Which laptop brand - The Book-keepers Forum (UK)

Violet2005 · Veteran Member

Which laptop brand

FoxAccountancyServices · Expert

I've had a couple of HP's and they both had issues. I've had my Toshiba for 7 years and only just had to replace the hard drive. I'll be interested to follow this thread as I might have to replace mine soon!! :)

Amanda · Expert

That's interesting Michelle, I had a toshiba one that ended up being repaired a couple of times, it is now my spare laptop, it gets hot very quickly. I now have a HP laptop which broke in the first year!!! It was when it was hot last summer the fan broke, anyway didn't send it off even though it was under guarantee as didn't want to loose it for a month, so I took it to a local guy who did it for £40 and only had it a day. It appears to be okay now (touch wood), it is fast and the screen quality is really good.

I have come to the conclusion maybe laptops aren't man enough for the job we do perhaps?

HTH

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Another vote for Toshiba's here.

Just trying to remember when I bought mine... I remember who I was working with at the time, what year was that... Got it, Sept 2007 so about 6.5 years, just ever so slightly younger than Michelles.

Touch wood no problems at all. Only thing that I've changed is increasing the amount of memory on board and thats so simple to do that even I could do it.

I had a digital laptop for a while , had issues with both the motherboard and hard drive. The service from digital to get it sorted was second to none but I prefer the Tosh where I've never had to find out how good the service department is.

I would also recomend Dell and Lenovo (despite the fact that the Lenovo (IBM) keyboard broke on me).

lol, just realised that my loft is a graveyard for old laptops as I never throw any of the out... I've even got an old Toshiba T120 up there... Twin floppies, 512k of Ram, no hard drive, LCD monitor... Still works as well as it did when I first bought it back in 91.

I've used HP's where they are supplied by work and I really wouldn't go and buy one.

And if ever you feel yourself drawn to an Advent just put it down and back slowly away from the sales people that will have rushed accross thinking Yeh, a customer thats not read anything at all on t'internet.

Actually, thats not fair. If your house is being burgled and you really have to hit someone with the first thing to hand then an Advent is just as good as any other brand for beating someone to death with.

All the best,

Shaun.

FoxAccountancyServices · Expert

Hi Amanda :)

I agree about laptops being perhaps a little shy for the job, and I have considered getting a stand alone, but I love the freedom to take with me when I work on site (and SAPA is way to expensive to have 2 licences!). This Toshiba hasn't done so bad though.. its a decent spec (cost about £800 when I bought it) and its switched on a good 18 hours a day.

The first HP had about 5 failures in the first 18 months... then I bought my daughter one, and its been ok, I guess.. the "on" button needs to be pressed really hard for about 20 seconds before it will decide to come on! That was a cheaper machine.. a first laptop - about £300.

Has anyone had a Dell, I wonder??

rachel_mclean · Guru

I always have Samsung, always my favourite and always reasonable priced. I usually used curry's and paid around £600 but I got a new one in September that was £569.00 in Curry's but I found it on www.isme.co.uk for £389.00 and got 10% off as it was the first time I ordered from them.

RobH · Expert

I used to love my Samsung until it got nicked! I have a Toshiba now but I preferred the Samsung even though the Toshiba is a higher spec. But I have had no issues with either.

abacus12345 · Guru

For me, I'd say Lenovo, crazy amount of warranty. For business there is no need for a nvidia graphics card, so I'd be looking for a third generation i5, with 4 or more GB of ram. Most laptops now are pretty reliable. The only suggestion I'd really make is to pop a solid state hard drive in whichever you buy, standard hard drives are so unreliable. Also i'd personally then encrypt it. That's my opinion in any case :)

Princess · Senior Member

I bought a new one over Christmas. It was HP. Pile of poo, I had to send it back. There were a number of issues with it which HP didn't seem to know how to fix. I think the biggest problem I had though is Windows 8. OMG.. HOw did that ever pass any consumer focus groups?! I got another more expensive HP one (I want a small one and not many brands do 14 inch screens with a decent spec) and it's been fine. Right up until this morning when it decided to upgrade itself to Windows 8.1 and I@ve been having connectivity problems all morning. I may be downgrading again! I've always had HP and this time I did consider changing due to bad customer service and a week of nearly having a nervous breakdown with the first one I bought. They only seem to last about 3 years before they get very hot, go very slowly and result in me losing the will to live. Maybe I should pay more but I see them a bit like washing machines, even if you pay loads, it could still go wrong so it might be just as well to get a cheapish one and then just replace it more often.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

If you get a Dell computer through their business division you can still opt to have Windows 7 installed on the machine.

Mesh also do that although not sure what their laptops are like.

Personally I would not buy a Windows 8 machine.... If I want a smart phone I'll buy a smart phone. I don't want my PC pretending that its one.

Princess · Senior Member

You can get the old desktop on it and ignore the app screen but they have hidden all the useful bits and although they are there it's a bugger to find them!

Rhianrach · Expert

Toshiba all the way here, but as said avoid windows 8 for now if possible, there was never anything wrong with windows 7 :) although windows 8.1 with a few mods to make it look and feel the same as windows 7 is fine, I had to do this to my daughters :)

Princess · Senior Member

I installed 8.1 this morning and now can only access websites in my favourites. Anything else I just get "can't display page". What a nightmare. Any ideas anyone?!

Princess · Senior Member

Oooh no. It's google that won't work. Bing will. What is that all about?! I really wouldn't buy Windows 8 if you can avoid it.

bk1928 · Member

Start8 is your friend. My Dell XPS13 (just be wary of the left-hand USB port) is solid running Windows8 with Start8, with Windows7 in a virtual machine.

