used laptop anyone?

[Seamus]

Hi Seamas,

If you tell me how to look for the cable, as in, under which name or part number it is designated, I can look for it on ebay and order it myself. My partner will then replace it.
Thank you for your offer to help though, it is much appreciated :)

Gertrudes, your laptop is on its way, I sent you a PM with the details. I wiped the hard drive and installed a copy of windows xp on it, but it is empty otherwise. If you search ebay for "Dell Inspiron 8600 LCD cable" you should find it easily enough. They are available on US Ebay for under 10 USD with shipping. It should look like this: _http://cgi.ebay.com/Dell-Inspiron-8500-8600-15-4-LCD-Video-Cable-2C415-Flex-/330401297422?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ced73b40e

SolarMother, if you need help with your laptop, please post your questions in this thread.

Good luck to both of you!

 

[Gertrudes]

Thank you Seamas, I just bought the cable from Uk's ebay website. I have also sent you a PM with the details of my paypal payment for the shipping.

Good luck to both of you!

Thank you very much! This laptop is something we've been wanting to get for quite a while now, you giving it away was something that fell from heaven :)
Hope you enjoy it as well SolarMother!

ADDED: forgot to say that the payment might take a few days to come through your own paypal account. At least this has been my experience with paypal.

 

[SolarMother]

Thank you Seamas, I just bought the cable from Uk's ebay website. I have also sent you a PM with the details of my paypal payment for the shipping.

Good luck to both of you!

Thank you very much! This laptop is something we've been wanting to get for quite a while now, you giving it away was something that fell from heaven :)
Hope you enjoy it as well SolarMother!

will i ever! i'm like a kid in a candy shoppe today--going to the post office very soon, since it might be there today!
merci beaucoup Seamas!! The MO is off in the mail today.
Enjoy Gertrudes! :D

 

[SolarMother]

Hi Seamas,

If you tell me how to look for the cable, as in, under which name or part number it is designated, I can look for it on ebay and order it myself. My partner will then replace it.
Thank you for your offer to help though, it is much appreciated :)

SolarMother, if you need help with your laptop, please post your questions in this thread.

Good luck to both of you!

Hello Seamas!
Today is Friday, a very good day because the computer has arrived! Its a nice looking computer--THANK YOU!
At this time, being the beginning of the connection process at the library, I am sitting on one of the library's computers so that I can ask you some questions re getting a network connection going. Don't seem to be able to do that on my own.
Here is what is happening:
The page saying Firefox Start comes up and I typed in 'gmail'. Its in the 'offline mode' so I do what it says and 'uncheck Work Offline', and hit 'start again' and get 'server not found.' Then the librarian and I go through some moves since it says 'firefox can't find the server at www.google.com' Then it says 'choose a wireles network' and in that window it says 'windows cannot configure this wireless connection...if you want Windows to configure this wireless connection, start the wireless zero configuration (WZC) service, etc.
We tried many things. Nothing worked to connect to the library's internet service. I use Windows all the time here , so it should work. If you are around, I am here til 5:30p my time, it is now 3:05pm. I bet its something simple!!

 

[Beau]

It could just be that the laptop does not have a wireless card. Have you tried using an ethernet cord to connect?

 

[SolarMother]

It could just be that the laptop does not have a wireless card. Have you tried using an ethernet cord to connect?

I just asked the librarian what you were talking about and she explained, so we hooked up the cord, and bingo, it worked. And, I will purchase a wireless card. I guess the newer computers have all of this included. Thanks for your help Heimdallr.

 

[Seamus]

Hi SolarMother,

The laptop does have wireless, you just have to turn it on. I usually use a networking cable so that I'm not exposing myself to as much wifi radiation, so I think I left it turned off. If you look on the keyboard, the top row of keys should have blue symbols, these correspond with the fn (function) key. One of them should look like a radio, I think it is the F2 key. So if you press fn+F2, both at the same time, it will turn the wifi radio on, or off.

 

[SolarMother]

Hi SolarMother,

The laptop does have wireless, you just have to turn it on. I usually use a networking cable so that I'm not exposing myself to as much wifi radiation, so I think I left it turned off. If you look on the keyboard, the top row of keys should have blue symbols, these correspond with the fn (function) key. One of them should look like a radio, I think it is the F2 key. So if you press fn+F2, both at the same time, it will turn the wifi radio on, or off.

Hi Seamas,
Thanks for that, and I just tried what you said but it's not working yet...I hit the Fn key at the same time as the F2 key (looks like a radio tower.) Nothing happened. (I was already on the google page.) Also wondering when was the last time you used the wireless on the computer you sent, could it be that there is something else I need to do? Meanwhile, I'm trying different things....I'll be here at the library all day, so maybe we can talk some more.

