Does purchasing an external fan for a laptop work or are they just marketing? Mine can run a little warm when I am pushing it with games so I am considering a cooling pad.
posted by zzazazz
on Jun 7, 2013 -
24 answers
I'm in the market for a new computer, and I'd like to find one that can handle some of the RTS and city building games I've missed out on in the past 5 or so years. I'm on a budget and I don't really understand computer hardware requirements. Can you help?
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posted by el chupa nibre
on Mar 18, 2013 -
3 answers
What are the best backup solutions for Windows 7 these days? Looking at all types of backups - whole system restores including installed programs, manually/automatically copying data to a second hard drive/flash drive/SD card, and cloud storage.
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posted by danceswithlight
on Aug 23, 2012 -
6 answers
What's the best way to go about installing a solid state drive in a new laptop? (And is this even a good idea?)
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posted by Rhaomi
on Jul 30, 2012 -
12 answers
Broken laptop hinge in NYC. Where can I get this repaired without paying one hundred million dollars?
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posted by showbiz_liz
on Jan 31, 2012 -
8 answers
Please help me find the right laptop! My current laptop-- a standard-issue 2008 MacBook-- is on its last legs. I need to replace it with something that will meet both my personal and work requirements, and will hopefully last a long time.
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posted by charmcityblues
on Nov 16, 2011 -
7 answers
Is my laptop's battery life normal for it's age? It's used and I know next to nothing to laptops. More inside.
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posted by CelebrenIthil
on Oct 6, 2011 -
12 answers
Is there a place I can take my laptop to get crisis bios recovery done to it in person, instead of sending it to the manufacturer and waiting forever?
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posted by chocolatemilkshakes
on Sep 30, 2011 -
2 answers
What would cause the laptop to be so slow right out of the box? I was given a "new" computer at work. It is a
HP Business Notebook PC with the product model =
Compaq 8510p. It is so slow opening and closing windows, launching programs and starting up and shutting down--then sometimes freezes up. It is 3 years old and the warranty has expired as I was told by the HP helpdesk. I have searched the web and asked a few IT friends what the heck it could be since it has never been used.
My boss doesn't want to hear any complaints about it since it's new out of the box--he figures it should be working perfectly. Should I take it to a PC shop to get it optimized or diagnosed in some way? It's driving me crazy! What could be causing this?
posted by sandra194
on Jul 19, 2011 -
12 answers
Can I use a tablet as a roaming interface for my home desktop,
and as a standalone tablet when I travel?
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posted by IAmBroom
on Jul 11, 2011 -
4 answers
ComputerBuyingFilter: My beloved iBook is on his last legs. I haven't owned a Windows computer in nearly 7 years, but I'm considering buying one as my next computer. What would you tell a longtime Mac user who's considering going Windows?
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posted by kagredon
on Feb 11, 2011 -
19 answers
My laptop power cord's ground prong (the third prong) broke off, and it stopped working in most wall plugs. I ordered a new one and when it came, it didn't have a third prong, but it works fine. Why is that? And more importantly, is there some future situation where I'm going to regret not replacing the old one with a new, three-prong plug?
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posted by malapropist
on Sep 20, 2010 -
4 answers
I have a netbook. I also have a home PC. I would like for the content of them to be largely identical. How can I easily (and cheaply) accomplish this?
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posted by decathecting
on Aug 19, 2010 -
16 answers
My friend just got a new laptop, and every time she attempts to shut it down, within a few seconds it turns itself back on. Halp?
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posted by EtzHadaat
on Jun 27, 2010 -
14 answers
Some time ago I was able to access hidden BIOS settings on my M50Vm Asus notebook and change memory settings for my video card. Now I need to change them back but have no idea how to access it again. I know that there is some magic key combination (and it's not ctrl+F1) but Google seems useless.
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posted by przepla
on Mar 24, 2010 -
2 answers
I've been a happy Pc-er for the last couple years. That is, until a few months ago when my AVG failed me and my pavilion got all virused up... Twice. Ultimately I had to d-ban the poor thing. Since I was only 'mostly sure' I still had the original operating system disks, I have since been using my mom's mac. While I've been slowly getting used to the system (on a casual basis, no work yet, just internet) I still miss the windows format. My old tower is past it's prime, even with a new system. I'm about to become a student in English and am highly discouraged by previous Windows failings. Should I release the ghost and go with the more 'secure' mac? Or stick with my roots?
I would like some advice on my next computer purchase. I'm looking for a laptop that can handle a students workload for the next... lets face it, many years, with minimal extras. The only thing it needs, is to be fast. I break things that go slow. I'm not looking to game (much) or download + store music (at all), I just need to research crap at high speed.
All suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Cheers!
posted by Miss Mitz
on Nov 24, 2009 -
39 answers
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.
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posted by Afroblanco
on Oct 29, 2009 -
19 answers
I'm looking for affordable multimeter/scope software and USB compatible test probes for my Vista based laptop.
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posted by Jon-o
on Sep 7, 2009 -
5 answers
I think it's time to replace my laptop and although I love using it, I’ve never known much about specifications. I’ve read the other computer buying threads, but I’m hoping you’ll help this special snowflake out and point me towards a good machine, be it off-the-shelf or a custom build.
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posted by Thin Lizzy
on Sep 5, 2009 -
13 answers
Which one of the multitude of Linux distros should someone who's never used Linux before give a go?
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posted by n3rt
on Aug 18, 2009 -
34 answers
I'd like to purchase a cheap (~$400-$500) laptop with certain requirements. The more I look, the more confused I get. Please help me.
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posted by billysumday
on Jun 25, 2009 -
27 answers
I have about a quarter of an inch of a headphone jack snapped off inside my laptop due to a manic dachshund. Can you recommend a tool I can use to get it out? I've tried very small tweezers but I can't get in there. I attempted to open it up but stopped when I got to the point I didn't know what I was doing.
posted by zzazazz
on Apr 11, 2009 -
36 answers
Can a Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop with High Definition Audio 2.0 sound card perform 16-bit recording, which is supposed to be required for Dragon Naturally Speaking?
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posted by eebs
on Sep 16, 2008 -
3 answers
Syncing between laptops: How can I easily and automatically sync files and documents between two laptops using Bluetooth? Ideally I want to load up one machine in the vicinity of the other and have all my recent data (documents/data/RSS feeds etc.) syncronised with NO hassle.
Any good apps out there?
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posted by 0bvious
on Jul 9, 2008 -
8 answers
What's my best option for finding a cheap-as-dirt computer in the Dallas area?
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posted by item
on May 22, 2008 -
11 answers
[laptopquestionoftheday filter] $750 to buy (my first laptop + shipping) with my boyfriend's paypal or bank account. Your thoughts?
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posted by damnjezebel
on Apr 29, 2008 -
10 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)
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posted by whiskey point
on Apr 8, 2008 -
14 answers
