowed it down to two (I think). They both run Windows 7 and seem comparable in other respects.

I plan to use this laptop for taking notes, writing papers and browsing the internet, as well as maybe occasionally streaming video like on Netflix or Hulu. I own an external optical drive already for DVDs. Thing is, I know nothing about video cards.
My current full-size laptop is still functional for watching movies and I don't play games other than Snood and the games that come on the computer (Solitaire and that sort of thing).

This Acer from a previous post seems pretty great, but I'm a little hung up on the price once I pay for expedited shipping.

I'm also considering this Toshiba model that has a dual-core processor (right?). For this one, I can buy it in person (from the dreaded Best Buy), which is a plus in that I need it ASAP.

I've read up on these on CNET and other user reviews. But if anyone has strong feelings either way on these, or can tell me if one is glaringly better for the price, I'd really appreciate it. Or, if you want to suggest a different 11.6" laptop (other than Dell), I am definitely open to other suggestions. The choices were somewhat overwhelming.

Do I 'need' a gaming laptop to play MMOs?

Kurichina — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:37:12 -0800

Do I 'need' a gaming laptop to play MMOs? Computer hardware knowledgable people: what sort of system do you use for determining your 'needs' for a computer? My HP lappy conked out last week (very likely a motherboard failure, I'm told) and I'm in the market for a new one. It wasn't an ideal time financially for this to happen, so I don't want to spend anymore money than I have to. However, I also want this next laptop to last 4-5 years if possible, or, at the very least, 3.

I'm not a huge gamer, but I started playing a fair amount of WoW earlier this year and it's not unreasonable to think I may branch out into a few other MMOs. On my old, mid-range HP, WoW had many errors (not able to process the zone files and crashing) and was generally frustrating. Other than the games, my needs are fairly basic: a small amount of graphic design, word processing/spreadsheets, listen to music and watch DVDs/blu-rays. Is it worthwhile to splash out on a newer, more powerful processor *(quad core or I7, for e.g.) and some extra memory or will this be money wasted due to not using this power? Is there an objective (i.e. not trying to sell me something) site out there that will determine my hardware needs?

I've seen this but that question didn't discuss the needs of MMOs, and I'm not interested in the PC vs Mac side of things. (For reasons of cost and wanting to keep using the same software I already own, some of it purchased at "educational" prices for which I no longer qualify, I'm sticking with a PC.)

How do you fix a fried laptop?

Bobby Bittman — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:20:31 -0800

How badly have I fried my laptop? I went to a friend's house last night to watch a perfectly legally downloaded movie, and planned to hook my laptop up to his TV with an S-Video cable. Well, something wasn't grounded - when I touched the S-Video cable to the jack on his TV, there was a spark and my laptop shut off.

Now it's a brick. No power lights, no response at all.

I'm going to find all of this out on Monday when I take it in to the repair shop, but I'm anxious: how badly have I damaged it? Is this the kind of thing that can be repaired? How much does it cost? And most importantly - is all my data recoverable?

If it matters, it's a 4-year-old Gateway laptop. All educated guesses welcome. Thank you!

Stupid mousey thing no work!

IAmBroom — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:02:46 -0800

Trackpad suddenly stopped working - any solutions? Details:
Dual-boot: WinXP, v5.1, SP3. Ubuntu 8.10.
Acer Aspire 4730Z, out of warranty.
Trackpad stopped working in both operating systems. When this happened before, I plugged in a USB mouse, and when I removed it, the trackpad worked again. Now it's dead, as are the two left-/right-click buttons.

The curious part is that all of the trackpad - buttons and pad itself - stopped working. That doesn't grok. Can't be a driver issue, since it's across two OS's. Yeah, I'm probably screwed, but if anyone has a clue...

Is there good sites that provide ranking of computer processors performance?

idyllhands — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:35:47 -0800

Is there good sites that provide ranking of computer processors performance? I am looking to buy a new PC, but am being patient for the right deal to come along. It would be nice to have a trustworthy source of which processors are "better." Any links to PC and/or laptop rankings is appreciated.

Looking for the perfect laptop for traveling

Afroblanco — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:31:20 -0800

Looking for the perfect laptop for traveling. Priorities are durability, lightness, and battery life, in that order. Performance is not too important, but it must run Windows 7 like a champ. Willing to consider netbooks. Can spend up to $2000, but obviously I would like to spend no more than I absolutely have to.

Why does my laptop think I'm pushing ctrl?

