# Where to buy an English laptop in Malaga?



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I have to buy a new laptop and it has have everything in English. A cousin told me the end of January is the best time to buy, so that's my goal date. I know enough about computers to buy online if I have to, but I would prefer to buy it from a store here in Malaga so that I can actually see it and can deal with the store if there are problems. So does anyone have any leads, please? :fingerscrossed:


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## alborino (Dec 13, 2014)

I'd really buy online. The spanish input will only lead to problems.

We (my company) buy nearly all our laptops refurbished (which often means unused and stored in a warehouse). Never had an issue and you get to specify exactly what you want loaded. You can get online direct, they connect to your laptop, help these days over the web.

Of coure if you want real problems go for the latest Microsoft bugs - sorry I meant release. If you want hassle free go Windows 7. 

Drop me a PM if you want a name that we've used over the years.

They ship to Spain, you can pay by paypal.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

alborino said:


> I'd really buy online. The spanish input will only lead to problems.
> 
> We (my company) buy nearly all our laptops refurbished (which often means unused and stored in a warehouse). Never had an issue and you get to specify exactly what you want loaded. You can get online direct, they connect to your laptop, help these days over the web.
> 
> ...


 Thanks for the recommendation, alborino. You are allowed to post the name of the company here. Forum rules don't allow "unsolicited" recommendations for companies. This is solicited, since I asked.  That way, other forum members may want to chime in on your recommendation.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Buy an Apple, you can then set it to whatever language you require.


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## alborino (Dec 13, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> Thanks for the recommendation, alborino. You are allowed to post the name of the company here. Forum rules don't allow "unsolicited" recommendations for companies. This is solicited, since I asked.  That way, other forum members may want to chime in on your recommendation.


 Tier1

We test multiuser systems and drive the tests from laptops (a laptop running windows can drive roughly 300 concurrent users and with Linux a 1000 concurrent users. You can load Linux of course parallel to windows on trhe same laptop.). We leave them connected to clients networks all over the UK and furthera field for months on end. And use them as office and development m/cs. Never had a Tier1 problem - although of course rogue laptops will crop up. 

Should say we deal with them at arms length as we rarely go near Manchester. You can talk to them, a very knowlegeable person, and they are very helpful.


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## alborino (Dec 13, 2014)

Hepa said:


> Buy an Apple, you can then set it to whatever language you require.


As with Windows and Linux. The issue is the physical keyboard (although you can use tipex ), and the junk software that some suppliers insist on loading. Drivers are of course loaded as required.

Nothing against Apple but some software you have to wait for and the cost. But yup nice m/cs if you don't need to use other peoples windows m/cs and thus be familiar with both


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Hepa said:


> Buy an Apple, you can then set it to whatever language you require.


 Hi Hepa. Thank you for your suggestion. I know they have an excellent reputation. But I'd like to buy a PC because that's all I've ever owned for 20 years now, and I'm already overwhelmed to the max here in Spain with everything new that I have to learn. So to start on a whole new system would be too much for me.

Also, I didn't say, but my budget is a max of 400 euros. After that, my savings are wiped out. So Macs are too expensive for me. 

But, again, thank you for that suggestion.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

alborino said:


> Tier1
> 
> We test multiuser systems and drive the tests from laptops (a laptop running windows can drive roughly 300 concurrent users and with Linux a 1000 concurrent users. You can load Linux of course parallel to windows on trhe same laptop.). We leave them connected to clients networks all over the UK and furthera field for months on end. And use them as office and development m/cs. Never had a Tier1 problem - although of course rogue laptops will crop up.
> 
> Should say we deal with them at arms length as we rarely go near Manchester. You can talk to them, a very knowlegeable person, and they are very helpful.


Thank you for the link. I've saved that. I've never bought a refurbished computer and hope to not have to resort to that. But given my price limit, I may have to, in which case I'll keep those guys in mind. But even for refurbed, I'd rather buy from a store here for the reasons I said. I'm old fashioned and prefer to deal with people in person for everything, including computers.

One question about buying from the UK - the outlet is different there, so I'd have to buy an adaptor, right?


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## alborino (Dec 13, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> Thank you for the link. I've saved that. I've never bought a refurbished computer and hope to not have to resort to that. But given my price limit, I may have to, in which case I'll keep those guys in mind. But even for refurbed, I'd rather buy from a store here for the reasons I said. I'm old fashioned and prefer to deal with people in person for everything, including computers.
> 
> One question about buying from the UK - the outlet is different there, so I'd have to buy an adaptor, right?


