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Cheap Laptops
- Thread starter Vince
- Start date
Someone wrote in that he had set a hard drive password and couldn't remember it. I thought that he was confused about a Windows Start-up password, but I researched it, and there really is such a thing. You have to go into BIOS to set it, and if you forget it, you CANNOT get in, and no one can get you in. Sometimes, certain companies can erase your hard drive and let you start over.
Buying a Cheap Windows 10 Laptop Part 1
As of today, May 16, 2016, there are no laptops or desktops built from the ground up for Windows 10. Even the new ones are designed for 8.1.
I need to explain the background. When Vista first came out, it ran poorly on most machines, because most machines had been designed for XP. Then an off-brand company put out a dual-core laptop with half a gig of RAM and it ran Vista great. How? XP machines often met the specs, but they had different types of hardware. This cheap laptop had all the right types of everything, including a dual-core processor (which was unusual at the time).
When 8 first came out, it ran well on machines designed for 7. But when people bought Windows 8 machines and downgraded to 7, they had major problems. 8 machines had a superior internal architecture than 7 machines, and 7 had a hard time operating those machines.
So if you buy a cheap laptop (or any other computer) with 10 installed at the factory, remember that you are buying a Windows 8.1 machine.
As of today, May 16, 2016, there are no laptops or desktops built from the ground up for Windows 10. Even the new ones are designed for 8.1.
I need to explain the background. When Vista first came out, it ran poorly on most machines, because most machines had been designed for XP. Then an off-brand company put out a dual-core laptop with half a gig of RAM and it ran Vista great. How? XP machines often met the specs, but they had different types of hardware. This cheap laptop had all the right types of everything, including a dual-core processor (which was unusual at the time).
When 8 first came out, it ran well on machines designed for 7. But when people bought Windows 8 machines and downgraded to 7, they had major problems. 8 machines had a superior internal architecture than 7 machines, and 7 had a hard time operating those machines.
So if you buy a cheap laptop (or any other computer) with 10 installed at the factory, remember that you are buying a Windows 8.1 machine.
Buying a Cheap Windows 10 Laptop Part 2
Since all new laptops are built for Windows 8.1, there is no such thing as a computer designed specifically for Windows 10. So let's see what we've got.
I have three laptops that we let kids from the church and orphanage use. Unfortunately, two were ruined last week when a terrific thunderstorm blew in enough rain to drench them.
1) The Acer Aspire E1 has two gigs of RAM. It ran great, playing games from the Windows Store and streaming cartoons and videos, and allowing the kids to get onto Facebook. Built for 8, I upgraded it to 8.1 and then to 10 with no problems at all. Incidentally, the fact that a rig is built from the ground up for a specific OS does not mean that it can't run other OSes. Its dula-core CPU is 1.4 gigahertz.
2) The pawnshop had a Gateway laptop on sale for $60 US. Two gigs of RAM and a Celeron chip, but with a strong video card and a large screen. Same as above, it ran great on 8.1 and 10.
3) Laptops in Mexico cost about double what they do on the US. When Walmart reduced a $1200 laptop (that would have cost $600 in the US) to $400, I couldn't resist. 4 gigs of RAM with an i3 chip, it was designed for 8.1 and runs 10 easily. It's the only one that survived the thunderstorm.
How many gigs of RAM do you need for 10? If you don't do anything more complicated than Windows Store games, 2 gigs is sufficient.
Can a cheap laptop designed for one operating system successfully run another operating system? Yes
Since all new laptops are built for Windows 8.1, there is no such thing as a computer designed specifically for Windows 10. So let's see what we've got.
I have three laptops that we let kids from the church and orphanage use. Unfortunately, two were ruined last week when a terrific thunderstorm blew in enough rain to drench them.
1) The Acer Aspire E1 has two gigs of RAM. It ran great, playing games from the Windows Store and streaming cartoons and videos, and allowing the kids to get onto Facebook. Built for 8, I upgraded it to 8.1 and then to 10 with no problems at all. Incidentally, the fact that a rig is built from the ground up for a specific OS does not mean that it can't run other OSes. Its dula-core CPU is 1.4 gigahertz.
2) The pawnshop had a Gateway laptop on sale for $60 US. Two gigs of RAM and a Celeron chip, but with a strong video card and a large screen. Same as above, it ran great on 8.1 and 10.
3) Laptops in Mexico cost about double what they do on the US. When Walmart reduced a $1200 laptop (that would have cost $600 in the US) to $400, I couldn't resist. 4 gigs of RAM with an i3 chip, it was designed for 8.1 and runs 10 easily. It's the only one that survived the thunderstorm.
How many gigs of RAM do you need for 10? If you don't do anything more complicated than Windows Store games, 2 gigs is sufficient.
