PopMonkeys - Asus Eee PC, Laptops, Gadgets, Tech, and More!

I own many computers. I like computers. So when it's time to buy a computer, my family and friends ask me. I always ask two questions: What is your budget and what will you do with it?

If people ask me which laptop they should buy, I normally don't recommend the Eee because Linux is not right for everyone.

Honestly, you can go really far for $600, about the price of the 9 inch Eee PC. I would definitely take a look at Toshiba in that price range. You can get an Intel dual core processor with at least 1 GB of memory. You'll definitely get a 15.4 inch wide screen display. If you want to splurge, get an entry level Apple Macbook for about $1100. Software will be more expensive.

If you're looking for something lightweight, look for a laptop with a screen size of 14.1 inches or less. It will be a little more expensive due to the miniature size.

Again, the Eee PC and all it's competitors might be a little too under-powered if you're looking for a regular laptop.

If you are just looking to do email, browse the web, type up a light document, the Asus EEE PC 900 might be right for you. It's runs Windows XP, 8.9 inch screen, and cost about $550. Don't expect to edit your pictures because the processor is only a 900 Mhz Intel Celeron. You're not going to multi-task or play any games.

I'm really paranoid about my external drives ever since my Seagate FreeAgent drive died - only 2 months old.

I have a WD MyBook 500 GB drive. I nicknamed it Darth Vader because it's all black and shiny. It's my back drive for music, pictures, and video.

My primary drive is the Buffalo 500GB DriveStation. It's actually a very nice drive. The Seagate started up every time my computer booted up. I have to turn it off every single time. But the Buffalo drive has a switch. Very nice since I don't access the drive that much. Also, it has a firewire port. Very nice since I also have a Mac Mini. My only complaint is that it can be a little loud, especially since it is right next to my monitor.

Highly recommended.

Popmonkeys

I finally got around to installing the Buffalo back up Hard Drive that I bought the other day. It's noticeably larger than the Western Digital MyBook and louder too. But there's something about the Buffalo that feels solid. It feels like a good product.

The WD drive is nice too. But when you compare the two, the WD feels like a toy.

They are both 500 GB drives. The Buffalo drive has a USB port and a firewire port. The one thing on this drive that I appreciate is the on/off power switch.

Another thing I notice is that the WD is made/assembled in Thailand. The Buffalo is made in Japan. Now that's something you don't see very often.

Check it out for yourself: Link to Fry's

Head Chimp

I recently had trouble with my Seagate FreeAgent 500GB External Hard Drive. The boot sector in that drive crashed out of the blue. I wasn't too worried about the hardware, but my DATA!!! It contained most of my media files. So what did I do?


Problem:
Bad boot sector on External Drive.

Symptoms:
Drive does not recognize when plugged in. (Autoplay does not scan and the window doesn't pop up that asks you want do you want to do with the newly plugged in drive).

Solution: (I came to the conclusion that I'm losing an external drive)
1. Crack case and pull drive out of the plastic enclosure. (There's a lot of plastic)
You can easily find a How-To. Just google it.

2. Take drive and mount in a computer with free sata port.

3. Windows will fix bad sector.

4. Back up data on another drive.

5. Drive is dead. I haven't tried formatting it. I've moved on to a Western Digital MyBook. So shiny, so black, so nice. Also, learning from my last experience, I have a back up Buffalo drive in case of any future failures.

Head Chimp