Just a plug adaptor for a couple of Euros. I flit between UK and Spain with several laptops and no issues. I'm in Madrid using an adapter and tier1 laptop right now 

I take your point about face to face but a refurb would allow you to get extra memory and with Windows that is vital these days. And it is very rare as we buy grade A or B that you can tell it is a refurb.

Of course you can get refurb in Spain but I haven't got a supplier off hand.

ps I should say these refurbs are company stock and not someone swapping an old m/c.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

alborino said:


> Just a plug adaptor for a couple of Euros. I flit between UK and Spain with several laptops and no issues. I'm in Madrid using an adapter and tier1 laptop right now
> 
> I take your point about face to face but a refurb would allow you to get extra memory and with Windows that is vital these days. And it is very rare as we buy grade A or B that you can tell it is a refurb.
> 
> ...


 So the adaptor isn't a problem. Great.

What do you mean that they're "company stock?" 

Also, why do you say that a refurb allows me to get extra memory? You can extra memory on any laptop, no? I'm running a memory stick that's been formatted for Windows TurboBoost, which really helps the speed.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

I just got mine from amazon UK, once you find the model you like amazon has most of them so there is no need to complicate matters.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Pazcat said:


> I just got mine from amazon UK, once you find the model you like amazon has most of them so there is no need to complicate matters.


 WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! Do they ever have a lot of computers! Looking, dreaming, thinking.... 

Thank you Pazcat!


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

For me it was the safest way of ensuring I had an English operating system that I wouldn't face further issues with, plus amazon offers a reasonable returns policy and it arrived in 3 working days.

I ended up with a Lenovo and it's great.


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## alborino (Dec 13, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> So the adaptor isn't a problem. Great.
> 
> What do you mean that they're "company stock?"


_Why buy refurb?

There are many reasons for buying refurbished kit ranging from a business's requirement for consistency in equipment to a savvy home user simply wanting to make their pounds go that much further. The build quality on our corporate refurb units is exceptional - particularly the T60 and X60 ranges!
_
i.e. they have been used (and sometimes not even used) by corporates, not Joe public. 

see FAQs on the site.



AllHeart said:


> Also, why do you say that a refurb allows me to get extra memory? You can extra memory on any laptop, no? I'm running a memory stick that's been formatted for Windows TurboBoost, which really helps the speed.


Tier1 prices are keen. My business partner is the tight one and if he chooses them I know they offer great value. Being lower price you can save money or invest the dosh in more memory. Professionally fitted memory is tested. Shoving in your own bought secondhand on ebay can be good but ......................

Our thoughts are a new m/c will look like a refurb within weeks. We trust Tier1's testing more than the original manus especially if the testing was done in the Far East and since then the laptop has been in extensive transit. The guys at Tier1 just need a call to talk to someone who knows a lot and sorts problems.

We're only a small customer to them and get nothing for helping promote them. There are also other companies doing the same thing. It would just be my choice but if the laptop is critical to you and you'd prefer to touch flesh as they say I'm sure a local would meet the need (just get the physical keyboard sorted if you aim to use english). And of course if your economy is UK based then the pound is strong at the mo.


Sticks are ok but make sure you use a free cloud service like Dropbox and keep your m/c clean. Amazing how many people do not defrag, clear cache, clear temp, etc. And then grumble. And free antivirus like Avast. And long term storage needs to be compressed. 

Sorry you know all this after 20 years but just for any first timers.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Pazcat said:


> For me it was the safest way of ensuring I had an English operating system that I wouldn't face further issues with, plus amazon offers a reasonable returns policy and it arrived in 3 working days.
> 
> I ended up with a Lenovo and it's great.


 The other good thing about ordering from Amazon UK is that I can speak to them and write to them in English. Good to know about the returns policy. Within 3 working days?! Wow. 

I haven't tried Lenovo. My best experiences so far have been with HP, and that's what I'm looking at. 

Something else I'm considering is going with a tower instead. It's a heck of a lot cheaper, and I have everything else at this point, and don't really need a laptop. I would have to buy a webcam and make sure the tower has an HDMI cable for my TV in the living room to watch movies off the TV there from my tower. 

Thinking, thinking, thinking....  Thanks again for your guidance.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Pazcat said:


> For me it was the safest way of ensuring I had an English operating system that I wouldn't face further issues with, plus amazon offers a reasonable returns policy and it arrived in 3 working days.
> 
> I ended up with a Lenovo and it's great.


