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Laptop PCs: Choosing, Using, Upgrading, Fixing Problems and Repairing Laptop/Notebook Computers - Page 3

Last updated on 17 March 2008

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Upgrades for laptops/notebooks are limited

You can use external disk drives (hard disk drives and CD/DVD writers) and PC Cards with laptops (expansion adapter cards for use with laptops that can add features such as wireless networking, a sound card, a dial-up modem, additional ports, etc.). You can remove the existing hard disk drive and install one that has more disk space, or, if there is space in the case, install a second hard drive, and, if there are any spare memory slots, you can add more RAM, but it isn't usually possible to upgrade any of the other components on most laptops because of their integrated electronic architecture. That said, I have read that Dell itself can upgrade the video chip on some models of its Inspiron range of notebooks, and I have also read that Dell provides plug-in video cards for some models of its Inspiron range of notebooks.

For information on upgrading laptop graphics read this Q&A on the problems and solutions section of this article: Can I upgrade the graphics processor of my Dell Inspiron 9000 laptop/notebook computer?

Is there such a machine as an upgradable laptop? - Yes, at long last, there is a laptop PC that is almost fully upgradable. The motherboard is the only component that can't be upgraded. The laptop is called the C90S. It is made by Asus, and you can read about it in this article:

In-depth review of the Asus C90S upgradable laptop:

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/hands_on_asus...c90s_notebook

That means that in less than two years from now (December 2007) all laptop PCs will probably be fully upgradable, because no one will buy one unless it is. But until then most laptops will continue to have limited upgradability.

If you want to future-proof a laptop, it's a good idea to purchase one that has one or more free slots for memory modules.

If you need to edit large digital photographs or video, or run several demanding applications at once, any notebook computer that you buy should have plenty of RAM installed, which means 1GB or more.

In the table that appears under the heading Comparative specifications further down the page the RAM INSTALLED/MAXIMUM category indicates the amount of RAM installed and the maximum amount that can be installed, in megabytes and gigabytes (MBs/GBs). A gigabyte is 1024 megabytes. If the two figures are equal, no additional RAM can be installed.

It is possible to upgrade the hard disk drive in a laptop/notebook computer.

Anyone with the right tools and the slightest mechanical inclination can replace a laptop's hard disk drive. Note that if your laptop is still under warranty, opening the case may void the terms of the arrangement. Laptop PCs are precisely-designed , delicate machines, so never force anything. One of the most common errors is using the wrong size of screwdriver. One bad slip and the motherboard is ruined.

First remove the laptop's battery and disconnect its power cord. To avoid destroying any of the electronic components with static electricity, ground yourself before you open the case by touching a piece of grounded metal – a lamp, water pipe, etc. – while touching a metal part on the computer case's exterior.

Installing a hard disk drive to a laptop is easier than doing it in a desktop PC. Remove a few screws from the bottom of the case, slide or lift the existing hard disk drive out and slide the new drive in. Always handle drives by the edges. Most laptop PCs use a standard 2.5" hard disk drive, but ultra-portable laptops may use a smaller 1.8" drive. Drives also differ in height. The most common are 12.5mm and 9.5mm. Consult your laptop manufacturer's website to determine the correct size and to find out whether you need an SATA (serial ATA) or PATA (parallel ATA) model.

A 2.5" 100GB drive currently (December 2007) costs around £100. Third-party vendors such as http://www.laptopshop.co.uk/ and http://www.laptopbits.co.uk/ often charge less than the major laptop manufacturers. In any case, no matter which country you live in, you can make use of the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) to locate local online vendors.

The following page provides links to the user manuals for an HP Pavilion zv5002AP laptop/notebook that includes pages with illustrations on how to replace its RAM memory modules, floppy disk, hard disk, and optical CD/DVD disk drives:

HP Pavilion zv5002AP Notebook PC: Manuals -

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualCategory?...

You can check the website of the manufacturer of your laptop PC to find out if it provides similar information.

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Due to the lack of space inside the case, unless there is already more than one hard drive installed, you won't be able to add an additional hard drive, which can be done so easily in a desktop PC. Fortunately, you can add additional storage by making use of a USB/FireWire external hard drive.

