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Can you please help me with a PC laptop question?

grommet

grommet

Well-Known Member
Hello, I hope you can help me, I do not know enough about computers. I have to run Thorx6, a printing program for a peen printer. It is only 30Mb in size and will run on Win7, Win8, Win10, Win 11.

I have a fast desktop PC but I cannot bend over to use the keyboard and mouse on a desk. I have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, if I could find a way to use them on a lap tray maybe that could work but I would still have to strain to see the desktop monitor so I am thinking I need a laptop.

I only need a laptop to run this simple program that people have said might be 20 years old.

There are refurbished PC laptops for sale on Amazon for low prices, under $100 USD. What is the least expensive laptop I can use? If I knew some specifications to look for I could read the listings and see. The laptops I looked at that cost $69 used Celeron processors.

I just need a laptop so I can type text and numbers into this program, I would not be using it for anything else, not internet or anything. It would be like an interface for the printer that could have come with it.

I found these, I tried to make sure they ran Windows.

IMG_1040.png
 
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Hi Grommet. Any of those laptops would be suitable for what you want. With only 4 gig of Ram they'll be very slow running Win10 but it sounds like that doesn't really matter for what you're going to use them for.
 
Outdated said:
Hi Grommet. Any of those laptops would be suitable for what you want. With only 4 gig of Ram they'll be very slow running Win10 but it sounds like that doesn't really matter for what you're going to use them for.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I only need it for the text editor. I wish I could use a Chrome Book because they are cheaper but they do not run Windows.

I ordered a lap desk that has a mousepad. If it works maybe I can use the desktop because I have the wireless keyboard and mouse. I think I will need the laptop so I can see the screen but I will try the lap desk.
 
Outdated said:
Hi Grommet. Any of those laptops would be suitable for what you want. With only 4 gig of Ram they'll be very slow running Win10 but it sounds like that doesn't really matter for what you're going to use them for.
Click to expand...

I need more help from you please. I was looking at a laptop and a person in the comments says it needs to have 16gb of RAM because Windows will use 7GB. I will only use the laptop for the text editor, no internet, no other programs. What do you think of what that person said?
 
Just because Windows might take up 7 GB footprint doesn't mean it'll be 7GB of active memory usage. The unactive bits will likely get paged to disk. Think about it, if Windows really needed all 7GB memory, they wouldn't be able to sell 4GB laptops with Windows!

If you are anxious, how is this option? Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 11E 5th Gen 11.6" Touch Intel Pentium Silver N5030 8GB RAM 128GB SSD Windows 11 Home (Renewed)

It's $4 above your budget, but it seems safe given your specs. The only issue is that the GPU accesses main memory and is not dedicated memory. I *think* it will be OK but if not you can always return it.
 
grommet said:
I need more help from you please. I was looking at a laptop and a person in the comments says it needs to have 16gb of RAM because Windows will use 7GB. I will only use the laptop for the text editor, no internet, no other programs. What do you think of what that person said?
Click to expand...
4 gig is fine for your usage. Windows will be slow to start up and programs will be slow to open but there shouldn't be any operational issues. Once a program such as you want to use is open it will behave quite normally. And I can give you some tips to help make it run a little quicker too. Not letting it connect to the net unless absolutely necessary will also help.
 
jsilver256 said:
Just because Windows might take up 7 GB footprint doesn't mean it'll be 7GB of active memory usage. The unactive bits will likely get paged to disk. Think about it, if Windows really needed all 7GB memory, they wouldn't be able to sell 4GB laptops with Windows!

If you are anxious, how is this option? Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 11E 5th Gen 11.6" Touch Intel Pentium Silver N5030 8GB RAM 128GB SSD Windows 11 Home (Renewed)

It's $4 above your budget, but it seems safe given your specs. The only issue is that the GPU accesses main memory and is not dedicated memory. I *think* it will be OK but if not you can always return it.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much. Do you have a link? I tried putting that in the Amazon search bar and a lot of laptops came up.
 
Outdated said:
4 gig is fine for your usage. Windows will be slow to start up and programs will be slow to open but there shouldn't be any operational issues. Once a program such as you want to use is open it will behave quite normally. And I can give you some tips to help make it run a little quicker too. Not letting it connect to the net unless absolutely necessary will also help.
Click to expand...

I once had a PC that took seven minutes to start. That was too long, it made me afraid to use it. Do you think the 4 gig laptops would take a couple of minutes to start? I like having a laptop that starts up quickly. If I had to pay a lot more for that I think it would be worth it because then I would use it more. I would like to be able to open it quickly enough that it would be like an interface for the printer. Turn them both on and use It.

I am not trying to be silly, I know I cannot have a very low price and maybe the performance of a laptop that starts quickly. Are there low cost PC lap tops that could start fast if I set them up to run minimally, I just need the text editor.
 
8 gig of ram is a realistic minimum requirement for most operating systems these days, and running from a solid state drive will make it boot quicker. Any Windows machine will run a lot quicker if you stop unnecessary programs from running too.

We don't need to remove any programs, just stop them from starting up automatically, you'll still be able to start any of them by double clicking on their icons. Windows has a built in program for doing this, it's called MSCONFIG. Just type msconfig into the program search bar and click on it to start it.

When msconfig opens you'll see a few little tabs across the top of the window, click on the one that says Services. On this page click on the little tick box at the bottom that says Hide All Microsoft and a lot of programs suddenly disappear from the list. That means anything crucial to the Windows system itself has now been hidden, therefore anything remaining in the list is not necessary for Windows to run. It's all just extra rubbish running in the background and slowing you down. Technically, once “Hide All Microsoft” is ticked, you can go down that list of programs and untick all of them.