I bought one of those from El Corte Ingles in Malaga in September for €379. My OH set it up for me, but they also offer a set-up service for a small charge, I seem to remember it was €19. I'm sure they'd be able to do that in English for AllHeart - at least it might be worth enquiring as she's nearby? I always think the advantage of buying locally as opposed to online is that if anything goes wrong you don't have to mess about sending things back, just go in and talk to them directly. I've been very pleased with my Lenovo so far.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> I bought one of those from El Corte Ingles in Malaga in September for €379. My OH set it up for me, but they also offer a set-up service for a small charge, I seem to remember it was €19. I'm sure they'd be able to do that in English for AllHeart - at least it might be worth enquiring as she's nearby? I always think the advantage of buying locally as opposed to online is that if anything goes wrong you don't have to mess about sending things back, just go in and talk to them directly. I've been very pleased with my Lenovo so far.


Really?! So did your hubby reformat the computer? What about all the software that came in Spanish? What did he do? If this is possible, this is my first pick!

I adore El Corte Ingles. I bought my Bravia TV from them and surround sound system. I didn't like the surround sound and returned it a week later with absolutely no problems. They treat me like gold there!


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> Really?! So did your hubby reformat the computer? What about all the software that came in Spanish? What did he do? If this is possible, this is my first pick!
> 
> I adore El Corte Ingles. I bought my Bravia TV from them and surround sound system. I didn't like the surround sound and returned it a week later with absolutely no problems. They treat me like gold there!


He says he literally Googled the instructions to find out what to do!

No use asking me, I'm afraid as I wouldn't know where to start.

Now could be a good time to see what they have in ECI as the sales will be on.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

alborino said:


> _Why buy refurb?
> 
> There are many reasons for buying refurbished kit ranging from a business's requirement for consistency in equipment to a savvy home user simply wanting to make their pounds go that much further. The build quality on our corporate refurb units is exceptional - particularly the T60 and X60 ranges!
> _
> ...


 Thanks for your guidance.  Yes, as I said, the only reason I would buy refurb is to save money - money that I don't have to spend. But I've since come up with another option - to buy just a tower. Thank you again for your help.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> He says he literally Googled the instructions to find out what to do!
> 
> No use asking me, I'm afraid as I wouldn't know where to start.
> 
> Now could be a good time to see what they have in ECI as the sales will be on.


 I know how to reformat a computer no problem. Changing the Windows DOS language to English is done as the first step in reformatting. I'm just not sure how to change the language for all the programs and drivers that come with the computer. 

What I'll do is pop over to the store and find out. Thank you!


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

When looking into it I'm sure I read that the only way to really make sure you get a complete language UI and coding is to have the windows 7/8 Premium pack on the laptop.
There are a few solutions and installations you can do but because I wasn't certain if that was a complete English system, some people seemed to think it's not and I didn't want to take any risks.

However if you get a tower PC this shouldn't be an issue as they are normally loaded with 'Windows Home Premium'.

Our PC bought in Belgium isn't a problem, just seems it is laptops.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Pazcat said:


> When looking into it I'm sure I read that the only way to really make sure you get a complete language UI and coding is to have the windows 7/8 Premium pack on the laptop.
> There are a few solutions and installations you can do but because I wasn't certain if that was a complete English system, some people seemed to think it's not and I didn't want to take any risks.
> 
> However if you get a tower PC this shouldn't be an issue as they are normally loaded with 'Windows Home Premium'.
> ...


 Yes, I'm thinking it's going to be complicated to buy Spanish and convert everything to English. I've just googled it, and I don't think it's possible to convert EVERYTHING into English. Also, it means I have to reformat, and often reformatting causes problems. So I'm leaning more towards buying from the UK. But I'll check with El Corte Ingles. My Spanish bestie is in Madrid this week, but comes back Monday, so we'll go together next week and find out.

The problem with the Amazon site is most of them are refurbed and you have to go through thousands of computers and they don't have a selection for narrowing them down to only new. How did you find your computer on Amazon?


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## BMC77 (Aug 15, 2009)

You could always try the British department store, John Lewis. They sell laptops and they deliver to (mainland) Spain for a small fee. According to their site, delivery takes 4-7 working days.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I've found a problem with the tower idea, which is that they typically don't come with an HDMI port, which means I can't use it for movies in the living room. 



BMC77 said:


> You could always try the British department store, John Lewis. They sell laptops and they deliver to (mainland) Spain for a small fee. According to their site, delivery takes 4-7 working days.


Thank you BMC77! I've got them saved to faves. Nothing on there now to match my needs, but maybe later they'll have something.


