# Need a New Laptop ...



## Zoom-boing (Oct 22, 2014)

... what do you like?  recommend?

No MACs, too much $$$

Looking to spend under $650.

Bought an HP Pavilion 14".  Don't really like the smaller size (15.6" is what I've been using), keyboard wasn't quite the right touch ... cheapy slippy plastic keys.  Also has a touchscreen but I don't think I'll use it on a laptop and don't see the point of paying more for that feature. Am returning it tomorrow. 

Windows 8.1 .... hmmmmm.  I'm sure I'd get used to it but not too sure about it.  Doesn't seem very intuitive.

Found a Toshiba and HP, both 15.6", with Windows 7.

Thoughts?


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## Mr. H. (Oct 22, 2014)

Go to best buy dot com. I found a new Gateway laptop with Win 7 installed. Under $300. It's a dandy.


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## Mr. H. (Oct 22, 2014)

Edit- under $400 LOL

Acer Inc NE56R52u10054G50Mnks - Best Buy

FREE SHIPPING!


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## Bleipriester (Oct 23, 2014)

I would give this one a try. It has a 8 core prozessor and a nice GPU:
Amazon.com Acer Aspire E5-551G-T0JN 15.6-Inch Laptop Midnight Black Computers Accessories


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## iamwhatiseem (Oct 23, 2014)

Depends completely on your use of course, but at some point someone is going to make a larger chromebook. Which is a blazing fast/simple device far better than Microsoft Surface.
But since you want a larger size than 14"...my advice - stay away from HP's. I have never had good luck with HP laptops.
Lenova beats most. They have outstanding service records.


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 23, 2014)

iamwhatiseem said:


> Depends completely on your use of course, but at some point someone is going to make a larger chromebook. Which is a blazing fast/simple device far better than Microsoft Surface.
> But since you want a larger size than 14"...my advice - stay away from HP's. I have never had good luck with HP laptops.
> Lenova beats most. They have outstanding service records.



I was checking out the Lenovo's.  Found one I liked on BestBuy.com but after looking around, found it for $60 less on Amazon. 

Thanks for the input you guys!


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## Ringel05 (Oct 23, 2014)

If you have a Best Buy nearby go and "try out" the laptops on display, that way you can "feel" the keyboard and check out the options.


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 24, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> If you have a Best Buy nearby go and "try out" the laptops on display, that way you can "feel" the keyboard and check out the options.



Yup, that's what I was doing on Thurs.  LOVE the Lenovo keyboards, very comfortable to type on.

However!  I YouTubed my laptop (six yr old Dell Inspiron -- stop laughing) and sure enough, the hinge problem is a design issue but I found a vid that showed how to fix it.  Seriously, 10 mins and it was fixed.  Took the frame off, bent the hinge down, screwed the two screws back in, tightened up the other side, put the frame back, small piece of duct tape on the front bottom of the frame where it split apart just so it doesn't move around.  Problem solved plus I fixed the wiggly screen!


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## HereWeGoAgain (Oct 24, 2014)

I would stay away from Toshiba.

   Picked up an ASUS multi media laptop a couple months ago and it's been flawless.
While it's a little out of your price range they do have some lower priced models.


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 24, 2014)

HereWeGoAgain said:


> I would stay away from Toshiba.
> 
> Picked up an ASUS multi media laptop a couple months ago and it's been flawless.
> While it's a little out of your price range they do have some lower priced models.



Yeah, I've heard that about Toshiba's.  Have heard Lenovo's are good the one I was looking at was $730 at BB, $670 on Amazon.  Not too sure about Windows 8.1 though.  Do you like it?  I'm running Vista (stop laughing!) and never had any problem with hit.  Supposedly Windows 10 is coming out fall of 2015.  Sounds like they are going to try to make Window 7 and Windows 8 people both happy.  They're bringing back the start menu, so that's a start!


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## HereWeGoAgain (Oct 24, 2014)

Zoom-boing said:


> HereWeGoAgain said:
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> > I would stay away from Toshiba.
> ...



