Thoughts on Laptops

[4dogs]

I am currently in the markert for a laptop computer.
It will be used for dog rescue.
It would have to have enough memory to hold files, programs to work on photos and make up fliers. It would also need to be able to be hooked up to a portable printer for on site adoptions.
Any advice on brands and what I should look for would be greatly appreciated.
This is a big expense for me and I want to make sure I get the right laptop.
Thanks in advance for any guidance!

 

[Bob]

the two with market share are dell and hp. i have 4 dells, knock on wood, no issues....just be sure to get XP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[John R]

....just be sure to get XP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

qft. although not as easy as it sounds.

 

[Bob]

qft. although not as easy as it sounds.

yes, retail wise, you could grab XP with a tiny netbook[Acer], and XP can be had as an os option through dell business i believe.

 

[Matt J]

Being that you will be working around animals. I would strongly recommend checking ebay for a cheap used laptop. Dell Latitude's can usually be had for around $100-$150. Most used laptops will come with XP so you don't have to backtrack once you have the laptop. There are also tons of portable printers available. Otherwise get a power inverter and you can just use a car battery or cigarette lighter.

 

[scooterbug44]

I vote for a Dell - you can customize them and they are very user friendly.

Mine has taken a beating and my only issue is that the modem port stopped working (which tells you how long they can last) - which a $50 cable from Amazon fixed.

 

[Will B]

Check Dell's website for refurbished laptops. You can get a good deal on them with some warranty coverage as well...

ditto on the XP. Stay away from Vista for now...

 

[grace]

i love my vaio

 

[30abob]

I had an HP/Compaq that worked like a champ for 2+ years until the power supply crapped out in mid December. I just got a new Dell Latitude E6500 to replace it. My company uses XP exclusively due to some proprietary software that won't work with Vista and Dell is one of the few companies that make using XP fairly easy.

The Dell had some major issues right out of the box due to the Dell "Control Point" and "Connection Manager" that came pre-installed. After several attempts by my internal IT department and 2 days on with Dell "Business" Tech Support (which apparently is in the US) we couldn't fix the problem and finally had to reinstall XP and start over. The plus side is that we didn't have to reinstall the Dell Control Point and Connection Manager... surprisingly there have been no more problems!

Over all my experience is less than positive at this point, but no complaints TODAY (fingers crossed)!

 

[futurebeachbum]

I am currently in the markert for a laptop computer.
It will be used for dog rescue.
It would have to have enough memory to hold files, programs to work on photos and make up fliers. It would also need to be able to be hooked up to a portable printer for on site adoptions.
Any advice on brands and what I should look for would be greatly appreciated.
This is a big expense for me and I want to make sure I get the right laptop.
Thanks in advance for any guidance!

If you want something reliable, that will hold up a long time and comes with most of the software you need, get a macbook. The low-end model is $999 and you can get an Apple refurb (IMHO just as good as new the way they do it) for even less.

I never got more than 18 months of reliable service out of a Dell or Toshiba notebook and I am just finishing up year three with my MacBook Pro and it is still running well. It has traveled to many continents and functioned in many environments quite well for me.