Laptop help.
 

In the fall, I'm going to college for the first time and I'm looking into a laptop and a flash drive. I don't need anything super fancy. Just something for word processing for papers and things, email/web browsing, and instant messaging. The only thing I know I need is the thing that catches wireless internet. I'm not planning on buying a thing from verizon or sprint or anything. My school has free wireless internet so when I'm at school I won't need it, and if I'm home, I'll use my flash drive to transfer documents and print them out.

I need a suggestion for a BASIC laptop, to do the basic things I need to do. I also need to know what size flash drive I should get. I want to be able to hold multiple papers and power point projects on it.

I'm hoping to spend less than $900 on the both of them. I know you can get small space flash drives for like $10 at Staples but I have no idea how many papers and things 128mb holds, and I assume a 1 or 2 gig is better but I would want a good deal on it.

If any of you tech savvy people can give me some suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. :)

go for 2 gigs for flash drives...you are wasting that $10.00 for 126mb

as far as laptop goes, it still goes back to what you want and what you can afford...

my personal favorites right now are the HP laptops...they are the ones I troubleshoot the least...which is dumb on my part for recommending them to my clients. LOL

go to the HP website. Their basic laptop is about $400.00 but sometimes are on sale for $300.00

steer away from all the upgrades except for MS OFFICE. Which you'll need WORD to do your college papers. That's about $130.00
That is if HP offers it cheap. If you find a cheaper version of MS OFFICE else where...get it from those places instead.

When you get them, let us know, one of these very fine folks can hook you up with anti-virus/anti-spy and few other fun stuff for free.

:)

I'm looking at a Dell Inspiron from Best Buy that's on sale for $499.

The things I'm looking for are:
- Wifi built in reciever
- USB ports
-MS Word

The Dell has everything (except for maybe word? I don't know if it comes with it)

I found a 2 gig flash drive for $15 and a mouse for $17.

I have never ever used Vista and I'm afraid to. From everyone I know who's used it it's confusing. Does Word come with Vista? And what about power point? I've never used power point but everyone is telling me I need it?

I just checked the specs on the Laptop im 99.9999% getting.
Microsoft Works 9 is included which has word.

Im still confused and worried about Vista. And how to set up the internet for it.

It would be nice to have the internet set up for my house but the only time I need the internet is at school which has wireless internet.

I know NOTHING about wi-fi or how to set it up. I'm afraid to get the laptop, turn it on and only be able to play solitaire cuz i cant figure anything else out :/

Hey Meg,

My new laptop came with the same stuff...

As far as connecting to wi-fi... all I did was flip a little switch on here and it searched for the best wi-fi connection... I clicked on the one we have here and I was up an running.

Don't fear Vista... it's pretty basic really. I was leary of it too as I had never used it... but so far so good.

:)
Abbie

Is it like a Mac? I really am partial to XP since I'm so used to it. I had Windows ME back in the day and I was excited to get XP but not so excited for Vista.

Dad said we can go get it tomorrow hopefully. That would be awesome. I don't know how I can get wifi in my house... i have a router (or maybe its the modem) in the back of my desktop, and it has an antenna is that all i need? will it just pick it up from the antenna? I dont even knowwww

Microsoft Works doesn't include Word, only the Plus does, Microsoft Works Plus, link us to this laptop and let's check it out for you. :D

I think every new laptop has wifi internet ready to go on it but just ask them to show you how it works to make sure.
The wifi should pick up any signal that is in the area, just make sure you have your security set up. {firewall, anti virus, anti spyware, email protection- that sort of thing.

the Internet Security Suites cover the whole shebang pretty nicely.

you can change a lot of the Vista settings to make it look more like XP - I set up my aunts new laptop for her so it would be more like what she was used to.

MS Works 9 info -
[ Get things done quickly and easily with Microsoft Works 9

Works can help you coordinate everything from little tasks to large projects. You can stay on top of your busy schedule, update your contact list, manage a household budget and keep up with your correspondence. Works gives you the basic tools you need to make your tasks easier from start to finish.

# Use the Works Word Processor to easily create letters, resumes, greeting cards and more, with customizable templates, improved proofing tools and a built-in dictionary.
# Keep to-do’s organized, plan home improvements, or track your personal budget with the Works Spreadsheet.
# Combine up to 32 different calendars into one view to keep track of everyone’s plans with the Works Calendar.
# Store addresses, lists, or home inventories in the Works Database.
# Share & edit Works Word Processor and Spreadsheet files with Microsoft® Office Word and Microsoft® Office Excel and vice versa.* ]http://www.microsoft.com/products/works/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=003&active_tab=Features

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/pr...635841033.aspx
Home and Student 1
$149.95
*1 Office Home and Student 2007 Retail License Terms allow for installation on three devices.
OEM License Terms limit the installation to the device on which the software was pre-installed.

