I bought an Advent 9115 laptop last week, with 2g of Ram, a 1.4 ghz
dual core processor, running Vista. This seems to be PC world's 'own
brand', possibly formerly known as E- Systems, though I got it from
their partners Currys. I know that Vista has been complained about
and I would like some peace of mind regarding problems I've had with
my laptop. My dad bought the same one just before me, which he has
broadband for now. 25 updates were installed, and I'm wondering how
much of that has been fixes I'd benefit from. I'm not able to get
broadband for now, but a tech guy gave me adescription I don't quite
trust about how I could link mine to my dad's to use the broadband,
putting an ADSL cable between our laptops and using a USB conneection
instead to connect his laptop to the (Talk Talk) modem.
The worst problem has been when trying to write DVDs using Windows DVD
Writer. The program has crashed, or the dvd (both +r and -r) has had
to be thrown away, for example because audio set to play during the
menus is scratchy sounding and drops out. I am concerned that if I
try and make the Recovery disks I'm prompted to, they will not work
after hours of making them. (Generally how long should these Recovery
DVDs take ot make? And is there any reason why The Tech Guys specify
DVD-r?)
After playing some DVDs Media Center - even if I'd not used it to play
them - goes a bit funny, the sound is scratchy and drops out, as if
DMA has been meddled with. Restarting sorts this out, but it's a
pain.
The only software I've added is drivers for my mobile phone; Kristal
(a recording studio package that seems to work fine as it had on my XP
machine), and Wellphone, some more mobilke phone software for saving
SIM card stuff and sending txts typed from my laptops keyboard; and
AverTV software amended to work with Vista. This is for a Digital TV
box I'd used with my XP machine; I downloaded the Vista version, as
the XP software did not work.
I have done a System Restore - already! - to get things back ot how
they were, and currently things are fine, though I left my house
earlier in the middle of burning a DVD, as it's a bit long-winded,
even for 13 short WMV files - a total of around 20 minutes footage -
being made into a DVD.
I took the spec stickers off the laptop as I'd kept rubbing them
thinking, out of the corner fo my eye, that they were the touchpad, so
I'm anticipating the Currys staff quibbling about this if i have ot
take it back.
I suupose the firts thing to try is burn a DVD on my dad's machine.
I've also set DVD Writer to burn at a 'medium' speed rather than
'Fastest', which is annoying.
I have used some slightly scratched DVDs, they play fine but I don't
know if they're causing problems.
I'd like ot confidently know the problems not a physical fault before
i take it back.
Thanks for any help.
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