Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with computer and notebook

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.

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.).

Middle click on the new MacBooks?

stopgap — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:05:26 -0800

I find myself unexpectedly in the market for a new laptop, and I'm considering switching to a Mac. I know the new MacBooks can finally do a proper right-click, but can they also do a middle-click without some awkward key combo? On my current laptop I just tap in one corner of the trackpad to middle click, and I can't imagine browsing the web without middle clicking. Bonus question: My current computer is a Dell Latitude X1, which is essentially a rebadged Samsung. If I don't go with the Mac, are there any similar ultraportables? It looks like Samsung finally started selling their own computers in the US, but they're all bigger than what I've got now. The X1 is about an inch thick, weighs 2.8 pounds (less than the MacBook Air!) and has a 12" screen. I don't want to give up the portability I love about this computer but it seems like the ultraportable category has disappeared in the last few years, leaving a hole between too-big 13.3" screen computers and too-small netbooks.

I want a laptop, not a craptop.

gnutron — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:32:46 -0800

Laptop Battel! Help me decide which manufacturer deserves my hard-earned money. I've narrowed it down to Dell vs. Toshiba vs. Lenovo. Also, RAM: 2gb or 3? So I'm shopping for a laptop. I have read the other posts on the topic.

I know what I basically want: 14" screen, 2/3gb RAM, 100+gb HDD, nice screen, reasonably portable, less than $1K. I have narrowed it down to three choices: Dell Inspiron 1420 or Toshiba Satellite Pro S300M or Lenovo ThinkPad R400

These all meet my basic requirements and ballpark around the same price. Since they're all about the same price, my main concern is quality, durability and reliability - I want it to work well as a secondary/travel computer for 5+ years. I have read that Toshibas are prone to overheating problems. Any recommendations or warning on these specific brands?

And regarding RAM... I understand that Vista is hungry for it, but it doesn't really use more than 2gb anyway. I won't be doing anything particularly intensive with the machine. Still, I'd like my computer to run well and continue to run well 5 years from now. Will spending a little extra money on another gb of RAM actually make a difference?

Recommend me a laptop!

TSGlenn — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:54:10 -0800

Are there any good notebook computers out there for a reasonable price? I am in the market for a new laptop, but haven't been able to find one with all the characteristics I am looking for, for a reasonable price. Please recommend me one! Here are my requirements:

-A bright 15.4" screen, or possibly 14.1" but it must have a resolution HIGHER than my current screen, which is 1280x800. WSXGA+ would be perfect.
-An intel penryn (or better?) processor with 3 or more mb of L2 cache.
-At least 160gb hard drive, preferably 7200rpm. Or maybe a 250gb+ but slower hard drive.
-Discrete (nvidia or ati) graphics with at least 256mb. I don't really play games, but I want the option to play a nice new game once in a while.
-DVD RW drive
-Fast, rock-solid reliable wifi that is as up-to-date as possible. I don't know what standard is the latest, but I just don't want it to be obsolete for a very, very long time. Issues with wireless connectivity have been the bane of my existence on my current (4+ year old) notebook, so I want something that will work with every network out there and have no compatibility issues.
-Bluetooth
-A nice, clean, tasteful, business-like design
-A great, smooth touchpad
-Relatively light and thin, under 6 lbs would be nice
-Webcam
-I don't really care about the speakers

The closest I've been able to find at a reasonable price is the HP dv5t, which, with approximately all of the above specs, comes out to just under $1000 with a current 30% off coupon. That would be perfect, except I tried it in the store, and hated the look and feel. The whole thing is too shiny and ugly, the screen is too reflective, and the touchpad is glossy, which makes it much less smooth to use.

I love the look and feel of macbooks/macbook pros (and from what I can tell so far, especially the new ones) but they seem to be way overpriced for the specs you get - i.e. an HP or similar with comparable specs is several hundred dollars cheaper. I also like the Lenovo Thinkpad T series, but they are also much more expensive in general and I can't seem to configure them with any more than 128mb video. The Ideapads look pretty nice as well, but they don't come with high resolution screens.

Is there a notebook out there that satisfies these (admittedly picky) requirements? Or do I just have to shell out the extra cash for a Macbook? (I don't want to do this, I'd really rather have a PC, and not just because of the lower cost. I just can't find one I like).

Budget: I'm looking for something at the $1000 mark, but I'd be willing to pay up to $1400 for something that is exactly what I'm looking for.

Also, I can wait, if something good is coming out in the next few months.

