jay@jayscomputershop.com www.jayscomputershop.com 818 362-8015
October 2007 Issue
Kids going back to school,
Christmas coming,
Its time again to buy a PC.
In this Issue I will be covering laptops, from top to bottom.
Don't forget to check out the PC Security section for recent security news.
Next month's newsletter will cover the desktop PCs.
What's On Sale in the Neighborhood?
Flash Drives
Fry's Electronics
Price Good from Friday, Sep 28, 2007 through Tuesday, Oct 02, 2007
4GB USB 2.0 Emprex Flash Drive
$19.99 after Mail in Rebate
Jay's Rating
****
Note - Read this before buying a Laptop
When buying a Laptop, do so because you need to, not because you can. Desktops are cheaper all the way around. I only recommend buying a Laptop if you need one to take with you places. If you are looking to buy one for use around your home only, then consider if it is really worth the extra cost. Laptops cost much more to repair and maintain than desktops. A motherboard replacement costs on average $500 to $1000, so consider a laptop disposable if it costs under $1000.00. Its just not worth repairing if its a major job.
One of the most common repair jobs I see for laptops, is the DC Jack (where you plug the power cord into, on the back of the laptop). Usually if it is broken (happens, if you drop the Laptop on its back end) it means that the jack has to be re-soldered back on, this is either a $300 soldering repair job or a complete motherboard replacement of $500 to $1000. So keep this in mind when deciding if you really need to buy a laptop or not.
So you decided to buy a laptop, here is what to look for -
1.) Memory - If it has Microsoft Windows Vista then you must have 1GB of RAM or more. Don't buy it if it has less. (512MB works bad on Vista machines, so I don't recommend it) 2GB of memory for Vista is optimal.
2.) Processor - If you see the words Dual Core, Core Duo, Core Quad, or X2 then its a multi-core processor. Beware because these don't last long between battery charges. On the flip side, if the laptop does not have these multi-core processors, then the Laptop will be slow. You have to decide which is better for your needs - slow but lasts long (3hrs + on single battery charge), or fast but short battery time (2hrs or less).
3.) Brand - For good quality laptops, Toshiba is the best, followed by Sony. HP and Lenovo are good (Lenovo bought out IBM's Personal PC division). I don't like Gateway. Dell's customer support is really bad, so I have stopped recommending Dell lately.
4.) Operating System - If you don't want Vista then see the article below, Buying a new PC, Want XP?
Don't know what the heck I just said? That's OK. You can call me before you buy, and I will help you go over it. Theres no charge for the phone call. Or if you want me to go with you to help you pick one out, call me to schedule an appointment.
Economy Laptops on Sale
Toshiba Notebook PC A215-S7407 15.4" Widescreen
Fry's Electronics $549.99
Price Good from Friday, Sep 28, 2007 through Tuesday, Oct 02, 2007
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor TK-55 1.8GHz
Windows Vista Home Premium
1GB memory
80GB Hard Drive
DVD/RW
802.11b/g Wireless
Jay's Rating
***
Toshiba Satellite A215-S4757 15.4" Widescreen Notebook PC
Circuit City $749.99 After Rebates
AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-56
2GB of DDR2 Memory
250GB Hard Drive
802.11b/g Wireless
Windows Vista Home Premium
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=185200&cm_keycode=85
Jay's Rating
***
What's On Sale on the Net?
Fry's.com
Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0 (3 User license)
$54.99 after $25.00 Competitive upgrade rebate
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/5365948?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
Jay's Rating
*****
So you want that Laptop for Around Home anyway?
For Powerful / But battery hungry LaptopToshiba Satellite A205-S4617 15.4" Widescreen Notebook PC
Circuit City $949.99
Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 2GB of DDR2 Memory
250GB hard drive Built-in 802.11A/G/N Wireless
Burns DVDs and CDs Windows Vista Home Premium
Short battery life, but excellent for around home
Jay's Rating
****
How I rate
I will only show you discount sales of products I think are worth buying. Anything with a below Fair rating, or brands that I don't think are good to buy, will not be shown. Because there are so many new products that come out every month, I can not try them out before putting them up here. That would be impossible. My recommendations are based solely upon my observations of the components installed in them, the brand name, and in some cases the reviews that I have read, or customer's PCs I have worked on. Please take these recommendations with that in mind. In the end it is your responsibility to find the right PC or PC product for you. I can only give you my 2 cents worth and point you in the right direction. As always, its free for you to call me from the store or have the salesman talk to me with your questions if your a regular customer of mine (one who has seen me in the past year). I also can come with you to the store to help you pick out the right computer for your situation, but I do charge hourly rates for anything beyond the basic phone call.
