but I have heard horror stories about Dell support

I had heard bad reports about them as well, prior to purchasing my notebook.

What I have found with Dell, and all other support divisions, is that the first call starts with a lot of customer information gathering to establish a case (or reference) number. After the initial information provisions, you will be in a situation where you may be speaking with someone who has direct access to the information related to the company parts, policies, and normal support procedures - while you have equal or better knowledge of actually working on a computer from a hardware or software perspective.

I find that being politely helpful, while allowing the support person on the other end to do their job in the step-by-step procedure they are taught, is much more productive than attempting to bypass the basic steps, to find the answers you are looking for. I have also found that if I explain the situation in a clear and concise mannor, the support person can then rule out a few items and shorten the process.

In many cases, this first person may need to consult a supervisor for the more advanced questions, which can take some time. Again, being patient is a helpful way to go about dealing with this type of situation.

As for the "Do-it-yourself" type of person, of which there are many, the fact that Dell allows easy access to drivers and software based on the "Service Tag" number is a very easy way to update the system without dealing with the support people on the phone.

In my case, I immediately requested the XP Pro installation disc, which was not an option under the "Customize It" sections at the time. I received it literally the next day at work, and was able to do a clean install with the help of the downloaded drivers. I did this because I do not use the hidden partition created at the factory to allow novice users to restore the original configuration as shipped - for emergency situations (note - this is of course a nice feature for people such as your daughter, as long as she practices back-ups to either removable media, or an external hard drive, for school files, music, pictures, etc.).

I also upgraded the hard drive, optical drive (the only issue here is the bevel size to fit tightly in the slot opening), and even an Intel Pentium M (760) processor by purchasing from "Newegg.com" which saved me a bundle of money, and provides a nice platform for the upcoming Vista.

I can at least say that Dell does a good job with the hardware assembly, and they also provide a service manual online outlining the replacement of all parts of the computer hardware. A very nice touch IMHO.

I would assume that other companies may provide the same resources, but I only have experience with the Dell notebook I possess - as far as notebooks go.

The best recommendation, whichever route you go, would be to make sure you get the processor (solo or dual) and video card that will provide the platform for the intended use of the machine upon the original purchase. The hard drive and memory upgrades, which could be done on vacation time at home by yourself, are 'no-brainers'.

A mac book would be good, it has all the specs you wan't except the screen, they are pretty cheap (at least in Australia) and you can dual boot Mac OSX and winblows (windows). The good thing about the macbook is that the power cord is magnetic so if someone trips over it it wont yank the wole computer of a table.

I suggest an Acer. Any model. Though, do keep in mind what she plans on using it for. If she wants it just for notes, homework, etc... then go for one of the earlier models. I've had mine a little over two months. (If memory serves me right) It has been fine. Got it for around 900$ at a staples.

Hope this helps...

~L

I have not had good experiences with Dell lately.  The last two people that had me work on their computers because they were "broke", ended up sending them back and buying Macs instead.

 

 

thanks all. I really had no idea what I was getting into out there. You all have given me great advise..I'll let you know what finally happens.

I've got 4 Sony laptops from the middle of the road to the most expensive. 3 have been flawless (1 is 5 years old) and the Top of the Line model is on it's 3rd motherboard (can't handle 17 hour days).

I highly recommend Dell.

It's interesting that Dell is getting the most positive position. I wasn't expecting that. I've got it narrowed down to a few and will post links as soon as I can get some bloody time to do it LOL

well, I've got the system picked out.  Dell E1505 with the WinXP option.

I had a Dell 'chat' with Ginocarlo about a couple of things...

Is it really not possible to partition the hard drive?  Usually any kind of restore function will reformat the drive first and it would be nice if there could be a partition which would remain intact during the process.

werewolf. I've read everyones comments here and I have to say that all of them are true and right, and big time worthy of consideration... about every model of computer, about every service, about every warranty.

I have a Dell Inspiron8600. I've had it for two and a half years. The best thing I ever did was to buy the Complete Care warranty. With a laptop, a college student in a dorm, I wouldn't do it any other way. It replaces the entire computer if it is dropped, had liquids spilled in it, anything! I've called them on a Tuesday, they sent DHL that afternoon to pick it up at my house in Massachusettes, flew it to Texas, fixed it, and had it back at my front door on Thursday.

