I know nothing about PCs - all I know is that my current one is a 6 year old Vaio that is so slow now and struggles to run the new Lightroom I have very quickly and has totally crashed twice in the last year when i have had to re-boot / restore the whole lot.
I want something faster / better powered and was going to look in the new year until I saw this Medion and wondered.
Yes it is at Aldi and I have heard some Medions have given problems but personally I have a 4 year old 122 medion laptop that never caused me to use the 3 year free warranty you get with Aldi and is running well now and I also have a Nedion screen that has been a good buy again with no problems at a great price.
Do you think the linked one represents good value for money with the 21.5" screen or would you wait until Windows 7 had bedded in and get a PC bigger screen in the new year?
If you cannot be bothered to look at the link these are the nmain features it has:
Intel® Pentium® processor T4400 2.20 GHz, 1 MB Cache, 800 MHz FSB
4 GB DDR2 SDRAM1
1 TB (1000 GB) S-ATA hard drive
NVIDIA® GeForce® 9100 MG DirectX® 10 graphics with 256 MB shared memory for full HD video playback and multimedia applications
4-in-1 multi-card reader for SD, MMC, MS & MS Pro memory cards3
Connections 2 x PS/2, 7 x USB 2.0, 1 x LAN 10/100/1000 MBit/s.
Screen -Full HD Touchscreen with single-touch control
21.5"/55cm TFT widescreen display in 16:9 widescreen format with full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels)
Multi-standard DVD/CD burner4 with DVD-RAM and dual-layer support
5 quick access sensor points for multimedia functionality
Integrated sound system with 2 high-performance speakers
6 channel analogue audio5
1x mic in5, 1x line in5, 1x line out5, 1x SPDIF out (coaxial)
Digital DVB-T Freeview/Analogue TV-Tuner
Communication
Wireless LAN 802.11 standard-n technology with up to 300 MBit/s., 802.11 b/g compatible6
Network controller Gigabit LAN (10/100/1000 Mbit/s.) on board
Integrated 1.3 MP webcam with microphone
Huge software package (OEM versions) with Windows® 7 Home Premium, Microsoft® Works 9.0, Windows Live Essentials and much more...
Accessories included
Remote control, wireless keyboard, wireless optical mouse, external mains adapter incl. power cable, Windows Recovery DVD (32 Bit)
Grateful for any advice as money is tight and I need to make the right buy when ready. I can pass on this one for now and wait until new year as planned if no good but tempted given the three year return to base warranty and my personal experience of the brand.
Hi Jinky, I dont see a link ? but just wondered what the price for that lot is so I can compare for you.
Looking at the specs I would say its not going to be a nice smooth fast pc, the ram and fsb speeds are slow for current specs, mine is 1000mz fsb and I built this pc over 3 year ago, also video only has shared memory, so thats pants tbh ;)
Give us your budget and i will give you my thoughts on a cost effective system.. eg touch screen etc, waste of time, better to have a good 22"+ monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse, well ok if you really want that, but I use wired and for you it would be cheaper, allow you to spend on the important stuff from the start, like fast motherboard, processor and ram.
whats your budget ?
Not had a problem with my Medion PC which I got from Staples over eight years ago. ;D
Is this the one as reviewed in Computer Active? http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/hardware/2253242/medion-akoya-p4010d If it is then it's slightly under powered, as the graphic card is only 256mb and the norm now is 500mb and mine is 1tb. ;D
Wow you are so fast and helpful on here!
Sorry - this is the link:
http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2827_11960.htm?WT.mc_id=2009-11-16-16-12
It`s going for £600 with the screen. As you say touch screen a little bit unnecessary as is the TV bit to be honest and yes it is that one by the look of it Oldboy. That didn`t come up for me when I did a quick search.
It`s 5-600 I would be looking to spend on a PC and a 21" screen if I could get one the right spec.
Any further thoughts welcomed and thanks again for views so far
I have only just seen this, and for that price i'm betting you could do better.
Mainly - you are getting the Windows 7 band wagon 'muck'.
They are shoving out stuff with a nice new Windows 7 badge on and saying 'you must have this'
Next, you have Xmas coming up - and that is where the real fighting comes. Wait for a month and see what turns up. For £600 i'm betting you will do a lot better.
Technology prices are the only ones guarenteed to fall!