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

Hola, 

I´ve got a "El Corte Ingles" Spanish Windows 8.1 laptop which I completely converted to English language. Just Google it and follow the instructions 

Davexf


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

davexf said:


> Hola,
> 
> I´ve got a "El Corte Ingles" Spanish Windows 8.1 laptop which I completely converted to English language. Just Google it and follow the instructions
> 
> Davexf


 Hola Dave. I did google it, and all I can find is to reformat and change the language, which I did before for a friend in Canada when he bought my other laptop. 

The other way is to change the computer's regional language like this: how do I change the language from spanish to english ???hel... - HP Support Forum - 1913221

I did that when I moved here to change from US English to UK English. So obviously it had minimal impact on my computer. Will that change EVERYTHING, like programs and drivers?


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I figured it out!!!! Woot! It's different for Windows 7 (which I'm using now) than Windows 8. In Windows 7, you can only change the computer language a little, i.e. change input language, like in the link I gave above. Here's a better explanation by Microsoft:

Add or change an input language

However, Windows 8 (which I've never used) has found a solution to the world migration phenomenon! You can actually change the whole computer language very easily - and change back and forth between languages easily. What a fantastic invention! Here are Microsoft's instructions:

Using multiple languages - Microsoft Windows Help

And here's the laptop I might buy at El Corte Ingles: 

Portátil Acer 15,6'' Aspire E5-521 AMD Quad Core A6-6310 - Ordenadores - Portátiles - El Corte Inglés - Informática=

G'night y'all. Thanks so much for all your help!  I'm off to catch some Z's now....


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## buble (Apr 29, 2011)

Have a look at 'Novatech's' range of products, a really great company that I have used and recommended for years. Of special interest to you might be the 'Novatech NBOX 11. It is small and will sit directly behind a tv and has an HDMI port for tv connection. I have one of these and it is brilliant. A wireless keyboard & mouse is a must for easy computer work (no cables means easy stowage). I have found their service 'Second to None' over the years, particularly over the 'phone! They even build computers to customers specs.


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## Expatliving (Oct 21, 2013)

Just a thought, which you're all welcome to shoot down as it's purely a theoretical approach ...

Why don't you hop on a bus to Gibraltar? What type of lappys are on sale there (UK or Spanish?) And surely things would be cheaper?

If that's feasible, just make sure you bring the thing back without the packaging and looking like you've had it for sometime?

OK, aim, fire! :eyebrows:


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## alborino (Dec 13, 2014)

I think this language thing is getting blown out of all proportion. My lap tops support Spanish and UK english and US English - at the same time. It is not a problem. Just go to YouTube and look for tutorial videos (there are thousands) by people who know what they are doing. The problem with Microsoft info pages is being a big company each is written in isolation. So yes configuring the language for Word works but they don't tell you that doing that changes other things for other programs.

But if you only use English make sure you have an english physical keyboard.

Remember Windows 8 is even recognised by many at Microsoft as a mistake  Think carefully before going there if you are familiar with Windows 7 (or even if you're not). With software you want to be leading edge but not bleeding edge. And older software versions are less attractive to hackers and get less updates (more stability).

But just my thoughts


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## tarot650 (Sep 30, 2007)

AllHeart said:


> I have to buy a new laptop and it has have everything in English. A cousin told me the end of January is the best time to buy, so that's my goal date. I know enough about computers to buy online if I have to, but I would prefer to buy it from a store here in Malaga so that I can actually see it and can deal with the store if there are problems.  So does anyone have any leads, please? :fingerscrossed:


Have a look on the Worten website.They have a few laptops in your price range and for a small fee they will change your operating system into English for you and you and have the peace of mind of a 2year guarantee and you can walk into any Worten store and speak to a tecnico.Also there are some great offers in Carrefour but I don't think they will change the operating system.Also you have FNAC and Mercamarket in the railway station in Malaga.For your price range you should pick up something with an i3 CPU,500gb hard drive,4gb of DDR3 ram which is perfect for basic operations but if you want something for video editing,photo shop,music editing then you are moving up into i7 territory.Also sorry to disagree about Gibraltar.For Christmas I bought the wife a brand new Macbook Pro from Goldenmac in the Larios centre in Malaga and it was 350€cheaper to buy there than Gib.It is also part of her present as I have got her 60th coming up shortly.Also to point out that Windows are fetching Windows 10 out soon as Windows 8 has given them problems like Vista.Best of luck with your search and hope you find what you are looking for.I definitely stay local for peace of mind.Regards.SB.