Help me find an affordable gaming laptop

Kudos — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:24:02 -0800

Cheap gaming laptop recommendations Catering more to the cheap side than the gaming. I'd like to be able to run hl2/orange box, spore, and eventually starcraft 2, and maybe some wow. I've been looking at the dell xps m1530s, and the configuration would be around $1,300. Is there something of equal power that i can get for cheaper? I've had little luck. Thanks.

Trying to find a laptop that doesn't suck

mr. creosote — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:18:55 -0800

Which brands/models of used laptops should I be looking at if I want (A) something that won't easily break, and (B) to avoid proprietary parts and chipsets? I'm planning to buy used since I'm not doing any gaming, Bluetooth, or any of that stuff... just email, writing work, and the occasional old school game like Civ 3. Since many of you own the kinds of laptops I'm shopping for, maybe you can recount your opinion of your own computers or share some shopping wisdom.

To explain further:

A. Something that won't easily break

Are any brands or models known for being fragile? Two of my old laptops fizzled because of video problems: one was a LCD lamp that went out; the other was the internal video connector that eventually broke from all the opening/closing of the lid. Maybe that's common. I'd also like a well-designed power supply connector that won't split or break. My wife is a Mac user and is constantly pissed at her power supplies getting damaged from regular use... I'd prefer to avoid this kind of problem.

B. Avoid proprietary parts

I once had a Fujitsu notebook that would not accept ANY hard drive except the manufacturer's replacement. I also had HP and Dell laptops that had highly proprietary video, sound, modem, and ethernet drivers which could only be obtained by doing a full OS install from the rescue discs, or by going to the HP/Dell website and getting old, poorly documented drivers that often don't work with newer OS releases. With my last computer, a Dell M50, my rescue disc disappeared and after I lost the original OS I was never able to get the dialup modem working again, no matter how hard I tried. I want no more of this.

I'd also like to not get ripped off on accessories... I'd like to pay $40 for a replacement power adapter, not $110, and maybe have a laptop that uses a quasi-universal type of battery that's easy to find and cheap. Maybe I'm asking too much.

So any ideas on what laptops I should be looking at? Is there a review website that looks at things like this and doesn't just spout performance specs and parrot the manufacturer literature? Also models/brands to avoid would be welcome if you can provide some details.

Help Me Rebuild My iTunes Library

grumblebee — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:39:45 -0800

My Macbook Pro was stolen. Just about the only non-shitty thing about it is that I keep my huge iTunes library on an external drive. All the music files are on the drive, but the data files (library.xml) were on the stolen Mac. I have another Macbook. What's the simplest way I can rebuild my library on it? I don't use playlists or ratings. All I want is the ability to see all my music in iTunes.

The music is now in two places: On the external usb drive and on my iPod.

On the new Macbook I'm using, I have an empty iTunes. Should I add all the music? Plug in my iPod and download from there? Something else?

(By the way, my stolen machine was a 17" Macbook Pro. It has a missing S key on the keyboard and is in generally bad condition. It takes forever to boot up. If anyone sees someone selling it online, let them know they can make more selling it to me. No questions asked. The machine isn't worth much. But there are chapters on it of a book I'm writing.)

Help buying a dirt-cheap notebook computer

GernBlandston — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:55:21 -0800

I'm looking for an inexpensive, used notebook computer for a 10 year old. It needs to be able to run >= Windows XP, but it will be used mostly for word processing and wireless internet access. No games (at least not as a hardware requirement spec). Ideally something around $100-150 My kid asked for a notebook for their birthday the other day, and my initial reaction was 'no way, too expensive'. But I got to thinking that this is something that they will use quite a bit, and I want to encourage their embracing of useful technologies. They are homeschooled, so I can see it being quite useful for projects they are working on.

However, I don't want to break the bank on it.

Are there reputable places online to make such a purchase? Is it better to go to a local shop? What should I be looking for?

Thank you.

Laptop Shopping Question Oddities

franklen — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:23:40 -0800

I am looking to buy my first ever laptop. What I would like to know are the following oddities that I haven't gotten much info on yet: 1) Is there typically a time of year when companies all roll out there new systems? And I might be able to take advantage of sales on new systems, or on year old systems? 2) It doesn't seem like Bluetooth is available on very many midrange systems based on my initial scans, do I really need Bluetooth or just want it (for cell phone interaction now, other components in the future perhaps). 3) Are Intel processors really that much better than AMD, or is the extra money to spend on them not the best value? 4) If all I am concerned about is speed, does Vista really slow a new system down a whole lot to be concerned? (I have been borrowing a friend's from his business after I lost my desktop, but he needs it back for IT to update on yearly schedule, and is 4 states away, so time to bite the bullet and buy my own). I am not here really to ask which is the best laptop for me, I am familiar with specs that I would like to get such as 1.6-2.0 GHz processor, 1 GB ram, 100+GB hard drive, etc (I likely will fluctuate with these based on prices, am looking to spend around $1,000). But these 4 questions have been bugging me.