I agree with the comment re solid state disk.

tsdb · Member

For what it's worth I'm happy with my Sony Vaio. I use as a laptop when out and about but at home attach keyboard and monitor so it's like a traditional PC. Plenty of memory and storage and happily runs Sage, QB, 12Pay and so on.

Sasha

FoxAccountancyServices · Expert

Windows 8 - What a monstrosity! I have older clients who are just lost with it. Even I am struggling to find where I need to go, when I visit clients who have it. Idiots didnt think to add a "switch to classic view" option!

Saying that, I hear its much faster to boot up etc.. but still.. "switch to classic view" would have been nice!

-- Edited by FoxAccountancyServices on Wednesday 22nd of January 2014 10:36:41 PM

Princess · Senior Member

It is quick but then it's a new laptop. You can use the desktop view which is pretty similar before. I have had to buy office 2013 because otherwise my emails wouldn't come into Outlook which is annoying. But the most annoying thing is the upgrade today to 8.1 which ahs resulted in none of the browsers I've tried working very well. I get to the odd web page and then I get page can't be displayed for 10 mins. It's just boring now! Have resorted to using my iPhone for internet!

FoxAccountancyServices · Expert

How do you get to desktop view, hun? Can it be set to avoid the icon desktop? I have a 2 clients who are really struggling with it.. and I don't have it, to be able to experiment

numbnumber · Senior Member

My vote is Sony Vaio running windows 7. Cannot get on with Windows 8 so I have just bought another Vaio with 18ins screen running windows 7. Fantastic and handles Sage/ Moneysoft/ Tas Books like a dream.

Princess · Senior Member

I have a box on the page of apps which is called Desktop. I just click on that and it looks just like Windows 7 again. But without the start button. 8.1 has a button where the start button was but it doesn't do what the start button did, it just takes you back to the awful apps.

I've had real problems with internet connection "can't display page" with 8.1 so I wouldn't recommend it. The pdf reader also didn't read so I had to download adobe which works fine. The printer won't scan any more. Email only works with office 2013 so I've had to buy that. Really not impressed!

Princess · Senior Member

If they don't have the Desktop tile I think you can hover in the top left corner of the screen (and I mean right in the corner) and it brings up the desktop view there as well.

ilsm · Senior Member

I had a Toshiba, it was as good as my Advent ... which is the same as saying my Advent was as good as my Toshiba. Never had a problem with either, but the Toshiba eventually died of old age and the Advent is now a stand-by because I needed to upgrade and my wife wanted her own. It overheats too, Amanda, and needs a new fan. I'll get it serviced when I have some money. I'm now using a Dell which is also perfectly good.

I'm also happy with Windows 8 and never had a complaint about Vista (which is what the Advent has) or XP. Am I lucky, uncritical, or are all versions equally good?

In fact, would we all be just as well off with Windows 95? What I mean is, are we all feeding Microsoft's greed by paying for the same old stuff repackaged as something new time and time again?

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

ilsm · Senior Member

So, by letting my wife have my old Advent with Vista installed, have I given her grounds for divorce?

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

lol Iain,

All depends whether she has anything to compare it against but I certainly wouldn't leave her alone with someone with an XPS or Alienware running W7.

mmmm... Alienware... Thats just porn for tech heads.

Rhianrach · Expert

ilsm wrote:
never had a complaint about Vista

Don Tax · Expert

I don't even get along with Windows 7.

Is there a way of never interacting with the following : Libraries, Homegroup, Seven, Users, Desktop and My Documents?

:o)

Elaine R · Senior Member

I am looking at getting a new laptop this year. Fancy a Lenovo. Will get windows 8 removed and windows 7 installed.

Currently have a Compaq and its been good considering it cost just over £300.

Elaine

Princess · Senior Member

I stupidly upgraded to Windows 8.1 and had lots of problems with internet connectivity in the last week. Microsoft spent an hour and a half on my laptop this morning and it now works (touch wood). I wouldn't have minded the whole Windows 8 thing if I had been able to buy a laptop, plug it in and it worked. It has taken me since end Dec, 2 new laptops, 1 returned, several hours on the phone to various companies to get it to work. There is something to be said about working for companies with a Helpdesk!

Rhianrach · Expert

Princess wrote:
I stupidly upgraded to Windows 8.1 and had lots of problems with internet connectivity in the last week. Microsoft spent an hour and a half on my laptop this morning and it now works (touch wood). I wouldn't have minded the whole Windows 8 thing if I had been able to buy a laptop, plug it in and it worked. It has taken me since end Dec, 2 new laptops, 1 returned, several hours on the phone to various companies to get it to work. There is something to be said about working for companies with a Helpdesk!

I had the same problem with wireless connectivity with 8.1. Thankfully an update sorted it.

ClareB4 · Senior Member

Apple Mac all the way!

I have a MacBook Pro with Parallels installed which means I can run Sage on Windows (and let windows crash in the background while continuing to work on the Mac!)

Huge amount of memory and so quick it's unbelievable. I know people say they're overpriced but I'd have bought 4 Windows laptops in the time I've been using my MacBook Pro and it definitely didn't cost 4 x as much!

Looks good, hard wearing, 17" screen which is big enough for the office but it's portable (although heavy)

I'll never ever go back to Windows and am thinking about getting a linked Mac desktop when funds allow.

Thought I'd just throw that controversy into the mix LOL

Will_G · Member

If you dislike Windows 8, you might try the Classic Shell interface...at www.classicshell.net

In our household we have a Toshiba that came with Windows 8 and my wife DESPISED it...but Classic Shell really made it much more usable for her - more like Windows 7.