Can a cheap laptop designed for one operating system successfully run another operating system? Yes
Buying a Cheap Windows 10 Laptop Part 3
Okay, you've decided to buy a cheap laptop. Where do you start?
As with any computer purchase, decide what you want to do. If you want to play high-tech games, get a desktop. Technically, a Chromebook isn't a laptop, but it does everything that a cheap laptop does except use the Windows Store. If you're sure that you will only do things online, don't eliminate Chromebooks.
I had two cheap laptops, with inferior chips and 2 gigs of RAM that went online, streamed movies and cartoons, and played Windows Store games with no problems. However, you will have a hard time finding a Windows 10 laptop with less than 4 gigs of RAM. In light of future upgrades, that's probably a good idea.
CNET rated their best budget laptops and came out to around $250 US. I noted that neither of my two cheap laptops met their standards and yet ran fine.
If you find one you like, write down the specs and price and GO HOME! On the web, the manufacturer will give you a glowing review, so try to find reviews from someone else. Check the operating system at the store and on the web. The machine is probably designed for 8.1. If it is designed for 8, remember that I upgraded two cheap 8 laptops to 8.1 and then 10 with no problems. It's okay if they installed 10 at the factory--just remember that it is still an 8.1 machine.
Okay, you've decided to buy a cheap laptop. Where do you start?
As with any computer purchase, decide what you want to do. If you want to play high-tech games, get a desktop. Technically, a Chromebook isn't a laptop, but it does everything that a cheap laptop does except use the Windows Store. If you're sure that you will only do things online, don't eliminate Chromebooks.
I had two cheap laptops, with inferior chips and 2 gigs of RAM that went online, streamed movies and cartoons, and played Windows Store games with no problems. However, you will have a hard time finding a Windows 10 laptop with less than 4 gigs of RAM. In light of future upgrades, that's probably a good idea.
CNET rated their best budget laptops and came out to around $250 US. I noted that neither of my two cheap laptops met their standards and yet ran fine.
If you find one you like, write down the specs and price and GO HOME! On the web, the manufacturer will give you a glowing review, so try to find reviews from someone else. Check the operating system at the store and on the web. The machine is probably designed for 8.1. If it is designed for 8, remember that I upgraded two cheap 8 laptops to 8.1 and then 10 with no problems. It's okay if they installed 10 at the factory--just remember that it is still an 8.1 machine.
Buying a Cheap Windows 10 Laptop Part 4
Some of your choices will include a Celeron chip as the CPU. Built like an Intel chip, a Celeron has a much smaller cache (which allows the CPU to locate information much more quickly) and sends out much smaller amounts of information than a Pentium chip running at the same speed.
Decades ago, the phrase "Celeron chip" meant "This computer is built with cheap parts in order to slightly lower the price while greatly lowering the quality." Knocking $40 off the price of a $1,000 laptop was a really bad way to save money. (The difference today is about $50).
But today, the best Celeron chips are better than the middle-of-the-road Intel chips of 18 months ago. And we successfully ran cartoons, movie, and Windows Store aps on a laptop with a Celeron chip. The laptop was made by a company that cobbled together left-over unsold parts to make a rugged budget rig that ran well.
$50 does make a difference on a $250 low-end laptop. Go home and research before you buy, but a Celeron chip is not cause for an automatic reject of a budget laptop.
Some of your choices will include a Celeron chip as the CPU. Built like an Intel chip, a Celeron has a much smaller cache (which allows the CPU to locate information much more quickly) and sends out much smaller amounts of information than a Pentium chip running at the same speed.
Decades ago, the phrase "Celeron chip" meant "This computer is built with cheap parts in order to slightly lower the price while greatly lowering the quality." Knocking $40 off the price of a $1,000 laptop was a really bad way to save money. (The difference today is about $50).
But today, the best Celeron chips are better than the middle-of-the-road Intel chips of 18 months ago. And we successfully ran cartoons, movie, and Windows Store aps on a laptop with a Celeron chip. The laptop was made by a company that cobbled together left-over unsold parts to make a rugged budget rig that ran well.
$50 does make a difference on a $250 low-end laptop. Go home and research before you buy, but a Celeron chip is not cause for an automatic reject of a budget laptop.
Buying a Cheap Windows 10 Laptop Part 5
Should you consider a Chromebook? Besides not having Windows 10, a budget Chromebook has no offline abilities. (The more expensive ones can function offline). Loosely speaking, you might be talking two gigs of RAM with a quad-core processor. You're also talking about $50 US less than a Win 10 laptop. Depending on how you use the term, many people do not regard a Chromebook as a laptop.
But you're also talking about a bigger, brighter screen. You're talking about faster boot-up, no malware problems, and automatic upgrades in the cloud, rather than on your machine.