This Q&A on this site provides useful information about using external FireWire hard disk drives: I pushed the FireWire connector into the FireWire port on my PC the wrong way around and fried the iLink board on my camcorder. Use your browser's Back button to backtrack.

You might also be able to upgrade the optical CD/DVD drive/writer in a laptop with a standard laptop drive/writer. The ability to perform this upgrade will depend on the age of the laptop (you won't be able to add an optical drive if it doesn't have one already) and its type (some ultra-portable laptops can only use an external optical drive). You should find out from its manufacturer if a particular laptop can have its optical drive upgraded. In many laptop PCs, you can only replace the existing DVD drive with another one of the same make/model, because the computer was designed to accommodate that particular drive. Most of the major laptop manufacturers, such as Dell, supply spare parts such as hard drives and optical drives.

You can also buy portable external DVD writers that are designed for use with laptop computers. You can try entering a search term such as portable + external + DVD + writer (as is) in the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) to find examples and local vendors.

Read this Q&A on this site for more information on replacing a DVD writer/drive: How can I replace my Dell Inspiron 6000/6400/9200/9300/E1405/E1505 laptop/notebook PC's DVD drive?

Note that some desktop and laptop PCs are now coming out with internal Blu-ray optical drives. The recorded and recordable Blu-ray discs have a very much higher capacity than recorded and recordable DVD discs. A BD-ROM drive is a Blu-ray drive that can only read Blu-ray discs. Blu-ray Disc (BD) is Sony's optical disc format designed to replace the current DVD format that beat its competitor, Toshiba's HD DVD. Toshiba is no longer developing HD DVD, soyou should not buy an HD DVD drive or player. A Blu-ray writer uses BD-R (record-once) and BD-RW (record multiple times) discs. Visit the following site for the latest information on Blu-ray.

"Welcome to Blu-ray.com, your source for everything related to Blu-ray Disc (BD). We offer Blu-ray reviews, releases, news, guides and forums covering Blu-ray movies, players, recorders, drives, media, software and much more. For more information about Blu-ray, see What is Blu-ray? or the Blu-ray FAQ."

The following article goes into upgrading the hard disk drive and RAM, and it also says that you should be able to replace the keyboard.

Adding Some Big Boy Tools to Your Laptop -

http://tech.yahoo.com/gd/adding-some-big-boy-toys-to-your-laptop/153157

Instructions on how to replace a laptop keyboard are provided in this article:

Dealing with a Dead Laptop Keyboard -

http://tech.yahoo.com/gd/dealing-with-a-dead-laptop-keyboard/153166

If you want a faster, more capable laptop, which means one with a more powerful processor, you have to buy a faster more capable machine. It's unlikely that you'll be able to upgrade the processor yourself because of the complexity of the machin's innards (having it upgraded will probably be prohibitively expensive), and you can't upgrade the video chip because it's integrated into the laptop's motherboard. However, if you have purchased the laptop from a manufacturer that updates the device drivers and the BIOS, you can obtain the updates from the manufacturer website. If there are no such updates made available from the vendor's or the manufacturer's website, this means that you won't be able to obtain them, and you'll have to make do with the drivers that came on a CD with the product.

Laptop accessories

You can add accessories to a laptop PC, such as a mini vacuum cleaner, cooling pad, docking station, USB lamp, mouse, USB portable broadband modem, etc., some of which can be supplied with a new machine as accessories, and all of which can be bought.

Accessorizing Your Laptop - http://tech.yahoo.com/gd/accessorizing-your-laptop/2683

Mobile Internet access: Mobile broadband data cards and USB modems for laptops

If you are on the move with a laptop PC and you need to access the Internet, you can use local, static paid-for wireless hotspots that provides access, or make use of a T-Mobile web'n'walk USB modem or data card. With a portable web'n'walk USB modem or a data card so you can access the internet from everywhere you have mobile coverage. The data card or USB modem are included in the contract prices, which are cheaper than Vodaphone's. Vodaphone currently makes you pay for its access devices unless you choose a 24-month contract.