A quick look at Dabs shows these without a screen:
http://www.dabs.com/products/fujitsu-dp3-core2quad-4gb-1tb-bluray-vista-home-premium-5L4Q.html?refs=412110000
http://www.dabs.com/products/hp-dx7500-core-2-quad-q8300-3gb-2x500gb-vista-business-downgraded-to-xp-pro-62PQ.html?refs=412110000
I would choose the first one listed with a 22in Samsung monitor for £650.67 and includes free delivery. I brought this monitor from them and it's a cracker. ;D
Quote from: Oldboy on November 16, 2009, 06:44:50 PM
A quick look at Dabs shows these without a screen:
http://www.dabs.com/products/fujitsu-dp3-core2quad-4gb-1tb-bluray-vista-home-premium-5L4Q.html?refs=412110000
http://www.dabs.com/products/hp-dx7500-core-2-quad-q8300-3gb-2x500gb-vista-business-downgraded-to-xp-pro-62PQ.html?refs=412110000
I would choose the first one listed with a 22in Samsung monitor for £650.67 and includes free delivery. I brought this monitor from them and it's a cracker. ;D
I agree, that first machine with the 22" monitor would be great. The only thing in the spec that could be better is the 800mhz ram, but you could allways upgrade that at a later stage if you found you needed too, doubt you would though..
i'm going with oldboy and orgie on this one.
Definitely a better deal and it's from Dabs...
Thanks for that then - I`ll wait and see. Would rather have Windows 7 built in than vista with a small charge upgrade to 7 so I`ll give it time for 7 to settle down, come built in and look at dabs and the spec you have outlined.
Thanks all ;)
Quote from: jinky on November 16, 2009, 07:00:44 PM
Thanks for that then - I`ll wait and see. Would rather have Windows 7 built in than vista with a small charge upgrade to 7 so I`ll give it time for 7 to settle down, come built in and look at dabs and the spec you have outlined.
Thanks all ;)
I'm sure if you call them, they would provide Windows 7 on it for free. ;D
I noticed a post that in theory they offer it for free but the poster says there was an admin fee of £22 and a further charge of £10 with it not being possible until December. I can wait until it comes installed so no problem. At least I know the right things to look / ask for now - even if I don`t know what they mean. :D I have visions of the old Mot the 9 o'clock news sketch about woofers and tweeters or the Armstrong & Miller laptop one of last week when they asked if he wanted the cabbage leaf edition. For those not watching it was about add ons at a price to future proof and he took the cabbage leaf edition which had ... a cabbage leaf stuck on the top of the screen. He was sick when he saw someone with a carrot edition which had... ;D
You had to be watching
Sorry, didn't notice that. If it's a free upgrade then Microsoft should provide a download for it, but just checked and they don't. >:(
Quote from: jinky on November 16, 2009, 10:12:35 PM
You had to be watching
Yep - i thought it summed the whole market up a treat - with humour to match
Quote from: picsfor on November 18, 2009, 10:01:00 PM
Quote from: jinky on November 16, 2009, 10:12:35 PM
You had to be watching
Yep - i thought it summed the whole market up a treat - with humour to match
Yeah but I kept getting 80's flashbacks..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSINO6MKtco
ETA: The Register had a bit of fun recently at M$'s expense. They pointed out that a brand new copy of OS X (not an upgrade but that's a small fib) is in most cases cheaper than a free copy of Windoze 7.
yes i think that was the sketch mentioned- like you i did see the comparison
funny really how the technology has moved on but attitudes to technology haven't...
That done - time to get my new Canon with green shutter button :)
Some months after I asked your advice I have finally got to the stage where can no longer bear the delays in my PC coping with my photo processing demands and internet download times. It groans and virtually spits as it tries to cope with what I aim at it and since getting the D700 the extra file sizes seem to have tipped it over the edge.
I have been looking at the Dell XPS 8100 650 processor details here in the 2nd column as I am determined to buy the best I can afford at the moment as a few years investment. What I am wondering is whether the one in the third column is the better buy and are Dell reliable / good at support?
http://www1.euro.dell.com/uk/en/home/Desktops/studio-xps-8100/pd.aspx?refid=studio-xps-8100&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1
Key differences:
1.Intel core i5 vx Intel core i7
2. Processor 650 (3.20GHz, 4MB) vs Processor 860 (2.80GHz, 8MB
3. 1GB ATI® Radeon™ HD 5670 graphics card vs Graphics Card - Single 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTS 240
4. 1.5TB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive vs 2TB Dual Hard Drive Raid 0 "Stripe" (2x1TB - 7200rpm
I know logically the 2nd is likely to better buy for the extra £70 but I can actually get the first for less with a discount voucher through Curry`s making it around £110 cheaper.
