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Laptop PCs: Choosing, Using, Upgrading, Fixing Problems and Repairing Laptop/Notebook Computers - Page 2

Last updated on 15 April 2008

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The life of the battery depends on the type of battery being used (a standard or a high-capacity battery), on the make and model of processor installed (mobile power-saving, or desktop processor), on the other internal components (video chip, etc.), on the external peripheral devices (USB portable printer, external DVD writer, etc.) being used, and on the software being run. If the processor has to work at peek load doing number- crunching calculations, the life of the battery will be reduced, because its power-management software won't be able to kick in to save power as it does when an office application is being used.

Typically, a standard Li-ion laptop battery running a power-saving mobile processor and office applications lasts between three and three and a half hours before it requires recharging. But this can be reduced to as little as an hour and a half if the notebook computer has powerful processor. High-capacity or extended batteries, which are larger and heavier than standard batteries, can last up to four hours.

Charged spare batteries can be used to extend the battery life, but remember that laptop batteries are very expensive. Much more expensive than the batteries for mobile phones. A standard or a high-capacity extended battery can easily cost from about £90 to £275, with the average cost being between £100 and £120 for a standard battery. Of course, high-capacity extended batteries are much more expensive than standard batteries. If, say, a standard notebook battery costs £100, an extended battery would cost about £145. An extended battery is larger and heavier than a standard battery, and will probably protrude from the body of the laptop computer.

It's also possible to buy external batteries. Here are some examples:

The Raymond Sarrio Company's External Laptop Battery -

http://www.sarrio.com/sarrio/12voltlaptop.html

The page's title is misleading because it deals with the PowerPlus 60, Powerbase, and Powerbase Jr. external batteries.

If you can no longer purchase a particular type of laptop battery, it may be possible to have your existing battery or batteries rebuilt. The battery cells are replaced with the same type of cells. For instance, you can't rebuild a Ni-Cd battery as a Ni-MH or Li-ion battery.

The Raymond Sarrio Company Rebuilding Laptop Batteries -

http://www.sarrio.com/sarrio/rebuild.html

To find out the cost of a battery for a particular make and model of notebook computer just enter the details in the Google search box at the top of this page. Here is an example of a search phrase you can use: "IBM ThinkPad X40 TSO79UK" + battery. It is an ultra-portable notebook that was priced at around £1,275 in April 2005. A standard battery was priced at £100, and an extended battery was priced at £145.

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A notebook computer should come with a mains adapter that enables it to be run from the mains power supply instead of from its battery. Notebooks designed to play the latest games usually come with a mains adapter the size of a brick that limits their portability.

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Not all laptops come with a carry case, but this is a desirable accessory because it protects the computer, and you are less likely to drop the machine if it's in its carry case. If the laptop doesn't come with a carry case, you can usually buy one as an optional extra, or just buy one that it fits into.

Product support

You also need to know how to avoid buying an unsupported or badly supported product, because, in most cases, if a notebook or laptop computer needs repairs it has to be sent back to the manufacturer. This is because technicians with the required expertise to do a proper job are thin on the ground - everywhere.

Alternatively, if a laptop needs to be repaired and it is no longer under warranty, a good idea would be to look for a student studying electronics or computer engineering at a local university or college who repairs computers. The cost is likely to be much less than taking it to the vendor or sending it to the manufacturer. More information on repairing a notebook computer is provided on Page 2 of this article.

The vendors of cheap notebooks manufactured in the Far East don't usually provide driver and BIOS file updates for them, because the real manufacturers usually build them as one-off products. In short, you're stuck with the device drivers that came on a CD with the product, and the BIOS file that was pre-installed. That can be a seriously limiting factor if you want the laptop to play the latest games, because the games often require the device drivers of the video chip to be updated, and the graphics chip manufacturers such as ATI and nVidia don't provide device drivers for laptops. A laptop computer is an integrated system, and, as such, the device drivers have to be customised for the specifications of the TFT screen, etc., so the graphics chip manufacturers leave the development of the drivers to the laptop manufacturers.

Read this relevant Q&A on the Video Card and Graphics-Related Problems page on this site: I can't update the device drivers for my Tiny notebook/laptop computer.

Taking the above into consideration, you should be able to see why buying a notebook computer made by a brand-name manufacturer such as IBM, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Asus, Fujitsu, and Acer, is a good idea and why buying one from a volume seller that has the computers made in the Far East, isn't such a good idea. To find out if product support and updates are provided, just visit the vendor's or the manufacturer's website.

