Want free or very cheap laptop with bad screen (black, dim, cracked) at least
1GHz for a blind student.
We can add hard drive, CDROM, keyboard, memory.  And fix power that goes off
and on if you wiggle the  power connetor (sometimes).  We can fix software
problems.  He needs XP. For text to voice software.  

13 responses total.

Sindi, my son thinks he might have a laptop which would do for this
student.  Feel free to e-mail me if you don't hear from him in the next
few days.  The laptop is at his mother's and he may need her permission
to get it to give to you.

He asked me to ask you if you want any CRT monitors.  I presume they are
working.  I don't know how many he has.

Should I email Spud directly about this?  Today we just spent two hours
trying to upgrade Jim's original XP computer which still has a lot of
his programs and files on it (and our only copies of Nero 6 and Office 2002,
which someone else might need -once someone needed ACCESS and I don't have
any way to install it).  It can't find the second hard drive which I added.
A laptop would be much better.  But tomorrow I am going to make a second phone
call to Michigan Commission for the Blind.  Someone on Craigslist steered me
there for a possible free computer for the blind student, since her son in
law got one there.

Does Spud's laptop have a bad screen?  Is it the one that we replaced the
keyboard on?  

The other two responses from Craigslist were probably from spammers.
One said they wanted to buy what I was selling (I was not selling) and the
other wanted me to click on some link and then negotiate with them (there is
no negotation involved for a $1 laptop).

I will let you know if he can get a free laptop or not, hopefully tomorrow.
The last two people who thought they knew someone with a laptop never got back
with me.  Should have tried grex before freecycle and craigslist.  
Thanks John.

They can't get a free laptop from Michigan because the student transferred
from N. Carolina and is still getting tuition assistance from there.  I don't
follow the logic but he tried already.

Jim's XP computer refuses to do SP 3 update and says to turn on Cryptographic
Services which is already turned on.  As I recall, it also refused to dial
after I did some update.  Which means I would probably need to start all over
again installing XP to some hard drive which I really hate to do.  

I would love to hear from Spud about his laptop and the student would much
much rather have a laptop than a desktop so he can take it to classes with
him and record lectures to it.  He has 60GB of files now but can probably
manage with a smaller drive (he does not really need to store music - or maybe
he can store things online at some free site).  

Jim's XP computer refuses to install SP3 (something to do with cryptographic
services - I tried three repairs suggested by MS), and it keeps asking for
drivers for generic volume (I added a hard drive and CD-ROM drive which it
did accept) and when you boot it requires hitting Enter to get past the
administrator password.  Simpler to reinstall than fix these problems.
I will wait until at least Wed to hear from Spud.  I was thinking of offering
the student our prize laptop - 900Mhz, we replaced the CD-ROM drive, but half
the time it cannot find it, or the USB sound, and the pcmcia does not work
and there is no onboard wireless.  Linux can't find the modem (even a serial
external modem) or onboard network or the USB port.  Not exactly reliable.
I have been playing DVDs and tuning the piano with it since it has a built-in
mike.  Anything this speed or faster ought to work for the student.  No fancy
(or any) graphics capabilities needed.  Should have working sound including
mike or mike port.  Thanks Spud.

John doesn't check his e-mail often which is why I recommend e-mailing
me instead.  I asked him to e-mail you.  It is possible I'll need to ask
again before he does it.

He said yes, the laptop he can give you is the one you fixed last
summer.  The monitor is fine but that will be an advantage if anyone
helps the student who is to receive it.

That is a super duper laptop and it is kind of him to donate it.  You can plug
a monitor into a laptop.  I use one with black screen in the living room that
way.  If I don't hear from him by Tuesday I will replace the hard drive in
the desktop and start the XP install.  I can read a book while sitting there
occasionally pressing Enter key, or watch a few movies on our fast laptop.
I hope never to have to install Windows to anything again after this.  The
last time I managed to clone it between two nearly matching computers for a
nonprofit that needed Access, which I don't have to install, and which was
on one of them.  I found matching modem and sound card and cpu but the video
was different as were the two 30GB hard drives, and the boards were not quite
identical, but it let me reactivate without a number.  For a non-profit that
is working out of a dusty basement, all volunteers.  I could have installed
XP to the second one using the certificate number but this way it was only
a 6 hour copy, using a linux floppy disk.  You can sometimes also move drives
between not quite identical eMachines.  

The last 10 or so computers I gave away have Puppy Linux on them, except for
these two with XP.   400-500Mhz with 256MB memory.  Work great on the web.
1GHz gets you watchable Youtube.

Do you know what size drive is in his laptop?  We could move the drive from
the old broken one if this one has a smaller drive, but then I would need to
reinstall XP.  I suggested instead of 60GB of files on the laptop, the student
store them online.  Is there a site where you can store your own music and
stream it (and also your own voice recordings in MP3 format)?

John just emailed me and says this is the same laptop that Jim fixed for him
last summer, and it has a battery that works for 45 minutes.  That is much
better than the batteries in the laptops people give us, which are usually
completely dead.  Please email me at grex to arrange how we can get the laptop
to Ann Arbor so I can remove any personal files and put on Antivir and arrange
for pickup by the blind student's brother.

Hooray, I don't need to put XP on the desktop!  

It is extremely kind of you and John III to donate this computer to the blind
student.  Please think of us next time you need a computer case or a bike
repair.  And bring the printer by in April for a cleaning.

Sindi, you have done a whole lot for John and me.  You also do a whole
lot for many other people.  Spud was very impressed that you took him
seriously when you visited last summer.

For all of these reasons, he is happy to donate this laptop to you.  He
won't be back with me until Wednesday, so it will be later this week
before I can get the computer from him so I can bring it to you.  It
will have XP installed already.

Do you remember just what Jim fixed on that laptop besides replacing the
keyboard?  He thinks it was 'a whole bunch of little stuff'.  I recall he had
it apart for a while.  

We were impressed with Spud's knowledge of computers and happy to spend time
with him again.  Let's make it more than once every 5-10 years.

MI Commission for the Blind just returned my phone call and explained that
since the student is transferred from N. Carolina and getting tuition
assistance from them, he cannot get a computer from Michigan.  I asked about
JAWS voice synthesis software.  He has known it to run at 400MHz (anything
that will run XP) but it needs a lot of memory, at least 1GB and 2-3GB
is better.  Do you know how much Spud's laptop has?  Or the model number so
we can check about adding more?  

The desktop I was going to give him only takes 384MB memory (won't recognize
more, or maybe won't even boot with more).  We have another that will take
up to 2GB memory (not that we have 1GB DIMMs, but they could buy some I hope).
It needs to go into another case (today before Jim starts packing?).

I don't know how much memory is in John's laptop.

I asked his mother to remind him to bring the computer to me.  I'll get
it to you as soon as I can.

Thanks again.  The recipient will buy more memory if needed.  We can first
try with less (and unload everything from Startup, and eliminate mouse
shadows and other totally irrelevant screen decorations - I wonder if you can
run XP in monochrome, or without any icons at all).

Jep please read your grex email.  1.6GHz, 512MB RAM, 30GB HD.

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