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## buble (Apr 29, 2011)

Forgive me if I'm wrong but although you can change the language, you can't change the key letters/numbers themselves and some keys are different on Spanish keyboards. So you have to be careful when typing and remember their positions.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

buble said:


> Forgive me if I'm wrong but although you can change the language, you can't change the key letters/numbers themselves and some keys are different on Spanish keyboards. So you have to be careful when typing and remember their positions.


the numbers & the letters are all in the same place - there are just a couple of extra letters on mine , the ñ & the ç

all the other functions are in a different place though, but you soon get used to it


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## alborino (Dec 13, 2014)

xabiachica said:


> the numbers & the letters are all in the same place - there are just a couple of extra letters on mine , the ñ & the ç
> 
> all the other functions are in a different place though, but you soon get used to it


But why get used to it when it is so unnecessary? This is the problem with computers in private hands (and even some in bad corporates), people look for work-arounds and not solutions. 

You can have exactly what you want. Get it set up correctly in the first place and it will repay you thousands of times over. 

Typically a set of replacement keys costs 3Euros plus postage. And the keyboard can be configured in Japanese if you like 

Sorry back to my grumpy hole :eyebrows:


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## tarot650 (Sep 30, 2007)

AllHeart said:


> I have to buy a new laptop and it has have everything in English. A cousin told me the end of January is the best time to buy, so that's my goal date. I know enough about computers to buy online if I have to, but I would prefer to buy it from a store here in Malaga so that I can actually see it and can deal with the store if there are problems. So does anyone have any leads, please? :fingerscrossed:


tel no 951337944 - 616160474 - 640336119
Forgot all about Marcus.Have a look on here https://www.facebook.com/ComputerCity.es

He can get you new laptops in English and also has some quality second hand at reasonable prices.If memory serves me right he has been here 13years and everything comes with a guarantee.Nice person to deal with and I don't think you would go far wrong here.Regards.SB.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

alborino said:


> But why get used to it when it is so unnecessary? This is the problem with computers in private hands (and even some in bad corporates), people look for work-arounds and not solutions.
> 
> You can have exactly what you want. Get it set up correctly in the first place and it will repay you thousands of times over.
> 
> ...


but why not if you're living in Spain??

it's so easy 

& if more people did I wouldn't have been wished _feliz ano_* so many times on FB 





*happy anus


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Wow, you guys are awesome for all your help!!! Soulboy, I'm looking through your references. Thank you for those.

Re Windows 8, that's not optional when buying a new computer as they come loaded with that now. Windows 10 isn't coming out until later this year. I have no desire to learn a new operating system, but my laptop is done for, so I have to buy a new one. Already two or three people here have said it's possible and easy to change the language in Windows 8, and the instructions are clear cut on the link I gave. So I have no reason to doubt this is possible.

I have a wireless keyboard and mouse that I use with my laptop, and I have a very nice monitor to plug into my laptop. So the monitor and keyboard of the laptop are kind of irrelevant. 

500 GB hard drive memory is more than sufficient for me. I also have an external drive of 1 TB. For my use that's way over and above my needs.

4 GB RAM is also plenty for my use. 

The processor speed doesn't have to be too high either, as I don't do gaming. For the same reason, I don't need fancy graphics capability.

I need a webcam for Skype.

What I'm limited by is the connections on the laptop, as follows:


DVD drive - to load my software. 
VGA connection - to connect my monitor. 
Bluetooth would be nice, since my speaker is Bluetooth and I've fallen in love with Spotify. That way I can play Spotify on my laptop, and move my speaker from room to room. 
WiFi is a must, since my laptop is not connected to the modem. 
HDMI port - to connect to my TV in the living room to play movies downloaded on my laptop from the Internet. 
Ethernet port would be nice, so that I have the option of connecting to my modem when doing Internet downloads - it's faster that way. 
At least 3 USB ports - one for my wireless mouse and keyboard, one for my external drive and one open for different uses (camera, phone, memory sticks, etc). 
Headset and microphone separate - these are typically a combo port now. But I like having the option to use one or the other. 
Very good sound card for my music.
 So it's the port connections that I'm focused on. My computer is the hub of my connection to the world and hobbies - music, movies, email, this forum, internet info and photography. So I don't need a fancy or powerful computer - just a basic computer with lots of ports.


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## alborino (Dec 13, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> Re Windows 8, that's not optional when buying a new computer


If your supplier doesn't know how to reload Windows are you seriously telling me you'd buy a laptop off them????? 

PCWorld.com "We won't make the decision between Windows 7 and Windows 8 for you".

There are good suppliers out there


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

alborino said:


> If your supplier doesn't know how to reload Windows are you seriously telling me you'd buy a laptop off them?????
> 
> PCWorld.com "We won't make the decision between Windows 7 and Windows 8 for you".
> 
> There are good suppliers out there


 Your link doesn't lead to anything but advertisements.

