Buying a Laptop

[somarco]

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I have Vista on 4 machines including a laptop and no issues. I can't say if old software works or not because when I bought the computers I replaced Office 97 and Window's 2000 OS.

Haven't had any issues with carrier software or business software.

XP is being phased out and will no longer be supported before too long. The next OS from MS will supposedly roll out next year so you can wait on it and hope for something better.

Despite the Vista/Mac commercials, my experience with Vista has been positive.

I have 3 Dells & an Acer. All work fine.

 

[the mayor]

The early days of Vista were ugly...it di not play well with others( as much Microsoft's fault as the other software mfgrs)
It is better now.
XP works great, but will be phazed out ( MS will not support) soon with a new Op system ( which may or may NOT work well). I would not worry about the support thing because XP works fine.
The Dell link above is good...go hit a few shops ( both big and little) and see what they have....there are a lot of deals to be had.

 

[Newby]

32 bit Vista is fine. Everything seems to work with it.

64 bit Vista is not so good. Most insurance quoting and other old software will NOT work with it.

XP is OK but not as good as than 32-bit Vista.

I have then all.

 

[jjjtrio]

Gateway was running an add for a lap w/ 15.4 screen and 2 gigs for $400. Also check Newegg.com, I have bought a lot from them w/ zero complaints.

 

[briko3]

I have Vista, and it runs all of the financial software I need.
Here's what I would make sure it has:

CD/DVD drive
at least 2 gigs of RAM (over 3 on a Vista 32 bit machine is useless)
250 gb hard drive
at least a 2 gigahertz dual core processor (Intel or AMD)

Try looking at dealspl.us People post good deals on a variety of different things that they find on different websites there and you can pick up some pretty good laptop deals.

 

[djs]

There is nothing about the insurance industry that requires much of anything special in a computer. I wouldn't shy away from Vista anymore, but XP is more solid still. I still have a few quoting apps that don't work correctly on Vista, though they do now work.

You do not need the fastest CPU around, waste of money for a pure work computer. Depending on how you work, battery life might be important.

My ideal setup, beyond what has been mentioned above, but it starts adding $$$$, so dream on.....

- Bluetooth: Supports the bluetooth enabled portable printer I use. Saves a wiring hassle when I'm mobile. Also syncs to my blackberry.
- Docking station: When I'm at my desk, I want a keyboard, mouse and monitor.
- Dual monitor: Did I say I want a monitor? Actually, at my desk, I want the docking station to support dual monitor. Once you do this, you never look back.

I'm not sure you even need a cd-rom drive anymore. In fact, I'm pretty sure you don't, as long as you have one somewhere. It's hard to give up, but even the old floppy drive has disappeared and nobody realized it.

Dan

 

[xrac]

What are opinions about screen size????

 

[Todd King]

When it comes to the choice of Intel or AMD I would say go Intel if you can. AMD usually runs cheaper, but AMD processors tend to pull a lot of amps. They are known to easily overheat compared to the Intel.

 

[briko3]

I agree, Intel is better, but you wanted a budget laptop. Also, my personal opinion on screen size is smaller is better if you're just using it for yourself. (Longer battery, more portable, lighter) If you want to show a presentation on one, it might be better to at least have a 15inch.

 

[DT1970]

Ubuntu Linux

Ubuntu feels like windows, you can get openoffice (reads/writes MS Offices files - except it's FREE) any type of software you can think of free...it updates automatically better than MS, never needs to be defragged, runs on your laptop alot faster, you won't need antivirus programs, and can run many many windows programs through a windows emulator...Ubuntu is FREE unlike Windows...and it's a helluva lot better