You'll get a lot less aps than you'll find in the Windows Store, but there are enough free ones to do everything except play high-end games.
A surprising thing is that Chromebooks are far more popular than the numbers tell. I've been listing numbers on Windows operating systems and on browsers, but these don't include Chromebooks. For the first quarter of 2016, they outsold Macs for the first time. Some sources believe that Chrome, not Mac, is the most popular operating system after Windows.
But of course--if you can't get onto the web, a Chromebook is nothing but a paperweight.
Should you consider a Chromebook? Besides not having Windows 10, a budget Chromebook has no offline abilities. (The more expensive ones can function offline). Loosely speaking, you might be talking two gigs of RAM with a quad-core processor. You're also talking about $50 US less than a Win 10 laptop. Depending on how you use the term, many people do not regard a Chromebook as a laptop.
But you're also talking about a bigger, brighter screen. You're talking about faster boot-up, no malware problems, and automatic upgrades in the cloud, rather than on your machine.
You'll get a lot less aps than you'll find in the Windows Store, but there are enough free ones to do everything except play high-end games.
A surprising thing is that Chromebooks are far more popular than the numbers tell. I've been listing numbers on Windows operating systems and on browsers, but these don't include Chromebooks. For the first quarter of 2016, they outsold Macs for the first time. Some sources believe that Chrome, not Mac, is the most popular operating system after Windows.
But of course--if you can't get onto the web, a Chromebook is nothing but a paperweight.
Buying a Cheap Windows 10 Laptop Part 6
Touchscreen? We don't need no stinkin' touchscreen!
A touchscreen adds to the cost of a laptop. So if it includes a touchscreen, the rest of the cheap laptop was cheapened up to keep the price down. The touchscreen software is part of the Windows OS, so if the touchscreen doesn't work, the manufacturer will tell you that it is Microsoft's fault. MS will tell you to re-install Windows, and if it doesn't work, it is the manufacturer's fault.
Three years ago, a touchscreen added $200 to the price of a laptop. If you had two $800 laptops, and one had a touchscreen, it was a $600 laptop with a device you didn't need. And when I was a tech writer for Acer, we had many complaints from laptop owners who finally gave up on their touchscreens.
Buying a $250 Windows 10 laptop? If it has a touchscreen, you're getting a much cheaper computer than what you're paying for.
Touchscreen? We don't need no stinkin' touchscreen!
A touchscreen adds to the cost of a laptop. So if it includes a touchscreen, the rest of the cheap laptop was cheapened up to keep the price down. The touchscreen software is part of the Windows OS, so if the touchscreen doesn't work, the manufacturer will tell you that it is Microsoft's fault. MS will tell you to re-install Windows, and if it doesn't work, it is the manufacturer's fault.
Three years ago, a touchscreen added $200 to the price of a laptop. If you had two $800 laptops, and one had a touchscreen, it was a $600 laptop with a device you didn't need. And when I was a tech writer for Acer, we had many complaints from laptop owners who finally gave up on their touchscreens.
Buying a $250 Windows 10 laptop? If it has a touchscreen, you're getting a much cheaper computer than what you're paying for.
Mike
Member
Vince coming back from the grave with a fury! Me hopes Vince is here for more than a fly by. Chromebook are the answer to 95% of laptop wanting woes. Inexpensive, feather weight, and batteries that live large, Chromebook are legit. With cloud storage maintaining everything, the limited internal storage is not an obstacle.
For crying out loud, though, Chromebook and Google need to collaborate and resolve the chasm between the two.
th1b.taylor
Member
Mike, I'm curious, Chromebooks come with a customized OS, do you know what system they customized?
th1b.taylor
Member
Yes, it based on the safest kernal in the world but that is not the operating system it is based on but I read your posts here and I have, easily, surmised you were, quite likely a Bound Windoze Tech. The Operating System it is based on is the, Shhh, number 2 Operating System, Ubuntu, my favorite.
Since I work hard to keep people from running off the rails, I do free IT for my neighborhood of very poor people, living in Trailor Parks, and my Church Family. For too many people, their units loose the Hard Drive and they do not have the money to buy a new copy of Windoze so they are legal.
I was a Windoze Beta Tester a long time ago and quit them in disgust when it became obvious the almighty dollar became the only thing important when Bill retired and gave up control. Funny thing was, there was a system just as easy to use as Windoze and it ran so fast on the same equipment that it made everything MS that published look like a snail.
And since my love used to be Programming that slowly grew into Graphic and Photo Work, I was forever pounding the desk, table and since becoming bed ridden, my bed in frustration over the lack of speed in every system MS put out.