The new Windows took some getting use to but I actually like it now.
I was looking at the Lenovo's when I ran across the ASUS in best buy,It basically had more of everything in my price range. I set out to spend around $1500.00 and ended up paying $1200.00 for the ASUS.
  I'll buy another in a couple of years and hand this one down to the wife.


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## Ringel05 (Oct 24, 2014)

Zoom-boing said:


> Ringel05 said:
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> > If you have a Best Buy nearby go and "try out" the laptops on display, that way you can "feel" the keyboard and check out the options.
> ...


My wifes Dell Inspiron is probably as old and slow.  Been trying to find her one she likes but no luck so far.  The first one I'm now using and the second one is getting returned tomorrow. 
She's stuck with what she has for now.........


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## iamwhatiseem (Oct 25, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> Zoom-boing said:
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ZaReason Strata 7440


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## Ringel05 (Oct 25, 2014)

iamwhatiseem said:


> Ringel05 said:
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> > Zoom-boing said:
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Must be a 17" and must NOT have the number pad on the keyboard.


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 25, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> iamwhatiseem said:
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I get not wanting the numeric keypad on the keyboard, it shifts the keyboard to the left and the touchpad often isn't centered but more to the left.  I don't have the keypad now and would prefer any new laptop I get to not have it.  However, everything I was looking at had it.  You might look at Dell's ... their keyboards are smaller and some of them may not have the keypad.   Any wiggle room on the keypad?  Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to it?  I was looking at an HP Pavilion at BB, 17.3".  While it did have the keypad it was very, very comfortable/nice to type on.  

The Lenovo's keypad was uber comfortable to type on.  Many models are backlit too, a plus in my eyes.  I'm pretty tactile and I tried all the models out at BB and found Lenovo's to be quite nice, very easy to type on, not many typos.  I don't like slippy, really hard plastic keys, I prefer either a bit concave or flat with a less slippy surface.


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## iamwhatiseem (Oct 25, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> iamwhatiseem said:
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I get that, I have one of those USB numpads as I quote jobs at home a lot.
I also had a laptop with the numpad on it (Gateway) and I hated it. It messes up the layout of the rest of the board...so I gave it to my daughter.


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## iamwhatiseem (Oct 25, 2014)

Zoom-boing said:


> The Lenovo's keypad was uber comfortable to type on.  Many models are backlit too, a plus in my eyes....I don't like slippy, really hard plastic keys, I prefer either a bit concave or flat with a less slippy surface.


 Hands down the best laptop I ever owned was a Mac Titanium. Not only gorgeous, but a HUUGE bonus was the lighted keys. The letters on the keys were lit up...that was fantastic when using in the dark. The keys were also concave. 
It was my work computer. I loved that thing.


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## Luddly Neddite (Oct 25, 2014)

I was shopping for a new laptop not long ago and really considered a Mac Pro. But, I just could not justify spending that much money.

I bought an Acer Aspire, 17" screen, from Best Buy dot com, free shipping, fraction of the cost of a Mac. I've had it about a month and like it fine. I chose it because I didn't want Windows7 and this one has 7. It does have some small features that I really like and had not seen before.

Note that although I've found most things cheaper on Amazon, this was not.

Another one I considered was (I think) a Lenovo with a touch screen but playing with Windows 8 made me go with the Acer with 7 on it.

You can also buy a cord for transferring data from your old computer to the new one.  I expected the cord to be pricey but it was only something like $7-8.


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## Luddly Neddite (Oct 25, 2014)

HereWeGoAgain said:


> I would stay away from Toshiba.
> 
> Picked up an ASUS multi media laptop a couple months ago and it's been flawless.
> While it's a little out of your price range they do have some lower priced models.



I've had two Toshibas and liked them both. They seemed to be real workhorses. I just didn't like what I saw with what's available right now and Acer has gotten to be a big name. 