Note that manufacturers such as Dell and Toshiba sell their notebooks directly from their websites, which cuts out the retailer, making for a better deal while making it possible to obtain device driver and BIOS updates directly.

The safest way to upgrade laptop/notebook RAM: Use the UK and US Crucial Memory Advisors

Paul Mullen, the highly-respected computer guru of the Helpfile at ComputerShopper.co.uk - "I have recently been buying my memory only from Crucial Technology. I would rather pay the extra cost than waste time trying to track down the obscure program faults that bad memory can cause."

The memory requirements of the versions of Windows Vista

Most of the versions of Windows Vista require more RAM memory to run optimally on a computer that doesn't use memory-hungry applications than Windows XP. A video-editing application is an example of memory-intensive software. Only Windows Vista Home Basic has a recommended minimum amount of memory of 512MB, which is the same amount recommended for Windows XP. Windows Vista Home Premium, the most popular version, and Windows Vista Ultimate require a recommended minimum of 1GB (1024MB) of memory, which is twice the amount of minimum memory recommended to run Windows XP. For more information on computer memory, read the RAM pages of this site.

For example, if your computer has an Asus motherboard, open the menu, scroll down to ASUS, and click GO. If, say, you have a Dell computer, scroll down to DELL, and do likewise. You will be taken to the relevant information on Crucial's website.

If you don't know the make and model of the motherboard installed in your computer, here is a good free utility - Belarc Advisor - that creates an analysis of the hardware and software on a personal computer. Look under FREE DOWNLOAD - http://www.belarc.com/. Another utility that also provides detailed information on the memory itself is CPU-Z.

Additional security: Notebook PCs with fingerprint readers/sensors

Some notebook computers have fingerprint readers that can be used to provide additional security to the password protection that Windows XP Home and Professional editions provide.

For example, on January 19, 2005, IBM made its T43 notebook available. It has a fingerprint reader security system as a standard feature, whereas it was offered on only some of the T42 models starting from about a year ago. However, your finger needs to be placed very precisely in the reader. You can't swipe it casually, you have to think about how best to do it; something you learn by experience. It's not unusual to have to swipe you finger three times, but about half the time you only have to swipe once. The consolation is that only you can access the system. Note that any problem you experience when using the fingerprint-identification system in connection with a password-protected screensaver can usually be solved by turning off Windows XP's Fast User Switching.

The IBM/Lenovo laptop PCs that provide them, link the fingerprint security sensor to an embedded security chip. The encrypted fingerprint image is sent directly to and compared with the stored image in the security chip, instead of being transmitted over the general PCI system bus. A fingerprint swipe can be used to unlock a hard disk drive as well as the general Windows logon. The sensor is not entirely perfect, so the device provides a back door method of entry - an administrator password that can bypass the fingerprint sensor and unlock the system. Naturally, IBM recommends the use of a strong password.

Just as entry-level desktop and laptop PCs contain technology that was previously only available on expensive models, fingerprint-sensors will probably be available on entry-level laptop PCs before too long.

However, a knowledgeable or resourceful thief will always be able to overcome it, either by cutting off its source of power, or by removing the chip, erasing the fingerprint image and then replacing it. To be properly secure, the fingerprint image must be stored on a removable drive such as a USB flash drive. However, in that case, the user has to make sure not to lose the flash drive and to carry it with the laptop.

Note that only expensive high-end notebooks are likely to have this feature. In June 2005, the T43 was typically priced at between £1,400 and £1,500 ($2,600 and $2,750).

The following article covers the securing of laptop/notebook computers.

Laptop Lockdown Checklist: Six Technologies To Watch -

"When it comes to these security technologies, well-known doesn't mean widely used. Here's what might make them more practical in the near term..." -

http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198701469

Shared Computer Toolkit for Windows XP

The Shared Computer Toolkit allows the user of a laptop computer to make it more secure by defending it from unauthorized changes to the hard disk drive, and restricting users from accessing system settings and data.

"Microsoft created the Shared Computer Toolkit to help make shared computers more reliable and less time-consuming to maintain. Unlike personal computers, shared computers are: • Used by many different people who generally don't know or trust each other • Used in public places where personal privacy and security are big concerns • Subjected to greater wear and tear due to their frequent use and public availability.