 

[anart]

If I were you, I would leave the wireless turned OFF. It wreaks havoc on the human body/mind. Use an Ethernet cord.

 

[SolarMother]

If I were you, I would leave the wireless turned OFF. It wreaks havoc on the human body/mind. Use an Ethernet cord.

I know, I understand and I'd like to.
The problem is, I want to be able to take the laptop to different places, and I doubt I will be able to plug in the cord wherever I go in town, which as you probably know, has a phone jack device on both ends. Even here at the library there isn't a place set up for a laptop with a plug in for the cord. All the computers are networked and each has its own plug in place for the cable. So, I would continue to use the library computers when here at the library.
I am limited with how often I can come to the library--sometimes frequently, sometimes not much at all. So, the laptop was my ticket to more freedom in hours I can be on it by being able to use it where I am currently temporarily living (while building a home) since there is wireless service.

I don't know if it is ideal for most homes to use a cable, but the house we are building is going to be off grid, with no land line phone--we will be sharing a phone with the other person already on the land. We will try to use a satellite for the computer. But if not, I will come to town and go to different places.
So, you see my dilemna, and why I want to use Wi Fi even though it's not healthy.

 

[SolarMother]

Hi Seamas,
I wanted to let you know that ALL is WELL with the computer. I am at home and I am online!
Yesterday, late in afternoon, someone came into the library who knows computers and he helped me to reconnect to wireless and showed me how to always be able to do that. So, no more worries here.
I am going to get an ethernet cord to have on hand when a situation is there where I can use it. And, I am going to get a lap protecting device, re radiation, that I heard is being made and sold at Office Max.
Thank you again for the computer--it's changing my life already.

 

[Seamus]

Hi Seamas,
I wanted to let you know that ALL is WELL with the computer. I am at home and I am online!
Yesterday, late in afternoon, someone came into the library who knows computers and he helped me to reconnect to wireless and showed me how to always be able to do that. So, no more worries here.
I am going to get an ethernet cord to have on hand when a situation is there where I can use it. And, I am going to get a lap protecting device, re radiation, that I heard is being made and sold at Office Max.
Thank you again for the computer--it's changing my life already.

Hi SolarMother,

I'm glad that you found someone who could help you, I was going to suggest that. I agree with Anart that you should try to use an ethernet cord whenever possible. My direct experience is that prolonged exposure to wifi radiation gives me brain fog, makes me confused and anxious, and it makes me physically ill, like my "batteries" are drained all the way.

I'm happy to hear that it is working out for you so far, I hope that it will be a valuable tool.

 

[SolarMother]

Hi SolarMother,

I'm glad that you found someone who could help you, I was going to suggest that. I agree with Anart that you should try to use an ethernet cord whenever possible. My direct experience is that prolonged exposure to wifi radiation gives me brain fog, makes me confused and anxious, and it makes me physically ill, like my "batteries" are drained all the way.

I'm happy to hear that it is working out for you so far, I hope that it will be a valuable tool.

I'll do my best with the ethernet cord. Thank you for the heads up on the effects of WiFi. Take care.

edit: mod fixed quotes

 

[Sirius]

I sold my 4.5 year old laptop for 70 € in summer 2010.

I'll do my best with the ethernet cord. Thank you for the heads up on the effects of WiFi. Take care.

Yes, and also take care of Bluetooth if it is a relatively new laptop. All these wireless devices are on by default. If you should nonetheless need WiFi just for a period of time (which is, however, not highly recommended; you should ban wireless technology completely from your environment), you have to use an external WiFi adapter with some extension cord (more than 2 metres at least). Don't use the WiFi card inside your laptop. But this would only reduce the exposure to radiation. The router's radiation would continue to exist which is dangerous and extremely harmful.

 

[SolarMother]

I sold my 4.5 year old laptop for 70 € in summer 2010.

I'll do my best with the ethernet cord. Thank you for the heads up on the effects of WiFi. Take care.

Yes, and also take care of Bluetooth if it is a relatively new laptop. All these wireless devices are on by default. If you should nonetheless need WiFi just for a period of time (which is, however, not highly recommended; you should ban wireless technology completely from your environment), you have to use an external WiFi adapter with some extension cord (more than 2 metres at least). Don't use the WiFi card inside your laptop. But this would only reduce the exposure to radiation. The router's radiation would continue to exist which is dangerous and extremely harmful.

Thank you for the information Sirius.
Just how does one be online safely these days???