I would like to get a new laptop and printer. Right now my husband uses my computer and my kids also get on it so I want my own that nobody can touch. I don't want to spend more than $700 for the laptop. Any suggestions to what I should have? What about a printer?

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Genevieve Lachance
VA Simple Services

What a great time of year to make such a purchase. I have an HP and it is my favorite of all the laptops that I have owned. But it is a personal decision.

Figure out what features you want such as hard drive space, RAM, and any bells and whistles. Then compare prices, read reviews and check them out in the store. I also got an HP all in one printer which is also wireless since I made my choice because it is easy to travel with and works with my network computers.

You should be able to find a great laptop and printer for under $700. Best of luck in your hunt.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

Thanks Lee,

Actually, I'm wondering what I would need in terms of hard drive and RAM in order to accommodate all the programs needed to run my business. Also, computers get old so fast that I want to buy something that I can keep for a couple of years. There is so much on the market that it's making my choices difficult.

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Genevieve Lachance
VA Simple Services

Hi,

Let me give you a great tip:

www.dealcatcher.com
www.techbargains.com

These sites scan all online stores for super steals everyday. Sales that most people don't even know are going on. When I purchased my laptops and monitors, I got a 22 inch high definition monitor for $119.00 plus tax from OfficeMax, with black piano finish. This thing is feature rich and beautiful.

They also alerted me to a 33% off pre-holiday sale at Dell, so I got both me and my husband's laptops (2GB of ram, one with a DVD burner, the other with a CD burner) both for under $500 TOTAL.

They also feature other electronics like printers, which is what I'm now shopping for since my old All-in-One Lexmark went out on me.

Hope you find a good deal. If you need some help, let me know.

P.S. For the fastest computer, don't purchase less than 2GB of Ram and a minimum of a Dual Core processor. I've seen a super jump in computer speed, especially in QuickBooks since I've bought this thing.

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www.lloydbusinesssolutions.com
"Getting you back to what you do best"

Originally Posted by Tomekia Lloyd

Hi, Let me give you a great tip: www.dealcatcher.com www.techbargains.com These sites scan all online stores for super steals everyday. Sales that most people don't even know are going on. When I purchased my laptops and monitors, I got a 22 inch high definition monitor for $119.00 plus tax from OfficeMax, with black piano finish. This thing is feature rich and beautiful. They also alerted me to a 33% off pre-holiday sale at Dell, so I got both me and my husband's laptops (2GB of ram, one with a DVD burner, the other with a CD burner) both for under $500 TOTAL. They also feature other electronics like printers, which is what I'm now shopping for since my old All-in-One Lexmark went out on me. Hope you find a good deal. If you need some help, let me know. P.S. For the fastest computer, don't purchase less than 2GB of Ram and a minimum of a Dual Core processor. I've seen a super jump in computer speed, especially in QuickBooks since I've bought this thing.

Tomekia,
Thanks for the 2 links. Looks like a great place to watch for PC bargains.
Did you get another Lexmark when you replaced your all-in-one? We have one now and I can't seem to use the OCR feature on it when scanning. I'm wondering if I'm going to need this feature enough when I start my VA business to get a separate scanner.

Also check out TigerDirect for 'steals' on computer equipment!

My 9-5 just bought me a new Dell desktop for about $1200 that works great! The base specs are as follows:

Intel® Core™2 Duo
320G hard drive
4G RAM
Windows 7 Pro, 32 bit
Dell 20" flat panel monitor

This is twice as fast as my 5-yr-old desktop, and even after installing 34 programs works really quickly!

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Lily Chambers, The Virtual Office Goddess, LLC
Author "How to Do Your Own Small Business Bookkeeping"

Originally Posted by Gravics

We have one now and I can't seem to use the OCR feature on it when scanning.

Try updating your drivers - this may solve the problem without having to replace the entire unit.

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Lily Chambers, The Virtual Office Goddess, LLC
Author "How to Do Your Own Small Business Bookkeeping"

Originally Posted by Office Goddess

Try updating your drivers - this may solve the problem without having to replace the entire unit.

Thanks I'll give that a try. Never thought of updating the drivers. It would sure beat buying a new scanner if that worked.

My HP laptop has been a real champ....I love it.

I have an HP printer that I'm not too thrilled with, but it's over 5 years old. I hear that Cannon has a pretty nice line of printers.

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Tony Thomas - Social Media Professional
Social Media of Portland

I am an emerging VA and have a very small budget for equipment. I already has a wireless HP all in one inkjet printer and purchased a second HP Color Laserjet 2840 for $70 at an auction!

I took a gander and it paid off!!! Even with the cost of ink refills the total cost was less than $300 for a printer that costs about $500 brand new!

I also purchased a 4 drawer file cabinet (with a lock) for $15! I definitely suggest you check out local auctions.