Any comments? Is the main difference likely to be for gaming purposes as I do little of that. I just want lightning fast editing capacity using NX2, Lightroom or Photoshop.
So, as i understand it you're looking at getting a Dell base unit to replace your current base unit (looking at the specs offered in columns 2 and 3).
So far as the hard drive goes - the £70 saved would allow you to get a 1.5tb EHD which would provide much better back up for the larger file sizes you will be putting in. Also - overall you would have 2x 1.5tb spread over internal and external instead of 2x1tb internal. The 1.5tb option is a far more robust back up plan in case some thing happens!
Radeon v Nvidia - my choice would tend to go with Nvidia but to be honest you're dealing with shades of grey with that comparison. So nothing to worry about.
Processor wise - you're not really talking about the end of the world. Win 7 will make as much use of the GPU as it would te CPU when processing graphics. So you can ignore that argument.
Dell - are they any good? A lot of businesses use them and i've always rated the support they gave in my past dealings as an IT Support person or in a personal capacity. That said i've heard of horror stories as well.
For the money you're paying, i'd take the gamble.
But as said - i'd use the saving to get a 1.5tb EHD as a back up because that's an awful lot of files you're going to lose if something goes wrong!
Customer service at Dell is well below what you should expects from a large company. As for buying from PC World beware, that the Dell PC they sell you is made specially for them by Dell, so may not match what you see on the Dell website. Customer service at PC World is just as bad. Check out the Computer Shopper website for reviews of PC's. http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/pcs :tup:
Thanks both. They seemed to be virtually the same spec apart from smaller hard drive in the \currys version OldBoy but will check again. Having looked at Expert Reviews I`m now tempted by the Yoyotech Warbird i650cs which includes a monitor for the same price and gets good write up. Not sure if it more a gamer machine than for what I want though.Could upgrade the screen to better one. Me3sh one looks good with Liyama screen too. So hard when you know nothing.
Given they are all windows 7 64 bit machines should I be worried that my photo editing software will not work with it?
Should have siad I have Nikons NX2 updated to latest version with online updates but also use beta testing versions of CS2 and Lightroom 2.4 I think with some plug ins supplied by a friend which I would not be able to update without considerable investmet. I also use the free programme Photoscape that was recommended on here and which I love using.
I know very little about PCs but....
1. a 2TB Raid 0 "stripe" actually gives you 2 TB of storage that is twice as likely to fail as 2 single drives (though it will be quicker for some things). Really I'm baffled by Dell recommending this.
2. The "speed" of NX2 appears largely random. Some people have trouble running it at a decent rate on a high spec machine and others seem happy with the speed on much lower spec computers. It's even possible that upgrading your machine will make it run slower (Dear Nikon, please don't write any more software. Ever. You are even worse at it than Hasselblad.)
3. I just bought a couple of 2TB hard drives for £99 each. I'd expect there to be space for at least one of those in any new PC.
I've got an earlier generation XPS and have had a few Dell computers at home and at work. Generally I find them highly reliable and of very good quality. The only Dell PC I've ever seen fail is my current one, which might be said to prove Jonathan right (my RAID 0 Hard Drive failed a number of times. We always managed to start it again eventually but in the end Dell decided to replace it before it failed irrevocably). I should add that the engineer did say that he'd never been called out to one of these machines before as they're normally highly reliable.
When I bought my machine it came with three years free access to Dell's premium support centre. They are absolutely great - very knowledgeable, polite and professional. I hope I never have to speak to them again but that's not because I wasn't impressed: I just want the computer to keep working. They routinely call you back a few times after you've dealt with them just to check that everything still works and you are still happy. If you're thinking of going with Dell, check out whether you can access this premium support as I don't think it now comes automatically with XPS machines but you might be able to persuade the sales person to sweeten the deal with that.
The Dell machines you are looking at now have only 2 hard drive ports, so if you go with a Raid 0 drive you won't have the option to fit an extra HD inside the computer.