You're making a lot of presumptions here about my ignorance about computers - and that of others on the forum. I'm very computer savvy, including on what sites to look at to do my research. You knocking the Microsoft site is a dead give-away that you're not very computer literate. I've worked on computers since the 80s (and electronic typewriters that preceded them). I've taken many computer courses. I've been self-employed for 20 years up to my current 'retirement,' and my computer was the crux of my work. During those 20 years, I have had to do all the IT work on my computer. And, yes, there are good suppliers out there, which is why I am asking for just that in this thread, because people here have always very helpful in steering me in the right direction.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

AllHeart said:


> I've found a problem with the tower idea, which is that they typically don't come with an HDMI port, which means I can't use it for movies in the living room.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you BMC77! I've got them saved to faves. Nothing on there now to match my needs, but maybe later they'll have something.


If you have a 'smart' TV and a wireless hub you can access your PC or laptop and its movies/pictures/music et al to play on your TV, no need for an HDMI lead.

Personally I'd buy new and I'd use Amazon.


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## alborino (Dec 13, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> Your link doesn't lead to anything but advertisements.
> 
> You're making a lot of presumptions here about my ignorance about computers - and that of others on the forum. I'm very computer savvy, including on what sites to look at to do my research. You knocking the Microsoft site is a dead give-away that you're not very computer literate. I've worked on computers since the 80s (and electronic typewriters that preceded them). I've taken many computer courses. I've been self-employed for 20 years up to my current 'retirement,' and my computer was the crux of my work. During those 20 years, I have had to do all the IT work on my computer. And, yes, there are good suppliers out there, which is why I am asking for just that in this thread, because people here have always very helpful in steering me in the right direction.


Then good luck to you my friend. I didn't mean to offend but your questions raised the doubts. Clearly my misunderstanding.

The link was purely to illustrate what you said was not generally accepted "Re Windows 8, that's not optional when buying a new computer as they come loaded with that now." But as you say others will meet your needs so adios.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

alborino said:


> Then good luck to you my friend. I didn't mean to offend but your questions raised the doubts. Clearly my misunderstanding.
> 
> The link was purely to illustrate what you said was not generally accepted "Re Windows 8, that's not optional when buying a new computer as they come loaded with that now." But as you say others will meet your needs so adios.


 Thank you.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

bob_bob said:


> If you have a 'smart' TV and a wireless hub you can access your PC or laptop and its movies/pictures/music et al to play on your TV, no need for an HDMI lead.
> 
> Personally I'd buy new and I'd use Amazon.


 No, I don't have a smart TV. It works really well with the HDMI cable running from the laptop in the dining room to the TV in the living room. No probs there!

I agree on buying new. There are some things I never buy second hand - electronics, beds and underwear. 

Why would you recommend Amazon?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> but why not if you're living in Spain??
> 
> it's so easy
> 
> ...


I agree. I find it a bit strange that people who move to Spain and declare their intention to make Spanish friends, learn the language, adopt the culture etc. etc. are so resistant the idea of actually using Spanish equipment to communicate. It's not rocket science and it will help them learn new vocabulary.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Alcalaina said:


> I agree. I find it a bit strange that people who move to Spain and declare their intention to make Spanish friends, learn the language, adopt the culture etc. etc. are so resistant the idea of actually using Spanish equipment to communicate. It's not rocket science and it will help them learn new vocabulary.


 Alcalaina, I'm not sure if you're saying that I should buy a computer with everything in Spanish - the DOS, keyboard, software, drivers, etc? And that it's not rocket science to do this? And that you find it strange that I don't?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

AllHeart said:


> Alcalaina, I'm not sure if you're saying that I should buy a computer with everything in Spanish - the DOS, keyboard, software, drivers, etc? And that it's not rocket science to do this? And that you find it strange that I don't?


Do what you feel comfortable with. If you prefer an 'English' laptop...it's your _choice._ After all, you are a Canadian, with English as your first language. It's not rocket science to have a laptop or any equipment which is 100% Spanish but there's no brownie points in this either.
I bought an 'English' laptop, an ASUS, from amazon.uk. I think it cost about £450, it was reduced from £600 something. I am not keen on Windows 8 but otherwise it's OK. Tbh, a laptop in that price bracket isn't much different from other brands.
My tablet has an English keyboard but also a keyboard with additional Spanish letters so I just switch easily from one to the other.
When a person chooses to live in Spain, thee is no one prescribed lifestyle. Most of us mix and match.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

I have had laptops when I was gainfully employed and while they were convenient to take around to various sites in various countries as well as to use in HO, I would always use a full-size plug-in keyboard and mouse (my skin is too dry to use a touchpad). For doing the accented/special characters (for other languages not just Spanish) using the 'Alt' keyboard, one needs the numeric keypad which is often difficult on a laptop.