In January 2008, Computer Shopper gave the Vodaphone Broadband USB Modem 7.2 a four-star review. It currently (January, 2008) requires a £29 a month Vodaphone contract, which is more expensive than the competitors, provides fast 7.2Mbit/s downloads, and the roaming charges are inexpensive. The modem itself was priced at £58 in January 2008. Vodaphone also sells a USB Modem Stick that you just plug in to a USB port on a laptop as part of its 3GB download limit, £15 per month contract (priced at £15 per month in January 2008).

You can try using a search term such as mobile + broadband (as is) in the Google search box provided at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) to find the providers in your country.

Expanding a laptop's capabilities with PC Cards

A PC Card is credit card-sized expansion card that can add hardware such as RAM memory, a modem, mass storage, a wireless network card and I/O capabilities to laptop computers by inserting it in a slot in the computer that supports the type of card it is. Most current laptops use CardBus or the newer ExpressCard/54 PC Cards. CardBus is the 32-Bit version of PC Card technology.

PC Card (CardBus) FAQ - http://www.pcmcia.org/faq.htm

ExpressCard Frequently Asked Questions -

http://www.expresscard.org/web/site/qa.jsp

All About ExpressCards, Part 1 -

http://tech.yahoo.com/gd/all-about-expresscards-part-1/200118

All About ExpressCards, Part 2 -

http://tech.yahoo.com/gd/all-about-expresscards-part-2/200104

You might find a message such as this one that appears on Dell's site:

"Express card slot: Please note that this system has a ExpressCard slot and support the ExpressCard format only. This system does not have a PCMCIA card slot."

If you have a CardBus PCMCIA card, it won't fit in an ExpressCard slot.

16-bit and 32-bit PCMCIA cards

This Q&A on this site deals with 16-bit and 32-bit PCMCIA cards: I can't find a wireless PC card that fits my notebook computer's PCMCIA slot.

Adding an external hard disk drive to a laptop

You can add an external hard disk drive to a laptop by making use of a USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed), FireWire 400/800, or eSATA connection. eSATA (external SATA) external hard diskdrives are the fastest of all.

However, unless you have a very recent desktop or laptop PC, you will have to add FireWire and eSATA ports by using an ExpressCard or CardBus expansion card.

You can make use of the Google search box provided at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) to locate information and vendors for them. If you need an eSATA CardBus card for a laptop PC, for example, you could try using a search term such as: esata + cardbus.

Repairing laptop/notebook computers

If a laptop/noetbook computer has a hardware failure during its warranty period, you are required to return it to the vendor or the manufacturer for repairs, depending on which of them is responsible for honouring the warranty.

If the computer is out of warranty, you should still ask the same company to repair it, bearing in mind that you will be charged for the repairs and the bill is likely to be high. An extended warranty for a notebook computer is worth considering because of the high cost involved in getting it repaired out of warranty. However, if you are willing to fight for your rights under the Sale of Goods Act in the UK, you won't need to buy an extended warranty for any product that has an expected useful life that is longer than a standard 12-month warranty.

The components in the current notebook computers are very tightly and highly integrated, and there is no such thing as a standard design. Therefore, a technician that is able to repair a particular notebook computer will have undergone specific training. A reputable third-party repair shop might be able to do the job, but there is more likelihood that it won't be done to your satisfaction, or might not even be done at all and end up being a waste of your precious time. There are other layers of components under the visible components that only a specially trained technician would know how to test, remove, and replace.

That is a situation that will pertain for most laptop PCs until they are all fully upgradable, which will probably be within the next two years, because the Asus C90S notebook, powered by a desktop PC Intel Core 2 Duo processor, is almost fully upgradable. Only the motherboard can't be upgraded. When laptops are fully upgradable, they will be rapairable in the same way as desktop PCs are. That is, in the event of a hardware failure, you would diagnose which component had failed and then replace it.

Crucial's UK and US Memory Advisors

If you want to make sure that you're buying the correct RAM SODIMM modules for a laptop, try looking the make and model up by using the Crucial UK and US Memory Advisors provided below. Crucial guarantees compatibility or you get your money back. Delivery is free unless you want express delivery.

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.

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."

