need a new lap top- but which one ?

[Boomerang]

i need a new lap top , my computer knowledge is limited , I want it to be quick(no patience), will only be used for Internet, emails, a few excel spreadsheets, which model would be best? And what's best way to get Microsoft office ?
Thanks from a technophobe.

 

[J B]

Why do you need Microsoft Office for just a few spreadsheets?
Open Office or Libre Office can do similar for zero cost.

There's a discussion already going on this page here
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/laptop-deals.174010/

 

[Dr Evil]

Here's a thread I started fairly recently on this-

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/laptop-deals.174010/

And here's what I ended up buying-

https://www.businessdirect.bt.com/p...-500gb-15-6--win-10-pro-y8a06et-abu-CH2Q.html

With a £200 cash back deal, it comes in pretty good value. It's the second Probook 450 I've bought, although the first one was the older G3 generation- I've been pretty impressed with them so far. Main quibble is the fact you can't remove the battery- time will tell if this becomes an issue, when the battery is knackered...

 

[Dr Evil]

With regard office- It all depends on how many computers you need it on.

I'd recommend using the open office- but again, that depends on how comfortable you are with software. I've installed it on parents laptop, and whilst they are used to using office or everyday tasks, they find the differing layouts frustrating- and both cant get on with it. For the sake of £70 a year I think I'd be better off buying a MS office licence.

 

[Boysground]

I used open office for a long time with no problems. When my kids started needing a computer for school work we started having issues. Things saved in open office weren't opening quite right on the schools system. And vice-versa with home work. So moved to office 365 which has a yearly charge. I am running almost the max number of computers which makes it seems less. Have been no problems with school work since.

Bg

 

[Cowabunga]

i need a new lap top , my computer knowledge is limited , I want it to be quick(no patience), will only be used for Internet, emails, a few excel spreadsheets, which model would be best? And what's best way to get Microsoft office ?
Thanks from a technophobe.

Why not use an iPad? You can get quite cheap Bluetooth keyboards for it if you do a lot of editing text and spreadsheets.

ipad-9.7

 

[Boomerang]

I have a hp laptop with windows 7 and run open office on it, which works ok for what I do , however laptop (10 years old)is VERY slow keep getting internet explorer not running problems, think Microsoft must be sending go slow updates to force me to change computer .
The other half can't get on with open office as she uses Microsoft at work ,
And sometimes get compatibility problems with files written on ms or vice versa.
As for iPad have one already, but that too is on a go slow, has nt got ms office on it .
Was think of something which is a cross between hp and iPad , which works quickly .
What is best way to get ms office for other half .(her IT dept at work is abroad and won't give her a copy of ms office )
Is a One off purchase with lifetime updates available or better way if doing it , won't get used much but she insists on ms office .

 

[Dr Evil]

One off purchase here (for a single user/PC

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/store/d/office-home-student-2016/cfq7ttc0k5fc

No upgrades, and no support- not that either are really all that important for office over the lifespan of a laptop really...

 

[Cowabunga]

There's no problem using MS Office 365 on an iPad. This can be used by multiple devices.

No idea why your iPad is slow as all three in my family, including an intensively used ipad2, which is getting on in age, work like new. Either you need to update the operating system, clear its cache or declutter its storage.
New iPad comes with a minimum of 32 GB storage and up to 256. Besides which large files can be stored in the Cloud with iCloud, Onedrive, Dropbox or wherever you fancy, to expand the device's storage capacity.
You can also get lightning connected flash drives now up to 256 GB capacity.
https://www.sandisk.co.uk/home/mobile-device-storage/ixpand

Completely up to you and yours of course.

 

[An Gof]

i need a new lap top , my computer knowledge is limited , I want it to be quick(no patience), will only be used for Internet, emails, a few excel spreadsheets, which model would be best? And what's best way to get Microsoft office ?
Thanks from a technophobe.