Pope Guilty — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:50:34 -0800

My Inspiron 1545 thinks I'm pressing ctrl and I don't know why. I picked up a Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop awhile back, and the only problem I've had with it is that it frequently activates the ctrl key regardless of whether or not I'm actually pressing it- or even have my hands on the keyboard! Sometimes this is just annoying, like randomly crouching in an FPS or tab-targeting grabbing friends instead of enemies in WoW, but if I type a "w" while it thinks I'm pressing ctrl, I lose the Firefox tab I was working in! If I hit tab in Firefox, I frequently go to the next tab instead of the next field. Perhaps most bafflingly, it is only ctrl that this happens with; it never randomly types another character, nor does it ever wrongly activate shift or alt or any other key.

So far, I've talked to Dell about it; they sent me a replacement keyboard, but this did not resolve the problem. Googling indicates that many people are having this problem, but nobody seems to have any solutions (besides one suggestion, bizarrely, to reduce trackpad sensitivity, which did nothing).

Anyone out there know what's going on or have any ideas?

Did dude steal a Dell?

ChurchHatesTucker — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:16:05 -0800

Is this computer hot? A friend of mine found a good deal (person to person) for a Dell Windows Vista laptop. He's wondering if the deal is good because the computer is hot. Is there any easy way to get a fair idea? (He's a newbie, I'm a Mac.)

Hook me up.

po822000 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:06:03 -0800

Laptop dock without the expense? I recently purchased a new laptop, getting rid of my decrepit desktop. My issue is that I have several peripheals that I'd still like to use in conjunction with my laptop (wireless keyboard/mouse, speakers, second monitor, printer, etc.) while minimizing cable clutter and the number of things I need to physically plug in to the computer when I set it down on the office desk.

I looked at a laptop dock, and while it would be an ideal solution, it's a bit beyond my budget for the time being. I have multiple USBs, a VGA input and the power cord for the laptop, as well as the output for the speakers (plugging into headphone jack). Is there anything like a souped-up USB hub that would fit my needs? Is there a VGA-to-USB adapter (and would I really want to do that)? I'm open to any ideas, no matter how hacked the end-product might be.

MBP driven to tears?

uaudio — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:59:51 -0800

I bought a MacBook Pro in June 2007. Since then, its needed a new hard disk drive, right cooling fan, and DVD read/write drive. Is this normal wear and tear? I've had different Mac desktops before for work, but this is my first personal Mac laptop. This is a family PC and it roams around our house. My wife and my son (just educational games, 4yo) also use it and it stays on 24/7. The battery needs replacing as well; we usually just have it plugged in.

Does this usage pattern just destine me to go through components quickly or is this just chance?

What are good data sources for laptop and PC sales?

PercussivePaul — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:51:58 -0800

Where can I find detailed sales data on best-selling laptops and PCs? I'm scoping out a research project and trying to see what kind of data I am going to be able to find. Ideally someone would hand me a database containing records of all models of laptops and PCs for sale in the US (or the world, or other countries) along with their list price and all relevant specs, and total number of units moved per year for the past few years.

Something like this already exists thanks to Amazon (best selling PCs, best selling laptops, or of course I could just pull the data straight from Amazon itself). This is a good starting point, but two main issues:
1. It only tells me what Amazon is selling, and I'm interested in what everyone is selling
2. It has sales rank, but I want absolute numbers, or at least a percentage of total sales.

I imagine this data exists but is likely not freely available on the web. I don't know where to begin looking for this sort of thing as I don't have a background in business or anything like that. I have found some stuff (IDC quarterly PC tracker, NPD Group) that might be what I want but I can't read it and it's clearly meant for businesses that can pay a lot. Being a grad student, I can't.

There are possibly resources at my University I could use (for example I have access to Forrester reports) but having spent a day or two poking around I have yet to find what I need. Before I go bothering people in the business school for help, I could use some orientation as to what's out there. Thanks.

Looking for an attractive laptop sleeve.

ishotjr — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:18:47 -0800

Seeking recommendations for durable and attractive laptop jackets (the kind that you leave on when the laptop is in use). I have a Dell Inspiron laptop, 14.1" screen, about 1.5" thick, 13" wide, and 10" deep, and am looking for a laptop jacket that I can leave on the computer when it's in use. The Shoreline ones are the first kind I saw of this type, but I'm interested in something a little more interesting-looking than their offerings, if anything like this exists. Shoreline used to have other colors of neoprene sleeves, I thought, but I can't seem to find any I like anymore. Of course, protectiveness is my #1 priority, as well as decent heat dispersion ability. Going too big to be safe isn't really an option, because something too big won't be able to stay on the laptop via the elastic corner straps.

