I bought two pieces of computer hardware on a recent Saturday. Well, really three…

The last was the most impressive item, although the first wasn’t too unimpressive, either. I finally made my decision and purchased another notebook (that was the last purchase of the day — number 3).

Many readers will remember that my main computer is my notebook computer. My Dell Inspiron 8600 has served me pretty well for over four years, though. Since I’m buying a "desktop replacement" notebook, I have to use it a while to get my money’s worth out of the computer.

The most significant factor in my I8600 was the LCD screen. Many notebooks were available with resolutions of 1024×768. However, I was already used to a high resolution of 1400×1050 and used to the amount of information (in multiple windows) that I could have on the screen at one time. That one feature is probably the major reason my second notebook was a Dell as was my first.

Upgrading the memory was a great way to get better performance from the notebook. My first upgrade was to increase from the original 256 megabytes to 384 megabytes (256+128). This made Windows XP run much more quickly. Of course, as memory becomes cheaper and computers get more powerful, Windows, antivirus programs, and other programs took more and more memory and more…

Continue reading The Trials and Tribulations of Buying Computer Hardware

When I ordered my Mini-10 netbook, the scheduled ship date was May 7th and the estimated delivery (at the 3-5 business days $10 shippig charge I chose) was May 12th. Needless to say, I was looking forward to receiving the netbook, especially since I sold my Asus Eee PC netbook last weekend.

On the day it was scheduled to ship, I received an email advising that the expected delivery date May 16th! The even bigger surprise was that it actually shipped the next day. Not only that, Dell upgraded the shipping to Saturday delivery, at no extra charge to me — so it arrived even before the original expected delivery date.

I know that some people, including ones whose judgement I respect, have had problems with Dell. However, I’ve always been impressed with their quality and service.

My first step, of course, was to turn it on and accept the license agreement for the “system builder’s” version of Windows XP Home. The operating system is one place where Dell is unlike some of its competition. Dell actually provides the Windows operating system CDROM…

Continue reading Dell Mini-10 — the first week and first trip

This week’s online newsletter includes:

*   Word 2007 Grabs File Types — How to Fix It
When I installed Microsoft Word 2007, I recall that it asked it I wanted it to be the default editor for Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. Perhaps I was mistaken, or perhaps Microsoft uses a much broader definition of the term…

*   The Lighter Side of Technology
This week’s computer technology cartoon at Terry’s Computer Tips.

*   Dell Mini-10 Questions and Answers
Long-time subscriber Tom Linton wrote with comments and questions after my Dell Mini-10 article in my email newsletter last week

*   Hard Drive Questions
Subscriber DJ wrote to ask about hard drive brands and recommendations

*   My Security Software Recommendations
My recommendations for anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, and anti-spam software…

This week’s email and on-line newsletters are nowa vailable:
*   free weekly Terry’s Computer Tips email newsletter
*   weekly on-line Terry’s Computer Tips newsletter

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