Also, we had a small Acer for travel and liked it well enough although I prefer my iPad. Ended up giving the Acer to our house cleaner's son. Now have a small Samsung Chrome, brand new and will be giving it to a friend's son. Gotta stop buying new computers and giving them away.


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## XPostFacto (Oct 25, 2014)

I hate the touchpad. When I worked, I used to have the IT department disable it, just so I could use the eraser head. Unfortunately, every laptop out is using the touchpad. I am a touch typist and hit the keys pretty hard when I'm motoring over the keyboard. As a result, it will cause the cursor to float everywhere, and if I am not vigilant will highlight and erase what I have just typed. All laptops have this annoying problem. Instead of resting the heels of my hand on the table below the keypad, I have to keep my hands raised and just dab at the keys, just to keep erasing what I have typed previously. If a laptop were my only computer, I would have to install an extra keyboard because the laptop keyboard leaves a lot to be desired.


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 25, 2014)

XPostFacto said:


> I hate the touchpad. When I worked, I used to have the IT department disable it, just so I could use the eraser head. Unfortunately, every laptop out is using the touchpad. I am a touch typist and hit the keys pretty hard when I'm motoring over the keyboard. As a result, it will cause the cursor to float everywhere, and if I am not vigilant will highlight and erase what I have just typed. All laptops have this annoying problem. Instead of resting the heels of my hand on the table below the keypad, I have to keep my hands raised and just dab at the keys, just to keep erasing what I have typed previously. If a laptop were my only computer, I would have to install an extra keyboard because the laptop keyboard leaves a lot to be desired.



That happens to me too!  I'm always hitting the damn touchpad by mistake and bouncing the cursor around and erasing things.  I end up resting the front of my forearm on the laptop and keep my wrists in the air. 

I rarely use the touchpad on my Dell, don't like it.  I prefer a mouse because I feel like I have more control.  Or maybe i'm just old school.  lol  I do have to say, though, that the touchpads on some of the computers I tried out were realllly nice.  You can zoom, move, enlarge with them (like you would on an ipad or other tablet).  They were on some of the touchscreen laptops.


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## XPostFacto (Oct 25, 2014)

I tried disabling the touchpad, but when I do that, it also disables the external mouse, so you have to have the touchpad working whether you like it or not. 

I noticed in Windows 8 that you can use the touchpad to magnify or minimize your laptop view. I always get it all screwed up, so rather than use the touch pad, I press the Ctrl key and use the middle mouse button when I'm using the external mouse, which is just about all the time.


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 25, 2014)

[QUOTE="XPostFacto, post: 10042989, member: 43863"*]I tried disabling the touchpad, but when I do that, it also disables the external mouse, so you have to have the touchpad working whether you like it or not. *

I noticed in Windows 8 that you can use the touchpad to magnify or minimize your laptop view. I always get it all screwed up, so rather than use the touch pad, I press the Ctrl key and use the middle mouse button when I'm using the external mouse, which is just about all the time.[/QUOTE]

I've disabled the touchpad on my Dell laptop and the mouse still works. It's wireless mouse.


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## XPostFacto (Oct 25, 2014)

Zoom-boing said:


> [QUOTE="XPostFacto, post: 10042989, member: 43863"*]I tried disabling the touchpad, but when I do that, it also disables the external mouse, so you have to have the touchpad working whether you like it or not. *
> 
> I've disabled the touchpad on my Dell laptop and the mouse still works. It's wireless mouse.



I've got an HP, and it was the case with the wired mouse. I never did recheck it with the wireless. I will see how it does and report back. I principally use my desktop, since it is my gaming machine.


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## MikeK (Oct 25, 2014)

XPostFacto said:


> I tried disabling the touchpad, but when I do that, it also disables the external mouse, so you have to have the touchpad working whether you like it or not.
> 
> I noticed in Windows 8 that you can use the touchpad to magnify or minimize your laptop view. I always get it all screwed up, so rather than use the touch pad, I press the Ctrl key and use the middle mouse button when I'm using the external mouse, which is just about all the time.


