Jernie's Hub

Few months ago Herbert's computer broke down; the hard disk could not be recognized anymore. We decided to fix it by replacing the hard disk. Through the internet we found computer shops in College Street West. These shops sell computers, parts, and accessories. Some of them also offer repair services. There we bought a hard disk.

When we installed Windows XP, the hard disk was not recognized by the Windows XP boot disc hence terminating the process. The driver for the new hard disk is not included in the boot disc. We spent a lot of time trying to look for the required driver to slipstream it with the bootable disc. After a painstaking search for the driver I gave up, instead we had the hard disk replaced with another brand. Again we started the same process and voila! It went through. The notebook was operational. But after few months, it broke down again prompting us to buy a new one, instead. Investing $300 on the old notebook doesn't make sense at all.

I made a trip to Best Buy and Future Shop at Dundas St. to check for the latest notebooks available. There were really good ones on display. One thing I noticed is the Sony and Toshiba notebooks for only $699. I took a good look at those as one of my friends want to get her first computer. One of those is perfect for her as she needs it only for emails, web conferences, chatting and basic word processing documents. Later on, I checked some notebooks which meet Herbert's requirements. In one of the shops, I was offered a clearance-sale unit. Those were basically units which for some reasons been opened or returned by customers and cost less than the normal units. Personally, I don't go for this. I did a comparison of all the notebooks I think is appropriate then we decided which one to take.

A personal tip, when buying a computer or any other electronic gadget like camera, phone etc, you should be clear what is the purpose of having one. From this you can derive a list of requirements and specifications that you need. Most of the time we buy gadgets with all the whistles and bells in it. But in reality we don't even use all of them. As soon as you know what you need, make a small research and list down the prospective brands or models available. Then make a comparison as per your priority for example 1. specifications 2. price 3. design/presentation 4. After-sale support (warranty) 5. Add-ons. I would highly recommend searching for some reviews about the products, there are many forums/product reviews available in the net. It's a big help in your decision making. If you have all these information on hand then you are ready to go to the shop. This way you will stay focus on what to buy and you can save a lot of time spent in the shop. It is important as well to take note of your questions so when you are in the shop you can ask and hopefully you will get the answer.

I just notice few things when we bought the notebook. We were asked if we would want them to set-up and optimize the notebook and make a System Recovery CD, for an additional charge of $99. I was wondering what else they have to do with it. What I know is that, when I buy a new notebook at least the operating system is installed and the device drivers are in. But obviously, not here. The Sales Staff had asked us so many times if we need their help but I insisted 'No'. I will do it myself. I asked if there is a System Recovery CD included but he said it is in the hard disk and that we can create a recovery CD from it or we can ask them to make it for us for a charge of $40. I asked him how come it is not included in the pack. I was told that only Dell computers have it. It’s mainly because the manufacturers have to pay for it. I was a little bit puzzled because I just bought a new notebook in Germany before we came here and it isn’t Dell but I do have the recovery and utility CDs with it.

Anyway, apart from that, he also discussed to us the After-sale warranty: the manufacturer’s warranty for a year (free), In-house international warranty including spare parts for 2 years (almost $200) and 3 years ($300) respectively. They do offer good coverage but again it depends on what you need. Since we are not staying here for long, we opted to take only the manufacturer’s warranty. Based on my experience I never had a major problem with a computer within 2 years.

When we got to our apartment I did open the computer right away. But to my surprise the operating system was not yet installed. This explains why they are offering such service to ‘set-up and optimize’ the computer. Although the process guides the user to carry-out the installation but those ones who are not familiar with these things will never dare do it by themselves. So, they have no better option but to pay $99. Of all places that I have been, only here that I encounter such a thing. I would expect at least the operating system to be installed. I just don’t know the reason behind it.

I went on with the OS installation. Since most of the programs we want to install are XP compatible, we decided to downgrade the Windows Vista to Windows XP. I know this process will not be straight forward because neither the manufacturer nor the Microsoft doesn’t provide a step by step guide to do the process. I knew that the most painful part of it is finding the right device drivers. I spent a whole lot of time to set it up. Thanks to the forums and private support group who shared a lot of significant information. First of all, I had to slipstream some device drivers to the bootable Windows XP disc, then proceed with the OS installation. When OS is in place, I had to search and install the necessary device drivers. Taking a print screen of the device manager listing before proceeding with the downgrade, made it easier for me to find the drivers needed. It was a long shot but it was worth it. Thanks to the internet resources, everything is just there.