My wife and I have been talking about getting a lap top, we were at Wal-Mart the other day and we looked at them. They had them on sale or clearence not sure what they said, but they had marked some of them down. We ended up getting a Toshiba that had been almost $650 for $355 they had several different ones marked down. I don't see anything wrong with it so far, it was still in the box and all the paperwork was there. If anybody is looking it might be worth while to check it out.




D J

OK, I just can't help myself here.... Computers are not ALL THE SAME!! You can pretty much depend on one thing with computers... YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

Now with that said, I would like to wish you good luck. First do a search for reviews on that Laptop, by make and model. I just love how people (not picking on you) will by a computer from Wal-Mart or Sam's club, and not a reputable computer company (like mine). Some pimply faced kid who barely knows how to turn the dang thing on is telling you that "This is a really nice computer". I love to ask questions when I buy stuff, and I have NEVER had anyone at Wal-Mart able to answer some of the BASIC questions about the computers they have, even the Geek Squad is clueless 1/2 the time.

Good questions would be 1) Question...What type of support comes with this computer? Answer.. "Oh you have to call the manufacture and they will have you send it into them for repair, you will normally get it back in 3-6 weeks, as long as it is still under warranty. 2) Question... What is the warranty and what does it cover? 3) Can I get Accidental damage coverage? 4) What if someone drops it and the screen breaks? 4) Can I upgrade the OS or the Memory or the Hard drive? 5) What programs come with it? 6) Will this work with my printer? My software? And MANY other things you should ask before you buy a new computer. I hope yours doesn't have VISTA.

Sorry, couldn't help my self.. here's the soapbox back...

To anyone looking to buy a computer... PM me or just ask on this thread BEFORE you just go get a "Good Deal".

I am old enough that I was around long before computers so I have had the "joy" of suffering through the insanity. Yeah they do great things but we have paid a hell of a price along the way and still do when it comes to compatibility issues.

I bought a laptop as my home is small and I have no space for a tower. It works fine but truthfully I have never had the laptop out of the house and a tower would be a lot more convenient if I had the room. I do know the first thing I did with mine was buy a mouse, that little pad doesn't work with my fingers. No really, its the pads fault!

computers like motorcycles are all designed for a particular user in mind. I only use it for e-mail, surfing and my finances so I didn't need much. Its 4 years old and holding its own. Gaming, music, videos etc means you have to stay much more current.

If I buy a bigger house I'll get a new one but that ain't likely. I tied up my retirement in the Roadie!

Darn, you hit the nail right on the head. There are so many options in a computer now like what and how many processors, the processor speed, the size and type of hard drive, the amount of RAM, the type and speed of the video and audio cards, etc. All of these options plus the software that comes preloaded (some of it you don't want and will never use) but you get stuck with it anyhow all help determine the price and functionality.

Best advice if you are in the market for a new computer is to find a knowledgeable friend who knows what they are doing and discuss what you will be using the computer for. This can save you a lot of headaches in the future.

i have to agree with darn.
i have had geek squad techs not know what arctic silver was(thermal compound for those that don't know).
if you aren't knowledgeable ask someone who is. usually NOT a guy that works @ walmart.Heck i used to work for one of the local computer shops near me and sold parts to the geek squad guys and would laugh when they brought them back because they didn't have the know how to make them work

Hi,
I work for a company that is Toshiba warranty repair certified here in Riverside,CA
Toshiba laptops historically have suffered from heat problems...depending on which model you bought.
People who paid for high end power a few years ago brought a law suit against Toshiba because Toshiba set the cpu to slow waaay down in order to defeat the heat problem which defeated the reason the people were paying out the big bucks for the big horse power.
Since you got it from wallmart go ahead and buy the longest and best warranty you can get from the store. The reason is they have a policy of replacing the laptop in store if it goes bad, they do not waste time with the manufacturer, at least that is what they were doing last year and every wallmart in the country honors the warranty.
If all you are going to do is surf the web, map read on google and email, a basic laptop should work fine. If you are carrying it on the bike make sure you HEAVILY PAD it with foam or it may not last, they don't like a lot of constant vibration or jarring unless you get the titanium version, I hear those are so tough you can drag them behind the bike LoL!
Take care about using non powered USB items as they place extra load on the mainboard and power supply for instance laptop cooler's where the laptop sits on the fans is great for keeping the laptop cooler and extending its life on the one hand but is equally bad cause of the extra load it places on the mainboard and it kills the battery life also.
To put the heat in perspective look at the giant fans on a desktop computer with a dual core processor and then imagine the one little fan on the laptop running a dual core processor. This heat is what will cook the hard drive usually.
Experience has shown that if you run a laptop like a desktop for hours on end they will fail sooner than a desktop, there are exceptions to this rule for sure, but generally speaking do your business on a laptop then shut it off completely and it should last you quite a while.
Happy Motoring and please do not email while you are riding!
Yes and what Darn said...Bump

You brought up the issue of Heat with laptops, did you ever notice why Intel based are called laptops and AMD based are called Notebooks? AMD processors get really hot and to prevent lawsuits from people burning their legs while using them, they called them notebooks, not implying that you can set it on your lap. Betcha didn't know that, didya?

One other thing to remember, if you use your laptop, do not leave it in the case....ie, just opening it up while in the case, take it out so the fans can cool it, or it will get VERY HOT and most likely quit until it cools down, but hey, you can always make toast if you have the bread.

Darn wrote:
You brought up the issue of Heat with laptops, did you ever notice why Intel based are called laptops and AMD based are called Notebooks? AMD processors get really hot and to prevent lawsuits from people burning their legs while using them, they called them notebooks, not implying that you can set it on your lap. Betcha didn't know that, didya?

One other thing to remember, if you use your laptop, do not leave it in the case....ie, just opening it up while in the case, take it out so the fans can cool it, or it will get VERY HOT and most likely quit until it cools down, but hey, you can always make toast if you have the bread.

Cool,
I did not know that about laptop vs notebook. Just goes to show there is no limit to expanding ones mind in the clinic

i got a new comp a few months ago direct from hp, its a compaq presario cq61 main reason i got it is the warranty.
4 years full replacement for about 260.00 extra

Darn wrote:
[
One other thing to remember, if you use your laptop, do not leave it in the case....ie, just opening it up while in the case, take it out so the fans can cool it, or it will get VERY HOT and most likely quit until it cools down, but hey, you can always make toast if you have the bread. :rolleyes: :side: :woohoo:[/quote]


or you can buy this...