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im still on vista, haven't had any problems with it so far, but then again the first thing i did when i installed it was go thru disabling all the rubbish that came with it. I would like to upgrade to 7, but i can't justify the expense.
 
Well do note if you stick with Vista, MS will no longer provide major updates to the product. Only minor security updates IF it see's fit. MS has now dumped all it's money into supporting Windows 7.
 

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Koji said:
Well do note if you stick with Vista, MS will no longer provide major updates to the product. Only minor security updates IF it see's fit. MS has now dumped all it's money into supporting Windows 7.
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Microsoft will be providing full updates for Vista for plenty of time to go, and security updates for a long while after that. XP's only about to end of life now, and it's been around for nearly a decade. There's a lot to kick Microsoft about but support of their old OSes is not one of them.
 
Koji said:
If you're also suspicious of what programs are running as a service or in the background without you knowing on startup... try:

1. Open "run"
2. type in "msconfig.exe" and press enter
3. untick any ticked items you don't want to startup in both "services" and the "startup" tab.

I advise caution before unticking anything and be sure you don't need the item. Generally the "startup" tab has a few items that you generally don't need like Adobe update services (if you use any adobe item like Reader or Flash player) and iTunes update services etc.
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Ccleaner can do this also, if you go to tools, and click startup. U can also disable thing to run rather than delete the entries, just in case u aren't 100% sure they are actually needed....
 
Also,

I like Avast as well. Works well, is resource light.

Also use a antispyware program called Spyware Detector. It does costs to use, but is the best at finding stuff 98% of the others seem to miss....have Kaspersky at work, this isn't bad also....
 
Can't speak much about Dells, have had very little to do with them. Toshiba have always produced solid laptops. HP have made up ground in recent years as well and put out some decent products.

Again, Dell might be just as good, but haven't had the pleasure.
 
I'm on a Dell Inspiron right now. I've thrashed the crap out of it through three years of uni and while it is a bit scratched and beaten up it's still going strong. Only thing I've had to get replaced was the AC adaptor which eventually fell apart, covered under warranty.

Best part about Dell is the online store where you can customize the hell out of it.
 
The Flying Belgian said:
Guys, probably just about to buy a laptop. Thinking either the Dell Inspiron or one of the Toshiba Satellite series. Any opinions? (Further to those previous aired)
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Don't know what you're after, but there's a big laptop sale on graysonline atm - I bought a couple last night. Some bargains and some not so much.
 
My wife's last two computers have been Dells and they've been pretty solid and reliable. When we needed a no-maintenance computer for my mother-in-law we also went Dell and haven't heard back from her regarding it, so I assume it's ok. Dell's really stepped up its quality over the last five years.

Toshiba I haven't had any experience with since about six or seven years ago, when I had a laptop of their's back then. I was really impressed at the time, but I don't know where they're at these days nor how their prices compare to Dell's.
 
If you can afford it, the Tecra series of Toshiba's kick the arse out of the Satellites. At the lower end of the market, probably the Dell. More bang for your buck at that price. If you see a couple you're keen on, just post the links to the products you're looking at here. Sure any number of us could go over it and tell you which will be the best deal.
 
Can someone please make me a suitable sized avatar....

I'd like this to be the gift...

297441_o.gif


MCNABB BOOGIE TIME!
 

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Haggis McHaggis said:
If you can afford it, the Tecra series of Toshiba's kick the arse out of the Satellites. At the lower end of the market, probably the Dell. More bang for your buck at that price. If you see a couple you're keen on, just post the links to the products you're looking at here. Sure any number of us could go over it and tell you which will be the best deal.
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Thanks Haggis.

This is the Toshiba I was looking at the other day: http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=2

I've got no problem with Dell's. I definitely like being able to customise my purchase with Dell. This purchase is a replacement for our old Dimension 3000 that's reached the end of it's usefulness, so yeah, this is a desktop replacement. Wouldn't touch HP with a ten-foot pole made out of other HP's.
 
That link's taking me to a Lenovo Z560 :p

Ed: What was the price on the one you were looking at? Should be able to work it out from that.
 
What do you use it for & what price range are you looking at?

