While it may be fun researching for a new laptop computer to buy, the fun ends there. My harddrive on my old laptop died and would no longer boot up. I ended up getting a Gateway laptop based on getting the best bang for my buck i.e. the highest upgrades offerred on computer parts for the least amout of money. While the chart in the original posting showed that Gateway had one of the worst reliability ratings, those ratings were based on past history. This does not nessarily mean that Gateway hasn't tried to increase its reliability rating. In an attempt to keep laptop prices low, manufacturers are cutting corners. Windows 7, the latest operating system, was not previously hard disk loaded onto my new laptop by Gateway. The retailer loaded Windows 7 and transferred the data from my old harddrive to my new harddrive for a charge. I paid the retailer to re-install software from my old laptop to my new laptop. What I didn't realize was that the lab technicians used my original install CDs and passwords to re-install Microsoft Office 2003 without all the updates since 2003. I had to go home and apply all the updates since 2003 on my new laptop. I had to do this for every piece of software I used. This is a very time consuming process if you use a lot of software. If you purchased software via internet download rather than CD download, you have to go find the password. You would think that the lab techicians would be smart enough to check to see if the software is compatible with Windows 7 before attempting to install it on my new laptop. They weren't. The software in question worked in Windows XP 32-bit operating system, but did not work in Windows 7 64-bit operating system due to compatibility issues. The only way to fix this problem was to buy the upgrade software to work under Windows 7. It sounds like a way to gouge money out of me! If you want to get things done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself! I had some difficulty uninstalling the software that didn't work under Windows 7, but in the end I managed to uninstall the software without the help of the software vendor who offerred absoloutely no help! Basically, I was SOL with getting help from the software vendor. Be careful about purchasing software from a company that charges money for customer service on phone/e-mail. I will think twice before purchasing software from a company that charges for customer service/tech support. Things You Should Do If You Think You Need to Buy a New Computer Soon1. If your computer has trouble booting up, it could be your harddrive is about to die! Make sure you have a full harddrive back up.2. Take your computer into a reputable computer shop who have lab techicians who know what they are doing for a diagnostic test. Of course, they will charge for this. Ask for a written report. A verbal report is not really acceptable and you have no proof of what they said in case you go seek a second opinion at another computer store.3. If the computer store says you need to replace this and that, ask how much the parts and labour will be to fix the problem. If the cost of parts and labour is more than 40% the cost of a new, average powered computer then you should consider buying a new computer. If your computer is more than 4 years old and using a version of Windows that is 2 or more versions out of date then you should consider buying a new computer.4. It is an unfortunate fact of life that computers are designed to be obsolete in terms of power and capabilities in a matter of months since its introduction on the market. Do not buy top of the line! It is not worth it! Buy mid-range and you should be reasonably current in technology for the next few years without spending a lot of money.5. If you buy a new computer from the same store that did a diagnostic test on your computer then make sure you get a credit for the diagnostic test applied to the purchase cost of a new computer.
While it may be fun
While it may be fun researching for a new laptop computer to buy, the fun ends there. My harddrive on my old laptop died and would no longer boot up. I ended up getting a Gateway laptop based on getting the best bang for my buck i.e. the highest upgrades offerred on computer parts for the least amout of money. While the chart in the original posting showed that Gateway had one of the worst reliability ratings, those ratings were based on past history. This does not nessarily mean that Gateway hasn't tried to increase its reliability rating. In an attempt to keep laptop prices low, manufacturers are cutting corners. Windows 7, the latest operating system, was not previously hard disk loaded onto my new laptop by Gateway. The retailer loaded Windows 7 and transferred the data from my old harddrive to my new harddrive for a charge. I paid the retailer to re-install software from my old laptop to my new laptop. What I didn't realize was that the lab technicians used my original install CDs and passwords to re-install Microsoft Office 2003 without all the updates since 2003. I had to go home and apply all the updates since 2003 on my new laptop. I had to do this for every piece of software I used. This is a very time consuming process if you use a lot of software. If you purchased software via internet download rather than CD download, you have to go find the password. You would think that the lab techicians would be smart enough to check to see if the software is compatible with Windows 7 before attempting to install it on my new laptop. They weren't. The software in question worked in Windows XP 32-bit operating system, but did not work in Windows 7 64-bit operating system due to compatibility issues. The only way to fix this problem was to buy the upgrade software to work under Windows 7. It sounds like a way to gouge money out of me! If you want to get things done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself! I had some difficulty uninstalling the software that didn't work under Windows 7, but in the end I managed to uninstall the software without the help of the software vendor who offerred absoloutely no help! Basically, I was SOL with getting help from the software vendor. Be careful about purchasing software from a company that charges money for customer service on phone/e-mail. I will think twice before purchasing software from a company that charges for customer service/tech support. Things You Should Do If You Think You Need to Buy a New Computer Soon1. If your computer has trouble booting up, it could be your harddrive is about to die! Make sure you have a full harddrive back up.2. Take your computer into a reputable computer shop who have lab techicians who know what they are doing for a diagnostic test. Of course, they will charge for this. Ask for a written report. A verbal report is not really acceptable and you have no proof of what they said in case you go seek a second opinion at another computer store.3. If the computer store says you need to replace this and that, ask how much the parts and labour will be to fix the problem. If the cost of parts and labour is more than 40% the cost of a new, average powered computer then you should consider buying a new computer. If your computer is more than 4 years old and using a version of Windows that is 2 or more versions out of date then you should consider buying a new computer.4. It is an unfortunate fact of life that computers are designed to be obsolete in terms of power and capabilities in a matter of months since its introduction on the market. Do not buy top of the line! It is not worth it! Buy mid-range and you should be reasonably current in technology for the next few years without spending a lot of money.5. If you buy a new computer from the same store that did a diagnostic test on your computer then make sure you get a credit for the diagnostic test applied to the purchase cost of a new computer.
Blinky