I have also owned a laptop (bought on black Friday 2007 in the US) which had Vista (wonder why the sweary filter doesn't zap that). The laptop lasted about two years before overheating and frying the hard-drive. I had a couple of desktops using XP until Microsoft (another item for the sweary filter) did one of its killer updates and rendered both machines useless. I went to the computer shop in Alcalá le Real and got a new desktop using W7 in English (it cost about 100€ more) and so-far it is performing well.

At 73 going on 74, I prefer to work with tools with which I am comfortable which is why I use a UK keyboard and a PC configured the way I want (as close to XP as possible). I have plenty of RAM since I am often multi-tasking plus a 1TB internal HDD and two external HDD (a 1TB and a 2TB) and about 16 USB sockets, either direct from the tower or via a hub.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Thanks Mary & Baldilocks for your suggestions.

I just went to Corte Ingles, and they no longer have the laptop I wanted. Also, it doesn't come with a CD drive, so it's no good anyway. But they did confirm that it's easy to switch the entire computer language as described on the Microsoft site. So that opens the market here in Spain. 

Alcalaina, it REALLY pisses me off what you said about me buying an English computer. You know that my plans in coming to Spain were to live the high life, working, travelling, learning the culture, meeting my family, learning the language and getting good healthcare for longstanding healthcare problems that have gone misdiagnosed and mistreated for 30 years now. Then 1-1/2 weeks before my move, I got diagnosed with incurable invasive breast cancer, as you know. So my plans have changed significantly, as you know. I now cannot work, so I have less money. Any day now, I can become housebound from my illness, so I have had to put all my meager savings into making my apartment set up for being housebound. I would have preferred to spend that money on Spanish lessons and travelling and going to fancy restaurants and doing cooking courses and buying delicious Spanish clothing and jewelry and music and a ton of other stuff. But instead my time and energy and money to now have all been focused on getting my healthcare needs in place. But I'm not done yet, because I still have to spend time, energy and money on drawing up a Spanish will, planning disposal of my body at death, doing advance directives for when I'm incapacitated, setting up homecare and arranging assisted death. And all this is being done in a foreign language in a foreign country. I've done a fantastic job at being responsible and courageous my whole life, including here in Spain.

But with all this, you criticise me because in spending the last of my savings I don't want to add to my already-heavy workload by buying a computer in Spanish. You have different standards and a different set of priorities than I do.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

AllHeart said:


> Thanks Mary & Baldilocks for your suggestions.
> 
> I just went to Corte Ingles, and they no longer have the laptop I wanted. Also, it doesn't come with a CD drive, so it's no good anyway. But they did confirm that it's easy to switch the entire computer language as described on the Microsoft site. So that opens the market here in Spain.
> 
> ...


Allheart, I had no idea you had been diagnosed with incurable breast cancer. That is incredibly sad news. I am deeply sorry for any offence caused by my comment.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Alcalaina said:


> Allheart, I had no idea you had been diagnosed with incurable breast cancer. That is incredibly sad news. I am deeply sorry for any offence caused by my comment.


 Alcalaina, I don't know how you could have missed it, as you've been a part of many threads where we talked about this. But I know you well enough to know you always say the truth, so I do believe you. Thank you for your heartfelt kind words and apology.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

baldilocks said:


> I have had laptops when I was gainfully employed and while they were convenient to take around to various sites in various countries as well as to use in HO, I would always use a full-size plug-in keyboard and mouse (my skin is too dry to use a touchpad). For doing the accented/special characters (for other languages not just Spanish) using the 'Alt' keyboard, one needs the numeric keypad which is often difficult on a laptop.
> 
> I have also owned a laptop (bought on black Friday 2007 in the US) which had Vista (wonder why the sweary filter doesn't zap that). The laptop lasted about two years before overheating and frying the hard-drive. I had a couple of desktops using XP until Microsoft (another item for the sweary filter) did one of its killer updates and rendered both machines useless. I went to the computer shop in Alcalá le Real and got a new desktop using W7 in English (it cost about 100€ more) and so-far it is performing well.
> 
> At 73 going on 74, I prefer to work with tools with which I am comfortable which is why I use a UK keyboard and a PC configured the way I want (as close to XP as possible). I have plenty of RAM since I am often multi-tasking plus a 1TB internal HDD and two external HDD (a 1TB and a 2TB) and about 16 USB sockets, either direct from the tower or via a hub.