PC card reader broken - Can anything be done?

likedoomsday — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 13:51:16 -0800

My (secondhand) Sony Vaio PCG-V505DC2 laptop's PC Card slot isn't recognizing any cards put in it (I've tried three, all of which I know work). I know it's not a driver problem because all of the cards worked until recently, when they started working only intermittently before stopping working at all. Can this be fixed in any kind of cost-effective way, preferably by myself? When they're plugged in, nothing happens; the "power" light on the ones that have them doesn't activate.

I'm not terribly afraid of opening the laptop and doing some very basic fiddling, but I'm not good enough at soldering to do anything really involved. Sony wanted something on the order of $150 just to look at it, which is out of the question. Is there anything that can be done?

The laptop is running Windows XP Professional, has a 2.0 GHz processor, 40 GB hard drive, 512 MB RAM, though I doubt it's particularly relevant.

Where Do You Keep Your Laptop When Using at Home With External Monitor and Keyboard?

jimmyjimjim — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:06:41 -0800

Where Do You Keep Your Laptop When Using at Home With External Monitor and Keyboard? I DON'T need my laptop available to me when working at home. It can be squirreled away somewhere because its plugged to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse, so I never touch the laptop except to unplug stuff, grab the computer, and hit the road. So I need it: 1. off my desk, preferably out of sight, and not taking up any other frequently traveled real estate 2. easily accessible (to grab and run) 3. with lid propped open (so it doesn't sleep or overheat) 4. within a reasonable distance of my desk ('cuz not all my cords and jacks are all that long). I guess I could stick it on a printer stand shelf or nearby bookshelf, but that seems a waste of space. I don't want it up on a laptop desktop stand because, again, I never need access to the thing. It's just clutter. So weird I see no clever solutions out there, as this is something vastly many people do. Does everyone do it as haphazardly as I do? I.e. stick the laptop on a corner of your desk where it uselessly takes up space?

Am I killing my laptop by holding it sideways?

Rock Steady — Fri, 25 May 2007 16:21:09 -0800

Am I killing my laptop by holding it sideways (like a book)? I have found I greatly prefer reading long pieces of text on my laptop by rotating the screen 90 degrees and holding the laptop sideways like a book -- with the keyboard and touchpad as the left-hand "page" and the screen on the right. Does this pose any problems for the long-term health of my lappy? I'm particularly thinking about the hard drive -- is it designed to only be operated in a horizontal position? Any other problems I'm not thinking of?

It is an Acer Aspire 5100 running Vista, if that matters.

Laptop screen quality questions.

archagon — Mon, 07 May 2007 22:57:06 -0800

Laptop screen quality questions: 1. In general, how good are laptop screens at reproducing color?
2. If you're using a laptop, take a look at the following gamma chart. Does the area on the left have any yellow in it?
3. Aside from adjusting the gamma, is there any way to make a laptop screen look better without reducing the image quality?

My laptop screen pales in comparison to my LCD desktop display, even though it got very good reviews. It's rather annoying when I'm doing PS work.

Online IT forums, where art thou?

Smarson — Tue, 01 May 2007 07:19:57 -0800

It's almost 60 degrees outside, so why is my computer frozen? ( know any free online IT help forums?) My fiance's notebook has been freezing up lately. If you really want to know the details, they're available here. What I'd really like to know is if anyone has some recommendations for good online IT help forums that would at least help me to rule out quick fixes before I decide to to go with reformatificationalism of the ol' hard drive?

pretty in pink...laptop that is

edjusted — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 21:57:36 -0800

My wife wants a pink laptop. Not just a pink laptop, but a really lightweight pink laptop (preferably 3-4 lbs or less). I've gone crazy googling for it and there doesn't seem to be such a beast. I seem to remember seeing pink Sony Vaios at the local Sony store (I could've sworn it was the TX series) but the only color for TX's on the Sony site is Sienna. Close but not quite. The Sony C series has a pink model, but it's on the heavier side. It doesn't have to be super-fast or anything, just fast enough for Outlook, web browsing, etc. Does such a computer exist currently?

Lenovo battery failure: a cruel April Fools joke?

fourstar — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 16:42:41 -0800

The battery in my IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad Z60t went out of warranty 4/29/07. When I woke up today, the machine says "Irreparable damage to the battery has been detected. Replace the battery with a new one." Is it really damaged? Could it be a broken sensor? Some kind of software glitch? Is this typical? Is there a better alternative to the $159 replacement?