I can recommend the Ligitech MS70 wireless trackball as the solution to your problem.  I have two, one for a desktop and one for a laptop and could not be more impressed and satisfied with them.

Extremely simple to use.  Just disable the touchpad and plug the tiny receiver into a USB port.  The MS70 is very small, stationary, requires very little space to use, and it works flawlessly.  I can't praise it enough.


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## iamwhatiseem (Oct 25, 2014)

XPostFacto said:


> I hate the touchpad. When I worked, I used to have the IT department disable it, just so I could use the eraser head. Unfortunately, every laptop out is using the touchpad. I am a touch typist and hit the keys pretty hard when I'm motoring over the keyboard. As a result, it will cause the cursor to float everywhere, and if I am not vigilant will highlight and erase what I have just typed. All laptops have this annoying problem. Instead of resting the heels of my hand on the table below the keypad, I have to keep my hands raised and just dab at the keys, just to keep erasing what I have typed previously. If a laptop were my only computer, I would have to install an extra keyboard because the laptop keyboard leaves a lot to be desired.



I do that too!
Drives me nuts. I will be typing along - glance up and I am typing two paragraphs up!!
 I hate that.


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## HereWeGoAgain (Oct 25, 2014)

Luddly Neddite said:


> HereWeGoAgain said:
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> > I would stay away from Toshiba.
> ...



  I've had two Toshibas and they both sucked.


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## Ringel05 (Oct 25, 2014)

We brought it back today, looked at some others and she found (almost) exactly what she wanted.  Lenovo Yoga 2, (a 2 in 1) 13", yeah she said she would get used to the size, just finished setting it up for her.


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## XPostFacto (Oct 25, 2014)

MikeK said:


> XPostFacto said:
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> 
> > I tried disabling the touchpad, but when I do that, it also disables the external mouse, so you have to have the touchpad working whether you like it or not.
> ...



I had a wireless mouse on my desktop but destroyed it playing melee games such as Skyrim and Assassins Creed. I went back to my wired mouse. I still use a wireless on my laptop, but it has the annoying fault of dropping out until I pull out and reinsert the USB receiver.


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## iamwhatiseem (Oct 25, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> We brought it back today, looked at some others and she found (almost) exactly what she wanted.  Lenovo Yoga 2, (a 2 in 1) 13", yeah she said she would get used to the size, just finished setting it up for her.



  My wife wanted a chromebook. She loves it. There is a lot to be said for "instant on" - you open it up and in a blink it is up. Love that. And the battery last forever.
Too little for my hands though.


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## MikeK (Oct 25, 2014)

XPostFacto said:


> I had a wireless mouse on my desktop but destroyed it playing melee games such as Skyrim and Assassins Creed. I went back to my wired mouse. I still use a wireless on my laptop, but it has the annoying fault of dropping out until I pull out and reinsert the USB receiver.


The Logitech MS70 is not a wireless mouse.  It is a wireless trackball, meaning it remains fixed in one place and you effect all movement with your thumb.  And as previously mentioned, I have two of them and both have been working flawlessly since I got them over a year ago.


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 31, 2014)

So my laptop hinge is still giving me problems, as is the battery/cord.  (battery no longer charges, cord is duct taped into the laptop and still doesn't stay put, externally charge the battery).  So I bought the Lenovo laptop.  Really like it, great backlit keyboard, Windows 8.1 is not nearly as intimidating and awful as I thought, touchscreen is nice, touchpad is great, downloaded Classic Shell, am getting rid of useless apps, got mah Firefox add-ons to pretty up and also secure everything.  My only complaint is that the battery life succccckkkkkkssssss.  Initially it was like 6 or 7 hours but now that I'm up and running, it doesn't even get 3.  Tried disabling some programs on startup but that didn't do much good.  The fan is constantly running (which is what's sucking the battery dry imo).  Any suggestions as to how to improve the battery life?


