It’s easy to find reviews of new products, but it’s harder to find retrospective reviews. I found that my old Geo Metro was a terrific car, but nobody told me that before I bought it. Mostly folks laughed until gas got so expensive. By the way, if the Geo Metro was still available I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one – getting 40-50 miles a gallon was wonderful.
This post is a review of my Toshiba laptop after using it for a substantial amount of time. Most reviews are written based on a few weeks or months of use — this review is based on 30 consecutive months of use.
What I still like
For the most part I have been quite pleased with the Toshiba Laptop (Satellite A105-S2071) that I purchased in June 2006.
I added Windows XP Professional and the operating system has held up well in spite of constant use. Norton Virus Checker and TuneUp 2006-2008 have kept the laptop shipshape and virus free.
I dumped most of the software that came with the laptop in favour of Microsoft Office Professional and ColdFusion Studio. I also use Net Snippets a lot when I’m working on a project, but unfortunately that excellent program is no longer on the market.
Although I have scads of files I never came close to filling the disk drive even though it’s only 80 GB. The disk drive is reasonably fast, but I love the speed of the flash memory drive on my Asus EEE PC.
I like that the notebook runs movie dvds flawlessly and I find the sound quality acceptable. Sometimes it would be nice if the volume could be turned up a bit. While the graphic chip isn’t the most powerful one on the market, it is sufficient for my needs. Considering that I bought the laptop before YouTube and online videos became to popular, it manages both nicely.
I use Internet Explorer more that Firefox but that may change. Like most IE users I resent websites that tell me to get another “better” browser. My Asus EEE pc is linux based and so I’ve been using Firefox quite a bit but I detest its logo.
So what’s not to like
The Toshiba laptop is hot – on top and underneath. Having a notebook double as hand warmer might be a nice feature in our Minnesota winters, but it’s a pain in the tuckus the rest of the year.
Occasionally but more often than I would like, Internet Explorer will just shut down some or all of the windows I have open. I don’t know if the fault lies with Windows XP, Internet Explorer 7, quirky websites, or myself. I probably should use Foxfire for a longer time to see if it’s Microsoft’s browser that is causing the problem. Somewhere in the back of my mind I wonder if it’s Mac built sites that are causing the problem. Don’t you just love a good conspiracy theory?
A somewhat related problem occurs when the mouse begins to act weirdly and no longer recognizes right clicks. However, I think the fault may lie with the websites I’m visiting. Again with the conspiracy theory…
The most worrisome problem ocwhen curs I power up the pc after its been on standby for a while. Sometimes when I tap the power on button and the system begins to shut down or starts to some sort of memory / cpu check. I have to hold the power button down until the system powers down to stop the memory check. When I reboot the system is usually okay. It’s as annoying as hell but doesn’t seem to create lasting damage. However, it is a reminder to back up files.
So what’s the bottom line
I’m happier with this laptop that I was with my old HP laptop that went haywire. I kept the HP in case I ever need a laptop with a screen that is only good for a half hour at a time. I loved that machine but usually I need the computer to be usable for more than a half hour. I can’t sell the HP or give it away, because no one would want it. Lots of folks would be happy to have my Toshiba Satellite A105-S2071 because it is still pretty useful and up-to-date.
I haven’t had this notebook as long as some other computers I’ve owned, but I’m already getting upgrade fever. It’s not just the laptop that I would like to upgrade but my video camera and mini notebook. More about those items later.
Overall I got very good value for my money and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another Toshiba computer. How about you? If you own a Toshiba Satellite A105-S2071 or something like it, are you happy with your purchase? If so, what do you like best about the computer. If not, how long did it take for buyer’s remorse to set in — and what caused it?
