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I think the Dell Inspiron is great but wouldn't like to comment on what spec to go for. A bit too techie for me!
If I don't get any joy with EuroPC I will be in touch.
I would be very wary of a refurbished PC supplier.
Last computer i bought was from PC world - which in France i think exists as PC city.
I got a HP Pavilion dv6000 for 499 (and another one slightly more epxensive but same spec) that was about the spec you are looking for.
I asked them for any ex-display models they had. Cosmetically, the machines might be scratched but functionally they have the same guarantees.
If PC city is not an option (they dont supply QWERTY)
here is a reputable company that make their own computers (assemble) from new parts at good prices:
http://www.pc-sols.co.uk/pc_sales.html
This is a local company in West london and they have helped me out in the past a lot.
I will send them an email and see what they can do and possible take Graeme up on his offer to send it to me here.
Regards
Phil
I did just that and I have to say that the service has been superb today. I used the live chat facility on the Dell site and told sales rep. Ritam Sengupta my requirements. A little confusion and delay when a a quote didn't arrive for the 17" screen but it was resent and I ordered via the telephone.
I paid £80.00 to deliver to France (thanks again for your offer Graham. I opted for the Studio 17 and I was told its graphics card, processor speed and RAM were ideal for web use.
I have no idea that I have really done the right thing because there was so much choice but the reviews seemed good.
If you touch type and don't need the keys printed you can easily switch keyboard layout, via the control panel in Windows.
If you don't touch type then you would need to get a spare set of keys designed for the uk qwerty keyboard, cheaper a set of pre printed labels for the keyboard, cheaper still make your own.
Personally I'm surprised considering the prevalence of pc's, I cannot remember the last time I saw a typewriter in the work place, that we still teach the qwerty keyboard and have not moved to a DOVARK keyboard layout or other layout.
QWERTY was deliberately designed to slow down the typist to reduce key jams. Moving to DOVARK would make learning quicker, for those new to touch typing, produce less errors and reduce the number of incidents of Carpal Tunnel. Not sure about other operating systems but certainly in Windows you can set individual logins to set the keyboard layout to meet the individual need.
On pc's where keyboards are easily swapped this would not be a major issue. Laptops may be a little more difficult, but would offering the choice of keyboard layout be that difficult? Or take that long for a store to swap one set of keys for another?
With the amount of keyboarding Phil obviously does, I can't see stick on labels being very practical (especially on a laptop). Furthermore, there's the question of the Windows operating system being in the local language when buying in Europe and that cannot be changed in the regional settings. At a minimum, it would require buying an English version of Windows, formatting the hard drive and reinstalling. Not a big problem but that means you lose all the preinstalled device drivers and any free software supplied. Another thing that might be of interest is that most new PC's/laptops purchased today will have dual core processors and maybe very large amounts of memory. Using Vista Home Premium (typically preinstalled as an OEM version), only allows you to run in 32 bit mode (limiting for some applications such as multimedia) and also to prevent access to all the available physical memory. To run 64 bit (and consquently access large amounts of memeory), upgrading to Vista Ultimate is required.
For what it's worth,
Roger
P.S. Is this discussion going to get upgraded to a Group in case there are other Office Equipment topics that might be useful to discuss ?
I do touch type to a degree but I also rely on visuals and I do agree with Roger about stick on keys. Although, as you say, with a desktop keyboard it is possible to change keys round to suit. I could get by with French software but again, I prefer English.
I have ordered a laptop now and it should be here on Monday (according to the tracking page).
All the best
Phil
Hi Roger
I have added an office section to the forum. Please feel free to add anything either to this topic or start your own.
Please feel free to start a group of your own at any time on any subject you feel is of benefit to the site.
All best
Phil
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