The main constraint I've found with the "cool" laptop jackets is that most of them (such as the Isis Dei ones I saw mentioned in a previous thread) are designed for slimmer Mac laptops, and certainly not for laptops with the extended battery in the back I contacted Isis Dei, since I liked some of their options, but they basically said their products are designed for Macs, and they can't guarantee that any of their stuff will fit a computer like mine. Since I don't want to waste time with having to return stuff by mail, I decided to pass on their products. I haven't really found anything else similar. Maybe us PC users are just too boring and lame with our thick computers to get the cool goodies like Mac users. ;-)

Does anyone with a similar laptop have a jacket that they really like that is under $40? Suggestions for retail stores in Austin, TX that sell a variety of laptop jackets (including ones to fit PCs) are also appreciated since I can't seem to find any myself. If I can't find anything interesting-looking, I'm not averse to getting a plain one, but I wanted to check with the Hive to see if you savvy folks knew of anything more fun.
Note: I have definitely read all the previous AskMe threads on similar topics, and spent way too long googling various search terms (including "laptop sleeve," "laptop jacket," "laptop sleeve" "while in use," etc.).

Internets, help me choose a laptop.

blacksky — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:54:38 -0800

Internets, help me choose a laptop. Having offspring means that the hinge on my laptops display has mysteriously broken, and keys have gone missing. Which means its time to shop for a new laptop. Yay!

I think the main requirement for me is screen real estate but without too huge a form factor. (I'm planning to use it primarily for general surfing and secondly for coding, so the extra screen space will be useful for running an IDE). Oh and I'm in the UK.

So I'm thinking a 15.4" screen with WUXGA 1920 x 1200 resolution.

But I'm struggling to find these kind of specs outside of Dell (not that I mind Dell, I just want to see what else is out there!). Can anyone recommend a laptop meeting these specs?

how to fix my left-click

cheemee — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:08:36 -0800

laptop filter: the left-click that's built in to my laptop touchpad has been acting up. it has gotten really unsensitive and requires several extremely hard clicks in order to trigger a response (and that only works sometimes). the right-click works totally fine. i have tried using one of those aerosol dust sprayers hoping that it's just dirty inside and the contacts need cleaning, but it dosn't help.

any ideas, help or advice would be much appreciated!

Help me find my ideal micro mouse.

agentmunroe — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:30:16 -0800

I like small mice and I cannot lie... Help me find the ideal mini mouse for my laptop. (WARNING: Mouse geekery contained within!) (Egads, I wrote a ton on this! The important part is the list if you don't want to read my insane mouse ramblings...)

I've been going through a variety of laptop mice over the years, but have recently settled upon this cheap tchotchke from a 2006 conference as my surprising favorite. I've had very mild hand problems over the years and generally prefer the way smaller mice feel in my hand. Attributes specific to this model that I enjoy - it's light and maneuverable, and while the optical sensor is a bit picky, the wheel and mouse buttons are rather stiff, which I love.

Or loved, since I plugged it in this morning and while the sensor lights up, the cursor refuses to move (verified on two computers). Since I liked it so much, I'd like to replace it with something similar. - I wouldn't mind "upgrading" if that's a possibility, or picking up the same one if I can find someplace where I'm not buying 25 of them.

Key attributes, in order of importance:
- something the size of the Tomax mouse
- awesome surface-fu (great optical tracking abilities)
- as close as possible, the attributes I mentioned (small, light, stiff buttons/wheel)
- wireless is a plus, but not required - I realize the battery will weigh the mouse down. Bluetooth would be awesome, but I don't care about it that much.
- cost is not an issue, as I don't mind spending money on something I'll use nearly every day (over $100 would give me pause, but I'd likely still buy if it matches the other criteria)

As an example of something I'm not a huge fan of, I also have a Logitech V470 - it's a bluetooth laptop travel mouse that works well with my MacBook Pro. The main thing is it just feels too large and heavy compared to the mouse, but the buttons are more easier to click as well, which I don't like as much. The wheel is fine, though.

So, now that I've written a small treatise - any suggestions on mice I might like, or leads on where to buy the TOMAX one without getting a caseload? Any assistance appreciated!

Powerbook: No Logo

DiscourseMarker — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:41:28 -0800

Powerbook G4 won't boot up. I hear the chime, get a gray screen, but NO apple logo or spinning wheel. This is a circa- late 2003 1.25GHz PB running OS 10.5. something. Yesterday, my husband was trying to open some Word 2008 docs he had saved on this laptop. Word would not open, it just kept bouncing in the dock, and we could not get it to force quit, so he did a forced shut down of the computer. Ever since then I cannot get the computer to boot past the gray screen.

I have tried resetting the PRAM, but it still sticks at the gray screen, same with resetting the PMU and trying a safe boot. It never progresses to the Apple Logo, just stays on the gray screen. When I pressed my ear to the keyboard I heard a few clicks from the HD after trying to start up, but now there's no sound.

Any suggestions?