"The Shared Computer Toolkit is ideal for computers in schools, public libraries, community technology centers, and Internet cafés. It allows those who manage shared computers in these environments to easily: • Defend shared computers from unauthorized changes to their hard disks. • Restrict users from accessing system settings and data. • Enhance the user experience on shared computers." -

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sharedaccess/default.mspx

System recovery

Each manufacturer/vendor will have its own method of recovering the system.

Most of the OEM manufacturers use a Recovery CD. A few manufacturers/vendors include a genuine Windows CD with their computers. Others that don't include a Windows CD might post one to you if you specifically request it. There will probably be a cost, because an OEM licence for Windows is cheaper for the manufacturer if no Windows CD is provided.

Dell has developed a unique method of allowing the owners of its computers to create a Windows CD by including a utility that can only be used once to create a customised Windows XP setup CD that is specific to the system it is made from that includes all of the necessary device drivers. The utility also preserves the original Windows Product Activation. Therefore, when the contents of the CD are installed, Windows runs exactly as it did before whatever occurred to make the use of the CD necessary.

Click here! to go to the system-recovery information on this site.

The warranty

Moreover, the parts and the repair costs are usually much more expensive than similar work done on desktop computers, therefore, in the case of a laptop, buying an extended warranty can be a sensible investment. You should know what the statutory warranty offers - the period covered and if it is an on-site or return-to-base warranty, or a mixture of these. Go to the Warranties page on this site for more information on them.

The bundled software

Most new laptops come with Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional edition installed. The Professional edition is superior to the Home edition because it offers more features and better security options, but it is more expensive and its presence must make the computer more expensive. The bundled software can be well worth having, or just take up disk space, therefore the version of Windows and the bundled software should be taken into consideration when making a decision on a purchase.

Widescreen laptop/notebook computers for watching widescreen TV and DVD movies

Widescreens have become more prevalent on notebook/laptop computers, but they aren't replacing screens that have a standard aspect ratio. The image below is of an Acer Travelmate 4202 WLMi notebook that has a dual-core Intel Core Duo T2300 mobile processor and a 15.4" widescreen, which has a native screen resolution of 1,280x800.

All of the games designed for a screen that has a standard aspect ratio seem to be ruined when played on a widescreen. The characters appear short and fat, dials appear elliptical instead of round, and when online quite a few lines of the screen disappear so that scrolling is necessary.

A screen with a standard aspect ratio and a resolution of 1024x768 is the equivalent of a widescreen with a resolution of 1200x768, where 1024 and 1200 represent the width of the screen in pixels. The width of the screen is the longest dimension in a widescreen display.

A widescreen display is just what someone wants in order to display a spreadsheet, because it can display more columns. It is also what is necessary to display widescreen television and DVD movies.

Some newer games support widescreen resolutions, which means that they'll display without any distortions. However, if a widescreen causes distortions, you should look at the options for the display driver in the Device Manager. If there is an option to disable video stretching, it adds black borders to each side of a widescreen that effectively reduces it to a screen with a standard aspect ratio.

High Defnition Media Interface (HDMI) connection

If you want to attach an external monitor or TV to a laptop computer, before you make a purchase, find out which video outputs it supports.

If you want to connect a laptop computer to a high-definition TV, the laptop must have an HDMI port, which carries the audio and video data over a single cable.

To connect a standard-definition TV, the laptop requires an S-video port or a seven-pin TV-out port that can connect to either an S-video, composite or component socket on the TV through an adapter cable.

Laptop computers have either an analog D-sub or a digital DVI port that can be used to connect to an external monitor. A monitor with a D-sub port can connect to a DVI port on the computer by making use of a £10/$20 adapter cable. You can also connect a monitor with a DVI connector into an HDMI port on the computer by making use of an adapter cable.

Gloss LCD screens and using multiple monitors with a laptop/notebook PC

Gloss LCD screens

Note that if a laptop has a gloss LCD screen, that makes it unsuitable for use in a brightly lit room, because of the reflections from the gloss coating. However. the gloss coating, adds richness to the colours under normal lighting conditions. An example of a laptop with a gloss widescreen is the Acer Aspire 5002WLMi.

Using multiple monitors with a laptop

Read the general information on using multiple monitors with Windows XP and Windows Vista on the Monitors section of this site.

