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https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4116950/posts?page=36#36
Today I added a matching 8 GB RAM card. “This PC / Properties” reports it’s there, and Taskbar shows the machine at 19% RAM usage once she’s calmed down after a fresh cold boot, with no apps running. (I did pare down the startup stuff a bit.) I’ve not yet cloned the C drive over to the 512 GB M.2 SATA drive that I added in the WWAN slot — I might get to that next weekend. (The idea is to then swap in a 512 GB M.2 NVMe in the main drive slot, and clone the SATA drive back to it. That way I end up with a 512 GB NVMe boot & programs drive, and a 512 GB SATA data / downloads drive that also has a copy of the OS and critical apps on it, PLUS the original 256 GB NVMe drive is available to possibly put in my Lenovo netbook, or turn into a super-fast USB drive.) :-)
[ It is not for sure that I can boot off the SATA drive, as the BIOS may not be set up for that. However, that is not a deal breaker! ]
I also tested the video output from the Latitude’s HDMI port on a 43” 4k TV: Windows reports full 4k resolution, and word processor fine text & spreadsheets looks great, as do 4k vids off You Tube. Granted I have no good 4k MOVIES to watch, but, what the heck...
This has worked out well. For a bit over $250 (B4 tax) I have a faster laptop that I’ll ever tax, drive reliability should be high, there’s likely more drive capacity than I’ll ever use, an intro to Win 11 Pro, business class build, an OEM dock (with an extra power supply, so I ended up with the usual 65 watt supply and TWO 130 watt supplies, the nicest (IMO) laptop keyboard I’ve used yet (and nicely backlit, too), lots of flexibility, and I think(!) I can even charge the laptop from high output USB-C “power banks”*. The display is a bit dull, but plenty good for my uses, and there’s always that 4k / UHD video output. So far, everything is working smoothly and as an added plus I’ll have a spare 256 GB NVMe drive as noted above.
*I'm not 100% sure on that -- I do have a power bank with a USB-C output, but, it does not seem to charge the laptop, or at least not when the laptop still has a good partial charge itself.
So you not only like W11, but you think W7 was a disaster? Are you a Democrat?
bkmk
For virtualization needs I run a number of Linux containers under Docker Desktop (requiring virtualization features to be enabled in the BIOS).
I have other computers with better specs, but this is my "EDC". :)
Back in 2019, I decided to leave the country so I sold my desktop and bought a refurbished Dell Latitude E6510 which cost around $400 after I upgraded to add as much RAM and hard drive as I could possibly fit. I insisted on Windows 7, not 8 or 10, and the sales rep dutifully warned me that Windows was phasing out Win7 support. I bought a Win 7 OS disk and an external hard drive for backups and they have both been life savers. I have many documents and family photos I store on CD-Rom as well as flash drives in hopes I’ll never lose the data.
Anyway, there is a place in Austin, TX called “Discount Electronics” (https://discountelectronics.com/) which buys and refurbishes Dells mostly and will rebuild to your specifications. If what you want is a Dell laptop for less, I highly recommend them. They’ll ship too.
Essential freeware includes AutoRuns https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns
And Win Patrol https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/winpatrol/
Thanks be to God.
I just wait for a good combination of discount code and features. I’ve been using https://www.dellrefurbished.com
I do have a 5490 and 6440. The 6440 has an upgraded video card and hdmi.