> -----Original Message----- > From: tclug-list-bounces at mn-linux.org > [mailto:tclug-list-bounces at mn-linux.org] On Behalf Of Jeremy > MountainJohnson > > Personally I'd recommend Dell or Toshiba over HP- they tend > to be better built enclosures. My wife still has an Inspiron > 6000 (P4) that is 10 years old and still runs fine (replaced > HD once a year ago, added RAM, and swapped the keyboard once > over the years). Not only that, but at my last job we were > sending HP Pavilion laptops back constantly because the > plastic falls apart within a year of light to medium use. I gotta agree strongly. HP does not apply the same mechanical durability specs that Dell does. Dell pro line laptops (eg, Latitude D & E series, etc) are actually designed to be road warrior machines, and the product lines (not individual machines) are actually tested to survive published specs. HP does none of that. My last HP (2000) popped ball bonds on the CPU several times, requiring motherboard replacements. The mechanical design lacked proper support to dampen vibrations in the motherboard. An employer back then required me to use their Dell Latitude and I discovered the spec difference in episodes of HP repairs. I had other issues with the HP as well. Had to contact HP product support in France to get some Linux drivers because Linux was not fully supported in the USA then. HP is not the top brand it once was! Chuck