How to find my laptop's second RAM slot

zembla3 — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:55:28 -0800

Why can't I find the second RAM slot in my laptop? Photo 1

Photo 2

I have an Acer Travelmate 804Lci, which I bought a couple of years ago. According to the computer's specs (scroll down), it has two 256 MB RAM sticks and can accomodate a total of 2 GB of RAM. But when I tried to install two 1 GB sticks of RAM (I've never installed RAM before), I only saw one RAM stick. Where's the other slot? See photos above (sorry, not great quality.)

Can this laptop be saved?

winston — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 13:28:30 -0800

Can this laptop be saved? eMachines M2105 bought refurbished from Tiger Direct outlet near Toronto two years ago (90 day warranty). Recently the power cord developed the "jiggle it to make it work" disease. Only it turns out that it wasn't the cord but the jack inside the computer that had the problem. Now the jack is completely loose from whatever it had been attached to and so the computer doesn't go. While online third-party parts dealers seem to have jacks for just about any other eMachines laptop, no-one seems to have this one. And the official eMachines parts supplier says I need to replace the mainboard (which costs about two-thirds of what I paid for the laptop for the part alone). My friendly local computer shop basically gets shot down when they inquire with eMachines/Gateway about parts. It seems that the aforementioned parts supplier is the only authorized service provider. I can order the part and then bring it to the local shop -- but the supplier says it only comes attached to the mainboard.

An alternate approach might be to find some other way to charge the battery, but, as far as I can tell, there is no OEM stand-alone battery charger for this machine

How can I make a laptop display's VGA input work?

gregb1007 — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 08:01:28 -0800

What can I do to make a VGA input on an LCD monitor work? I have recently acquired someone's old 150mhz Presario 1600 (1997) laptop that has a VGA input at the back of its LCD display. I have a much newer 600mhz Presario 14XL20 whose display I threw away because it broke off from the computer.

I connected the newer laptop to the older one's VGA input, however hitting the "VGA input" button on the Presario 1600 gives me a blank screen instead of displaying the data from the other laptop.

There should be a way to make this work and I am hoping that you can give me some suggestions. A vga input in a laptop LCD display should be able to display the data from the computer connected to it. (Btw that same laptop without a diplaydoes display its data when I plug it in via the same VGA cable to my desktop PC's monitor.)

Please help a friend choose the right laptop

hamster — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 19:45:59 -0800

Please help recommend a solid, mid-range laptop for a friend with excellent tech support options and good longevity. A friend is considering buying a laptop; his price range is around $450-750, and he'll likely purchase from Best Buy. He's heard that Dell laptops have the best support. He'll need a computer that won't require costly upgrades or become obsolete in the next few years. He needs the Microsoft Office suite included and will mostly use the laptop for Internet research, word processing, and possibly music storage.

Thanks in advance for your help!

How do I determine the value of my Powerbook?

BioCSnerd — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 17:22:20 -0800

I'm looking to buy a new MacBook this summer and am hoping to sell my current 15", 1.3 GHz Powerbook (1.5GB RAM) to help cover some of the cost. How do I go about determining a reasonable price to ask for for my Powerbook? Are there any recommended routes by which I can sell my Powerbook whilst minimizing the risk of being ripped off?

Help! My notebook is sliding everywhere!

beammeup4 — Tue, 09 May 2006 18:52:18 -0800

One of the rubber "feet" on the bottom of my notebook computer came off and I can't seem to find it. Where can I purchase a replacement? I called technical support (Gateway), and they said they do not ship them nor can they repair it in their warehouse. I called technical support (Gateway), and they said they do not ship them nor can they repair it in their warehouse.

How can I shut off the auto-click feature of the touchpad on my Sony Vaio?

DyRE — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 18:39:01 -0800

How can I shut off the auto-click feature of the touchpad on my Sony Vaio (model PCG-GRT170, if that helps)? I'm assuming this is called auto-click. It's not tapping (which is where tapping on the touchpad acts the same as clicking the left button). I can turn tapping off and it still does this. It's a function where if I move the cursor somewhere, the computer reacts as though I've also clicked there, even though I haven't. I can't seem to find a way to disable this in the mouse options. Google turns up some people with similar problems but no real solutions.

How do I get my laptop to work my monitor at > 60 hz?

callmejay — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 05:26:53 -0800

How do I get my external monitor to refresh faster than 60 hertz? I have a Dell notebook (D600 or D800, I don't remember) with a docking station and an external monitor. When connected to my desktop, the monitor displays 85 hertz no problem, but when connected to the notebook, I don't have any choices except 60 hertz.

Save my eyes!