Laptop for six weeks

[bancodegaia]

I'm due to go on a residential training course for six weeks where I may require the use of a laptop to write presentations.
My problem is, I have a top-of-the-range desktop at home and have never needed a laptop so am laptopless and don't know the best way of getting hold of one relatively cheaply - I only need Office XP usage and am unwilling to spend 500+ quid on something I'll only use for 6 weeks maximum.

Any suggestions?

[twiglet4frog]

woolworths were selling them for �399 the other day, not sure on specs etc but its always handy to have a spare computer for that price

[sparks_]

Half price offer seems to be finished but it's now �450, still nearly half price!

http://www.woolworths.co.uk/wwstore/product.jhtml?op=det ails&product=50457714&op=details

I actually have one of them myself... and if you only need it for presentations and stuff then it's recommended. My only problems would be the rather short battery life which is 1 hr 20 mins and the external cd drive which is a bit of a nuisance if you're carting it around, but otherwise I'd say it's pretty good :)

Oh and Office isn't with it so you'll need to get hold of that.

[LeMarchand]

If this is one your firm is sending you on, shouldn't they provide the laptop?

[mollymoo]

You can rent them for a required period of time. Someone I used to work with smashed there screen so whilst it was away they rented one. Think a company called new wave might do it, or a companyu called the useful company. The last one is based in pinewood studios and might have an office in London, but not sure. But you can defo rent one which i am sure is cheaper then buying one.

[d0gsb0dy]

Best place I've ever dealt with for new and used laptops. Good after-sales service and 12 months warranty on all laptops, including used. http://www.laptopshop.co.uk/

[Pinotage]

You don�t need a laptop or computer to write presentations � unless the course is teaching you to use a presentations package. You say you �may� need to write presentations, so you are intending buying a laptop and software for something you only �may� need to do. And how many presentations � one a week? That�s only six, which works out at about �100 a time if you have to buy the hardware

Go to an office supplies shop and buy a pack of overhead transparency paper and a set of coloured pens.

Any presentation you need to do can be hand written on the transparencies and projected using an Overhead Projector (OHP) � which any residential training centre place will have. Your audience will be delighted not to have to face �death by PowerPoint� yet again.

If you need to show diagrams you can photocopy them onto the transparencies.

And if by some remote chance there isn�t an OHP, do the presentation on paper, photocopy it and give them as handouts.

Management gave presentations before computers � all that happened since is that more time is spent on making jazzy PowerPoint shows than actually communicating information.

If you can�t get the message over with handwritten bullet points and diagrams, then either you don�t understand what the message is or its not  worth getting over.

[bancodegaia]

Thanks a lot for all your replies,

I'll look into the various places suggested, might even get a laptop on ebay then sell it (on ebay) 6 weeks later.
I said I may need to write presentations - I will definitely need to write them but may be able to use the facilities on-site but am unsure what time they are available until.

Thanks again.