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.

How to install RAM memory in a laptop/notebook PC

In a desktop computer a memory module is called a DIMM (Direct In-Line Memory Module). In a notebook computer a memory module is called a SODIMM (Small Outline Direct In-Line Memory Module). SODIMM modules come in exactly the same types as standard DIMM modules and have one or two notches that key it so that only the correct type of module can be installed in the notebook's memory slots. The image below shows a Crucial SODIMM module that has one notch in its bottom edge that keys it so that it cannot be fitted into the wrong kind of memory slot.

Visit the RAM pages on this site for detailed information on the different types of memory.

Most notebook PCs have a removable panel on the bottom that allows access to the memory modules. The user manual that came with the computer should, but might not, show you which panel to open, how to open it, and how to install the memory module(s).

With some laptops/notebooks, the keyboard has to be lifted in order to reveal the panel that has to be removed in order to access the memory modules.

Memory modules in a notebook computer lie flat in order to fit into the slender case. You usually have to hold the module at a 30 degree angle in order to insert it into a free slot. You then push the module down gently until it lies flat and the small clips on each side of the slot engage.

Here are two illustrated articles on installing laptop/notebook memory:

Installing a SODIMM in your notebook - http://www.crucial.com/uk/install/sodimm.aspx

Installing Laptop Memory -

http://www.computermemoryupgrade.net/installing-laptop-memory.html

You can find plenty of other guides by entering install + ram + laptop (as is) in the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled).

External connection ports

You should make sure that a laptop computer has the external ports you require. If you want to connect the laptop to an external monitor, it must have an external monitor connector, which can support a D-sub VGA or a DVI connection. Some laptop computers have both of those ports.

Visit the Video and Graphics pages on this site for more information on tanalog D-sub VGA and digital DVI ports.

Adapters are available that allow a DVI-D port on a computer to connect to a standard VGA port on a monitor, but they are very expensive at £200+. A DVD-I computer port can be connected to a DVI or a D-sub VGA port on a monitor with the correct cable.

Read The analog (VGA) and digital (DVI) connections between monitor and video card on this site for more information on this topic.

If you want to connect the laptop to a TV, an S-video port is required. Ports that connect USB 2.0 and FireWire devices, wired and wireless network ports, and Bluetooth ports used for Bluetooth wireless devices, are either provided or not.

Every laptop will have one or more USB ports, but a FireWire port might not be available, which would be a handicap if you want to download video files to the laptop from a camcorder, digital camera, etc.

However, all is not lost if you need a FireWire port, because you can add one with a PCMCIA adapter card that fits into the laptop's card slot.

USB 2.0 + Firewire 1394 PCMCIA CARDBUS Notebook/Laptop Adapter -

http://www.usbgear.com/USBG-U2F-PCMCIA.html

Or you can use a cable such as this one:

Firewire to USB 2.0 DV Transfer Cable - http://www.pixela-1.com/captycable/

This Q&A on this site provides useful information about using external FireWire hard disk drives: I pushed the FireWire connector into the FireWire port on my PC the wrong way around and fried the iLink board on my camcorder. Use your browser's Back button to backtrack.

Note that a PAL version should have been made available since August 2006.

You can make use of the Google search box provided at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) to locate other vendors.

Note that if a laptop computer only has one or two USB 2.0 ports, you can buy small USB hubs degigned for use with laptops that have four or more ports that plug into a single USB port. Such a hub is small and connects to the laptop with a short cable.

USB is very common on the Mac and the PC, but FireWire connections, also known as IEEE 1394a (or i.Link - Sony's name for it) while not yet being very commonly found on PCs, are found as standard ports on most digital cameras, Apple Macs, and portable computers.

FireWire (IEEE 1394a) is much faster than USB 1.1, but only slightly slower than USB 2.0.

However, note that a newer version of FireWire that is theoretically twice as fast as its forerunner, known as IEEE 1394b (or FireWire 800 because of its 800Mbit/s (megabits per second) transfer rate, is now available on PCI cards (containing FireWire 800 ports, or as network cards) and on some of the latest motherboards.