Laptop LCD screen protectors

LCD screens are far easier to damage than CRT screens that are protected by covering of a glass. Even when you clean an LCD screen you should not apply pressure to its surface. The pixels that make up the screen can easily be crushed by poking or the surface of the screen can be cut by sharp objects, such as pens, or scratched by using paper towels to remove dirt.

It is unlikely that a laptop will come provided with a screen protector. If you want to protect the LCD screen of a laptop computer or a LCD PC monitor, you can purchase a screen protector.

To find examples and vendors, you can enter a search term, such as laptop + lcd + screen + protector, as is, in the Google search box at the top of this page, with its Web radio button enabled.

Here is a page I found:

Laptop Screen Protectors -

http://www.ergoindemand.com/laptop-protection-computer-filters.htm

You can also make your own screen protector. 1/8" thick clear Lucite Acrylic Plastic, which is easy to attach to the monitor with a few little pieces of duct tape, provides all the protection you need. You should be able to buy some from a DIY or hardware store. If you want a neater solution than duct tape provides, you can use something like Velcoin Brand Fasteners. You can find local vendors by entering velcoin + brand + fasteners, as is, in the Google search box at the top of this page, with its Web radio button enabled.

How to avoid monitor image persistence (screen burn, burn-in)

Note that laptop/notebook computers only use LCD screens, so the information provided here about CRT monitors is not applicable to them.

Note also that a laptop computer's warranty does not allow its owner to claim for screen burn, because it is a natural property of the monitor.

Computer users who use programs that don't have set and fixed text menus and that use a white screen to display constantly changing text most of the time, probably won't have any problem with screen burn (burn-in) in a flat-panel LCD or an old-style CRT monitor.

However, both LCD and CRT monitors can suffer from burn-in (screen burn) when the computer to which they are attached run the same application that displays the same screen most of the time.

It is possible with an old-style CRT monitor to be able to see a text menu remaining on the screen even when the monitor itself is switched off. That can't happen with an LCD screen, but a previous image can become stuck and be viewed when the monitor is switched on.

With CRT monitors, if an image or menu is displayed in the same place on the screen for a long time, the same kind of bombardment by the cathode rays in that area can burn the screen phosphor so that it remains showing that display forever.

With LCD flat-panel screens , the same problem can be as bad or worse. This is because, with a liquid-crystal display, the crystals change their state when a voltage is applied to them, and, if left in the same state for too long, they can become stuck in that state. LCD-monitor manufacturers call that property "image persistence". Fortunately, unlike screen burn in CRT monitors, image persistence in LCD screens can almost always be reversed by displaying a white screen or by reversing the colours in the image that caused the problem (by displaying a colour negative of the image, etc.).

The following article on the subject suggests preventative methods, such as using a screensaver or using appropriate power-saving settings under the Windows Power Options in the Control Panel (in Windows XP and Windows Vista using its Classic View option).

L CD Image Persistence -

http://compreviews.about.com/od/monitors/a/LCDBurnIn.htm

In Both Windows Vista and Windows XP, you set a screensaver to work by right-clicking and empty space on the Windows Desktop. Next, click on Properties on the menu that comes up, and then open the Screen Saver tab in the Display Properties window.

If you have set a logon password in Windows XP Home Edition, you can use a key combination to bring up the logon screen so that it works in the same way as a screensaver. No one can use the computer until the password is entered, and when it is entered, you resume immediately from where you left off. To bring up the logon screen, just press one of the two Windows keys (they have a Windows flag on them) and the L key. This also works in Windows XP Professional Edition, but there is no need to set a password, because it requires the user to set a password during its installation.

You can almost certainly also do that in all of the different versions of Windows Vista.

Docking stations

A docking station is a device that allows you to connect a laptop / notebook computer to it so that it is immediately connected to other devices, such as a desktop computer and/or peripheral devices, such as a printer, scanner, or external monitor. You can't buy any model of docking station in the hope that it will work with your laptop computer, because they are specifically made for specific models of laptops. Usually, docking stations are only made available by the large manufacturers (Lenovo/IBM, HP, Dell) for notebooks that have been designed for use in businesses.

However, if you want to connect a notebook computer to USB peripheral devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, and printer, all you have to do is buy a USB hub. USB hubs are inexpensive, starting from a little as £10. There are also special USB hubs made for laptop computers. You fit the laptop to the device itself, and you can change the device's viewing angle so that you don't have to plug the laptop into an external monitor.

