Dell Studio 15

The best laptops today are those whose hardware interacts with the operating system (OS) properly. A laptop running on Windows XP will not necessarily run Windows 7 smoothly. Although Windows XP is a good OS, I suggest you upgrade your machine to Windows 7, which is much, much better. That’s because XP is being slowly phased out and all new software is being written for Windows 7.

Download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to see if your PC is ready for Windows 7. It will guide you on how to resolve potential issues found, and recommend what to do before you upgrade

Before you begin, be sure to plug in and turn on any USB device or other device, such as printers, external hard disks and scanners, that you regularly use with the PC you are checking. The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor can be downloaded from www.microsoft.com/ downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b544e90-7659-4bd9-9e51-2497c146af15&displaylang=en.

Here are some laptops Microsoft says has the right hardware to run Windows 7.

Dell Adamo XPS: If you want to buy a new laptop and budget is not a constraint, Microsoft recommends you go for Dell Adamo XPS. It costs Rs 1.5 lakh. Powered by Windows 7, it is fast, easy to use and very stylish. Dell’s slimmest laptop ever, Adamo XPS comes with a 13-inch large screen and includes a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo SU9400 CPU, a 128GB solid state drive, 2 megapixel camera, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, GS45 integrated graphics, Wi-Fi and a USB Ethernet adapter. The metal keypad and brushed aluminium casing with unique etching and pearl / onyx finish make it a very good-looking machine. But frankly, I find it over priced.

HP Pavilion dm3-1131TX: For less than a third of the price at Rs 54,990, the HP Pavilion dm3-1131TX is a stylish Netbook that runs on Windows 7. It has a 13.3-inch widescreen high definition display and an array of impressive, stylish features. Intel’s Core 2 Duo Low voltage processor along with Intel GS45 Express Chipset makes it just about okay for you to enjoy multimedia content.

Multimedia PCs

Sony Vaio VPCZ117GG/X: The Sony VAIO VPCZ117GG/X comes packed with Intel’s latest Core i7 processor and boasts high-performance specifications like two graphics accelerators and a quad solid state drive for fast data transfer speeds. So, it is not only good on looks but performance as well. For this machine you, will have to shell out Rs 1,59,900.

HP Pavilion dv6-2164TX: This has all the features you would want and more. With this Windows 7-powered laptop, you can configure dedicated graphics cards, load multiple web pages and stream videos, all without slowing the hard drive. It gives you the convenience of wireless mobility with style and durability. Expect to blaze through your high-definition games, graphics, photo and video editing at a speed that will take your breath away with Intel HD Graphics and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450. This laptop costs Rs 57,900.

Dell Studio 15: This one, powered by Windows 7, is a great multimedia laptop meant for both work and play. It has some good features and comes with a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor with 3 GB RAM and 250 GB HDD. You can easily multi–task with this device – watch a movie while downloading video clips and encode a video in the background, or simply run Photoshop CS3 at the time of video encoding. There are various colour options to choose from. The device comes in seven colours: plum purple, tangerine orange, flamingo pink, midnight blue, ruby red, spring green and jet black. The Dell Studio 15 costs Rs 44,400 inclusive of all taxes.

Budget laptops

If you don’t want to buy an expensive laptop and don’t want all the frills that come with it, Microsoft recommends:

Compaq Presario CQ42-115TU: The new Compaq Presario CQ42-115TU, powered by Windows 7, has been built for those who want everyday computing at great value. The 14.1-inch display laptop runs on the Intel Dual Core processor and has a hard drive of 320 GB Serial ATA. This costs around Rs 28,000

Acer Aspire 5740: This is highly recommended for a budget conscious buyer who is keen on a 15-inch laptop for work or play. It comes with a Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit; 15.6-Inch HD Widescreen Display; Intel Core i5-430M Processor (2.26GHz, 3MB L3 Cache); ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 with 1GB Dedicated VRAM; 4GB DDR3 RAM; 500GB SATA Hard Drive; 8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive; Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader; Acer InviLink 802.11b/g/Draft-N+ WI-FI; Webcam; Dolby Home Theater Audio Enhancement; and Multi-Gesture Touchpad. It will cost you between Rs 45,000 and Rs 50,000.

App Corner

A new Golf app, new games and utilities at the iTunes App Store. Visit www.telegraphindia.com/bitsandbytes/appcorner.

Send your computer-related problems to askdoss@abpmail.com. The solutions will appear soon.

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