Jay's Rating gives you my opinion of the product.
Terrible| Not Good | Fair | Very Good | Excellent
* ** *** **** *****
I have received several inquiries from People wanting to buy new PCs running Windows XP not Vista. I found this article and thought it might be of interest to some of you. From PCWorld Article dated Sept 28, 2007, XP Reprieve: Microsoft Gives OEMs Five More Months "Microsoft had planned to stop selling XP through OEMs and retailers on Jan. 31, 2008, while custom system builders have until Jan. 31, 2009, to pre-install XP on machines. But because sales of Vista PCs have not been as strong as expected, OEMs and retailers have asked Microsoft to extend XP's availability. OEMs and retailers will now have until June 30, 2008, to sell PCs with "XP" preinstalled on machines, Microsoft said. Retailers also can sell XP out of the box until that time if they choose, the company said." In fact, some PC makers are selling Vista-equipped systems with an XP Pro recovery disc to those who request one so that it can be used in case the purchaser isn't happy with the new Microsoft OS. (see next article below) To see the full article go to - http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137826/article.html From PCWorld Article dated Sept 24, 2007 - Vista Backlash: Microsoft Quietly Lets Vista Users Revert to XP Vista-equipped systems with an XP Pro recovery disc "Hate Vista? If your PC is running Microsoft Windows Vista Business or Windows Ultimate and you're fed up with the OS you may be able to ditch Vista for XP Pro. Microsoft is quietly allowing you to downgrade to Windows XP Pro. Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Lenovo are just a few of the system manufacturers offering downgrades. Each of these PC makers offer an XP Pro recovery disc to those who request one that can be used to revert a Vista machine to XP Pro. Dell, HP, and Lenovo customers can request a Windows XP Pro recovery disc to be included with their purchase of a Vista machine -- should they want to revert in the future. Customers who already have purchased a Vista-PC can request an XP Pro recovery CD for between $15 to $20 by calling technical support." "Dell small business sales told me if I purchased a system with either the Vista Business or Ultimate operating system I could pay an extra $20 to have XP Pro recovery discs shipped with the machine. Dell told me I wouldn't need an extra Windows license for the XP Pro software. " To see the full article go to - http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/005512.html Need the shop address?
PC Security News
Fake Anti-Spyware
Don't be fooled by fake Anti-Spyware programs floating around on the internet. I am seeing some customers that are falling for it. If your computer pops up with a message saying something like, "Warning! Your computer is infected with spyware, you need to buy such and such to remove it. It is most likely a fake warning and they are trying to get you to buy their software. If you click on the OK button on their Warning message, or even the red X button, on the upper right hand corner of the message, it will take you to their website to try to get you to buy it.
If you download the trial version of the fake Anti-Spyware program, they will show you "evidence" in the form of a phony scan showing that you have viruses on your system. They will then try to sell you the software to remove the virus or spyware, that they say you have. In fact you may not have any virus on your system at all, not UNTIL you download their software and install it!! Only then will you end up with a virus, or worse, a trojan downloader; which is a virus software that downloads other virus software!
My Suggestion: If the warning message is not coming from Kaspersky Internet Security or CounterSpy --- then don't buy it! Literally! (I have been recommending that everyone should be switching to Kaspersky Internet Security 7 for Virus, and CounterSpy 2.0 for spyware protection. So as soon as your subscription to your old Anti-Virus Suite and Anti-Spyware is up I suggest that you move to them. And no, I don't get any kind of kickback for recommending Kaspersky or CounterSpy to my customers. Counterspy will notify you of fake Anti-Spyware programs, so be sure to keep it up to date and heed its warnings!
There are 100s of fake Anti-Spyware programs out there now, so many that they even have coined a term for it, "Rouge Spyware". The most popular ones I'm seeing are SpySheriff, Virus ProtectPro, SpyAxe, and PestTrap. There are many more out there though, so be safe and don't install anything to do with Anti-Virus or Anti-Spyware except for Kaspersky and Counterspy without calling me first!
Buying A New PC, Want XP?
Please be aware that I have a home office which is just a small shop behind my house, which is in a residential area. We are in and out all day, and there is not always someone there who can help you, so its best to call before showing up. You can always reach me by cell at 818-642-2995. The address is: 13438 Sayre St., Sylmar, CA 91342
Best Regards,
Jay's Computer Shop
(818)362-8015