S/PDIF digital audio input/output (i/o) ports

At the time of writing (January, 2007), only a few notebooks provided an S/PDIF port for connecting such devices as a surround-sound amplifier.

Connecting Your PC to Your Stereo -

http://www.teamcombooks.com/mp3handbook/10.htm

However, you can buy a USB adapter that provides S/PDIF digital stereo output. S/PDIF optical digital audio output connects a PC or laptop computer to the latest home entertainment equipment to provide a digital, distortion-free signal. Enter s/pdif + usb + adapter (UK: use adaptor) to locate information and vendors.

3G data cards

The ultra-portable Dell Latitude D420 is an example of a notebook that has a built-in 3G data card that gives it the same capabilities as a 3G mobile phone. Its data card has a Vodaphone SIM hardwired into it, which is not replaceable, so it has to be replaced if you want to change network.

The Acer Aspire 5652WLMi notebook is set up like a mobile phone. Its standard SIM card slot is located under its battery. It provides a standard 384Kbit/s connection in most cities in the UK. However, the card doesn't support the High-Speed Download Packet Access (HSDPA) standard that can provide approximately three times the standard connection speed where it is supported in the London area.

Click here! to go to more information on this topic on the USB/Firewire section of this site.

Memory card readers

Many notebooks have memory card readers that make transferring digital photos from a camera easy. Just make sure that any notebook you buy has a reader that supports the kind of memory cards that your cameras use.

Laptop/notebook pointing devices

The pointing device that a laptop PC uses to control the pointer's movement is another important consideration. Most laptops use a touch pad, but some use a roller ball or a touch or track stick - you roll the ball to move the pointer over the screen. A touch pad is a small rectangular area. Moving one finger across the touch pad causes the pointer to move across the screen. The touch pad is usually located under the keyboard. The controls, usually two buttons, under it correspond to the left and right buttons on a mouse. Note that the touch pads on some laptops are small and therefore difficult to use. The touch pad should preferably be large and proportioned to match the screen. A laptop with a widescreen should have a large touch pad that has the same proprtions as the screen, otherwise it is more difficult to use, because the point you touch on the pad represents a point on the screen to which the mouse moves.

The documentation (usually a user manual) that comes with a laptop/notebook computer will explain how to use its pointing device. Additional information might be supplied by the manufacturer's website.

Some laptops have four-way buttons under the touch pad that work in the same way as the scrollwheels on a mouse by allowing the user to use them instead of scroll bars on a document's page.

A touch or track stick can take some getting used to. Some users love them, but others find them difficult to use, especially if they are small.

Some laptops have a scroll area on the touchpad that enables the user to scroll up and down the pages of documents or webpages instead of having to make use of the pointer to move the scroll bars. The image below shows the touchpad (on an MSI M662 laptop computer), which is located under the keyboard. The touchpad is the large rectangle, and the left and right mouse buttons are under it. You just have to touch the up and down arrows on the right side of it to scroll up or down a page.

With some touchpads if you tap slightly on the touchpad when the mouse pointer is over an icon or link, the computer behaves as if you have pressed the left button to select it. In other words, the whole touchpad can act as a left mouse button. Tapping quickly twice on such a touchpad executes a double-click. If that operation works with your computer's touchpad, you can move files or objects by using drag-and-drop. To do that, use the touchpad to place the pointer over the item that you want to drag-and drop to another location (or place in another folder) and and tap lightly and rapidly twice on the touchpad. Keep your fingertip in contact with the touchpad. Now, you can drag the selected item to the desired location by moving your finger on the touchpad until the item has reached its intended destination. Removing your finger from the touchpad releases the item. Alternatively, you can press and hold the left button when you select an item. You then move your finger on the touchpad until the item has reached its desired location. Then you release the left button to finish the drag-and-drop operation.

Some touch pads are extremely accurate and have comfortable buttons. Others can be inaccurate and frustrating to use and/or have buttons that are too stiff for comfort. Some touch sticks are too small to allow for comfortable use. Note well that these components cannot be changed. You are lumped with them if they are bad. Therefore, it's advisable to read as many reviews as necessary in order to get as good an idea of the product as possible before you make a purchase.

