About Lauren Bennett Expertise I am a computer science major and my dad is an Electric Engineering, so my life has revolved around computers. For as long as I can remember, I have been buying and selling computers. I tend to travel a lot, so I have always had a laptop. I have bought 5 of them for myself, and bought around 30-40 for friends and family. I have dealt with the good and the bad of various version and brand names. If you are in need of buying a laptop, feel free to contact me and I'm sure I will be able to guide you into purchasing the laptop that will be the best fit for you. I will custom build you computers for you to choose from so you can get an exact idea of what to go and buy when you do it yourself and so that you have an exact price. However, I am in the USA and am only knowledgeable about computers here in the US. I do not know about foreign currency or the quality of computer brand names outside the US.
Experience B.S. in Computer Science. Buying and selling for years. Assisting friends/family.
Question Hi, I'm in the market for a new laptop. I'm a grad student so I use mainly wordprocessing, Internet, and powerpoint. I have always had dells in the past, but have found their support services to be lacking in the past few years. Also, I seem to have heard a lot of negative comments about Vista. I am wondering about going to a mac. What are the limitations when using a mac in a world built for windows? Also, would I be better off trying to find a machine with windows xp rather than vista if I stick with a windows machine? Do you feel Toshiba is any better made than the Dell laptops? Thank you for your help, Hillarie
Answer If you learn how to work Dell tech support, it can benefit you greatly. The online chat helps a lot to break through the communication barrier. You have to keep in mind that they are legally obligated to keep your computer working to your satisfaction, so you can't just get frustrated and let them off the hook because you feel like it isn't going anywhere. I have fought with Dell a lot but I have also gained a lot from having their warranty. I think I profited from the last desktop I purchased from them. I also have numbers to high up US based Dell tech support that I can give you.
Most of the negative comments you have heard about Vista came from people using the 64-bit version, which is very buggy. And it isn't even so much that Vista is buggy. It is that they are using the 64-bit version in a world that still runs in 32-bit. I personally have the 32-bit version of Home Premium in my laptop and the 32-bit version of Ultimate on my desktop. I have had both since the day Vista was released at the end of January and I have been problem free. I use pre-Vista printers, monitors, keyboards, mice, etc without problems. The only "problem" I ever had was that I had to download a Vista driver for my XP based wireless USB adapter. Otherwise, I really like Vista and I have never thought about going back to XP. The rest of the problems that people complain about are features designed to protect the user. People who actually know how to mess with system files get frustrated because a lot of that is blocked so that people don't ruin their computers. If you don't plan to do extreme system modifications yourself, you will be quite fine. If you don't like some of the other safety features, I can help you turn them off.
My opinion on a Mac is that they are extremely overpriced without as good of a warranty without any benefits. If you are in school I would definitely recommend staying in the PC world so you can avoid all compatibility issues. the Mac OS/Windows OS Parallel still has some problems and my Mac friends get upset with it quite often. Unless you are in a program such as architecture, music creation, or graphic design that benefits from a Mac, I would advise staying away from them because you won't get any benefits from it, but you will run the risk of compatibility issues and you will pay a lot more for the computer.
Overall, Dell still is as good as it gets in terms of computers. HP makes good computers as well, but their warranty isn't as good (I think the at-home-service is vital while in school) and they tend to lack slightly behind in staying up to date with the technology. Sony has a nice warranty and does a good job of staying up to date and has the good warranty, but they are very overpriced and their customer service isn't as good because computers are not their main thing. I'd recommend avoiding the other brands.
If you want any help/advice on dealing with Dell tech support and getting your way with them, feel free to contact me :)
Also, let me know if you'd like help customizing a computer and what route you'd like to go as well as your budget!
