Any Tips for me

[chris]

Or suggestions....Sunday I bought a little Acer mini net book (basically to use so I can have my mom Sykpe with family) Since its a mini and limited features as it has Windows Starter 7 on it I will need a magnifier to read print...LOL........just kidding not really that bad.

My problem is I don't have a laptop or ever worked on it so for one need to get used to mouse pad and features.

Frontier tells me I have wifi but unless I disconnect my PC and plug it into the mini no Internet. My brother is sending me a router and hopefully then I can remove the umbilical cord and wander.

I'm told it has built in Wifi so not sure if I'm say at Starbucks it will work.......or there is more to do to get me on line.

Any takers here for a really really green horn. ;D

[Clipper]

You will be fine once you have a router. I am no expert, but the router has a cable to the computer and takes the signal from the computer and transmits it so that your laptop's wireless modem can pick it up. I have only recently purchased a laptop, and I have a used router that a friend sold me for 20 bucks. It works fine. When you go elsewhere, if they have wifi, THEY will have the router and you will be able to connect to THEIR network. My computer has a little icon on the bottom right that I click on and it tells me what networks are available if I am at a motel or somewhere. I simply have to pick the network I want to connect to and follow the on screen instructions. I hope that the info I just gave you about the router, but that is what I have been told when I bought my laptop, haha.

My router works great. I use my laptop in the kitchen every morning while I am having my first cup of coffee and checking out the Utica OD online.

[dgriffin]

"I'm told it has built in Wifi so not sure if I'm say at Starbucks it will work.......or there is more to do to get me on line."

Some places charge for you to use their wifi and give you a password to type in when you give them a few bucks. The last time I asked, the local McDonalds wanted $2 an hour.

Many places don't charge, with or without a password, such as most libraries and any hotel you might be staying in. Even in residential neighborhoods you might find open WiFi Routers you can use. Where we stay in February down south, my laptop can "hear" 4 or 5 routers and a couple of them are open. They have such names as "Home" or "The Jones" or for fun, "Starship Enterprise." Of the 2 or 3 that are not open, I get a chuckle from one of them its owner unnecessarily named "Stay the F**K Off My Network Network."

My Dell laptop's internal WiFi card and antenna are sometimes not enough to communicate with my router from everywhere in my house. So I bought a plug-in WiFi "adapter" that plugs into any USB port on the laptop. ($20, ebay.) It's about the size of a short stogie cigar and has a three inch folding antenna attached. It allows me to hear weaker signals from Routers at a greater distance.

[dgriffin]

I meant to add that you should be good to go if your laptop has a built in wifi card and antenna, which it sounds like you have. A friend of mine has an Acer Laptop and after a hour of fooling with it one day when he couldn't communicate with his router, we found that Acer has a small physical switch on the very front of the laptop where your thumb rests that turns the wifi on and off. It can sometimes be inadvertently clicked off.

[chris]

Thanks Clipper and Dave.

Right now I am waiting for a router my brother is sending me. Once I get it we'll see what happens.

Dave right now....my mini reads the networks open but I can't access any. It asks me for a security code. Maybe that comes with the router (but the router will proabably only work in my house) I need to get this thing working away from home at my mom's ...otherwise this whole thing won't be for what my intentions were for buying it. This is whole new ball of wax ...wireless. I haven't tried the button to see if it is open on the mini. Will check it out and see if maybe it was shut off and let you know later.

Tomorrows my all day at work so long day ahead and Friday have a funeral to go to. Probably get to this on Saturday.

[dgriffin]

Chris, that's true, your home router will only work around your home. At your mother's, the mini will need to connect to some other router. Many are "open" because some people don't take the time to assign access codes and don't care if anyone else accesses the Internet along with them. Many are closed and a code is needed. If you've found the screen that tells you you're hearing networks, then you can try to connect and see what you get. If all you get are rejects, you'll have to consider other options.
I am assuming your mother does not have a cable internet connection that you could hook a router to. If she did, that would be your best solution.

[clarencebunsen]

Clipper & Dave covered routers.

When my daughter moved last month, after the cable guy came she called me to hook up her router. Apparently she got impatient when I couldn't come "now." I called back to say I was coming over & she said, "Never mind. I read the manual & it was easy."

Your router should come with a manual. In it should be something telling you the default security code & how to change it. Change it. The default codes are pretty widely available. Write down the new code even it is something you will remember. I prefer to write it on the inside cover of the manual.

My wife bought an Acer netbook recently so she wouldn't have to lug her full sized laptop as often. There is a way to enlarge the font. Go to Control Panel>Hardware and sound>Display. You will see a choice "Make text and other items larger and smaller." I did find that when I made it larger some sites overflowed the screen and I had to pan left to right but most were OK.

Concerning range, my router is in a second floor bedroom & I've been able to make connection in the basement, the garage and the backyard. It's not a real expensive router but it is the "N" standard which I think is the most recent.

