Laptop Hunters saga

I have to admit I’m a bit behind on the latest round of MAC versus PC(Windows). I find much of it silly and funny. I do know many MAC users can be very defensive about their choice of computers. I once posted a short post about their Safari browser and was soon barraged by hate mail/comments from MAC users. Maybe this post will also incite some of them too.

I’m not to sure what makes MAC users so rabid. I’m a PC but, I don’t hate Apple owners. To be honest they make high quality computers but, along with that goes the high price. It’s like comparing Porsche to Ford. One builds high performance sports cars which are pricey but other markets to the masses with vehicles ranging from trucks to small cars. Both will get you from point A to B.

The ad points out a simple thing which points to one thing I don’t understand. Why pay for high priced computer when something of a lower price will do what you want it to. Is it the image? I agree in many circles as video and graphical artist and such prefer MAC’s and that’s fine. Does everyone need that capability? No.

Most people just need a computer to surf the Internet, check email, play games, and some small office/school stuff. All the stuff a relatively inexpensive Windows based computer will do. Well I just thought I’d add some fuel to the fire of the debate.

Technorati Tags: apple,mac,versus,vs,pc,microsoft,laptop,hunters,windows

Dell Latitude gets a boost

A friend of mine asked me to upgrade his memory in his laptop. The patient is a Dell Latitude D600. It had been running with 512mb of RAM with Windows XP Professional. He decided it was time for a boost. I thought I’d show here just how easy it is to upgrade your memory in your laptop.

First step was purchasing the RAM. A common question for computer is what kind of RAM (or memory) do I get. With all the different types of RAM out there and not to mention the technical jargon it can be confusing. I don’t even understand many of them either. My favorite place to purchase RAM is Crucial.com. If you you go to there website they have a memory configurator which helps you out. They have a manual method which you look up your make, model of your machine. They also can scan your computer which takes any guess work out of the equation.

The parts and tools needed:

• RAM – Crucial Part # CT12864x335, 1GB 200-PIN SODIMM 128MX64 DDR PC2700
• Small Phillips head screwdriver

Obviously you need the Dell Latitude D600 too. The first thing you’ll have to do is locate where the memory goes. Well you flip over the Dell and it’s located in one of the secret compartments. Dell was nice enough to mark the door with a “M” just to side of it. It’s the 2” x 3” door just off center. It’s just located beneath the COA sticker in the picture . Located on the bottom is a small screw. Now is when you’ll get to use your Phillips screwdriver.

Once you open the door you’ll see your two banks of memory cards. Gently pull the two tabs alongside the memory bank.

Lift up and pull it out.

Insert your new new memory chip. Don’t worry they are notched so it only goes back in one way. Reassemble in reverse order. After all is put back together I rebooted the computer to make sure everything went well. It now has a healthy 1.25 Gb’s of RAM. This only took about 15 minutes to do. Next up will be removing the keyboard so stay tuned. Thanks for coming by!

Sources:

• Dell Latitude D600 Service Manual
• Crucial Technology

Technorati Tags: memory,RAM,upgrade,dell,latitude,d600,crucial,laptops,notebook,how to

Best Buy sued $54 million for lost laptop

Personally I'm no big fan of frivolous lawsuits but this one may have some merit to it. Raelyn Campbell brought her laptop in to be repaired(under extended warranty). She never saw it again. After many months of trying to retrieve the laptop Best Buy originally low-balled her on compensation. She felt insulted (and she should). The computer cost $1100 + $300(extended warranty). They offered $900 (in form of a gift card). That doesn't even cover the original cost never mind the lost personal data,pictures, software, and aggravation of many months of the runaround. Now she's even has to worry about identity theft also. She doesn't actually expect to get that amount but would like to see an explanation of how all this happened in the first place. I wish her luck!

To read more about this click here.