The Ergo Station made by Port is such a USB hub. If you want more information on it, enter the name in the Google search box at the top of this page with the Web radio button selected.

Specifications: The processor and the other components

If you want a notebook computer that comes as close as possible to the power delivered by the latest desktop computers, it's going to have to be a bulky product. Notebook technology involves the miniaturisation of the components used in desktop computers, therefore notebook technology is always playing catch up, because desktop technology is developed first. Notebook computers can run the processors used in desktop computers, or run specially designed, low-power mobile processors that are designed to save power, but at the expense of performance. The notebook has to run a desktop processor in order to deliver performance that comes close to that of a desktop computer. It won't be able to deliver performance equivalent to a desktop computer because the other components, such as the integrated video chip on the motherboard, obviously can't compete with a full-scale, high-end AGP or PCI Express video card, but the difference in power between the most powerful notebook and desktop computers is narrowing all the time.

If a notebook computer has a desktop processor installed, it can be prone to overheating, especially if its cooling system isn't working at full efficiency, due, say, to an accumulation of dust in its fan(s). There is information further down this page on how to clean a laptop computer.

Most laptop PCs now have a dual-core processor. However, there are still some that have single-core processors.

The name of the processor a notebook computer uses can tell you if it's a low-priced economy model designed for mobile, power-saving use, or if it's high powered and can also save battery power.

For example, the M in AMD Athlon XP-M, the Intel Celeron M processors means that it's a mobile processor. Athlon XP-M and Celeron M processors are used in budget notebooks. The name AMD Mobile Sempron speaks for itself, and it is also used in budget notebooks, because AMD Sempron processors are cut-down Athlon 64 processors. The higher the number that follows the name, the more powerful it is. A Celeron M 330 is less powerful than a Celeron M 360, etc. But if the processor used is called an Intel Celeron D processor, it is a desktop processor that won't have mobile energy-saving features. High-end power notebooks have processors with names such as Intel's Core Duo and Core 2 Duo (the latest type), which are dual-core processors that have two processing units housed in one unit, and AMD's Turion 64 Mobile Technology, and Intel Pentium M notebook processors, which are designed for power and mobility. If the name of the processor is just AMD Athlon XP or Athlon 64 or Intel Pentium 4, then a non-power-saving desktop processor is installed in the laptop, which should mostly be used with its mains power adapter, because its battery life isn't going to be very long.

Although laptops/notebooks are still being sold with a single-core processors, the models with much faster dual-core processors don't cost much more, so, in order to future-proof your investment as much as possible, a laptop with a Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion TM 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology processor is the best choice.

Dual Core Notebook CPUs Explored: AMD Turion 64 X2 Meets Intel's Mobile Core 2 Duo -

"The balance of power in the processor market is very clear: Intel's Core 2 Duo leads, while AMD's Athlon 64 X2 family lags somewhat behind without necessarily being inferior for the average user. But is the situation the same in the notebook space? Both companies offer powerful dual-core processors for portable computers, and we've begun feeding benchmark results into a new Interactive CPU Charts category for mobile processors. You've asked for it, and now you've got it - you can easily compare performance..." - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...review-2097.html

You should also buy one with a hard disk drive with as much data-storage capacity as possible. Have a look at the Dell site where the specifications for the various models in a range of laptops are easy to view all at once. You can find out what the data-capacity specifications measured in gigabytes (GBs) are for the hard drives used in expensive and budget models. Currently (February 2007), a laptop with a 120GB hard disk drive is a good buy if the rest of the hardware is just as up-to-date.

Laptop PCs are available with solid-state drives (SSDs), which are purely electronic devices. (Conventional hard disk drives are mechanical machines.) However, because the flash memory used in an SSD drive is more expensive than the disk space provided by conventional laptop hard disk drives, the capacities of SSD drives is lower and the computers containing them are more expensive.

Laptops with a new type of solid-state drive are now available

April 15, 2008. - Laptop/notebook PCs that have a new type of solid-state drive (SSD) are now available in select models from Dell and Alienware. SSD drives are purely electronic devices that use flash memory instead of magnetic platters that are accessed by moving heads. Because they are purely electronic, they are unlikely to be as easily destroyed by dropping the laptop than are mechanical hard drives, the platters of which are made of glass in laptop models.