After this do CTRL + ALT + DEL to access the Start Up menu and remove anything unnecessary from there too. After that reboot and the computer should run a fair bit quicker.
 
@grommet

If you already have an adequate PC, and you just want to control your body position, there's another approach:
buy longer cables (for screen and hubs) and wireless mouse, keyboard, stylus etc.
That way you optimize furniture and body position independently of your PC tech.

A laptop is fine if you want a second system, but those small screens and keyboards can be a pain. I always use external screens anyway.
USB-C cables are good (still expensive, but convenient), and you can get USB-C hubs with built-in HDMI connectors.

PC boot time is largely dependent on disk speed, so be 100% sure your Windows is installed on an SSD. For convenience, make sure the machine is already set up that way.

BTW those minimum system requirements you posted above are obviously for quite old software (i.e. it hasn't become bloated over the years due to modifications/modernization). I have laptops going back 15 years or so (replaced every couple of years), and even the oldest match that specification.
My guess is that any system that can run Windows 10 will run that S/W. Just make sure it has the right connectors, or you can get hubs that work with what you have (peripherals and external disks).
 
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Outdated said:
8 gig of ram is a realistic minimum requirement for most operating systems these days, and running from a solid state drive will make it boot quicker. Any Windows machine will run a lot quicker if you stop unnecessary programs from running too.

We don't need to remove any programs, just stop them from starting up automatically, you'll still be able to start any of them by double clicking on their icons. Windows has a built in program for doing this, it's called MSCONFIG. Just type msconfig into the program search bar and click on it to start it.

When msconfig opens you'll see a few little tabs across the top of the window, click on the one that says Services. On this page click on the little tick box at the bottom that says Hide All Microsoft and a lot of programs suddenly disappear from the list. That means anything crucial to the Windows system itself has now been hidden, therefore anything remaining in the list is not necessary for Windows to run. It's all just extra rubbish running in the background and slowing you down. Technically, once “Hide All Microsoft” is ticked, you can go down that list of programs and untick all of them.

After this do CTRL + ALT + DEL to access the Start Up menu and remove anything unnecessary from there too. After that reboot and the computer should run a fair bit quicker.
Click to expand...

This is exciting. I want to do that. I did not know how to stop all the things slowing a PC down. I will save these directions. Now I have to find the right 8gb laptop.
 
Hypnalis said:
@grommet

If you already have an adequate PC, and you just want to control your body position, there's another approach:
buy longer cables (for screen and hubs) and wireless mouse, keyboard, stylus etc.
That way you optimize furniture and body position independently of your PC tech.

A laptop is fine if you want a second system, but those small screens and keyboards can be a pain. I always use external screens anyway.
USB-C cables are good (still expensive, but convenient), and you can get USB-C hubs with built-in HDMI connectors.

PC boot time is largely dependent on disk speed, so be 100% sure your Windows is installed on an SSD. For convenience, make sure the machine is already set up that way.

BTW those minimum system requirements you posted above are obviously for quite old software (i.e. it hasn't become bloated over the years due to modifications/modernization). I have laptops going back 15 years or so (replaced every couple of years), and even the oldest match that specification.
My guess is that any system that can run Windows 10 will run that S/W. Just make sure it has the right connectors, or you can get hubs that work with what you have (peripherals and external disks).
Click to expand...

You are right, I am only trying to control my body position, that is why I am thinking of a laptop. Anything in my lap, like I am using now (iPad with a keyboard) is fine. Turning and reaching to use a mouse and trying to see the monitor which is on the back of the desk is causing me problems. I have a gaming PC and it is fast (i7-12700KF, 32gb CL18 RAM, RTX-3070 Ti). I only had it for VR so I did not have to reach it. I cannot use it for work though.

I need the monitor, keyboard and mouse close together so I do not have to turn and reach, so I can support my arms against my body. I have a wireless keyboard and mouse for it but it’s still a problem. I think I may not be able to use a mouse much for work and need a touchpad. I thought a laptop would solve all the problems and if I could get a lower performance inexpensive one it would be great. I could just open and work. I think the mouse is causing me the biggest problem, making me lift my arm.

I have not been able to use a desktop for a long time. Laptops and tablets have worked very well for me.

I get confused on Amazon though. I see a laptop I want but read a review and someone says it has a big problem, every time it starts it gets stuck in the BIOS screen. One reviewer said the WiFi turned itself off but they way the laptop was initially set up it had to contact Microsoft on start-up (I may be misunderstanding a bit) so the laptop would not work because he had to log in to it to turn the wifi back on and no WiFi meant he couldn’t. Another talked about the laptop not recognizing some devices and being stuck.

I cannot have lot of problems to solve. I need something reliable that will work easily. It’s just to run the text editor.

I also looked at Best Buy but I do not know what to do.
 
Try searching for B0CJYNRFFD in the Amazon search bar. For me it is the second result, Sorry, the forum will not let me share links.
 
jsilver256 said:
Try searching for B0CJYNRFFD in the Amazon search bar. For me it is the second result, Sorry, the forum will not let me share links.
Click to expand...

I found it, thank you :)
You can link things on Aspie Central. Write some text, highlight it and use the link button (looks like two pieces of chain, the 7th icon from the left) it gives you a box you can past the address and it will make the text a link.
 
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