Now, stating that Ubuntu is the system cloned or modified is a bit, a teeny weeny bit deceptive. Ubuntu is Debian cloned and customized to make the system easier on the eye and more like windoze to operate. In the Linux/Unix/BSD and Mac World we do not try to sue one another into submission so we can do that allowing men and women from around the world to work 24 hours a day on their favorite part of the system, working out any flaws and bugs at a much prefered rate to what MS, can ever do with the limited manpower and a closed system.
Actually, if MS would cease trying to put Apple, Linux, Unix and BSD out of business, the rest of us would rejoice and allow them to use our kernel, free of charge. The only hitch would be their need to tose a few 10,000 of lines of code and to get rid of the, ever, attackable Registry but it would drive Black Hats insane.
Your doing a good work here.
I recently purchased a $140, brand-new Windows 8.1 laptop here in Mexico. Selling for $290 in the US, it went on sale at Wal-Mart after the free upgrade offer to Windows 10 expired. It runs great and the kids love it.
It has a touchscreen that can be detached from the keyboard.
My advice? Decide what you want to do first. And then be willing to purchase a cheap Windows 8.1 laptop if it's a good choice.
It has a touchscreen that can be detached from the keyboard.
My advice? Decide what you want to do first. And then be willing to purchase a cheap Windows 8.1 laptop if it's a good choice.
th1b.taylor
Member
And other than Graphics Work, 8.1 is as good as windoze 10. Every issue I had with 8.1 centered on large graphics. I purchased my HP 400-224 with six gigs of RAM and it worked, slow but it worked until I would build a large, custom, graphic for a customer and then the speed and, inherent, loss of data drove me nuts.
When I blew it out to 12 gig it was still slow but acceptable but it would still loose data, in the middle of the project. 8.1 is just not up to graphics work and several people confirmed the problem is with the OS because they work on Sony and Toshiba and one runs a Dell.
For those that do not know, the HP Slim Line 400-224 is a laptop in a box and the only upgrades, internally, are the RAM. Everything else must be attached through an external port.
Hokey Smokes, Folks! It's been a while, but let's talk about cheap laptops and Windows 11.
First, most computers cannot accept the full upgrade. This powerful operating system requires a LOT more power than Windows 10, and it requires modern hardware that many Windows 10 laptops don't have.
Second, it is usually a bad idea to upgrade a laptop. Yes, it can be done, but laptops are more finicky than desktops. Since you're not playing high-end games on your cheap laptop, the new operating system will offer little if any improvement.
Third, it is usually a mistake to install an operating system that meets the minimum requirements. Going back to Windows 95, if you do not double Microsoft's minimum requirements, your new OS will probably run poorly. Windows 11 requires a dual-core processor with four gigs of RAM. If you do not have an quadcore processor with eight gigs of RAM, you should bypass this upgrade.
Is Windows 10 running fine on your laptop? Then leave it alone.
First, most computers cannot accept the full upgrade. This powerful operating system requires a LOT more power than Windows 10, and it requires modern hardware that many Windows 10 laptops don't have.
Second, it is usually a bad idea to upgrade a laptop. Yes, it can be done, but laptops are more finicky than desktops. Since you're not playing high-end games on your cheap laptop, the new operating system will offer little if any improvement.
Third, it is usually a mistake to install an operating system that meets the minimum requirements. Going back to Windows 95, if you do not double Microsoft's minimum requirements, your new OS will probably run poorly. Windows 11 requires a dual-core processor with four gigs of RAM. If you do not have an quadcore processor with eight gigs of RAM, you should bypass this upgrade.
Is Windows 10 running fine on your laptop? Then leave it alone.
Welcome back and thanks for the info.
Whatever Windows I run I use it till it's no longer works. I just saw where 11 is coming out.
Whatever Windows I run I use it till it's no longer works. I just saw where 11 is coming out.
The truth is, most of Windows 11's improvements are only cosmetic. And you can download many of them for free in the Microsoft Store.
IF you have a powerful new computer ("New" is defined here as "less than two years old") 11 will run slightly faster than 10. Otherwise, the greater power demands will make 11 slower than 10.
11 will be able to use Android aps. Few of them do something that Windows aps can't do. You will get a few more mid-range games, though. This is the ONLY thing that 11 does that 10 does not do.
And 11 will include the complex and controversial security system, which we will be discussing later.
IF you have a powerful new computer ("New" is defined here as "less than two years old") 11 will run slightly faster than 10. Otherwise, the greater power demands will make 11 slower than 10.
11 will be able to use Android aps. Few of them do something that Windows aps can't do. You will get a few more mid-range games, though. This is the ONLY thing that 11 does that 10 does not do.
And 11 will include the complex and controversial security system, which we will be discussing later.
I will be interested in what you have to tell us about the new security system
.Hello Vince
, I am new here .