I only joined Geeks to Go! today and reading this thread made me feel rather sad.
Friend? Hope you've crossed him off your Christmas Card list.
Either ask for a refund or a replacement machine that meets the specification originally offered.
My hubby is a qualified hardware engineer and was appalled to read this ... especially when this computer was sold to you by a "friend" who knew you had limited resources.
Please keep the forum posted as to how you progress with this.