Computers

Hi

I was thinking about buying a laptop.. but if i buy one and then go england, can i just buy a english charger to use? does that work?

I brought my laptop over when I moved to Scotland.  I only needed a UK plug to go into my powerpack (I think that's what they're called). It works fine.

I bought a laptop right before I moved to England... a desktop just isn't suitable for the traveling, as we are all aware of.

The cord that plugs into the wall (that is, connects my laptop to some electricity) can be plugged into an adapter (not even a converter, just a US - UK adapter) and works fine.  It's kind of like what many Brits do here with iPods -- charger from home country, adapter from US - UK plug (well, at least that's what my boyfriend does, not sure about everybody else).

The only quirky things that come up are the looks I get around uni.  "Wow, she looks English.... but an adapter... Geez.... she must be, like, Polish or something..."

The majority of laptop power supply units now will work on 120 or 240 volts with no adjustment.   Just check the label on the supply/charger unit to be sure.  It will most likely say something like "100 to 250 volts."

I'd also recommend buying, for like £5, a cord that fits into your power 'brick' and then into a UK 3-pronged outlet, rather than just relying on outlet convertors.  I've had bad luck with the cheap little plastic things and it feels a lot safer to have a proper cord into the brick/outlet.

You can get them at any computer shop/electronics shop when you arrive.

One other thing--the US laptop will probably have a DVD region lock on it, sort of. You might get one that is unlocked, or you might get one that will lock into one specific region or another after the 6th 'switch'.  You can get by this by using VLC for playing DVDs or finding a hack or (if not a big deal) just letting it stay locked one way or the other.

I've had bad luck with the cheap little plastic things and it feels a lot safer to have a proper cord into the brick/outlet.

Yep, a lot of the cheap plug adapters are absolute trash, and some are even dangerous one way or another.   "Made in China."   

Like Penguinsix said look for one that plugs into your "brick".  I'd recommend Maplins for Power Supplies.  Don't be put off by the prices (they're for full power supplies not just for the plug to go into the "brick").  If you go into one of the stores in person they're usually about £10 (I think if I remember right).    

Good luck!

Should we bring our desk top computer when we move or not?  The kids use the computer to charge their mp3 and ipods.  Will our computer work there?

jet

My 6-year-old Korean computer works here.. and it even had a switch to change the power supply.  So, yours should be fine.

Note:  our switch didn't work and the computer caught on fire.   Runs fine off the converter.

Should we bring our desk top computer when we move or not? 

The power supply in the desktop itself will most likely have a voltage selector switch.  Just look on the rear near to where the power cord connects.

Peripherals can be more of a problem.  If the monitor is a fairly modern type it may have a power supply which will work on 120 or 240 volts with no adjustments.  Look at the label on the rear to see what operating voltages are listed.   If there's no switch and the tag just says "120V" or maybe "110-130V" then you would need to run it via a transformer.

Just check the AC adapter label to see if it will work with 240v.  Most will autoswitch to the proper voltage either 120 or 240.

I'm a little frustrated that new computers don't have owners manuals/instructions included and I heard this morning on the radio the manufactures don't include them because they have to reduce their costs.
Anyone thinking of buying a computer should take into consideration that they don't come with instructions and if you have a problem they will require your credit card to charge for technical assistance. Of course there is a period of maybe a year when there is no chargebut after then you are on your own.

Hi Jim,

In 'general' there is no real 'need' for an instruction manual for a PC - the major functions of PC's do not vary much from manufacturer to manufacturer - hence it's perfectly understandable the vendors dont want to print prepare and include a manual for each PC.

However, you will still find printed manuals included on many PC's that have 'more features' or are aimed at a specific segment of the market. I just bought another high performing ultra portable laptop and surprising to me, it came with a full printed manual. It does contain specific information relating to the system itself, but I can' t help thinking it would have been much better to have distributed it electronically via a .PDF file instead.

from an IT perspective - Software and Hardware doesn't really lend itself to 'instructions' as such - a better word I think would be an 'overview'. This is becuase there are so many different permutations on using software (hardware less so) it would mean manuals 10 or 20 times the thickness !

it's for the above reason that 'training' is much more productive when it comes to buying new IT equipment, this is more so in Software rather than hardware, but it does depend on what you buy. Many people or 'Home users' are under the impression that 'Technical Support' is a 'training line' and throughout the IT industry, it isn't. Technical Support is charged of course, and its for 'specific' issues relating to the hardware or software. There is a 'blur' of course between when the issue is specific and when it becomes a 'training issue' but companies do train their staff to be able to distuingish between the two when dealing with 'home users' .

Cheers! DtM! West London & Slough UK!

In 'general' there is no real 'need' for an instruction manual for a PC - the major functions of PC's do not vary much from manufacturer to manufacturer - hence it's perfectly understandable the vendors dont want to print prepare and include a manual for each PC.

you beat me to it... just what i was going to say!

Besides, most of the 'manuals' are online or in a PDF document on the computer anyway. I think I accessed mine via the 'help' function.