If the pointing device is poor, you can always resort to using an external optical, wired, or wireless USB mouse. If your laptop PC has Bluetooth support, you can purchase a Bluetooth wireless mouse. Using it keeps a USB port free for other devices. However, remember that all wireless devices use batteries that have to be kept charged.

If, say, you connected a USB mouse to one of the laptop's USB ports, while the computer is running, Windows would install its drivers and you would be able to use the mouse immediately. You would also be able to use the touch pad or touch stick.

Alternatively, you should be able to disable the touchpad if you are using a mouse. The laptop's user manual will provide the necessary information to do that. With the MSI M662 notebook, you press the Fn key to enable the alternative functions on the F function keys, and then you press the F3 key to disable the touchpad. There are illustrative diagrams in blue on the function keys that have alternative functions that are turned on by pressing the Fn key.

Note that USB devices are serial devices that can be hotplugged into the computer while it is running, but you should not connect non-serial devices, such as a PS/2 mouse or keyboard to the computer while it is running, because doing so can damage the computer.

Laptop computer keyboards

Not all laptop keyboards are created equal; their quality can vary significantly. Some keyboards have keys that are of high quality, the keys of which have a long distance to travel when pressed, making for comfortable use. The keys in keyboards of lower quality usually don't travel very far when pressed, making for stiff, tiring, uncomfortable use. As with the pointing device, if a laptop has a poor keyboard you are lumped with it. However, you can connect an external PS/2 keyboard if the machine has a PS/2 port, or USB keyboard for home use.

If your laptop PC has Bluetooth support, you can purchase a Bluetooth wireless keyboard. Using it keeps a USB port free for other devices. However, remember that all wireless devices use batteries that have to be kept charged.

If you are going to use a laptop PC as a portable machine, you should take care not to purchase one that has a keyboard or pointing device of poor quality.

Dealing with a Dead Laptop Keyboard -

http://tech.yahoo.com/gd/dealing-with-a-dead-laptop-keyboard/153166

A Bluetooth wireless connection

If you want to connect a laptop computer to a mobile phone, the phone and the laptop must be able to be connected together via either a USB cable or by a Bluetooth wireless connection. Therefore, the phone must support a USB cable connection (all current desktop and laptop computers support USB 2.0), and the laptop and the phone must support Bluetooth.

Wireless printing: Wireless printer adapters

It is now possible to buy wireless printer adapters that use Bluetooth technology and connect to the USB port on the printer, and the Dell Wireless Printer Adapter 3300 supports the 802.11b and 802.11g wireless standards. Using a Bluetooth adapter is an ideal way to print wirelessly from a notebook computer.

For more information on this subject, enter a search term such as wireless printer adapters (as is) in the Google search box provided at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled).

Click here! to visit the information on Bluetooth technology on this site.

Speakers: External laptop speakers

The speakers built into laptop PCs are often not able to produce a high quality of sound. External speakers are often not very portable and require their own power supply unit. However, external speakers powered via a USB connection are available. An example is the Logitech V20 - a set of small speakers that are especially designed for laptop users, priced at £39 in March 2006. They come with a handy carry case. The top volume is limited by the power provided by the computer's USB connection, but it is adequate, and the sound reproduction is excellent.

Laptop/notebook carry cases and backpacks

If you use a laptop computer on the road, you should choose one that is designed to take knocks, drops, and which comes with an external carry case. However, if a particular laptop doesn't come with an external case, you can buy one for it. Here are some examples:

Notebook cases - http://uk.kensington.com/html/6654.html

It is also possible to buy a backpack designed to carry a laptop. A good backpack usually costs around £60, but it is possible to find a quality item for less. The Trust 15.4" Notebook Backpack BG-4400p is such an item that was priced at only £15 in June 2007.

Direct CD/DVD control

Notebook computers are available that have the controls for the optical CD/DVD drive built into the front of the laptop's case, instead of on the drive itself, as in the Evesham Quest A220 notebook.