Personally, although I've had some bad times with this computer I would consider buying a Dell again. As a general rule they're real workhorse machines that perform reliably year on year. The computers you are looking at are very fast and I'm sure you'll see a real difference with PS and other programs. I'm not at all sure that it will make an ounce of difference with Capture NX. I've given up using NX2 because it's so slow compared to CS4. I don't think the slowness is anything to do with processing power.
I don't know enough about computers to comment on any of your other queries.
Quote from: jinky on May 25, 2010, 08:08:29 PM
Me3sh one looks good with Liyama screen too. So hard when you know nothing.
Given they are all windows 7 64 bit machines should I be worried that my photo editing software will not work with it?
Should have siad I have Nikons NX2 updated to latest version with online updates but also use beta testing versions of CS2 and Lightroom 2.4 I think with some plug ins supplied by a friend which I would not be able to update without considerable investmet. I also use the free programme Photoscape that was recommended on here and which I love using.
I personally wouldn't touch Mesh with a barge pole. I've never had a good dealing with them yet - but had to fight like hell to get people the correct support and refunds.
Win 7 64 bit - it will handle LR2 with ease as does this computer i'm writing this response on which is a 64 bit Win 7 machine.
CS2 will also work and i suspect NX2 will - though from what i know of NX2 i would stick to using LR2 for your file import etc.
You certainly are pushing the boundaries with this purchase...
Thanks all. Yes I`m thinking as I won the money to pay for my D700 and have had a few jobs that effectively pay for this purchase I might as well spoil myself and get something that does the business. Just awaiting a call back from Dell at the moment. I am probably going with their lower spec machine I highlighted but when I told them the Curry`s figures they not only gave me chapter and verse on why their built model is better and updated but gave me a bit of discount and a lower priced 23 inch monitor. Paying a little more than I planned for nut ... I`m worth it ;)
Just wished I had the knowledge / confidence to build my own to spec
Quote from: jinky on May 26, 2010, 11:48:52 AM
Just wished I had the knowledge / confidence to build my own to spec
Building your own computer is extremely rewarding, and more over you get to know the ins and outs of your computer like you never do with one your purchase pre-built.
With any computer, except the iMac, my first task was always to format the hard drive and totally rebuild the computer so i did understand its peculiarities.
I'm not sure there is as much need to build computers like there was just for graphic and document editing or creation. Only top end gamers need the state of the art specialised specs.
Years ago it was cheaper to build your own computer, as the parts were cheaper than a pre-build PC, and you could build what you wanted and needed. Today, it's cheaper to buy a complete PC rather than build you own, as the range is bigger and covers most needs then, if required, add any more powerful components as needed or to update the spec. ;D
That's why I like to buy Refurbished from the manufacturer, it's even cheaper and then I upgrade the parts I want. Though I still like to build from scratch as well. :)
The problem with most computers of today is they're built using SMT (surface mount technology) which means the motherboard has everything soldered on.
Not much room for upgrades with that policy - ram, processor and HD being the only options.
With that policy, by the time you've bought the old machine and upgraded sufficiently to make it worth while, it's just as cheap to buy a new one and get the worthless warranty with it!
That's how it's currently running in the UK. Sadly :'(
Ah well - all ordered now and looks the business. Got the speakers I ordered yesterday already so just need the 23 inch monitor and pc now which should come next Thursday or Friday as they are building it as we speak. Shame I`ve done my back in and just had to turn down a job that would have helped pay for it
- still it was only an hour :(
£650?? Wow! That kinda makes the cost of my up-n-coming new PC upgrade a bit easier to swallow.
Mind you, after pricing up the water cooling setup, last night... £160+... :-\
I spent more than that in the end but not been disappointed. It has changed my whole workflow and saved me hours sat at the PC doing jobs already. Got 6gb ram and it is all so fast. NX2 works at the speed of light and using Lightroom I see previews of what presets will do that I never knew existed before. So worth it!!
That's the one thing that hurts at the moment, not seeing much real-time editing taking place when a slider's moved. With my aging AMD 2.0GHz (Athlon XP, I'll have you know (from the days of dual-CPU motherboards being the only way to get multi-CPU capabilities)! ;) ), it's click-and-hope... as opposed to DMT's new PC.
I've just had another virtual spending-spree at Overclockers... £500+... and that's cutting painful corners.