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## iamwhatiseem (Oct 31, 2014)

Zoom-boing said:


> So my laptop hinge is still giving me problems, as is the battery/cord.  (battery no longer charges, cord is duct taped into the laptop and still doesn't stay put, externally charge the battery).  So I bought the Lenovo laptop.  Really like it, great backlit keyboard, Windows 8.1 is not nearly as intimidating and awful as I thought, touchscreen is nice, touchpad is great, downloaded Classic Shell, am getting rid of useless apps, got mah Firefox add-ons to pretty up and also secure everything.  My only complaint is that the battery life succccckkkkkkssssss.  Initially it was like 6 or 7 hours but now that I'm up and running, it doesn't even get 3.  Tried disabling some programs on startup but that didn't do much good.  The fan is constantly running (which is what's sucking the battery dry imo).  Any suggestions as to how to improve the battery life?



If your CPU fan is constantly running, then I would call Lenovo. That should not be doing that.
I would suspect a faulty connection. Lenovo consistently rates high on customer satisfaction so my bet is they will fix the problem quickly.


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## XPostFacto (Oct 31, 2014)

Maybe you haven't set the power options to put the laptop in sleep mode. You do that, and the fan will turn off and be in standby mode. You can set a timer on how much inactivity before the monitor and hard drive go to sleep.


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 31, 2014)

Seems as if disabling some of the start up programs did help.  Updates had been installed earlier and I think that's why the fan was running so much.  It got quiet hours ago and hasn't started up again.  At the risk of repeating myself, the backlit keyboard is da bomb!


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## iamwhatiseem (Oct 31, 2014)

Zoom-boing said:


> Seems as if disabling some of the start up programs did help.  Updates had been installed earlier and I think that's why the fan was running so much.  It got quiet hours ago and hasn't started up again.  At the risk of repeating myself, the backlit keyboard is da bomb!



Yes they are, you are making me want to buy a new one.
I miss that feature badly. Now I tilt the screen down so the light of the screen illuminates the keys - s u c k s


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## ChrisL (Nov 1, 2014)

Zoom-boing said:


> So my laptop hinge is still giving me problems, as is the battery/cord.  (battery no longer charges, cord is duct taped into the laptop and still doesn't stay put, externally charge the battery).  So I bought the Lenovo laptop.  Really like it, great backlit keyboard, Windows 8.1 is not nearly as intimidating and awful as I thought, touchscreen is nice, touchpad is great, downloaded Classic Shell, am getting rid of useless apps, got mah Firefox add-ons to pretty up and also secure everything.  My only complaint is that the battery life succccckkkkkkssssss.  Initially it was like 6 or 7 hours but now that I'm up and running, it doesn't even get 3.  Tried disabling some programs on startup but that didn't do much good.  The fan is constantly running (which is what's sucking the battery dry imo).  Any suggestions as to how to improve the battery life?



My laptop battery life sucks too.  I wonder if certain programs use more power to run and therefore more battery life?  I swear that if I play downloadable games, my battery gets drained super fast.

Also, my laptop was super cheap.  It was all I could afford.  No back lit keyboard.  Not much for bells and whistles.  Scrolling sucks.  There is no scroll bar and I have to use the two finger method of scrolling.  Also not all that crazy about Windows 8.1, I must say.


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## ChrisL (Nov 1, 2014)

When I went shopping for my laptop, there were some that were well over $1000.  I was like !!!  Show me to the 300 and 500 dollar laptops!


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## Zoom-boing (Nov 1, 2014)

ChrisL said:


> When I went shopping for my laptop, there were some that were well over $1000.  I was like !!!  Show me to the 300 and 500 dollar laptops!




I know, right?  The Lenovo I bought was $730 at Best Buy, got if for $670 on Amazon and all I heard was 'budget laptop' when asking questions about it.  I refuse to pay over $1,000 for a laptop, especially when they don't last very long anyway.

