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Laptop PC connection

 
 
Reply Sun 16 Aug, 2009 05:20 pm
I am considering buying a laptop and have a bunch of questions.

To begin with, does one have to pay Verizon, etc for adding a laptop? I assume that the same password and user name can apply to both machines.

Then, how does transferring documents and other info from one to the other work?

Can the two be connected so that the printer attached to the PC can be used by the laptop? I assume that whatever arrangement this requires would be also available for scanner and other peripherals?

What is the maximum size screen on a laptop?

Finally - any suggestions as to which is a good laptop?
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Type: Question • Score: 0 • Views: 6,892 • Replies: 18
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Robert Gentel
 
  2  
Reply Sun 16 Aug, 2009 09:38 pm
@Tomkitten,
Tomkitten wrote:
To begin with, does one have to pay Verizon, etc for adding a laptop? I assume that the same password and user name can apply to both machines.


If you mean adding a laptop to your home connection then no, your ISP typically doesn't need to know or be paid for it.

Quote:
Then, how does transferring documents and other info from one to the other work?


You can share a folder over your home network and then move them, but if that is complicated a very simple solution is to get a usb flash drive (you can get one for under $10) and use it (when you plug it into your computer it will show up as a new drive letter).

Quote:
Can the two be connected so that the printer attached to the PC can be used by the laptop? I assume that whatever arrangement this requires would be also available for scanner and other peripherals?


The printer can be shared fairly easily but that is not usually the case with other peripherals.
Quote:

What is the maximum size screen on a laptop?


About 20" is the largest I've heard of in production.

Quote:
Finally - any suggestions as to which is a good laptop?


Depends on what you want to do with it. If you just mean brands I've always liked Toshiba laptops myself but I'm not loyal to any particular brand and will have a look to see what's on the market whenever I'm buying.

Amazon is usually the first place I search, then smaller stores like tigerdirect.com. I'll usually also check out the manufacturers themselves (especially Dell and HP, Toshiba and others often have bad deals when buying direct).

If you want to get very cheap, ebay is another good place to go, but I don't really like Frankenstein (parts bought cheaply and assembled by some guy at home) laptops.
0 Replies
 
DrewDad
 
  2  
Reply Sun 16 Aug, 2009 10:55 pm
Take a look at newegg.com as well as big-box retailers like Costco and Sam's.

The thing you need to think about is whether you want a desktop replacement, or just something to access the Internet while you're traveling. A $300 netbook might be enough for occasional or casual use.

A full-time desktop replacement will cost considerably more.
0 Replies
 
Tomkitten
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Aug, 2009 07:53 am
Thanks to you both, but Robert Gentel - why do you say they often have "bad" deals - is there a problem with delivery or what?

Tomkitten
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Aug, 2009 10:17 am
Is a laptop larger/heavier than a notebook?
DrewDad
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Aug, 2009 10:23 am
@Tomkitten,
Laptop, notebook, netbook, etc. are all pretty broad terms. "Netbook" is a new-ish buzzword for a very basic, cheap laptop where the primary intended use is browsing the Internet. No heavy graphics capabilities, fast processing, large storage, etc.
engineer
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Aug, 2009 11:36 am
@DrewDad,
With a laptop, you have to trade off weight for functionality. For a little bit of money, you can get a light weight netbook with the ability to surf the Internet and do a few other things. For a little more, you can get a notebook with a decent amount of functionality and a small screen. For more money, you can get a large screen laptop with a lot of functionality but it's going to be heavy. For more money still, can get one of the above but with more functionality or less weight. If you don't need something to carry around, you will do better with a desktop.
DrewDad
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Aug, 2009 12:09 pm
@engineer,
For everyday use, a laptop with a docking station and external monitors works great. (If you're cheap, and willing to connect cables every time you sit down, you can eliminate the docking station.) It costs a little more than a comparable desktop unit, but you can take it on the road.

There are a few uses where this does not work, mostly related to high-end graphics applications (and games).
0 Replies
 
Robert Gentel
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Aug, 2009 12:18 pm
@Tomkitten,
Toshiba, as one example, is a better manufacturer than retailer, so buying their laptops directly with them has always cost me more than buying the same laptops on Amazon.