W7 is a good solid operating system but so is windows 8.1. I run W7 on my main home PC but am happy with W8.1 on my Surface Pro 3. Don't shy away from 8.1, its a fast operating system and you can install free programmes that make it look like W7 and still retain the speed improvements.

A failed hard drive is not the end of a computer, they are cheap to buy so get your old machines up and running.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

bob_bob said:


> W7 is a good solid operating system but so is windows 8.1. I run W7 on my main home PC but am happy with W8.1 on my Surface Pro 3. Don't shy away from 8.1, its a fast operating system and you can install free programmes that make it look like W7 and still retain the speed improvements.
> 
> A failed hard drive is not the end of a computer, they are cheap to buy so get your old machines up and running.


 I had W7 on my desktop and it worked like a charm. Never had any problems with it on my desktop. This laptop is beyond repair - including problems with W7. I don't want to spend the last of my savings - whether it be a laptop or anything else. But I've tried all I can to rehabilitate this thing, and it's beyond repair. I also don't want to spend the brain space to learn a new operating system and a new computer, but on the other hand it might be good to give just another dimension of a new feeling to my new life in Spain. 

It's incredibly overwhelming to buy a computer here with the language barrier and not knowing any of the stores in Europe. Had I known my laptop was fried, I would have bought one in Canada before coming here. But here I am and that's the situation I'm in, and I just have to suck it up and deal with it. 

My Spanish Bestie is coming back tomorrow from Madrid, so I'll go around with him this week to the shops you've recommended here in Malaga. Unlike me, he knows his way around Malaga and he's bilingual. So again thanks for those suggestions.

But I'd also like to look more into the Amazon option, since so many of you recommend it. I don't understand how you guys can find computers on there. There are 24,777 listings under laptops (400 pages), which includes accessories because I can't select the laptops separate from accessories. I only want a new computer, but all the used ones are lumped in here, and you can't select only new computers. Also, as I said above, the most important things for me on the laptop are the ports, and you can't select for ports. So for those of you who bought from Amazon, how did you find your computer?


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I just bought my new laptop! 

What I did was look at the sites you guys gave me and other sites so that I got all the info needed. The problem is typically no one site gives all the specs or pics for any particular laptop. But between different sites, I figured it out. Then I found them on Amazon UK. The one I bought is sold by Amazon themselves, so I'm really comfortable with them being the seller. 

I was way under budget. For the laptop itself, taxes and delivery, it's a mere 253 euros! Yay!

They predict she will be arriving by January 12. 

So here's my new laptop:

Lenovo G50-30 15.6-inch Notebook (Black) - (Intel Celeron N2840 2.16GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Windows 8.1): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Thank you all so much for your kind help!


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## Helenameva (Aug 15, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> I just bought my new laptop!
> 
> What I did was look at the sites you guys gave me and other sites so that I got all the info needed. The problem is typically no one site gives all the specs or pics for any particular laptop. But between different sites, I figured it out. Then I found them on Amazon UK. The one I bought is sold by Amazon themselves, so I'm really comfortable with them being the seller.
> 
> ...


Congratulations! I have bookmarked the page on Amazon and expect a review forthwith! If you can make it funny like the reviews on this page, even better:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/cr/B0047E0EII/ref=mw_dp_cr

(there is a better set of reviews for hair removal cream on Amazon but it isn't for the faint hearted)


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Helenameva said:


> Congratulations! I have bookmarked the page on Amazon and expect a review forthwith! If you can make it funny like the reviews on this page, even better:
> 
> Amazon
> 
> (there is a better set of reviews for hair removal cream on Amazon but it isn't for the faint hearted)


Thanks for the congrats.  I hope not to disappoint you with my review. Humour? Well, one thing I can think of is if the screen is of good quality, I can say how it shows the crappy weather in Canada really well on Skype. If the speakers are good, I can also say the speakers deliver a high-quality whining on Skype about the Canadian weather. I can't tell you how many times my friends put their screens to the window or even take their laptop to the door to show me the horrible weather conditions they're living in. As if I could forget? LOL!

The reviews you posted are hilarious and leave a lot to the imagination. Thanks for making me smile. I needed that. My faves:

"In a city of a thousand bananas there is always a story." 

"THIS BANANA SLICER IS MY EVERYTHING" 

"Right Hand/Left Hand problem solved"


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## amespana (Nov 10, 2009)

So,how is the laptop?


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