Snidely - good point about not removing things if they're not causing trouble - lest they turn out to have been needed. So I have left some things that I have no idea about. I did delete Dell Stage - bc. it's a real pain - gets in the way all the time (my daughter who's had this on her laptop for 2 years confirmed that it's just in the way). I did all the microsoft updates, ran a few antivirus, got rid of what I want to get rid of, and it's mostly good to go. Here's the trouble that remains: I can't get the printer working. It's a Canon Pixma MX850 - on the home network. I did not want to install the Canon disk bc. it has a ton of it's own bloatware. So I went to Canon and downloaded the driver - as well as the IJ utility software (I think that helps the computer find a printer on the network). Went to devices and printers, added the printer and made it the default printer. It shows up in printers and devices, but when I go to print something, it fails. Troubleshooting says the test page didn't print bc. something else is in the queue. But there is nothing else in the queue. I opened the queue from my pain desktop (that's connected to the printer) - and there's no documents in the queue. Went to the printer queue on DH's lapto; - it also shows nothing in the queue. I can print from other computers. Don't know what else to do. And I just remembered that I did not see Java. It didnt come up as needing updating when I ran the Secunia scan. I am not sure which programs need it, but can imagine my husband being stumped if he tries to do something that needs Java and asks him to install. I'd like to install it for him. Got to remember that. I also have a question about Microsoft Security Essentials. Twice now it found something bad - and I selected to remove the couple of files. Does this AV just run in the background or do I also need to run scans? Thank you. Lynn.

In numerous cases, Dell in particular, if you flip over the laptop there is a pushbutton on the battery and a series of LEDs that light up to indicate the level of charge when you push the button (assumes the charge circuit is operational and that the battery can hold a charge). I would start by checking Dell's website to see if the battery is part of any recall, many were. If you rarely use it on battery I wouldn't spend any extra on a larger capacity one. Third party ones should be used with caution, quality is often lacking. Personally I have used Lenmar replacements, for laptops and camcorders, when competitively priced. So far I have been lucky, some reviewers seem to diss them. I would definitely factor in the cost of a new battery vs purchase of a new warrantied unit also.

He does tend to use the laptop bag for pads, folders w/notes, pencils, his eReader and other work paraphenalia so the slim cases won't work. I loved that Tumi you linked to dlm2000 but it only has the shoulder strap and no handle so the only way to carry it is over the shoulder. I think there are times when he's going to want a handle on top. I did see that they have a Tumi store in Center City Philly so I may go down and look to see what else if available. Thanks natal for reminding me of Wilson Leather! I'd forgotten them, it seems now that in my area they are in the outlet malls. Don't know if they're outlet stores or just in the outlet mall as regular retailer. There is one near enough for me to go look so I'll probably do that too. So far, all I've done for his birthday is make a dinner reservation and buy a bottle of bubbly. It's less than 2 weeks away! Must chip away at this very quickly or I'll be empty handed.

Thanks. I never had a problem with Dells, so I guess I'm lucky. I have had problems with an HP laptop, and decided I wouldn't deal with them again. Could have been bad luck, but it does turn you against dealing with a company you had a hard time with. My experience has been that most businesses use Dell computers so they must be doing something right. I guess its sort of like Chevy or Ford. I am looking for a desktop. I was tempted to get a laptop which I could hook a monitor to, but it costs more than buying a desktop. I want an I5 or I7. I want memory and hard-drive. I want HDMI and lots of usb ports. I want a good monitor and I want a machine where I can stream video and not worry about it. And, I'd like to keep it under $1,200.00! I'll keep looking. Doing a lot of research because I would be replacing our main computer. We do have lots of laptops, XP and a Win 7 and Win 8 (never use it). I still have concern about the upgrade option to Win 10. Might be better to wait until the compters come installed with it. Hopefully the bugs will be worked out by then. I'm glad to hear I can use my older version of Office on a Win 8. So glad our XP's are still going strong and all our security software still updates without any problems. Jane