The weakness' in that Toshiba are that despite that big sexy screen, it only supports 720p HD, not 1080. The video card is also using system memory to support itself. I'd want them to set it up using a 64bit version of Win7 too.
 
The Flying Belgian said:
Oops. :D

It's the Toshiba Satellite Pro P500 i7-720QM/4GB/1TB/18.4"HD/WinHP
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If it is not getting too personal, for what are you intending to use the laptop? Might help us when advising on specs.
 
whatboutbob said:
If it is not getting too personal, for what are you intending to use the laptop? Might help us when advising on specs.
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Ooh err.... :D

I'm not into gaming, so that cuts down the specs I'd have thought. I will use it for music/videos which I guess will mean some streaming, although I'm not doing a heap of that at the moment.

I'm torn between not going too far with specs and making this purchase last a while.

Anybody got opinions on buying vs leasing?
 
The Flying Belgian said:
Ooh err.... :D

I'm not into gaming, so that cuts down the specs I'd have thought. I will use it for music/videos which I guess will mean some streaming, although I'm not doing a heap of that at the moment.

I'm torn between not going too far with specs and making this purchase last a while.

Anybody got opinions on buying vs leasing?
Click to expand...

Laptops are so cheap now I personally wouldn't bother leasing.

Unless you're going to be working on it / gaming / other cpu intensive activities I personally wouldn't be inclined to spend >$1k, but to each their own. The battery and screen are going to die on you anyway after a few years - but perhaps that's just my experience with Dells. ;)

As for specs, I can't envisage applications becoming particularly more resource hungry over the next few years - especially with the move towards cloud computing (ie google's computers doing all of the grunt work)

As such, I'd stock up on ram (the difference in cost between 2 and 4 gig is prett negligible these days), but not bother with a particularly powerful cpu.

If you're going to be streaming video / music, then make sure you've got the correct inputs/outputs for an external speaker/stereo system (assuming you have and/or want one). It shouldn't be a problem...but it pays to check.

One of the most important point of difference (for me) and most often overlooked, is the interface. It might just be me, but I am quite picky about keyboards and mice - I find some really annoying to use - and the quality / layout can be quite different not just between brands, but models as well. If possible I'd go to a store beforehand and have a play with a similar model you're looking to purchase online.

Happy to answer any general and spec questions you have, but will leave specific model / brand recommendations to others. ;)
 
TheBrownDog said:
1080p is massive overkill on a laptop screen IMO Haggis.

How many pixels do you need on a 15 inch screen. Doubt the human eye can even tell the difference.
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I agree, but it's a pain in the arse if you have a shitload of stuff encoded @ 1920x1080 and you can't watch it. Software redraw will consume considerably more memory than watching something in its native state. If you're doing other things at the same time, it has the potential to bog down.

The Flying Belgian said:
Ooh err.... :D

I'm not into gaming, so that cuts down the specs I'd have thought. I will use it for music/videos which I guess will mean some streaming, although I'm not doing a heap of that at the moment.

I'm torn between not going too far with specs and making this purchase last a while.

Anybody got opinions on buying vs leasing?
Click to expand...

I'm not a fan of leasing myself. Most people tend to end up spending more than they would on the initial purchase.

Worth having a look at this. Main advantages are, you'll double your memory straight up, you get usb 3.0 support, you get trueHD 1920x1080 support. No shared system memory, and the hard drive's are a 7200rpm 1Gb (2x500Gb) hybrid system, which means they'll run a hell of a lot quicker than the 5400rpm jobbies in the toshiba.
 
Haggis McHaggis said:
I'm not a fan of leasing myself. Most people tend to end up spending more than they would on the initial purchase.
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Unless you work for the government, in which case you can salary sacrifice it.:cool:
 
RoaringUniLions said:
Can someone please make me a suitable sized avatar....

I'd like this to be the gift...

297441_o.gif


MCNABB BOOGIE TIME!
Click to expand...

GIF would be better with a final frame showing how much McNabb's Eagles got flogged by the Cowboys on the scoreboard that night. Then perhaps a shot of him being told he was being traded to Washington. ;)
 
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