<p>Any suggestions?</p>
<p>I get all mine from <a href=“http://www.refurbdepot.com%5B/url%5D”>www.refurbdepot.com</a> Usually, they just have scratch on the top, or something. But I actually trust them more than new ones, because I know they are truly fully tested.</p>
<p>I have a Compaq 15.4" Centrino Pentium 4, 802.11g with all the bells and whistles, which cost me roughly $1100, and never had a single problem with it.</p>
<p>HOWEVER, depending on the college you plan to attend, you may need XP Professional for linking with college net, so check carefully.</p>
<p>Flipside - my d. bought the college package - a Dell. It was overpriced, except that it came with 4-years onsite service provided by the college itself - an official Dell repairer, but only for computers purchased through the college itself. And the package extends to her junior year abroad. She lives a block from the computer center, so when she has problems (twice thus far), she drops it in at 8:30 a.m., and has it by lunch.</p>
<p>I agree with Mini as you should check to see what your school offers and their policy. Many times if you bring your own computer you may have a problem getting it serviced on campus.</p>
<p>My daughter also got her computer through the college (they have authorized Dell and Mac service centers on campus). </p>
<p>She has an apple G4 powerbook (12 inch). It weighs about 4 lbs, she is able to slip it in her bag and go. Dartmouth being a wireless campus, it came already set-up, her mail, wireless cards, MS office, etc. All she had to do was take it out the box, plug it in and go. Cost was about $1600 (not too much difference that had she purchased from apple, got the wireless card and the software. She is not technologically saavy so this vas definitely the way to go. This year they added wireless voice and Television services, so she can do all of that through her MAC.</p>
<p>She also had a minor problem on campus , took it to the service center, got a loaner and went on.</p>
<p>Mini is correct on this point too, you will need XP professional inorder to link to your campus network.</p>
<p>I didn’t have windows XP professional on my laptop and i could link to my campus network fine. You need to check with your school on that.</p>
<p>mini’s idea is really good, especially if you dont mind a slightly ‘older’ (relative term of course, if you take good care of a computer, it’ll last for a long long time) computer. </p>
<p>brands…apple if you’re into them, ibm, my personal favorites are fujitsu and toshiba.</p>
<p>wherever you buy though, ask for edicational discounts, as they usually range in the 5-10% area. these apply to many higher priced software packages as well (office, macromedia and adobe products, etc). you’ll likely have to buy from the manufacturer or the campus computer store to take advantage of this.</p>
<p>If you are a student/teacher/school board member etc you can get discounts through apple website-
I used mine for my new ipod:)</p>
<p>just be careful when buying dell, I have had so many problems with my son’s, not just the computer but we financed it also because we were offered zero percent financing, which is actually a bait and switch tactic, ended up being 28% interest!!! whenever I get the chance, I make sure I tell people of the problem. if you would like some input on dell, look at their website, dell.com. they have a community forum where people can discuss their computers and problems. many many problems. my next purchase will be for my daughter, an apple</p>
<p>if you take advantage of the educational discount on the apple website you can get a 12" ibook for under $1000. a word of advice if you decide to do this: get the $250 extended applecare protection plan. it ensures free repairs for three years onward–a wise investment considering repairs can cost $280 each.</p>
<p>We did the schools program - purchased and delivered right to our DD when she landed at campus - tho it is a Gateway - ya, I know lol - but she has no problems except for her non-computer-savy situation - like a virus or something. ANY problems tho - she just takes it to the bookstore/computer center - they take care of it - give her a loaner - and it is usually back to her in a few hours. If it has to be shipped back - the school takes care of that also and she keeps the loaner til hers is back. We also got great discounted software when needed thru the school.</p>
<p>We did go for the 3 year insurance plan - will extend it for another year to cover her college years - she is just too far away for us to take care of things when something goes wrong. Even if she sits a curling iron on the keys and they melt - it gets dropped out a window - whatever - it is covered - which is a big relief on our end. THe students also get free virus software thru the school also.</p>
