Brainstorming a Backup Plan for Computer Failure

[Susan Haughton]

JA, I'm not sure what is out there that is considered a big BB, but I do know on the mini we have, we run Outlook, Word, Excel and Power Point, it has 3 USB slots, a high res screen, 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, 160 Gig hard drive, and 1GB, 533MHz DDR2 internal memory, which is definitely not a BB.  DH uses it in lieu of his laptop when he travels - and he already has an iPhone, so it's not a PDA.  If you want to glam it up, you can go well over $500 for a mini.   

You can get a Dell Inspiron for a base price of $379, as long as you don't go crazy upgrading it, of course. 

[Chuck Capan]

Just customized my new Dell mini...got the TV Tuner, the GPS...$881.00
 
COLOR (PRODUCT) RED ™
PROCESSOR Intel®Atom®Processor Z530 (1.6GHz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition SP3
DISPLAY 10.1" HD Widescreen Display (1366x768)
MOBILE CONNECTIVITY Built in GPS with Turn by Turn Navigation Software
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
HARD DRIVE 160GB, 2.5inch, 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
BATTERY OPTIONS 56WHr Lithium-Ion Battery (6-cell)
TV TUNER Dell Internal Digital TV Receiver (ATSC)
EXTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Dell External Multi-Format CD/DVD USB Writer
WIRELESS CARDS Wireless 802.11g/n (1510) Mini Card
BLUETOOTH OPTIONS Bluetooth 2.1 module with EDR (BLTH10)
BLUETOOTH OPTIONS Microsoft Bluetooth Laptop Mouse 5000

No, I did NOT actually buy it...

It feels good to walk up to the edge but not leap...

[Susan Haughton]

Chuck, you had me at RED!  LOL

Not nice to make me drool and turn envious so early in the morning. 

[Bill Saunders]

I sure wish I knew what the hell you people were talking about

[Bill Saunders]

Actually, if I were going to buy a used computer because I was Scottish (Oh, I AM!), I would uy one from a local compure-medic place so if or when something goes wrong, I could stare somebody in the face...that's not really a penny's worth, but the economy sucks...

[Jennifer Allan]

I called Dell yesterday and got an estimate to replace the computer I have, with more RAMS and GBS and such. $1000. Hmm. Back to Ebay.

I'm bidding on a refurbished Dell right now - I'm at $202 with 30 minutes left!

[Susan Haughton]

JA, have a great time on your trip...post lots of pix when you get back.

[Jennifer Allan]

Just an update - I ended up buying a refurbished Dell off some Dell outlet site for $220. It's not bad! I had to update the RAM ($40) and buy a replacement battery, but I'm actually using it as my primary computer right now since it's so much faster than my old one. It doesn't have a few bells & whistles, but I'm thinking I'll wait til Windows 7 comes out and then upgrade to my next "real" computer.

However, I learned something about automatic online backups (I have Carbonite). I use a Verizon mobile broadband card for my primary internet connection and when your computer is always backing up, you'll plow through your bandwidth limit in no time. I got a $900 bill from Verizon (OMG) last month because I used 4x my allowable bandwidth during the switchover from one computer to another...

[Carol Kerr]

  OUCH!!! So glad I have unlimited broadband with Sprint!  It's $10 more a month, but better than that whopper unexpected bill (already have one those this month)  Need to warn my brother.  They are using Verizon and Carbonite as well. 

Are you happy with Carbonite?  I need to put something in place...

Carol

[Jennifer Allan]

I'm pretty happy with Carbonite. I did use it to restore files from one computer to another and about 10 days of stuff was missing - I'm not sure if it was operator error or something in the system, so I'm not 100% thrilled. But assuming I did something wrong, the program is pretty slick...