query re computer thoughts???

[Ken Gargett]

previous computer - an ACER - had the keyboard start disappearing and has always been slower than the proverbial. have a new one but the old one still under extended warranty so wondering about getting it sorted. worth it? nothing more frustrating than trying to type when you are missing all the letters on the top line. 

just spent an hour on the blower as contacted them last week. was promised a call within 2 business days. of course, fat chance. i have expressed the view that this is not acceptable. and nothing more i hate than some patronising 16 year old girl who can hardly manage three words in english telling me she understands how i feel. it was made clear she does not. she then thought i was from the insurance company. christ spare me. and then she had to check my call record, lord knows why. she comes back and tells me i rang today. YES, THIS CALL. THIS IS THE CALL YOU HAVE JUST DISCOVERED. i fear too many more of these days. 

people who have way more experience than myself, is it worth getting it sorted? or just forget it? any downsides? it should have all the stuff supposedly transferred but apparently that will all be wiped but it should be on the new one or the magic black box i have. i am thinking perhaps just as a backup? 

thoughts? 

[MoeFOH]

I wouldn't bother, Ken. Sounds like way more heartache than it's worth. You'd be best placed making dead certain that everything is transferred off it and onto the new one and some form of external storage, then forget about the dodgy one. 

Leave the gun, take the cannoli. 

[Ken Gargett]

35 minutes ago, MoeFOH said:

I wouldn't bother, Ken. Sounds like way more heartache than it's worth. You'd be best placed making dead certain that everything is transferred off it and onto the new one and some form of external storage, then forget about the dodgy one. 

Leave the gun, take the cannoli. 

think that might be wise. though when i had my bloke assist in the purchase, he recommended a computer that he then found didn't fit everything, despite me telling him that. i have 'removed' about 9000 photos so freed up space. 

[Auspaul]

Sometimes with extended warranty they end up giving you a new item if you have everything of your old computer stored on external hard drives might be a good idea to see if they give you a new one

[RDB]

Buy a Mac. Yes you pay a big premium up front, but then they just work and work and work. My 2013 Airbook is still going strong, and it's been all over the world.

Sorry for the hassle though!

[Ken Gargett]

thanks guys.

let you know how it ll goes.

 

[Colt45]

I guess if they would fix it for free without giving you an aneurysm, it might be worth as a back up. I agree re: external back up storage - I can get 8 terabytes for under $200, can set to auto back up new files, etc. Good luck!

[Philc2001]

First order of business is to get your data off that laptop and onto external storage.

Next, buy a new computer, and then get the old one fixed for free. 

If you're halfway handy you can extend the life of most laptops by simply switching out the internal HDD for an SSD, which are dirt cheap now. And you can greatly improve their usefulness by switching out their WiFi boards for a newer 802.11ac. I did that on my daughter's 3-year old Acer and it was like a brand new computer, and now 4-years later (total 7 years) my son still uses it everyday for school work. Amazing how easy it is to refurbish and upgrade these things.  

[Philski]

If it's just the keyboard that's gone rogue but you still want to use the laptop, I would say get a cheap USB keyboard and use that.  Also, most computers have an option to bring up a virtual keyboard on-screen, but it's only any use in a real pinch.

 

[BrightonCorgi]

Buy some cloud storage and move into that.  Keeping data on a local fixed disk is outdated.

[MD Puffer]

4 hours ago, Philc2001 said:

simply switching out the internal HDD for an SSD

Single best piece of advice here.  Simply put, there is no latency between pushing the "on" button and starting programs on your PC.  Your bandwidth will likely become your limiting factor once you're running a SSD.  Awesome, awesome, and yes, awesome...

[JamesKPolkEsq]

Getting a replacement keyboard and installing it is often trivial for this type of machine just FYI.

Generally, it's a screwdriver type job (no solder required). Search ebay for the model number.

My first recommend, though, would be to update the keyboard software. 

1) Hit "Windows" Key on keyboard

2) Type: device manager

3) Open device manger by clicking on it

4) Find "Keyboards" on the list of hardware

5) Click on the ">" next to the keyboard icon

6) Right click on the keyboard (Usually called "HID Keyboard Device")

7) Chose update driver

? Reset computer

It's free

[mrmessy]

assuming the keyboard doesn't work, then, yes, get a new keyboard.  windows does a pretty good job of taking a 3rd party keyboard and recognizing it and be able to use it almost instantly. 

the other item would be to get some online backup service installed.  carbonite, mozy, backblaze, or whatever is popular, available and easy enough for you to use.  they usually pick up the most used folders and will copy all the important stuff.  you do have to make sure that some movies (home videos) are copying by default.  

believing in multiple tiers of security, you should also use an external or network drive.  the external, usb attached drive, may be the easier option.  run the software for the automated backups.  

