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Basic Laptop

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Helenmm | 11:43 Mon 30th Jul 2018 | Technology
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I do not want to buy any more laptops that are loaded with apps and other rubbish when you first turn them on . I would like a laptop that has access to :
the Internet
email
Office
I do not want any gaming or streaming or films .
Does anyone know if laptops like this are available to buy ?
Many thanks .
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This looks very good. I am too looking for a new lap top and am toying with this one. But someone has said the gb should be higher like 256gb.

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/ideapad-520s-intelr-coretm-i5-8gb-ram-128gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-laptop-nvidia-geforce-gt-940mx-2gb-44999-very-2993053
yes the ssd hard drive is in my opinion to small if you going to store
things like music, videos, photos 256gb would be better 500gb perfect
I don't know of any pc or laptop that will not arrive loaded with junk.
Your requirements are modest, you don't need an expensive model.
You will be able to buy a computer with a larger HDD than the SSD specified for the same price. SSD give fast access to files (data) but are relatively expensive. If you are not editing video you would be better off with a larger HDD that will give you more storage space for photos etc. By the time you've got the Operating System (OS) loaded a 256GB SSD will not leave a lot of space for data.
Question Author
Many thanks to all of you for taking the time to reply . Your comments are really helpful to me as I have severe technology dyslexia .
Helen
With regard to the size of the hard drive (or solid state drive) you definitely need to avoid the cheap models which are currently offered with just 32GB. The internet is littered with posts (including quite a few here on AB) from people who've reported problems with updating Windows 10 because there's insufficient space on the drive. However I don't really think that (for the limited computer use you've mentioned) you need anything like the size suggested by Fender62. I'm typing this post on a computer with a 64GB drive and it's all I'm ever likely to need. (If I wanted to store lots of videos I'd simply plug in a USB memory stick). So a 128GB would probably be more than you'd need.

Before we can recommend any specific model(s) though, it might help to know a little more about your needs. Some people only use their laptops at home and nearly always plugged into the mains. For such a person the weight of a laptop wouldn't be particularly important and neither would the battery life. Other people though like to take their laptops with them when they go hiking and to then access the internet (via a dongle using a mobile phone signal) from the tops of mountains. Such people would obviously require laptops which were particularly lightweight but which also had batteries which didn't run down quickly. So what are your needs?

Further, you mention that you require Office. Do you actually need Microsoft Office or would a freebie (such as Apache OpenOffice, Libre Office or WPS Office Free) meet your needs just as well. Buying a laptop with Microsoft Office pre-installed can add a great deal to the cost (unless it's only a trial edition, where you'll pay more at a later date), sothere's no point in doing so if you don't actually need it. (Most people on AB seem to use Apache OpenOffice, including me).
One option is to buy a "clean" computer, but they come with a premium price.
Another is the following:

* do the initial out-of-the-box install of Windows 10
* download a fresh image to a flashdrive from here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows10
* reinstall Windows from the flashdrive

That purges most of the pre-installed junk.
Follow that with a perusal of Setting > Apps & delete anything unwanted like Xbox.
Would recommend that a tech-savvy friend help you.
Buenchico mentioned good alternatives for MS Office.
Chico, you may remember me posting at the weekend about the trouble with my laptop which you diagnosed as a glorified notebook. I have now ordered one of these:

Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation
Will this solve my issues, do you think?
^^^ That's a decent laptop, Jack, but possibly rather over-specified for many peoples needs. (Dell offer a version of that laptop with a 500GB drive and 4GB of RAM for £100 less: https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/laptops-notebooks-and-2-in-1-laptops/inspiron-15-3000/spd/inspiron-15-3552-laptop ).

It's certainly a lot better than what you had before anyway.
Please excuse me for changing the subject, but as you're there Chris, would you have any idea why my previously-faultless Samsung 5 year-old TV has just lost picture (just a black screen) but I still have sound? I doubt even you can suggest a fix for it, and I am doomed!
Hi GG.

Just in case it's something as simple as having the wrong source set, press the 'Source' button on the remote control to see if a menu appears. (The Source button is often show by a rounded rectangle with an arrow pointing into it).

If nothing happens, try unplugging the set (not just switching it off), waiting for 5 minutes and plugging it back in.

Otherwise contact Samsung UK Support:
https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/service-centre/
goodgoalie, try this worth a shot,
Take your Smart Remote in hand and simultaneously press Info + Menu + Mute + Power. Next, enter the following sequence into your remote: Mute > 1 > 8 > 2 > Power. Your television will boot up in service mode. Using your remote, go to Options > Factory Reset
Thanks for the replies, Chris and Fender. No luck, I'm afraid - it's not a smart TV so the YouTube couldn't help, and the Info+ Menu etc did nothing. I reckon it's had it - very annoying after only just over 5 years and the sound still works. Alas, I don't have the funds to replace it (even though prices have come down).

Having to peer at the 14" screen of an ancient portable I fished out of the garage. Horrible!
Question Author
I appreciate your detailed and thoughtful replies . I found an Acer laptop that would do despite the usual bloat ware . It also has 1TB of storage .
Helen
Glad you are sorted, Helen. My old Acer served me very well for at least 6 years.

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