Office Standard 2007
Standard
$399.95 | $239.95

there is a free office suite (The free and open productivity suite)
[OpenOffice.org 2 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose. ]http://why.openoffice.org/
screenshots- http://why.openoffice.org/why_great.html

I downloaded it about a yr ago, it is set up quite a bit like MS Office & ya can't beat the price :D

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1210379087572

^thats ittt

I have no idea how to use power point, but everyone in college says thats the preferred program for slideshows and stuff... do i really need it or is there something else I can use?

You'll be real happy with it Meg. Though you might need to get a copy of Word or Office somewhere else and install it yourself, IF the Works doesn't have what you need. Judging from the description Jo posted it might be enough, that's a darn good deal too! :D

You might wanna get one of these too Meg:

http://www.protectcovers.com/

I am going to get one for my laptop when I buy it that is....LOL! ;) :D

im hoping hoping hoping ill be replying to people on my laptop tonight. i need somethign to show that things are working in the right direction.

here i am: first post on NT with my new laptop! vista isnt as weird as i thought! im so excited to be able to sit on my couch and type! i got a wireless mouse cuz the touchpad aggrivates me and i got a flash drive:) ohhhh i cant wait to see what else is on here! updates in a bit!

Glad you're posting using it now! That's awesome Meg! Can you get to your bedroom with it? :D

yuppp! im lying in bed with it right nowwww!! :) and i got word with it so eveythign is set! :)

AWESOME!!!!!!! I was wondering if it would end up with WORD on it or not, that's just awesome Meghan! I am so happy for you! Thanks for posting, I had wondered how it went, how big is the flash drive? did you go for a 2 gb or 4 gb or bigger? :D

a 2gig, the 4 gig was only $10 more but i figured a 2 would work for now i can always get another one. :) im so excited that the wireless works its so so exciting and it just connected right for me :)

Awesome Meg! I am so happy for you that you got such a great system. :D

:D

awesome, Meg.

PP (Powerpoint) is standard in a lot of college courses, the college that I sub at sometimes it is a requirement...

it is pretty easy to use, actually...so, don't be too afraid of it.

congrats!

meg, while I was posting to bfd, I realized that sony 101 offers Powerpoint lessons for free...they are broken up into mini classes

if you want to give it a shot:

search the index and if they don't offer it now, sign up with their website and they'll keep you updated with all their new courses.

sony 101

Thanks for the great link who moi! I signed up for power point intro and will be looking at it later, I really appreciate finding such a great learning resource! You ROCK! :D

Check this one out I found via google:

http://www.actden.com/

It has power point and a lot more. :D

Pam, that's a great website! THANK YOU!! I have it saved in my favorites! :D


and ummm...pssst...don't tell anyone, but moi is cheap...anything FREE is a good thing....just ask da wife... ;)

I know! I was like WOOOT!!!!1!1!!!! When I ran through the Microsoft Office tutorial and saw how nicely set up it was, you know me, just have to share those free fabulous links! :D Glad you liked it moi! :D ;) :)

I hate my new Vista that came on my new Dell! There is rarely anything compatible with it and is driving me nuts! I see lots of great laptops on Craigslist for a fraction of what ebay charges and the last week in the month is the best time to stalk it for deals!

I am gonna get a dell too but with XP preinstalled, the small business laptops let you set them up that way, the Latitude and the Vostro. So it's one of those for me I'm afraid...LOL!

i dont love vista but im setting it up to be more like XP, then again im not using it for much other then surfing the web and word processing so i dont know anything about it being compatible with stuff, my usb mouse and flash drive work so im all set

sorry your having so many issues with it Junie.

If you're going to college, you're not going to want something too inexpensive with limited options on your laptop. I'm a college student now too, and I got a Dell Inspiron 1520 (which I paid a bit over $1000 for). I regret buying it however. If you want a good computer, which you'll have for a while, I advise that you go with any Apple Laptop. the Macs are the best.

Don't buy something that you'll have to replace next year. That, or buy a desktop which you'll spend less money on, and just write all your notes in class in notebooks.