Others like Dell are much better when you go to them directly.
0 Replies
 
Tomkitten
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Aug, 2009 12:31 pm
@engineer,
Over the weekend I ran into major difficulties with accessing the newsletter I edit. Several hundred people depend on it for information about scheduled activities and other information, and I can't afford to have it in trouble. The problem eventually seems to have resolved itself, but it made me twitch quite a lot for a couple of days.

I was thinking in terms of something which would be used mainly as a word processor and that leads me to another question: I use Adobe Acrobat to upload the newsletter to an Internet site. Can a 2d computer use the same Adobe program or can it be copied onto a 2d machine? I'm trying to cover various possible evil eventualities...
Tomkitten
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Aug, 2009 12:35 pm
@Tomkitten,
Further note: I would like a machine with XP, even if it's a discontinued model, given how unpopular Vista seems. I know people who wouldn't have Vista as a gift..

Speaking of XP, does anyone know when Microsoft is coming out with the next OS, the post-Vista one that's in the works?
DrewDad
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Aug, 2009 12:36 pm
@Tomkitten,
It depends on the terms of the license agreement of the specific version of Adobe Acrobat.

You can find all of the license agreements here.
DrewDad
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Aug, 2009 12:37 pm
@Tomkitten,
Windows 7 has reached the point of being released to manufacture (RTM). I believe some partners can already download and install it.
0 Replies
 
Tomkitten
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Aug, 2009 05:25 pm
@DrewDad,
DrewDad: I tried the help link you provided but Adobe is pretty stingy with information. I just kept going in a circle without being able to ask anyone anything!

Was I doing anything wrong and if so, What?
DrewDad
 
  1  
Reply Tue 18 Aug, 2009 07:06 am
@Tomkitten,
You need to find your product, then look to the right to find the version, then click the link to download the license agreement in PDF form.

It used to be that companies licensed the installation on one desktop system and one laptop system, provided that the systems were used by the same user.
Tomkitten
 
  1  
Reply Tue 18 Aug, 2009 07:39 am
@DrewDad,
DrewDad -I did all that, but the EULA is so complicated that I had hoped someone at Adobe could translate it into language I could really understand. I can't figure out from the EULA whether my version is indeed permitted to be installed/copied for that purpose.

"It used to be that companies licensed the installation on one desktop system and one laptop system, provided that the systems were used by the same user."
I simply cannot figure out whether this applies to my version (and I don't view myself as particularly stupid).

I do wish that EULAs were written in plain English instead of such dense legalise.
DrewDad
 
  1  
Reply Tue 18 Aug, 2009 08:01 am
@Tomkitten,
Try searching the license agreement for "laptop".
0 Replies
 
TonyMccallum
 
  1  
Reply Sun 3 Mar, 2013 11:53 pm
@Tomkitten,
Hello Members,

There are mainly three ways of connecting a Laptop to a PC

1. Through LAN
2. Through Bluetooth
3. Through Wireless Router

The first one doesn't need any software, but a LAN card or NIC(network interface card) Ethernet Card, and a Twisted pair cable with RJ(register jack)45 crimped through cross over crimping on either sides of the wire. The second one needs to have a Blue tooth dongle either inbuilt or an external one connected to both the Laptop and a PC. You need to install Blue tooth drivers. The third one requires a Wireless Router that connects to your Internet Modem and broadcasts your signal wireless allowing computers to join your network. Once connected by network, have both computers join the home group and share files and folders. From each computer, depending on the shared folders, you can access the data on both the laptop and PC and therefore connecting them for easy transfer of data and anything else you might want to do.

Best Regards,
Tony Mccallum
DrewDad
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Mar, 2013 07:53 am
@TonyMccallum,
Yes, I know you're a bot, but that info is incomplete to say the least.

First, you can create ad-hoc wireless networks without needing a wireless router.

Second, you can connect PCs/laptops using USB cables.

USB flash drives can transfer files.

Finally, online services such as Google Drive and Dropbox allow you to store your data at Internet accessible datacenters.



And crossover cables are passe.
0 Replies
 
 

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