[chris]

My wife bought an Acer netbook recently so she wouldn't have to lug her full sized laptop as often. There is a way to enlarge the font. Go to Control Panel>Hardware and sound>Display. You will see a choice "Make text and other items larger and smaller." I did find that when I made it larger some sites overflowed the screen and I had to pan left to right but most were OK.

CB...I have the Acer Aspireone 532h-2588. I have enlarged the font but large is too big as it overflowed as you said and I had to pan also which is a pain. I let it at med which works fine but can't seem too shrink the taskbar so many times it hides the bottom of the page and there is no place i can see to scroll to get to it. Right now I am looking to see what type of free virus protection for it to use. I am using AVG for my PC but not sure if it will be okay to use with the netbook. Macafee is preloaded w/60 day trial for now. What is your wife using.

Thanks all.

[clarencebunsen]

That's the same model she has. Depending on the browser you use there are ways to enlarge font size. With IE8 you can go up to the toolbar & click on the "Page" menu, there is one selection that says "Text Size" it works for some sites but not others. There is also "Zoom" which I use only infrequently. It has the same pan problem.

You can gain a bit of screen real estate by using the "Auto Hide" feature on the taskbar. Put your cursor on an open area of the taskbar & right click. Then select "Properties" On the Taskbar tab click the Auto-hide box. The task bar will hide until you move the mouse over the area where it was.

Right now I'm using Microsoft Security Essentials. I may decide to use AVG or Avast.

[chris]

Went to St Anne's today and checked their wifi and it worked. (was a bit hard finding but once I found it a piece of cake. I logged on as guest and didn't have to use any security codes. Tested some that I found but none would allow me to log in. (not suere how safe that is using some one elses connections......yeah yeah know it sa no no but at the moment am experimenting. Tried my Skype (cousin wouldn't answer the phone) went to my AOL account to drop my brother an email.) So looks like with your tips and my experiments my idea for getting this netbook is a success) Now just to learn more about this mini and read the manual. I never read the manual on anything I get unless I can't figure it out on my own. Most things are plug and play now any ways. Long long day. It poured through the whole funeral. He had a 21 gun salute as he was a VA vet with the Navy. Driving home I thought why didn't I video tape the ceremony. I had my camera with me. Would have been a nice momento for my BIL. (kick me in the butt)

[chris]

just an update and a thank you to all for help and tips. I am having too much fun with this little toy. just came back from Staples. I bought a wireless mouse.........the touch pad was driving me insane. Now it operates much easier when I navigate and try to close or open things. I did the page thing and enlarged my text. Much better. also the hide taskbar. now just have to find out if I can use AVG on a netbook. I see a lot of virus protectors that seem to be made just for netbook and not for something bigger.

[dgriffin]

I hate touch screens also, and can't imagine trying to navigate my fat fingers across a tiny version on a mini PC. I carry a mouse for my laptop and if I'm traveling and there isn't enough desk space for it, I run it on the outside flat of my thigh.
Can't imagine why AVG wouldn't run. The mini might be physically small, but based on the spec for the model number you posted above, you have a 1.66 gig processor and 1 gig of memory. That little machine could beat your home PC and should easily run AVG or AVAST, etc.
PS: I am finally running a virus program that I like. It's called PREVX and it costs $33 a year, but to me it's worth it. Finds viruses AND adware. Bells and whistles go off when a virus tries to enter and an alert goes back to PREVX central, causing an email to be sent to you with a pointer back to their site with more info and suggestions. And one more BIG plus .... they don't renew annually without your specific permission. Take that, Macafee! (And all the other crooks.)

[Ralph]

It is what it is…..a cheaper smaller alternative to a laptop with longer battery use and limited functions.
For Skype and cruising the Internet it’s great.
You can run AVG, avast, or any basic antivirus program out there.
But with it’s wee baby Atom processor and what amounts to a wee bit of RAM for even Windows 7 starter…..I doubt it would give a home PC a run.

It will be great for the purpose you have intended it for Chris.

[dgriffin]

Hey Ralph, how's it goin'! I did specifically mean Chris' home PC, which she has described as being old and slow. Or was she talking about someone.

[Clipper]

Dave, I have the same problem with scrolling and moving about on the screen of my laptop with my big fingers. Do you have to have a special mouse for a laptop? Is it wireless or does it plug into a port on the laptop?

I thoroughly enjoy having a laptop for when we travel, and would not want anything smaller for my uses, but I can see where one that wanted to carry a computer with them everywhere or all day, it would get old in a hurry. Even with a carrying case and shoulder strap, the damn thing is heavy and awkward to tote around. I would not go smaller due to the screen size and keyboard size. My Toshiba has a keyboard that is almost as comfortable for me to type on as my desktop PC.

The laptop can be very handy. Yesterday I sat in my new truck and played the DVD that comes with a new vehicle now. It has a tutorial on how to use all the features on the truck, plus the owners manual is also available on the DVD. The new truck also has a converter and 115v receptacle, but I don't think I would trust it to plug the laptop into. I laugh when I think of having a 390hp hemi driven electric shaver. Kind of slight overkill don'tcha think?