Hi Jonathan,
The problem I had, and evidently Mr. Hall had too, is that they insist that you download their diagnostic utilities. These are for Microsoft. I could not get around that.
It's rather pecular that they had you trying to download MS-Windows based utilites. Generally, I've found that Dell's utilities/diagnostics all run from a boot disk (with DOS on it). If you have the Dell diagnostics disk, it may be worth encouraging tech support to use that instead of what ever they want you to download... Admittedly, I too have found that the best way to get service from any technician is not to mention Linux (@Home technicians won't even talk to you if you are using Linux or have a router/firewall hooked up). I also have tried to learn what they will ask, so that often I can move them along in a direction I want and not waste time doing diagnostics (especially with @Home, but it works for Dell too). As I had mentioned, I had a terrible experience with HP and printer support. The technician that I was talking to - long distance, after a 45-60 minute wait - was trying to explain to me that since my computer was networked he was going to hang up on me. So, since then I've been very cautious about what I mention to the tech support person. :-)
I still think you should consider a used Laptop.
1) Most laptop's gets dropped; so why buy a new one if it is exposed to that hazard. I just think it is a risk to pay so much for a device that is prone to damage.
Probably not a bad idea, as long as you feel comfortable with the fact that someone else might not have been so kind to your new used laptop previously. Still for most uses you can shave off a few hundred dollars. Another option is to check out a company's refurbished offerings. In my dealings with Dell I've found that Dell Factory Outlet offers items for about 10% less - and generally these are items that have been returned after brief use, not end-of-life units (usually technology is behind only a few months in them). Generally refurb units also come with full warrantees rather than shorter 90 day or 1 year warrantees. I believe several other large PC companies offer similar refirbished services.
2) Chances are good that XFree86 will support older hardware better than the newer notebooks.
Very true. While not as important, it's a good idea to check a notebook's sound card for compatiblity too - many notebooks do not have Linux-friendly sound cards. I choose between two similar Dell models for my laptop when I found that one had better sound and video card support for Linux. -Tim -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Timothy R. Butler Universal Networks tbutler@uninetsolutions.com ICQ #12495932 AIM: Uninettm Free/Open Source Web Tools: http://www.uninetsolutions.com Christian Portal and Search Tool: http://www.faithtree.com ============== "Christian Web Services Since 1996" ==============