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Used COmputer Help


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#1
cooplist

cooplist

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Hi tehre. Im new to this forum and am not quite sure where to post this question. I am writing for a friend of mine. She is currently fighting cancer and cant sit at her desk top for very long without getting tired. She will also be going away soon for treatments and the place where she will be staying has wireless access but no computer, so we are looking for a laptop for her. I found one on eBay that doesnt cost very much, but the owner says it would be good for her to use. My friend has a small business that she does from home over the internet editing photos and also blogs a lot. While she is away she wants to be able to keep doing that, so she needs a computer that can handel large images and a large image editing program (Paint Shop Pro), that wont slow down too much. This computer I found online... well here is the information on it.

Dell C810 laptop WIFI ,60 gig Hdd,256meg ram,1.13 gig
Item specifics - PC Laptops
Brand: Dell Processor Type: Intel Pentium III Mobile
Type: Laptop/Notebook Processor Speed: 1.13 GHz
Screen Size: 15 inch Processor Configuration: Single Core
Operating System: Windows XP Memory (RAM): 256 MB
Primary Drive: DVD-ROM Hard Drive Capacity: 60 GB

When New to You Will Do

Up for auction is a Dell Latitude C810 laptop

Features:

1.13Ghz P3 mobile processor,256 Mb ram

60 Gb hard drive,DVDrom drive

Mini PCI802.11B/G54M WIFI card

Working battery (life not known),Adaptor&cord

Windows Xp

Please note that the picture is a stock photo

These laptops are used and may have cosmetic scratches

Please review our feedback and bid with confidence

So what I would like to know is if this would be a good computer for her to have. If not could you let me know what would be a good one for her with the basics of what she needs it for that isnt too expensive. The one I am talking about here is on eBay and is ending Jan 02, 2010, 15:51:38 PST so I need an answer as soon as possible.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
Kym
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#2
Neil Jones

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Sorry to hear about your friend. Hope the cancer battle is successful.

With regards to the laptop, the laptop will struggle to run XP happily, never mind anything else. Memory for it will be expensive.
As it stands, it will not handle large images without taking all day about it, it will be slow anyway due to lack of memory and the fact it's, in all honesty, really old.
The other issue you'll have, using Wi-Fi, is it's broadband, and going on broadband will necessitate anti-virus software. That alone will really drag the laptop speed down.

So in my own opinion; not a worthwhile investment. For what you want it for you're realistically not going to find it in the second-hand market without sacrificing copious performance.
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#3
phillipcorcoran

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You don't have to use an auction site to get a used PC. In fact that's the last place I'd buy one. Many online pc/pc parts vendors sell them for a fixed price and often with a 3-month warranty (something you don't usually get on an auction site).

just type used computers into google to find these online companies (select the 'pages from the UK' option on google's search page before starting the search if you live in the UK otherwise you'll get websites from all over the world).

Another source are independent "one off" computer repair/build/parts shops in towns near to you, and they deserve the public's support because they are often a 'lifeline' for that part you need that the big computer stores don't stock (my local little pc shop is a goldmine of parts, second-hand refurbished machines, computers built to customer specs, etc.
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#4
Reactor

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I wouldn't recommend you to buy used computers, as they have no warranty. If they malfunction, you can't replace its faulty part with a new one. My advice is to buy a strong medium-class machine, which has plenty of memory, or plenty of free hard drive space, which you could use as virtual memory.

About the found computer...well, I would say to skip this clunker.
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#5
cooplist

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Thanks everyone. For some reason I didnt get replies to my email so I didnt even know ye answered. I didnt get the one on ebay for her. Didnt trust them. Unfortunatly, she or I or her family cant afford a good one for her but i'll continue to do my search. Her new treatments start n less then a week and is leaving tomorrow to go there.

I guess what I really need is the (Specs?) of a good computer she could use. Like I said, I have no clue about computers. I bought mine at Staples on the trust of the associate who must have thought I was the easiest person. I dont know about all the GIG and Ram and MB and .... well any of it. I see it listed on sites and havent got a clue what I should be looking for or what ANY of it means. You all must think i'm dumb as an cucumber or really really old, lol, but ive just never been able to wrap my mind around this stuff. So if anyone can explain to me what I should be looking for, specs wise (what does specs mean? lol)

Thank you again!
Kym (a 33 year old computer idiot!) :)
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