SED #10: an unexpected purchase

[martasfic]

I forgot to renew my warranty on my laptop, and so rather than purchasing an extension was going to have to buy a new warranty rather than an extension. (My fault; I got the email notification but just never did anything with it.) This was much more expensive than I was expecting, and I have an older machine anyway, going on four years. So I started looking at whether it might just be better to get a new machine.

Turns out HP has a clearance sale going on, so I was able to get a decent machine + two-year warranty for $600. Buying a new warranty after I'd let mine expire was going to cost at least $200. I've had really good service with HP so far, not least because they have technicians in their online chat that are actually capable of making a decision. (I'm a bit phone-phobic.) So with all of that I decided to go ahead and pull the trigger and buy the new laptop.



So... yay! New computer smell and all that.

The most frustrating thing is even though I didn't change any specs, the sale required I order a custom-built machine rather than one of their ready-to-ship models. So I shouldn't expect it until the first week of November. I can deal, though. In the meantime, please excuse any typos. This machine's keyboard is wearing a bit thin.

******************************

Also: TOR.n posted this pic of Sauron:



How wrong is it that when I see this I can't help hearing "Call Me Maybe"?

Before you came into my life I missed you so bad
I missed you so bad, I missed you so, so bad.

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy...

Comments

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Looks great! I've never had extended guarantees on my computers. I prefer to put the cash towards a new one when I need it.

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

I never bought an extended warranty either, beyond the one year most computers come with. Last time I had an issue with the warranty - I sent the computer in to get one thing repaired at the tail-end of warranty and the machine got damaged in shipping so I had to fight with them to get them to fix that after the warranty. I think I eventually paid for it but they gave me a few years' free warranty to compensate me. It was enough to get me hooked on their service, which is really quite good.

I don't know that I would have paid for it this time, except it was at such a discounted rate when you were also buying a new machine. (Even if I had extended the service on time, it would have cost nearly double what I had to pay with a new purchase.) I like the peace of mind and being able to replace things like keyboards that get a bit worn out, which aren't dehabilitating problems but are still irritating.

[engarian.livejournal.com]

Pretty good deal for a laptop! My own is a bit long in the tooth too, but I have programs I would have to add to that which would raise the price quite a bit *sigh*. Guess I'll limp along for a while longer...

- Erulisse (one L)

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

Can't you move your registration from one machine to another? I know you can with Microsoft - I've been able to install Word on a new machine simply by telling them I won't be using Word anymore on the old machine. It may be worth looking into.

In any case, thanks for the compliment. I'm looking forward to breaking the new machine in.

[mikekellner.livejournal.com]

Anna was able to get the latest Office Pro maximum version at the university software outlet for $78 which is a saving of about $300. You had to be active faculty or a student to qualify. Check that if you are connected with a college or university.

I have been using OpenOffice for a few years now and love it. It is free and opens and creates Microsoft compatible documents. It does everything else Office does too, spread sheets & slide shows and is quite nice. I recommend it for anyone who wants a complete office suite but isn't rich. I didn't even bother putting Office on my new laptop.

It is a large download, @ 150 MB, so either have a very fast connection or plan to spend an hour watching a bar slowly crawl across the page.

http://www.openoffice.org/

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

This machine comes with some ad-supported version of Word + Excel. I may see if that will suffice, or if not my school offers it for $100. It will be a real wretch when I finally graduate and have to pay full price, I think.

I tried OpenOffice years ago and found it really slow. I may give it a try again, though, when I get the new machine.

[(Anonymous)]

It does take about 20 seconds for their "Word" to open and a few seconds to open a second doc, and both my desktop & laptop are quite fast machines. Otherwise, it seems to be no different than Windows.

BTW, love the pic of Morgoth & The One Ring. Or is that Saroun? They have similar tastes in fashion, hard to tell them apart sometimes.

[engarian.livejournal.com]

The Microsoft programs aren't a problem, but my Photoshop won't run on Win 7 or 8. It's too old a program. It's also a VERY expensive program and I can't be without it :-)

- Erulisse (one L)

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can see that. Too bad, then.