Laptop Help

[scoobydooby]

I have a fairly basic PC with Windows XP - the kids have been using it for years - things like MSN etc. I've never had any major problems with it - just a few screen freezes now and again that needed a re-boot.

Last Sunday I bought a Laptop (from a well known store) and paid for lots of 'extra's such as upgrade, installation of Norton 360 etc. On Friday evening (less than a week later) one of the kids got a Blue Screen of Death. I have cover (including accidental) so I know I can take it back to the store for them to look at but my question is.....how can I prevent this happening? Isn't that why I paid to have the Norton installed? I took the laptop into the store yesterday but they couldn't do anything because I didn't take the power supply! Anyway, it has to go back today and I'm collecting it tomorrow. I'm told there's a 95% chance it's a software problem and am told it's a bit like 'putting diesel in a petrol car' - it won't work !!! That's no good to me if it's being used constantly by teenagers! I understand that problems can occur but wasn't the Norton then a waste of money? Please help - I'm very green when it comes to these things! :o(

[Ethel]

Others will disagree but I loathe Norton with a passion - in my experiences pcs usually run a lot better without it.

Having said that, I expect your new laptop has Vista, of which I know nothing.

Does it work at all now, all was the BSOD fatal?

[vehelpfulguy]

I dont think Norton (or any other product) can stop the Blue Screen of Death.

Normaly the BSOD is when Windows has such a major problem it cannot carry on.

It can be caused by bad drivers.

You do not say if it is XP or Vista.

[Dassie]

Norton 360 is not that good. Mine caused all sorts of problems last week and I replaced it with Bitdefender. In addition Norton caused my laptop to run very slowly. If you can't get Bitdefender which is brilliant then go for McCaffee.

[rojash]

"Others will disagree" - I suspect that the only ones who will disagree are Norton employees...

[Toureman]

My computer loads about 10 times faster without Norton, I use the free antivirus that ETHEL recommended.

[Lucy Thomas]

There should be no apostrophe in the word 'extras'.

[scoobydooby]

So don't use them then Lucy!

Have just been told the laptop has a hardware problem and, after 6 days of owning it, I cannot have a replacement as it was an ex-demo model (which I knew about). Despite being told I have all the normal warranties and I also took out additional insurance for accidental cover - I have been given a complete refund. I couldn't have a replacement because mine was no longer on sale and a different like for like laptop would cost more money to buy than I had paid for mine! At the same time, they wrote off the Microsoft Student and Norton discs I purchased - because they couldn't be used again - to a higher value between the difference of what I paid and a newer model !!! A strong letter of complaint has gone in.

[betterman]

Got shot of norton!! it really is an unnecessary program, and has caused me more problems over the years than it has solved.

[Lucy Thomas]

I don't but you do so I thought I'd put you right.

[scoobydooby]

Lucy. I wasn't going to bother to go into too much detail as I have better things to do but as you think you're 'putting me right' I just have to.

Apostrophes are used to denote a missing letter or letters, as well as other uses.

Inverted Commas, on the other hand, are another term for quotation marks which are often used to pick out a word in the text which you want the reader to specifically notice.

I was a little quick with my second inverted comma - to the extent that it appeared prior to the last letter of the word. However, that doesn't make it an apostrophe - it makes it an error!

Never mind, we all have our moments of wanting to put the world to rights now and again!