What the ? Laptop

[Minkey]

can someone recommend a make and model of laptop as I am bamboozled by them all I just need it to run Microsoft office and put photos on

 

[Cougar377]

Thanks for all the advice I did manage some how to get it going took everything I could off it shut it down and it has gone back to a blank screen. as I'm not as tech savvy as some of the people on here I think it will have to be a new one

If it works intemittently then it may be overheating. If it boots up after it's been left switched off for a while then that would fit.
There's two possible reasons for this:

1) The air vent that blows hot air out of the laptop is blocked

Somewhere on one of the sides, or the back, should be an air vent. Use a small hoover nozzle (or tape off part of it to make a small hole) and hold it against the vent for 20 - 30 seconds. This is best done with the vent pointing to the ground (and the laptop off and unplugged).


2) One of the internal fans is on it's way out (or is dead).

Someone would need to open it up to find out if this was the case. Fans are cheap and can be replaced.

 

[Cougar377]

can someone recommend a make and model of laptop as I am bamboozled by them all I just need it to run Microsoft office and put photos on

What screen size as that can make a big difference to the price...?

When I used to buy laptops at my previous job I usually bought from Laptops Direct. They do finance and also a good range in refurbed devices.

Argos often have some decent deals too. Steer clear of Currys/PC World until you know what you want and don't get suckered into buying security software from them. Get it from Amazon.

My usual favourites are (in order) - Acer, HP, Dell, Toshiba, ASUS, Advent, Samsung and Sony.

Acers range is huge and their prices cover just about every budget.

 

[Minkey]

I'm looking for a 17inch screen

 

[andyBeaker]

I'm looking for a 17inch screen

Were you able to find which key is used to start in 'safe mode'?

You don't need to be tech savvy to use safe mode, it talks you through what is needed.

Really worth giving it a go in my opinion.....

 

[Cougar377]

I'm looking for a 17inch screen

What's your budget...? A good mid range new 17" laptop is going to be in the £500 - £750 range. There are some good bargains (older models and refurbs) starting at around the £300 mark but the spec will be at the bottom end. If you're hoping to get a similar lifespan out of your next one then I'd avoid bottom of the range stuff. Laptops Direct do some decent deals on refurbed big name laptops.


The spec that I used to recommend to customers at my previous workplace is:

i5 or i7 Intel processor (avoid Celeron processors)
8Gb of RAM (memory)
1Tb hard drive
17" screen with screen resolution of at least 1600 x 900

A couple of things that people sometimes forget to check:

1) The number of USB ports fitted. Some older/cheaper ones still come with only 2. I'd recommend 3 at least.
2) CD/DVD drive. A fair few laptop manufacturers are copying Apple and not fitting these now. Not a deal breaker as you can buy a USB one for as little as £15 - £20.

If you want me to hunt out some possibles for you then let me know.

 

[Jaws]

nothing happened

Looks like the mother board then mate.
Pressing and holding F10 on your one should have brought up the ‘bias’ screen. That is what gives the basic boot up instructions to the machine, and does not involve the hard drive at all
It seems it is not even getting that far, so without deeper analysis I would not like to even guess
I think, being in your situation, it is as you said, time for a new one

 

[derek kelly]

can someone recommend a make and model of laptop as I am bamboozled by them all I just need it to run Microsoft office and put photos on

Go into your local computer repair shop & see what refurb models they have, you are more likely to get a better spec & more vfm plus they are more likely to give you a better service in the future should you have any problems.
You can always check out the shop’s reviews online first.

 

[Minkey]

Were you able to find which key is used to start in 'safe mode'?

You don't need to be tech savvy to use safe mode, it talks you through what is needed.

Really worth giving it a go in my opinion.....

I found the instructions but the safe mode key didn't make any difference

 

[Minkey]

What's your budget...? A good mid range new 17" laptop is going to be in the £500 - £750 range. There are some good bargains (older models and refurbs) starting at around the £300 mark but the spec will be at the bottom end. If you're hoping to get a similar lifespan out of your next one then I'd avoid bottom of the range stuff. Laptops Direct do some decent deals on refurbed big name laptops.


The spec that I used to recommend to customers at my previous workplace is:

i5 or i7 Intel processor (avoid Celeron processors)
8Gb of RAM (memory)
1Tb hard drive
17" screen with screen resolution of at least 1600 x 900

A couple of things that people sometimes forget to check:

1) The number of USB ports fitted. Some older/cheaper ones still come with only 2. I'd recommend 3 at least.
2) CD/DVD drive. A fair few laptop manufacturers are copying Apple and not fitting these now. Not a deal breaker as you can buy a USB one for as little as £15 - £20.

If you want me to hunt out some possibles for you then let me know.

If you could I might be interested in a 15 inch screen to. Argos have some but I have not heard of the make of processors

 

[Cougar377]

If you could I might be interested in a 15 inch screen to. Argos have some but I have not heard of the make of processors

I'll send you some links tomorrow morning.

 

[Cougar377]

I had a good trawl through what's available on the Argos site and these 15" ones would be my picks (cheapest first)
There wasn't anything in their 17" range that I could recommend (unless you want to spend £700+).

This one:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8528890

.... is almost identical to this one:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8958295

Same price but the first one has a slightly better processor, so if they're both available then I'd pick the first.



https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8526768

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8623070


All of the above have no CD/DVD drive. .



You can buy direct from Dell (I've bought a few that way) , so I had a quick look and came up with these possibles. One nice thing about Dell is that they still fit CD/DVD drives.

15" models:

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/lap...n-15-5000/spd/inspiron-15-5570-laptop/cn57057

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/lap...n-15-5000/spd/inspiron-15-5570-laptop/cn57050


17"

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/lap...n-17-5000/spd/inspiron-17-5770-laptop/cn77030



If you fancy a punt on a cheap, lower mid range 17" under £500 then this is not bad. The only weak point in the spec is the AMD processor, which is fair but not rocketship fast.
It'll do most things without complaint, just not games.

 

[Minkey]

Thanks for that I will have a close look at them