Which laptop should I purchase?

Four-Eyed Girl — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:20:17 -0800

I need to get a new laptop. I'm considering a Mac or a Lenovo (based on what I've read on AskMe), and I am in need of some advice. My current laptop is a Dell Latitude D410, and after 3 years, I need to replace it. It is overheating every time I use it, the wireless connection is constantly up & down, it's incredibly slow, it doesn't have much memory, and the battery has no life in it.

I primarily use my laptop for Internet browsing, music files, & preparation for my classes (lots of documents, Power Points, and spreadsheets). I need a laptop with the following characteristics:

--long battery life
--dependable wireless connectivity
--speed
--light to medium weight
--longevity

Which computer should I go for, a Lenovo or a Mac? Please be specific about the type of Lenovo or a Mac if possible. The type of operating system is not important to me, and I would like to keep the price below $1500.

Broken laptop multi-drive and low cash flow - please help me find the best & cheapest solution

scrute — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:17:31 -0800

Should I try and get my laptop's multi-drive repaired, or just buy an external one? I have a Toshiba Satellite U300, and in the last week or two the DVD/CD-RW drive has stopped working. And I mean stopped. There is absolutely no power to this thing - as far as my computer is concerned it's just not there, and the only way to open and close it is to use a paper clip or other similarly sized object on the manual eject. But it does open, so I know it's not jammed.

I admit, I'm not always as careful with my laptop as I should be - I've traveled a lot and it's gone with all over the place and I've admitted that I've probably just gone and physically broken it. I have no idea what something like this will cost to repair, but given that external drives seem to be available for under $100 and that I won't be traveling as much and won't be needing to take the drive with me everywhere, does it make more sense to go external rather than trying to repair or replace this one. I don't want to have to pay someone to look at it, only to find out that I can't afford to fix it.

My questions, specifically:

1) Given that cost is the biggest factor for me right now, and that I would really like a functioning drive of some sort, what is likely to be the best solution for me?

2) If the answer is an external drive, is there anything I need to know before I buy one, like things I should be looking for or avoiding?

PS - I have a mix of formats on my DVDs, picked up from North America and overseas - my laptop never had any problems dealing with that - it would be ideal if the external drive had the same flexibliltiy.

Where to get Dell laptop parts in Los Angeles?

dogwelder — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:45:12 -0800

Where in Los Angeles can I get replacement parts for my Dell laptop? I've got an Inspiron 710m with a faulty backlight and/or LCD inverter. I can do the repair work myself, but I don't know where to get parts. I'd rather walk into a store and pick them up than get them online. Anywhere in LA would be good, but somewhere near Burbank/North Hollywood/Toluca Lake would be best.

Help me replace my laptop (UK)

ninebelow — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:07:15 -0800

Help me replace my laptop (UK) I currently have a laptop from Fujitsu-Siemens's Amilo range. I bought it in 2004, I love it and it has seen me right for many years but now it is heading for the knacker's yard. Ideally I would just do a straight replace but Fujitsu-Siemens seem to only be interested in business sales these days.

I don't want to spend more than £500 so this will be a relatively low end model. However, I've completely lost track of the market so I've no idea where to start. I only use it for the standard stuff - writing, web, listening to music, watching film - but it would be nice to have several applications open at once without the whole thing locking up. Otherwise screen size and batttery life are more important than raw power. Oh, and with an S-video out.

Any suggestions either for recommended models, recommended suppliers or even recommended buying guides welcome. I don't want a Mac so please don't suggest it.

How can I maximize my laptop's ability to pick up wireless signal?

btkuhn — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:25:00 -0800

How can I maximize my laptop's ability to pick up wireless signal? Hi everyone,

I don't have regular internet access at the moment because I am traveling and staying at a (crappy) hotel for 2-3 months. Dialup is not an option because of the way the hotel's phones are set up - they are digital and I wold get charged for making calls anyways. My hotel doesn't have wireless internet but a nearby apartment complex does. I can just barely connect to their network on a good day, but it cuts in and out because I am on the outer bounds of the network. I have permission to use the wireless network, but I am just barely out of range. What is the best way to strengthen things on my end?

I have already borrowed a friend's Wireless USB network adapter - the one pictured here - which is about as strong as a wireless card you can buy, but it doesn't seem to pick up signal much better. I am reading stuff about making a coffee can directional antenna or pringles can antenna, but these would both involve building something, which I don't really have the tools for at my current location. Also, I don't understand how I would connect the antenna to the computer itself anyways. My laptop has an internal wireless antenna (like most laptops) with no external connector, and the Belkin doesn't have an external connector either.

So, what is the best way to expand my wireless pickup ability? I am willing to purchase additional products if necessary.

Thanks!