One of my friends has apparently qualified for cheap internet from Comcast. It"s about $10 a month. They also offer a Dell computer for about $150. It's got 4 gb of memory and 64 gb hard drive. Should he get it? Would it be possible to modify it, for instance by upgrading the hard drive? He wants at least 1 - 2 terabytes. Also, how bad is it to have chrome as an operating system? Can it be swapped out for something better, such as Linux? I guess if nothing else I might be able to borrow it and try to repair my Moto G Stylus.
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Cheap computer
- Thread starter Rgarner
- Start date
puppykickr
Android Expert
You can basically get a cellphone that has the same specs for about the same money.
The odds of being able to upgrade a computer like that?
Probably cost more than just getting what you want to begin with.
The odds of being able to upgrade a computer like that?
Probably cost more than just getting what you want to begin with.
So it's a Dell Chromebook is it?
Something like one of these? Which can be anything from $99, upwards.
https://www.amazon.com/dell-chromebook/s?k=dell+chromebook
What it's like to use, like how good or bad it is, no idea, I've never seen or used one. Don't know how you would use one to repair a broken phone. If it's flashing manufacturer firmware, that sometime needs Windows, all depending on what's actually required.
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I wanted to use adb or else droidkit to get out of fastboot. The Moto G Stylus seems to have gotten stuck that way and it's been more than a week. I don't know why it hasn't shut off yet. Maybe it's got the six million dollar battery. I was on a call and it just pulled that stunt. I can't afford to get a new phone every time one goes bonkers, which seems to be a few times per year.
ADB can be run on a Chromebook, but it takes extra steps:
https://www.howtogeek.com/358285/how-to-use-adb-and-fastboot-on-a-chromebook/
Depends on the model, some will have the SSD/hard drive soldered to the motherboard so you can't upgrade.
D
Deleted User
Guest
For someone that doesn't understand an on/off switch or a sim tray, with originally an ex - Fred Flinstone phone castoff and living in the wilderness; you know a lot more about software than I do (which, granted, is nil).
Just joshing, but I think you may be running a phone and home repairs business from a wood shack somewhere
I wish, Madd61. I still can't quite get over my claim to fame here as an "Android expert"...good one. Meanwhile, Kate, back to serious business, how could we tell what kind of computer (fixable or not) before somebody gets stuck with a pig in a poke? I bet that saying has a really interesting origin, most likely in the backwoods.
Search the model number online for the user manual or product reviews and see it they mention if the drive can be replaced.
Could also ask someone at the store, not sure if they would know though...
Could also ask someone at the store, not sure if they would know though...
I'm not sure that's possible. This is apparently a one time offer, and they might not let people look too closely. How much would it cost to get a computer with 1 TB, I hope without Untel? Is there anybody here who has experience with computer chips from Cyrix, Motorola, AMD...
The cheapest AMD laptop with 1TB is $380 right now on Bestbuy.com. Could probably find one on sale for $300-350 if you look around.
Just curious as to why you do not like Intel chips?
All my computers use Intel. If I were to get something other then Intel, I would get AMD.
rootabaga
Android Expert
Just buy a USB 3 external drive. Cheaper and safer than opening the case and the one in there isn’t likely to be a “conventional” SSD anyway, it will be a chip on a card.
You can watch HD movies from USB 3 without a glitch, and that way all of your data can be backed up as well.
So long as you can run the programs you want on a chromebook there’s not much of a downside…except that you’re trusting big brother Google with everything.
You can watch HD movies from USB 3 without a glitch, and that way all of your data can be backed up as well.
So long as you can run the programs you want on a chromebook there’s not much of a downside…except that you’re trusting big brother Google with everything.
Intel should be infamous for many things. Here's an example. Years ago NORAD (I think) was informed of 2 incoming Russian missiles. Then it was 22, followed by 222, 2222...at some point a human brain apparently kicked in and decided that there was probably an error. There was, in the Intel chip. I don't know how close the world got to nuclear war that day. Besides floating point error, Intel got caught leaving a spook door that left innocent citizens at risk of being spied on by who knows what. I'm sure there's a longer list but this should suffice for now. Also problematic is the corporation's unwillingness to admit wrongdoing to the public. Evidently they figure that it'll just blow over and thus far it has.
You can get a 1TB external drive for under $70, so that and the $150 computer would be cheaper.
64GB internal storage is pretty low. If you're only going to use it for browsing the internet it would be OK, and storing files on the external drive.
But if you're going to install lots of programs you wont have much space.
64GB internal storage is pretty low. If you're only going to use it for browsing the internet it would be OK, and storing files on the external drive.
But if you're going to install lots of programs you wont have much space.
All your files, pics, vids, documents, etc. can go on the external drive. If it has an Intel CPU that shouldn't be a problem.
If you buy a Chromebook - ChromeOS is made by Google. A regular laptop will have Windows which is made by Microsoft.
If you buy a Chromebook - ChromeOS is made by Google. A regular laptop will have Windows which is made by Microsoft.
You can install Linux on a regular Windows laptop. Looks like most (all?) Chromebooks can run Linux.
Maybe check out some articles about doing that:
https://www.howtogeek.com/185039/4-things-to-keep-in-mind-when-buying-a-chromebook-for-linux/
Maybe check out some articles about doing that:
https://www.howtogeek.com/185039/4-things-to-keep-in-mind-when-buying-a-chromebook-for-linux/
That's weird. I have beautiful, big-screened, full-sized keyboards, blazing specs "regular" laptops--like the one I'm typing this on--but they most definitely did not come with window$ or any other M$ garbage on them. 
I bought them from System76.
I was just making a point. There are many less expensive alternatives.
I haven't thoroughly read this thread, but I've seen mention of Chromebooks. I have an Acer Chromebook that I used to leave on my patio and use when I was outside all day. That was before I got sick. When I first got it, I TRIED using Google's idea of Linux--where everything is done from and to a cloud--but it didn't work for me. So I hacked it a bit and installed Kubuntu Linux on its big hard drive (which I'd had the foresight to buy ahead of time), and turned it into a regular Linux laptop. All my favorite programs are on it and everything is saved locally (or over my network)--not in 'the cloud.' I've heard that more modern Chromebooks actually have a feature that will let you easily install your own choice of Linux on them. I did it the hard way!
Yeah, I'm probably going to go with some relatively cheap machine (please not Intel) and add as big an external hard drive as I can afford. How are externals on reliability, breakage, hackability by the baddies, etc. v. internal drives? Is Linux very vulnerable? I though it wasn't vis a vis windows anyway but I've seen some troubling info.
Externals are fine--I'm using one right now (a 1TB drive in an external enclosure, attached via USB) with this laptop. They're no more or less hackable than anything else on your network.
I don't know what you've seen, but 30 years of factual proof show that Linux is much safer, much more secure than window$. If it's good enough to run 100% of the top 500 supercomputers and the International Space Station, it's good enough for me!