The cost of delivery

If you purchase a notebook computer that is delivered to you, find out if the cost of delivery is included in the price. If it isn't, find out what the additional cost is, because some vendors might reduce the price of a notebook to make it look like a bargain and then make up for it by adding a delivery charge that is much higher than the actual cost of delivery. I have seen examples of where delivery is advertised as free, which it can be, but when you complete the order form online you have to select the free delivery option because a much more expensive delivery option is the enabled option. If the purchaser doesn't notice that and doesn't change it to the free option, he or she will pay for the delivery.

Acer notebook computers

Acer make excellent notebooks. Two Acer notebooks appear in the table of specifications below. To view the specifications of its entire range of notebook computers, visit:

Notebooks Comparison Table - US site -

http://global.acer.com/products/notebook/spec_notebooks.htm

Acer notebooks - UK site - http://www.acernotebooks.co.uk/

Widescreen notebooks

Widescreen notebooks that are suitable for showing DVD movies are available. The screen sizes are usually 12.1", 14", and 15.4", with 15.4" being the most common. The most common screen resolutions are 1,280x768 and 1,280x800 - even on a 12" screen - but it is possible to find a 15.4" screeen with a huge resolution of 1,680x1,050, such as on the Mesh Dynamo 1470.

Media Center notebooks

If you want to use a notebook computer for home entertainment as well a the usual uses, you can buy a Media Center notebook for under £1,000. An example is the Notino G6000 - 1700 from Hi-Grade that has a 15.4" widescreen display, which is necessary to watch widescreen TV and movies as they are meant to be watched. Being a notebook it has a Pentium M 740 mobile processor, Windows XP MCE 2005, 512MB of RAM, an 80GB hard disk drive (small for a Media Center that by its nature store large recordings of TV programmes and movies), a DVD writer, an analog (analogue) TV tuner, which can only access terrestrial, not digital TV channels. If you want to access digital TV, you would have to attach the PC to an external USB digital TV tuner. You can access the Internet via its 56K dial-up modem or by using a router that makes use of its 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet port or via its built-in wireless 802.11a/b/g capacity, both of which can also be used to add the PC to a network.

Visit the Media Center PCs page on this site for more information about them and how to build one of your own.

LCD display dead-pixel policies vary between laptop manufacturers

Note that LCD/TFT screens are more prone to having dead pixels than CRT monitors. Each of the laptop/notebook PC manufacturers will have its own policy on the acceptable number and position on the screen of dead pixels before it the machine warrants replacement. Click here! to go to information on dead pixels on this site. Use your browser's Back button to return to this point on this page

Comparative specifications

The table a little further down this page provides the typical specifications for budget, midrange, ultra-portable, and gaming notebook/laptop computers.

Note that the size of the hard disk drive has been determined by using the size of a gigabyte (GB) that is used by hard disk drive manufacturers, not the size of a gigabyte used software developers. 1GB is 1,000MB, not the 1024MB used by software developers. If the latter measurement is used, the drive size is smaller because the size of a gigabyte of disk space is larger.

All of the notebook computers listed below use Li-ion (Lithium Ion) batteries. Alternatives are the cheaper, inferior Ni-MH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries that have a shorter battery life.

The screen size and the type of screen is important. As you can see in the table below, the bigger the screen, the higher its native screen resolution is and the more information it can display at once without having to use scroll bars. Most current laptops have a 15" screen, but it is possible to buy laptops with 17" screens, however, the larger the screen, the less mobile the computer becomes.

Note that some laptops are now coming out with internal Blu-ray optical drives. A BD-ROM drive is a Blu-ray drive that can only read Blu-ray discs. Blu-ray Disc (BD) is Sony's optical disc format designed to replace the current DVD format that beat its competitor, Toshiba's HD DVD. Toshiba is no longer developing HD DVD, soyou should not buy an HD DVD drive or player. A Blu-ray writer uses BD-R (record-once) and BD-RW (record multiple times) discs. Visit the following site for the latest information on Blu-ray.

"Welcome to Blu-ray.com, your source for everything related to Blu-ray Disc (BD). We offer Blu-ray reviews, releases, news, guides and forums covering Blu-ray movies, players, recorders, drives, media, software and much more. For more information about Blu-ray, see What is Blu-ray? or the Blu-ray FAQ."

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