I don't mind windows 8.1 at all.  I thought it was going to be just awful but once you understand what they're trying to do, it's ok.  I downloaded Classic Shell from here:  Classic Shell - Start menu and other Windows enhancements   to get the start menu back.  Now when I press the 'windows' key on the laptop (bottom left area) the start menu comes up instead of the screen switching to the tiles page.  I also went into the settings on the pc to tell it to load directly to the desktop so I don't have to switch from the tiles page.  On the tiles page I went through each app and deleted or uninstalled the ones I'll never use.  I also set a desktop tile on there just to make it easy to get back to the desktop.  I understand what they're trying to do with windows and the app/tiles page ... have it be consistent across all devices.  Laptops just don't seem overly conducive to apps, imo, even when you have a touchscreen.  This laptop happens to be touchscreen.  The only time I use that feature is if I'm using the apps but it isn't necessary.  Oh, I do use it to swipe in from the right, to get to the control panel.  Half the time I end up re-sizing my browser screen though.  lol

Have you tried getting a wireless mouse so you don't have to use the track pad?  I'm not a huge fan of the track pads, I fell uncoordinated and slow.  I just got a wireless mouse and mousepad set (they match lol) at Target for $25.  I prefer Logitech mouse, find them quite comfortable and reliable.  Had a Microsoft mouse and it was awful, crappy scrolling.  You can get just a mouse for pretty cheap .... $15 or so.


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## Zoom-boing (Nov 1, 2014)

ChrisL said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > So my laptop hinge is still giving me problems, as is the battery/cord.  (battery no longer charges, cord is duct taped into the laptop and still doesn't stay put, externally charge the battery).  So I bought the Lenovo laptop.  Really like it, great backlit keyboard, Windows 8.1 is not nearly as intimidating and awful as I thought, touchscreen is nice, touchpad is great, downloaded Classic Shell, am getting rid of useless apps, got mah Firefox add-ons to pretty up and also secure everything.  My only complaint is that the battery life succccckkkkkkssssss.  Initially it was like 6 or 7 hours but now that I'm up and running, it doesn't even get 3.  Tried disabling some programs on startup but that didn't do much good.  The fan is constantly running (which is what's sucking the battery dry imo).  Any suggestions as to how to improve the battery life?
> ...



I keep testing the battery.  When it's sucky is when the fan is running at high speed.  Then the battery just drains within 3 hours.  When the fan is running low or not at all (I think Lenovo's are designed for the fan to run most of the time) the battery is better, maybe 5 hours.  Still testing that.  Games will definitely chew up the battery faster. 

The backlit keyboard wasn't something I was looking for but when I went to BB they had several Lenovo laptops (not the one I got though) and they all had the nice to use keyboards and they were all backlit.  Maybe the backlit feature is standard on this brand?  Don't know but I'm sold on it and will def always want that feature.


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## ChrisL (Nov 1, 2014)

Zoom-boing said:


> ChrisL said:
> 
> 
> > When I went shopping for my laptop, there were some that were well over $1000.  I was like !!!  Show me to the 300 and 500 dollar laptops!
> ...



It's outrageous how much money they want.  I don't need one that does all that much anyway, so I am fine with the cheaper laptop.  Lol.  

I'm getting used to Windows 8.1, but I HATE all the aps, and I don't like how the start menu is formatted at all!  I find that to be a bit confusing.   

I hate the tile pages, and because I have to 2-finger scroll, I accidentally click on things all the time!  That is the most annoying part.  If this computer had a scroll bar, it would make life MUCH easier.    I'll have to make sure to check on that next time I have to buy one!  

I have been thinking about getting a wireless mouse and keyboard.  That would be fantastic, but they are not on my immediate list of purchases that I need to make at the moment.  Maybe after Christmas or something.    Thanks for the tip!


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## ChrisL (Nov 1, 2014)

Zoom-boing said:


> ChrisL said:
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> > Zoom-boing said:
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The one I have now, I don't really notice the fan being on too often.  My last laptop did use the fan quite often and would get really hot sometimes.  This one seems to stay much cooler, and I never notice when the fan is on, so that part seems to be working out okay for me.  