I am not one to buy extended warranties. I feel a manufaturer should warranty their product without extra payment. But I KNOW that this warranty was well worth the extra $350 I paid for it. A laptop is portable, she will carry it in her arms with other books. She IS GOING TO DROP IT! I would pay a little less for the laptop and make sure I paid the extra for the warranty. I've already also had my entire laptop rebuilt, and because they ran out of the basic screen that came with my model, they had to give me the next higher up. It's gorgeous!!

Buy the Complete Care warranty! You won't be sorry!

Thanks 47songs...I will consider it.  It is already costing me a lot as it is.  It comes with the 2 year plan including 2 year at home coverage.  I'll talk it over with the accountant

Youre welcome, werewolf. I don't mean to give youmore confusion in making your decision. I appolgize if I have. But it's important to know that "at home" service is a farce. They will not come to your home. For this 2 year warranty, they will talk with you on the phone for over two hours, and most likely you will speak with someone who asks you a question, then you answer it, and then they spend 3-5 minutes reading what to ask you next. Question number 2 and every question thereafter repeats the same process. After the two or even 3 hours they will ask you if you would like them to call you back the next day after they've done some research on your probem. Sometimes they call back. Sometimes they don't.

If they find the problem with you, then yes, they will ship you the part to replace, and like COrky_O writes, its a very easy task. But, the biggest problem for me on my lapatop the last couple of years? The USB connectors come loose from the back of the computer. They cannot send you those USB adapters because they are connected directly to the mother board. I've had three motherboards replaced because of it. They send DHL directly to my door to pick it up. You're definately going to need that original box to ship it back to them in. And this won't be done as a priority to them. Their priorities are the people who have the Complete Care Warranty, and new buyers.

I do understand where you're coming from in regards to the cost. But expensive computers can break down just as fast as cheaper ones. I do agree with Corky_O again when he says that you should get a laptop with easily replacable cards, especially if you don't get this extra CC Warranty.

I wish you the best of luck, werewolf!!!

Is it really not possible to partition the hard drive?

If Dell is still doing things the way they did on my Inspiron 9300 (now a little over a year old), they will have a small partition with a "FAT32" format which holds their "System Recovery" files. This allows the user to run the recovery from either the BIOS, or from the Windows interface to restore the computer to the factory installation and configuration of software.

The main partition will be in NTFS format and have the OS, pre-installed drivers and software.

You can create your own partions if you wish, but this would probably wreak havoc with the Dell recovery process (even if you leave it intact), as it may only operate with one larger partition and would most certainly overwrite the disc to the original configuration (1 large partition with OS, drivers and software, 1 small partion in FAT32 with the recovery section).

Another possible option, but a bit of work, would be to use a program like "TrueImage 9.0" that allows you to partition a drive and also allows you to create a "recovery partition" that holds the OS, drivers and software in an image and can be accessed via both a bootable CD to run the recovery manager, and via the TrueImage program itself running under Windows.

Note - this program is much slower than Ghost at recovering the system, but does allow you to set-up your own recovery partition on the hard disk.  

hey, electronic frys is having a sale on this COMPAQ laptop. its only 500.00 and its great. my friend bought one today and its awsome. i would buy one too except i alreay havve a new hp notebook dv8233cl.

here's the link for the notebook on sale a FRY's.
http://shop4.outpost.com/%7BXSW-qZvI1shDMukJ9JO9HA**.node1%7D/product/4880360

you better get it fast if you want it because my friend said there were only a few left when he purchaced his.

hey, electronic frys is having a sale on this COMPAQ laptop. its only 500.00 and its great. my friend bought one today and its awsome. i would buy one too except i alreay havve a new hp notebook dv8233cl.

here's the link for the notebook on sale a FRY's.

http://shop4.outpost.com/%7BAaEx5WZquXn0OlwTSjAr8w**.node3%7D/product/4880360

i'm sorry, i dont know why the link wont show up, the notebook should be on the home page of the frys web site which is outpost . com