Once you are good with it and think you have all the data, leave it alone and move on.  in case you need it.  

but to answer your question, probably not worth keeping it around except for the backup for the data that may have been inadvertently left behind. 

I am curious though as to why you think the data will be wiped.  not sure what process you are using that would do this.  but you can just copy files rather than move. 

[Magus]

Assuming a new computer is in the cards no matter, what I'd do is figure out how much an hour of your time is worth...I go with how much someone would have to pay me to give up an hour of my weekend or holiday for work...multiply that by 10h since that's how much you can figure you'll sink in hassle. If you wouldn't spend that on something that is just a backup computer don't.

I'm very protective of my time though; never have enough.

Quote

"Buy a Mac. Yes you pay a big premium up front, but then they just work and work and work. My 2013 Airbook is still going strong, and it's been all over the world."

Mac laptops do seem to have a much longer half-life than windows. Amortized out mine seem to work out cheaper than a quality Windows version.

[Ken Gargett]

guys, thanks for all the help, even if much of it is in a completely foreign language. one thing i perhaps should have clarified is that i really can't be without a computer for more than a few days, given what i do, so the first thing i did was get a new one. so this other would just be a bonus. 

[Fuzz AI]

Ken, don't bother with a Mac. You already have a hard enough time with your laptop as is. No need to have to learn how to use a different operating system.

[Ken Gargett]

1 hour ago, Fuzz said:

Ken, don't bother with a Mac. You already have a hard enough time with your laptop as is. No need to have to learn how to use a different operating system.

fuzz, spot on. i did try the mac thing ages ago. we did not get on. 

[bayala]

@Ken Gargett Give me a budget and I'll sort one out for you

[Ken Gargett]

11 minutes ago, bayala said:

@Ken Gargett Give me a budget and I'll sort one out for you

the day is getting close! 

assume you are back? nice you could nursemaid your dad for a few weeks. 

[bayala]

31 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

the day is getting close! 

assume you are back? nice you could nursemaid your dad for a few weeks. 

Was back yesterday. I'm sure we'll catch up soon

[Puros Y Vino]

On 11/14/2018 at 2:29 PM, MD Puffer said:

Single best piece of advice here.  Simply put, there is no latency between pushing the "on" button and starting programs on your PC.  Your bandwidth will likely become your limiting factor once you're running a SSD.  Awesome, awesome, and yes, awesome...

Yup. SSD's are the best upgrade you can get.  It doubled my desktops' life by 2x.  My wife's dual core laptop got a huge boost and my 1st gen Chromebook is as smooth as silk for what these days amounts to a puny configuration.

Stick to major brands for laptops.  You can get replacement keyboards for most models if under warranty.  Avoid Lenovo or most Chinese based manufacturers as there are serious security concerns.

And as easy as Apple seems, avoid them too.  They used to be decent but lately they just dont seem to care about their users. Their designs are so minimal as to make them less useful so you have to buy the stuff they designed out on purpose.  They level they stoop to to bleed more $$'s from their mostly computer unsaavy customers is disgusting.  

HP, Dell, still make decent products.  I'd look for AMD Ryzen based systems as well.  Cheaper and often faster than Intel based systems.    Do get as much RAM as you can afford. >8GB.  Do get an SSD.  And definitely get some external storage to backup your key files.  Or find a cloud service that satisfies your availability and security requirements.  

[Fuzz AI]

6 hours ago, bundwallah said:

Yup. SSD's are the best upgrade you can get.  It doubled my desktops' life by 2x.  My wife's dual core laptop got a huge boost and my 1st gen Chromebook is as smooth as silk for what these days amounts to a puny configuration.

Stick to major brands for laptops.  You can get replacement keyboards for most models if under warranty.  Avoid Lenovo or most Chinese based manufacturers as there are serious security concerns.

And as easy as Apple seems, avoid them too.  They used to be decent but lately they just dont seem to care about their users. Their designs are so minimal as to make them less useful so you have to buy the stuff they designed out on purpose.  They level they stoop to to bleed more $$'s from their mostly computer unsaavy customers is disgusting.  

HP, Dell, still make decent products.  I'd look for AMD Ryzen based systems as well.  Cheaper and often faster than Intel based systems.    Do get as much RAM as you can afford. >8GB.  Do get an SSD.  And definitely get some external storage to backup your key files.  Or find a cloud service that satisfies your availability and security requirements.  

Now listen here, Frank. I think you have that all wrong. There are absolutely no security concerns with Chinese made products. We don't need to hack your personal information from your laptop or mobile phone... we have it already!

[Puros Y Vino]

13 hours ago, Fuzz said:

Now listen here, Frank. I think you have that all wrong. There are absolutely no security concerns with Chinese made products. We don't need to hack your personal information from your laptop or mobile phone... we have it already!

As I type this on my Lenovo Thinkpad, two things are already happening.

1. You've already seen my post before I hit "Submit Reply"
2. I'm reminded of articles like this one.