I am definitely going to make sure my next one has the back lit keyboard though.  It's hard to see the black keys when it's even a little bit dark in here.  Lol.


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## iamwhatiseem (Nov 1, 2014)

ChrisL, something you might consider that could work well for you is a Chromebook.
Amazon.com Acer C720 Chromebook 11.6-Inch 2GB Laptop Computers Computers Accessories

 A Chromebook is basically a "web browser in a box". If primarily all you do is use your web browser to do things - then it is a very good option.
*Pros:*
1) Blazing fast. And I mean fast. Lift the screen up and literally in one second is it fully up and ready.
2) Battery life. All day. Average is 8.5 hours. And it will do it. My wifes seems to never need a recharge.
3) Quality build. The touch and feel exudes quality. It does not look or feel cheap.
4) Ports - HDMI and several USB ports to plug in keyboards etc.
5) PRICE - $199!
*Cons:*
1) Size, 11.6 inches. Which is small, but surprisingly you get used to it.
2) It has apps you can install, word processor etc. - but it is made for browsing the web.


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## ChrisL (Nov 1, 2014)

iamwhatiseem said:


> ChrisL, something you might consider that could work well for you is a Chromebook.
> Amazon.com Acer C720 Chromebook 11.6-Inch 2GB Laptop Computers Computers Accessories
> 
> A Chromebook is basically a "web browser in a box". If primarily all you do is use your web browser to do things - then it is a very good option.
> ...



Thanks!  Something to keep in mind for next time!


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## Ringel05 (Nov 1, 2014)

Have the Yoga2 all set up.  Initially we had some connectivity issues, it would constantly drop the wifi connection, thankfully there was a fix for that, driver problem with Win 8.1, downloaded and installed the update, no more problems.  Never occurred to me (but it makes sense due to it's size) no CD/DVD drive, it has USBs for flash drives and a slot for a standard size memory card.  Could always get an external optical drive if I wanted to.  
Basically the Lenovo Yoga2 we bought is a true 2 in 1 but it wasn't cheap, cost almost a grand but it works like a laptop or a tablet so ya get the best of both worlds.


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## XPostFacto (Nov 1, 2014)

Zoom-boing said:


> Seems as if disabling some of the start up programs did help.  Updates had been installed earlier and I think that's why the fan was running so much.  It got quiet hours ago and hasn't started up again.  At the risk of repeating myself, the backlit keyboard is da bomb!



I remember some years back having a Compaq laptop at work, and the fan never ran the whole time I was building spreadsheets, and I put in some elaborate formulas. That PC was doing some calculations. That was back before the IT department put in all the security stops. Back then you could install what you wanted, so I had the demo version of "Return to Castle Wolfenstein." As soon as I started that game, that fan took off and ran the whole time I was playing the game, but spreadsheets? Nah! It didn't consider that even worth turning.


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## ChrisL (Nov 2, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> Have the Yoga2 all set up.  Initially we had some connectivity issues, it would constantly drop the wifi connection, thankfully there was a fix for that, driver problem with Win 8.1, downloaded and installed the update, no more problems.  Never occurred to me (but it makes sense due to it's size) no CD/DVD drive, it has USBs for flash drives and a slot for a standard size memory card.  Could always get an external optical drive if I wanted to.
> Basically the Lenovo Yoga2 we bought is a true 2 in 1 but it wasn't cheap, cost almost a grand but it works like a laptop or a tablet so ya get the best of both worlds.



Gah!  Computer talk!  I don't get it!     That's whey whenever I shop for a new computer, I have to have help.


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## Ringel05 (Nov 2, 2014)

ChrisL said:


> Ringel05 said:
> 
> 
> > Have the Yoga2 all set up.  Initially we had some connectivity issues, it would constantly drop the wifi connection, thankfully there was a fix for that, driver problem with Win 8.1, downloaded and installed the update, no more problems.  Never occurred to me (but it makes sense due to it's size) no CD/DVD drive, it has USBs for flash drives and a slot for a standard size memory card.  Could always get an external optical drive if I wanted to.
> ...


