cheap old laptop

[blu at vl.com (Tom Metro)]

Laura Conrad wrote:
> So where would you go to get a cheap or free laptop computer with some
> version of Windows installed?

Well this gave me an excuse to weed out the cruft from my 
used/refurbished computer bookmarks...

Cheap options:

http://boston.craigslist.org/sys/
(there are several currently listed there for under $150.)

http://www.computerpartsgalore.com/computers-portable.htm
(a handful of used and refurbished laptops)

http://www.intellesale.com/

http://www.laptopcloseout.com/usa/store.html
(not very cheap)

(these are more wholesale business-to-business services and it might be 
difficult to buy a single unit from them)
http://www.itparade.com/buy.shtml
http://compucycle.net/site_sales/pages/index.php?page=inventory

And eBay, of course
http://www.ebay.com/



Possibly free options:

craigslist free stuff
http://boston.craigslist.org/zip/

Freecycle
http://www.freecycle.org/

I've never gotten anything from these free services, but I know people 
who have had good things to say about Freecycle. In my opinion 
craigslist has the better user interface.


> I guess there are really several things I want:
>   Something to test on IE with
>   A laptop to move around the house, or to other places, with.
>   A backup computer for when this one goes down.
>   A backup computer for when I can't figure out how to do something on
>   LINUX.

Contrary to the encouragements posted to the list to go with a 
Windows-on-Linux solution, I think you're on the right track for your 
needs. Why go through the hassle of getting a compatibility layer 
working, when the cheap/free notebook you're seeking will probably 
already have Windows on it? (And you have several reasons for wanting a 
separate machine.)

The counter arguments are that the latest versions of IE might not run 
on the old version of Windows that will come on the old laptop, and if 
you are doing a lot of testing with IE, it may be inconvenient 
constantly needing to switch to a secondary machine.

  -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/