You want quick and fast you're a technophobe and want it to work straight out of the box.
Open you're cheque book and buy an Apple Macbook or Apple Air. Expensive but they are the dogs

 

[agrimax]

What's the verdict on a chromebook? Are they any use? Need to replace my Tosh Satellite as I can't get the screen to work again.Have replaced the cable from the mb to screen....twice and have fitted a new screen. Faffed about with the bios and done a system restore and still no working screen.Code 45 in the device manager for it but I can't reconnect something that's already connected!!! Maybe it's the RAM but I think it's more likely the MB that's at fault. Working fine on an external monitor though.Anyway,I don't use MS Office and as long as I can surf,email and do my VAT return and BPS online, would a chromebook be an effective replacement? Or do any of you experts have any more solutions to my Toshiba's problem?

 

[Cowabunga]

Chromebook is mainly just a keyboard and screen that works through the web. Virtually everything is done on the Cloud. As such it is brilliant in many ways, as long as you have resilient super-fast broadband with fast mobile data signal as a backup.

Although I use Apple computers almost exclusively these days, my herd records are in the Cloud and all done through the Chrome browser on various devices including pads and desktop, that all synch with that Cloud. The iPads and Android tablets do retain the data in their memory on a simplified interface accessed through an App.

 

[agrimax]

Thanks Mr Duck......

 

[Cowabunga]

Thanks Mr Duck......

No problem. I should mention, in case it isn't clear, that Chromebooks have little native storage as a rule, so that the programs and data are stored in the cloud. However, it is all accessible on any device that can run the Chrome browser, including Microsoft Windows PC's and all Apple computers and tablets, plus of course all Google Android devices. So there are no worries on that score and perhaps I overemphasised the need for speed, which is mainly an issue with processing data intensive work such as transferring lots of photos to the cloud as they are edited. This may not effect you at all.

In effect the Chromebook laptop is just a terminal for a massive computer and data centre in the sky somewhere. Many of them in fact.

 

[Storeman]

Just remember that the term 'Cloud' means someone elses' hardware.

 

[Cowabunga]

Just remember that the term 'Cloud' means someone elses' hardware.

That may be a 'good thing'.
Anyway, all files may be copied to an external hard drive to have a local back-up to supplement the several servers in the cloud that would hold copies of the same files automatically.
All internet content and downloads come from some cloud or other, so why worry? This very post is not stored locally on my machine for longer than I'm viewing it. It's stored in the big cloud in the virtual sky, backed up in several locations. So you are so used to it that you don't realise it and don't really differentiate between local content and this cloud thing.

 

[Storeman]

That may be a 'good thing'.
Anyway, all files may be copied to an external hard drive to have a local back-up to supplement the several servers in the cloud that would hold copies of the same files automatically.
All internet content and downloads come from some cloud or other, so why worry? This very post is not stored locally on my machine for longer than I'm viewing it. It's stored in the big cloud in the virtual sky, backed up in several locations. So you are so used to it that you don't realise it and don't really differentiate between local content and this cloud thing.

I am actually very aware of what is in the cloud and what is on my local machine. All my data is stored on my local machines and across several external hard drives. I have no storage of any of my data on anyone elses hardware. I do not trust others with my data.

It's interesting, when you think of it, how our data processing has evolved. From large mainframes, where all data was stored and processed and we accessed it via dumb terminals, to the personal computer, where the data was stored and processed locally and now we are going back to a system, via the cloud, where data and processing happens away from our personal machines.
I personally prefer to keep my data on my hardware.

 

[Cowabunga]

I am actually very aware of what is in the cloud and what is on my local machine. All my data is stored on my local machines and across several external hard drives. I have no storage of any of my data on anyone elses hardware. I do not trust others with my data.

It's interesting, when you think of it, how our data processing has evolved. From large mainframes, where all data was stored and processed and we accessed it via dumb terminals, to the personal computer, where the data was stored and processed locally and now we are going back to a system, via the cloud, where data and processing happens away from our personal machines.
I personally prefer to keep my data on my hardware.

In effect the Chromebook and cloud computing allows everyone to use a mainframe.
It matters not to me where my data is stored as long as it is secure and accessible, backed up to several places. No need for me to know physically where, but like you I still like one local on a hard drive.
As it is with Apple, all my files and settings are backed up locally to an external drive and remotely to iCloud.

Other data, such as Evernote backs up some of my files, and itself backs up in the cloud and offline on desktop and tablets. The cloud based herd management doesn't back up to my desktop, but does to the two tablets that synchronise with it and which I use out in the cowsheds and fields.