Quote from: Hybridphotog on June 27, 2010, 04:26:17 PM
That's the one thing that hurts at the moment, not seeing much real-time editing taking place when a slider's moved. With my aging AMD 2.0GHz (Athlon XP, I'll have you know (from the days of dual-CPU motherboards being the only way to get multi-CPU capabilities)! ;) ), it's click-and-hope... as opposed to DMT's new PC.
I've just had another virtual spending-spree at Overclockers... £500+... and that's cutting painful corners.
Ahh Dual CP motherboards - that was the way to go. So civilized and soo much control everything....
Quote from: picsfor on June 28, 2010, 05:49:23 PM
Ahh Dual CP motherboards - that was the way to go. So civilized and soo much control everything....
So true, so true. And they're still available... albeit for Intel Xeon processors. Just don't ask about prices!!
(shameful plug for 'yet another brilliant idea for a new weblog' - http://squareloader.blogspot.com/ (http://squareloader.blogspot.com/) )
Searching for a new pc, not desperate but i found this with 1/3 off this weekend only. Worth it????
http://www.dixons.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-p6790uk-desktop-pc-refurbished-09734841-pdt.html
I have bought refurb laptops from pc world for the kids with no problems so this is not an issue.
Simon
Doesn't look bad at all. Depends on what you plan on using it for. Just make sure whatever one you get is upgradable...you can add new hardware like hard drives, memory ,etc. ;)
Make sure it has adequate cooling!!, HP machines are notorious for running hot.
True.
The card is halfway out of my wallet, off to pc world later to have a look around & compare. How about this to go with it?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-B2430H-Widescreen-Monitor-Gloss/dp/tech-data/B0037LIOO8/ref=de_a_smtd
Thanks for your advice Simple & Skhilled, dont need gaming ability, just the usual surfing, music, photo editing & the tv tuner will be a bonus as i can get rid of the little tv in the dining room.
Simon
Quote from: bones615 on July 23, 2011, 12:23:31 PM
The card is halfway out of my wallet, off to pc world later to have a look around & compare. How about this to go with it?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-B2430H-Widescreen-Monitor-Gloss/dp/tech-data/B0037LIOO8/ref=de_a_smtd
Thanks for your advice Simple & Skhilled, dont need gaming ability, just the usual surfing, music, photo editing & the tv tuner will be a bonus as i can get rid of the little tv in the dining room.
Simon
I've got two Samsung monitors and never had a problem. :tup:
I went back to building my own PC after my last shop bought one lasted about 3years before the capacitors (I suspect) failed and it stopped working.
I spent about £680 - which was for new motherboard (Gigabyte GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 Z68 ), CPU (i5), 8Gb RAM, case, and SSD drive and W7 Pro - kept my 2 data drives from the old pc.
The SSD drive was a indulgence - but the boot up time from off is about 40secs - better than the previous 2 or 3 minutes - you can get quicker SSD's than I got, but I went for reliablity over ultimate speed.
Dead pleased with it :tup:
Oh and photoshop flies :tup:
I prefer to build my own too. More upgradeable and last longer too. Maybe next year at tax time I might build a new one. It's been a few years. LOL
New pc arrived today, waiting for the monitor. Spent all evening deleting stuff i dont need (inc about 1000000 emails) ready for back up & transfer. Now making a list of all the programs i need to reinstall on the new one, could be busy for days!
Simon
I was bought a quad for Christmas . intel processor i5 4gig ram 1TB hard drive Windows 7. After 3 craches I got the hang of it.
I love it :tup:
Quote from: Beryl on July 27, 2011, 09:33:33 PM
I was bought a quad for Christmas . intel processor i5 4gig ram 1TB hard drive Windows 7. After 3 craches I got the hang of it.
I love it :tup:
I've got a quad with 2x 1.5tb installed 2.5GH processer and 4gb ram. :tup:
Well if we're boasting.....twin 2.66 dual cores, 4 X 1TB + 2 X 2TB installed and 11 GB of Ram. Not too bad for a 5 year old machine.
It's showing its age a little now (mainly the graphics card is outdated) - 12 cores should be cheapish by the time I upgrade.
I`ve got a Dell something or other ;) - don`t know what`s under the bonnet but it works my NX2 and Lightroom as fast as I need
All this macho talk of RAM and GIGABITES...I don't know...you men!
We all know your just sitting in the spare room typing!