Heck that's Geekanese 101, wait till some of the hardcore ones get going....... 
0101010001101000011001010111100100100000011100110111010001100001011100100111010000100000011101000110000101101100011010110110100101101110011001110010000001101001011011100010000001100010011010010110111001100001011100100111100100101110


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## iamwhatiseem (Nov 2, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> ChrisL said:
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> > Ringel05 said:
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01000110 01101111 01110010 01100111 01100101 01110010 01111001 .. obviously


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## Ringel05 (Nov 2, 2014)

iamwhatiseem said:


> Ringel05 said:
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> > ChrisL said:
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0101011101101000011000010111010000111111


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## iamwhatiseem (Nov 2, 2014)

010011010110100101110011011100110110010101100100001000000110000100100000011011100111010101101101011000100110010101110010001011100010000001001001001000000111001101100011011100100110010101110111011001010110010000100000011101010111000000101110


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## Zoom-boing (Nov 2, 2014)

Hey Ringel and iam ... I've got your number.


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## Ringel05 (Nov 2, 2014)

iamwhatiseem said:


> 010011010110100101110011011100110110010101100100001000000110000100100000011011100111010101101101011000100110010101110010001011100010000001001001001000000111001101100011011100100110010101110111011001010110010000100000011101010111000000101110


010101000110100001100001011101000010000001101001011100110010000001110111011010000110000101110100001000000111100101101111011101010010000001100111011001010111010000100000011001100110111101110010001000000110001001100101011010010110111001100111001000000110100101101110001000000110000100100000011010000111010101110010011100100111100100101110


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## ChrisL (Nov 2, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> ChrisL said:
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> > Ringel05 said:
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What language is this?  Basic?


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## Ringel05 (Nov 2, 2014)

ChrisL said:


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Binary.


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## ChrisL (Nov 2, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> ChrisL said:
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I only speak English.


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## Ringel05 (Nov 2, 2014)

ChrisL said:


> Ringel05 said:
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No habla........


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## ChrisL (Nov 2, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> ChrisL said:
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> > Ringel05 said:
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Oh, I can speak a tiny bit of Spanish.  I've taken it before a couple of times but never use it, so I don't remember it at all.  

Como esta?    Me llamo Christina.  Agua.  Muy caliente.


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## Ringel05 (Nov 2, 2014)

ChrisL said:


> Ringel05 said:
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Es tut mir Leid, dass ich kein Spanisch sprechen.


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## ChrisL (Nov 2, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> ChrisL said:
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Lol!  I had to google translate and still not sure.  It makes you sad that I don't speak Spanish?


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## Ringel05 (Nov 2, 2014)

ChrisL said:


> Ringel05 said:
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> > ChrisL said:
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Non è spagnolo.


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## ChrisL (Nov 2, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> ChrisL said:
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> > Ringel05 said:
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Not Spanish?    I don't know.


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## Zoom-boing (Nov 2, 2014)

just found the benefit of a touchscreen laptop.  when the cat decides to sit on your arm and across the bottom of the laptop, you can just use the touchscreen.  lol


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## Ringel05 (Nov 2, 2014)

ChrisL said:


> Ringel05 said:
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> > ChrisL said:
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The 1st was Binary, the 2nd was Spanish, the 3rd was German and the last was Italian. 

(Uummmm.....   shoulda answered in Chinese.......)


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## ChrisL (Nov 2, 2014)

Ringel05 said:


> ChrisL said:
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Chinese!!!    It would take me an hour to figure it out!  Lol.


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## Penelope (Nov 7, 2014)

ChrisL said:


> Zoom-boing said:
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> > ChrisL said:
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I am using a wired mouse now, cheaper and works fine. I can't stand the touchpad. I am new to Windows 8.1. I like 7, but I will get use to this one , I think a mouse would be good for you, save a lot of aggravation.


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