ita, I could give you ftp access to a folder on one of my sites, if that would work for you.

I quite like the newer versions, but I'm not sure what feature changes there are. The UI is vastly different which I think the source of the unpopularity. I particularly like the navigation pane of Office 2010.

I agree - the navigation is very different from the classic Office look and feel, but once I got used to it it really was a faster cleaner experience.

ND,

can you give me more information about why you like your macbook air?

I need to get a new Mac laptop in the next 6 months and I'm trying to decide what I will do. I have a 15" macbook pro and I like that it is a "full service" laptop. Do I need another 15" MBP (as heavy as that thing is) or should I get a 13" or go even smaller with a MBA?

I don't want to derail the current computer thread, but I have a techie question that may have a very short answer, and I'd like advice:

I have a launch-day PS3 that's so far out of warranty, Sony won't even respond to my requests for information (no contact from them since last July). The problem is the bluray drive stopped responding normally: I was watching a movie, and the image froze and the bluray drive started making a loud, slow ticking (a sound I've heard before in DVD drives having trouble reading a dirty disk). However, it wouldn't eject the disc, then the PS3 stopped reacting to input. I had to power it off.

On restart, it booted just fine, and I can do anything with it I want that doesn't involve the bluray drive: play downloaded games, surf, stream audio/video to or from the device.

Sony won't repair it; the last contact (last June) quoted $150 (plus shipping, both ways) just to EVALUATE the problem - not to repair it.

I have a replacement, new PS3 already. But I'd like my launch-day device working again if possible. Do any of you know any resources on how to replace the bluray drive of a PS3? Links to helpful guides/fora are quite sufficient. I suspect the process will either be prohibitively expensive, or actually impossible - so this is mostly for my own education.

Many thanks.

Stunthusband,

Beau sent his in to a company on the east coast for repairs - I think they had to replace the hard drive or something like that. They were very professional and communicated well.

I'll get that company's info for you from him this evening.

Thanks!

Stunthusband,

the power of gmail search. here's the company:

[link]

The reason I'm reccing against netbooks is not because they won't work well. Odds are they will. But every source I've seen says the hardware is crap quality and won't last. And indeed my last netbook died after two years. I got another one anyway because it was the cheapest immediate option, and I hope to have more money by the time this one dies.

You can indeed run 2003 on a mac. But what I'm not sure of is if you can use discs containing a version desgined for the PC. I guess you can an intel window for that.

In terms of the laptops. Very standard for stuff to come with 4 Gig of Ram in W7. Two things. One I've heard that even today 6 Gig vs. 4 Gig makes a huge difference in speed on W7. The other is that Microsoft OS's tend to bloat as they get patched. As do all brands of browser and video standards and so on. So If I was getting a new W7 PC and was not desperately poor and tended to hang on to my PCs for a long time I would spring for Gig Meg of Ram. Most of your speed gain now comes from the upgrade to 6, but the last 2 is good insurance for the future. A machine bundled with 4 Gig of Ram can probably be upgraded to 8, but check. Something in the price range Gud linked or not too far above it will take an upgrade to 8 Gig.

Thanks. This is all useful information since I'm pretty well ignorant on the subject. I mean, I know enough not to get completely scammed at the store, but that's about it.

My home computer has 8 GB of Ram and my work computer has 4 GB of Ram and once applications open (my home computer has a SSD so comparisons are unfair) I don't notice any particular speed difference despite my home computer having a faster processor as well as double the memory (excepting things like big compiles and transcoding that really tax the processor). Typically I have 4 - 6 applications open.