So What Should I Do?
 

So I returned from work today to find that the (POS) laptop I sent away to Emachines (I know - I know) for heat related issues has returned from their repair shop in less than a week.

The laptop shows no signs of it's previous problems but not only do I lack faith in the repairs - I just don't have much of a use for another laptop. I've already got another laptop and 2 other desktops and so I'm seriously considering just giving it away or uninstalling the os and seriously giving Linux a go. I could sell it but it may still be defective and my karma is bad enough.

If it were a desktop, I'd have gutted the tower and cut my loses but since it's a laptop I'm not sure as to what I could do with it. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated. Snazzy new Linux distros? Anyone think I should send it to the guys at Will It Blend?

Athlon XP-M 2200+
15.4" LCD
40GB HDD
512MB DDR RAM
DVD/CD-RW
integrated ATI video
Full Specs

Feel free to send it my way :)

Ubuntu is all the hype. Give that a shot, I personally recommend Xubuntu (Ubuntu with XFCE instead of GNOME).

Unfortunately many laptops have DVD/CD-RW's installed but no way to adequately keep the system cool while running these. You cant put big case fans or a liquid cooled system in a laptop, so they tend to overheat. Don't even try video editing such as ISO encoding on a laptop, guaranteed to burn it up. Try to use apps that don't run your processor as hard, and do your video editing on your desktop.

I'd definitely suggest turning it into a linux box, especially if you don't have one running now. Dual boot Linux is a pain in the ass, so it'd be nice to have a machine dedicated for it. There are some Linux utils which a godsend to have around..

I'd also recommend Ubuntu.

i could use a free laptop. ;)

Selling it could probably net you a decent price, just be sure to include a buyer beware in the description. Laptops usually sell for a bit more then desktops on the market for some reason, even if it is a little outdated.

Another option is giving as a gift to a friend or relative that may need one, gets it off your hands and gives them something very useful.

Thanks for all the suggestions - I've been leaning towards giving it away but I'd seem like a complete asshole if Gateway's repairs were only superficial so I'll just dig up my Ubuntu discs and make it my dedicated Linux box. I figured that if it lasts until I buy another laptop/desktop then I'll just swap the hd and give it away.

I think that's what I'll do since I've been getting pretty comfortable using Ubuntu and was only turned off by the boring interface...looks like my next stop is the Linux thread.:thumbsup:

Thanks guys.

w0rd. Just a year ago I built a machine for someone with 8-yr-old spare parts and it runs XFCE just fine. She's your average person, not a very articulate computer user, but she can email/internet browse/AIM just fine with it. I never got her iPod to work right with it, nor CD burning, and a ton of other things, but I'm sure you'll get them to work just fine. The XFCE interface was lightweight and fast, and the Xubuntu package is really something else.

Most of all though, have a ton of fun with it :)