<p>The school does not do repairs on computers not bought thru their program - those have to be handled by the computer company which can be quite expensive. We like the idea of being better safe than sorry on this one.</p>
<p>Tlatkan - I have actually seen a good deal at Staples - it starts with an A - can’t recall exactly what the brand is - but one can be had for under $900 - with some good software and warrantee stuff also - and there are Staples all over the place - and many have service centers - something to look into anyways.</p>
<p>jeepmom…Averatec?</p>
<p>Yes Karthikkito - that is it!!! lol - ty</p>
<p>Lots of Averatecs on <a href=“http://www.refurbdepot.com%5B/url%5D”>www.refurbdepot.com</a> The one I got for myself is the Compaq 1058CL, which they are selling for $985.</p>
<p>My otherwise charming daughter has an astonishing ability to kill laptops. She managed to destroy a Toshiba so thoroughly that it was <em>replaced</em> under warranty. Before that she destroyed two laptops during her high school years (both used, an HP and a Dell). My husband has a theory that her fingertips are magnetic and thus somehow destroy the chips.</p>
<p>HOWEVER, she still has the Apple laptop (she got the 12" one) she bought two years ago as a freshman. Not only that, it hasn’t needed a single repair, despite her dropping it on the concrete stairs of her dorm. My son’s Apple laptop (the 17" titanium one–he paid for half of it) did need a screen replacement after just over a year and a half of use, but he admitted he’d dropped it not once but several times. Nonetheless, Apple replaced the screen under warranty. </p>
<p>My kids are remarkable among their friends, as far as I can tell, for their computer abuse; the Apples have definitely been the most reliable and the easiest to deal with on repair. (Since their father is just as bad (he likes to buy a new computer regularly and currently has three different ones in his office, all of them in use), I try not to complain too much. (My computer was bought in 1999 but I have replaced various components over time. At this point, I think the only original equipment is the case and the power cord.))</p>
<p>dmd77, looks like what you really needed was a panasonic toughbook (<a href=“http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/home.asp[/url]”>http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/home.asp</a> - product home) and (<a href=“http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/df_test.asp#5[/url]”>http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/df_test.asp#5</a> - test procedures). sounds pretty demanding…</p>
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</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>My son has a 17" titanium too - no problems so far and it has been a year.</p>
<p>a windoze computer wouldn’t do her much good at Reed unless she never had any problems with it- they are authorized to do hardware repair on Apple computers but not PCs</p>
<p>My husband is magnetic- he has an astonishing ability to kill watches. He has never been able to wear a watch for more than a couple weeks if that for as long as I have known him. ( makes fathers day harder- since I have refused to buy any more watches)
He now just uses the clock on the cell phone, which works because he keeps it in his pocket instead of next to his skin.
But weird
My oldest also has an odd effect on scanners at airports.
I have seen her set them off wearing just tevas, shorts and a tank top.</p>
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<p>After receiving my laptop today, I must second Mini’s recommendation of Refurb Depot. The laptop I received today is AMAZING! Battery life, dual function (CD/DVD player while computer is off…) … I mean, wow…</p>
<p>Only a few scratches and such, but a save for the cost ($800), esp. with the speed and with the features that come with it. Now, the task is… buying MS office… or going openoffice… (the cheap way…)</p>
<p>if you go for ms office, ** get a student discount<a href=“the%20academic%20version”>/b</a>! :)</p>
<p>Don’t waste money on Ms Office Suite. For FREE, you can download Open Office - at <a href=“http://www.openoffice.org%5B/url%5D”>www.openoffice.org</a>. It is Open Source Software that is completely compatible with MS Office - it includes word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software.<br>
Next step is to drop Window and switch to Linux - also free. Within a year or two Linux will become a serious threat to MS’s monopoly. Lots of college students and high school students are already using Linux on their laptops.</p>