Graham. :knuppel2:
Hay...I'm a lady ::)
Quote from: jinky on July 28, 2011, 03:44:22 PM
I`ve got a Dell something or other ;) - don`t know what`s under the bonnet but it works my NX2 and Lightroom as fast as I need
I'm
right there with you jinky ;D
Quote from: Graham on July 28, 2011, 04:48:55 PM
All this macho talk of RAM and GIGABITES...I don't know...you men!
We all know your just sitting in the spare room typing!
Graham. :knuppel2:
Yes, on an old typewriter! :-*
Its all set up, looks good. Recovery discs burnt, antivirus installed. Just got to upgrade myself from xp to windows 7.
Couple of questions, any recommendations for an email program? (preferably free) as i don't intend to buy office 10 and it doesn't seem to have works. Is windows firewall OK or should i get another?
Thanks
Simon
I just use Opera for everything - the built in mail client is excellent as it enables me to see all the family email activity in one panel and I don't have to start a separate mail client or open a new browser window to manage emails.
Some of my friends use Thunderbird which now looks very much like the Opera client (it used only show one email address at a time).
I have windows 7 on my laptop and it's brilliant (I loathed XP, flakey, unstable, slow, even Vista was much better). Boots up in less than a minute and wake up is about 3 seconds. Hasn't ever crashed.
I do have an AV and firewall package, and don't know if the standard one is up to par, but I suspect it's going to be pretty good.
Quote from: bones615 on July 29, 2011, 10:29:53 PM
Couple of questions, any recommendations for an email program? (preferably free) as i don't intend to buy office 10 and it doesn't seem to have works. Is windows firewall OK or should i get another?
Email: Thunderbird is excellent. I use it for half a dozen email addresses across different email providers - both downloading to local and webmail
Firewall: M$ is pretty good under W7 though I use Outpost ($) and recommend Comodo (free)
As an aside, I'll also mention that I use Opera but only as a browser, along with FF, Chrome (easily the fastest) and Maxthon (in four flavours - the first tabbed browser and still great!)
My system is 4 x 2.6MHz but still only 4GB (way too much that still won't run on 64bit!), 6TB local disk, 5TB external disk, 1.5TB cloud, dual monitor on Radeon HD4800. XP's still a great O/S but W7 is that much better (Vista was absolutely dreadful and avoided for all my clients!)
I used to build myself but the choice and quality can be excellent on complete systems, so now buy in barebones upwards and build from there (it's very rare that someone wants something that can't be delivered off the shelf - and cheaper). Similarly, I used to overclock in the days when OC'ing gave a good performance boost but the advantages nowadays are fairly minimal (lots more noise and cost for tiny gains!), so don't bother
If memory serves, Win 7 doesn't come with a mail client, but there is one that can be downloaded as part of the Windows add ons.
It's similar to Outlook Express and does a reasonable job as i remember. s'pose i should fire up the Win 7 laptop to find out - it's just using M$. I'm become a fruity comp user nowadays :dance:
Quote from: bones615 on July 29, 2011, 10:29:53 PM
Its all set up, looks good. Recovery discs burnt, antivirus installed. Just got to upgrade myself from xp to windows 7.
Couple of questions, any recommendations for an email program? (preferably free) as i don't intend to buy office 10 and it doesn't seem to have works. Is windows firewall OK or should i get another?
Thanks
Simon
Simon, I use Microsoft Security Essentials on all my windows based PC's (wife's lappy, daughter's tower etc.) it works great and it's FREE. It monitors the Firewall, has AV and Anti Malware. I used to run AVG then Avast but removed them and haven't had any issues with security. Did I mention it was FREE? :D
Latest update - Sent it back after a week. Computer kept freezing so i ended up resetting it to factory but did not solve the problem, called Dixons on a saturday and had a surprizingly easy experience, told the guy what i had done & he said no problem we will have it picked up & send another one out, no quibbles, no messing about trying this and that setting. So as frustrated as i was full marks to Dixons customer service for not causing any more stress.
Using Thunderbird Email thats doing the job fine, Avast AV and windows firewall. Just had a problem with internet explorer (wouldnt open any links) so ive just downloaded Firefox which on first impressions seems to do the job fine & slightly faster.
Thanks for your advice & input.
Simon
Open Office is a free office type package - and reads M$ Office files. Just doesn't support Visual basic. One I recommend :)