The manufacturer of the new 64GB SSD drives, which use the new SATA II standard, is Samsung. The company claims that the new drives are faster and more energy-efficient than the current SSD drives used in laptops from manufacturers such as Lenovo, Apple, and Toshiba, and are between two and five times faster than conventional mechanical hard drives. According to Samsung the new SSD drives use almost 75% less power than conventional hard drives. However, because flash memory is still more expensive than conventional disk space, laptops containing the new drives are more expensive than laptops with similar specifications containing converntional hard drives.

Samsung Solid State Drives -

http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/products/flash/ssd/index.htm

If you want to play the latest games, look for a machine with the most powerful Intel or AMD processor that has as much hard-drive space and RAM as you can afford. If you want a laptop computer that runs Windows Vista, don't buy one with less than 1GB of RAM memory.

The newest PCI Express video chips from ATI and nVidia are preferable to AGP chips made by the same manufacturers. There are now PCI Express video cards that share system RAM instead of having their own inbuilt video RAM, because there is little or no loss in performance. The video chip in many laptop computers uses system RAM, so it is best from a performance point of view if a PCI Express chip is used. It is also possible to have a video chip in a notebook that has its own dedicated graphics memory, which, because of the high cost of miniaturised notebook components, is currently (February, 2007) usually a maximum of 256MB instead of the 512MB used in many high-end desktop PC graphics cards.

Note that it is unlikely that a laptop computer that shares system RAM memory will be able to play the latest PC games running their full graphics display settings at a high frame-rate (measured in frames per second, or fps). The higher the frame-rate that a game plays at, the better the rendition of the graphics is.

For example, on a laptop that uses system memory for the graphics display, you would probably have to turn down the game-detail settings (such as the colour depth from 32-bit to 16-bit colour), or switch off the card's post processing image enhancement capability. However, if the laptop has a graphics card installed that has dedicated memory of 256MB or more, you will probably be able to play the latest games using their full game-detail settings.

The frame rate at which a particular PC game can be played at is important, because, if it is being played on a relatively slow computer, the frame rate determines if the game can be played or not.

Frame rate - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frame_rate

Visit the PC Gaming section of this site for more information on that subject.

There is a table containing the specifications of several different types of notebook PC - budget, mid-range, ultra-portable, and gaming machines - on Page 2 of this article.

Note that if the video chip uses system RAM, you should have additional system RAM installed to make up for it. Windows XP requires a minimum of 256MB of RAM to run, with 512MB being the optimal amount on a machine that doesn't run memory hungry applications, such as those used to edit video. If you have 512MB installed, and the video system uses 128MB, you should install another 512MB of RAM. You could install a 128MB module if your laptop's motherboard allows it, but the more RAM the system has the better.

Note that Windows Vista requires a minimum of 1GB of RAM memory to run comfortably. If a laptop computer's graphics chip uses 256MB or more of system memory, you should install another 512MB or 1GB. The memory should be installed so that it runs in dual-channel mode, which is faster than single-channel mode.

Click here! to go to the Using Windows Vista section of this site.

Click here! to go to information on DDR/DDR2/DDR3 RAM memory on this site.

Be prepared to spend quite a bit more than you would pay for a desktop PC that has equivalent specifications.

Not all laptops come with a CD/DVD drive. If you have to add one as an optional extra, depending on your needs, you can use a DVD/CD-RW combo drive that can read all of the DVD formats and write to CD-R and CD-RW disks with a capacity of 650MB, or use a more expensive DVD writer that can write to high-capacity dual-layer disks. The new standard is called DVD+R DL, which is the double-layer DVD+R format. The disks can hold 8.5GB of data, which is almost twice the amount of data that can be stored on a standard single-layer DVD+R disk. If you don't need to write huge amounts of data to disks, you only need a DVD/CD-RW combo drive.

If you use the computer's battery power a great deal, you should make sure that it has a low-power mobile processor installed and that it uses a Li-ion battery that provides the longest battery life.

It's possible to buy an external portable hard disk drive for backup or other purposes, and some expensive models can be attached to an optional docking station that is fitted with disk drives and is powered from the mains electricity supply. You can use special software or the Windows Briefcase feature to synchronise the files stored in the notebook with the files stored in a desktop computer or the docking station's hard disk drive(s).

PC Buyer Beware! Copyright © Eric Legge 2004-2008. All rights reserved.