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Check your local device repair shop. Mine had tons of ten-year-old and older refurbished Dells for sale along with newer laptops. You can also buy them online or even just the "shell" in which to transfer your old hard drive.
That probably never works, as nice as it sounds. You can't just swap out at hard drive and be up and running. Hardware & software isn't necessarily compatible and you're better off buying a fresh system and copying over your personal files.
My backups consist of personal files only. OS and software get reinstalled fresh every time.
That probably never works, as nice as it sounds. You can't just swap out at hard drive and be up and running. Hardware & software isn't necessarily compatible and you're better off buying a fresh system and copying over your personal files.
I was able to find two exact same Dell computers as the 12-year-old model I had, reasonably priced (the charging port became dislocated when my foot became entangled in the cord), and that's just in the store itself; not looking online. I could no longer bring up those files to copy them, so transferring the hard drive looked like the only option. I finally realized, however, that I could charge the new laptop, then exchange the fresh battery for the dead one, and use it as usual. I still now prefer my new ASUS, as it's so much lighter!
Keyboards are fairly easy to replace. I just replaced the one I am using right now to type this on a 12 year old laptop. My shift key quit working and was driving me nuts. Just replace the keyboard and keep going.
I would not replace the laptop. As long as it is working and doing what you need, just keep using it. Windows 10 will be supported for another year or more and it isn't like it quits working. They just stop fixing bugs and doing security updates. I just in the last month "upgraded" my computers from Windows 7 to Windows 10. I still prefer 7 but I am getting a little more used to 10. I maxed out on upgrades on my laptops and desktop as I moved to 10. In all likelihood, I will skip 11 and it will probably be 3 or so years before I get new computers and move to 12. These older ones will then be wiped and loaded with one of the current Linux distros.
Keyboards are fairly easy to replace. I just replaced the one I am using right now to type this on a 12 year old laptop. My shift key quit working and was driving me nuts. Just replace the keyboard and keep going.
I would not replace the laptop. As long as it is working and doing what you need, just keep using it. Windows 10 will be supported for another year or more and it isn't like it quits working. They just stop fixing bugs and doing security updates. I just in the last month "upgraded" my computers from Windows 7 to Windows 10. I still prefer 7 but I am getting a little more used to 10. I maxed out on upgrades on my laptops and desktop as I moved to 10. In all likelihood, I will skip 11 and it will probably be 3 or so years before I get new computers and move to 12. These older ones will then be wiped and loaded with one of the current Linux distros.
I agree the laptop sounds like it can be repaired but it comes down to a choice by the owner. If the owner doesn't feel comfortable replacing the keyboard and doesn't have a local shop that can do it for a reasonable price maybe it is time to replace it.
Another option if it is primarily used as a desktop replacement would be to get an external keyboard. They are very cheap and are generally plug and play in a USB port.
My 'drop dead date' for any release is when they stop providing security patches. That is when a machine gets removed from the network never to be connected again. It may stay around for a 'special purpose' (I have one XP machine that lives in my work room that is only used for playing Civ 2 because that is my go to relaxation game). I usually convert them to Linux machines, sometimes well ahead of the drop dead date. But lately they are being recycled by that time as I am thinning the herd. Some have been donated to a local group that uses them to support disabled and needy clients, others are so old they just go the the E-cycler.
I agree the laptop sounds like it can be repaired but it comes down to a choice by the owner. If the owner doesn't feel comfortable replacing the keyboard and doesn't have a local shop that can do it for a reasonable price maybe it is time to replace it.
Another option if it is primarily used as a desktop replacement would be to get an external keyboard. They are very cheap and are generally plug and play in a USB port.
My 'drop dead date' for any release is when they stop providing security patches. That is when a machine gets removed from the network never to be connected again. It may stay around for a 'special purpose' (I have one XP machine that lives in my work room that is only used for playing Civ 2 because that is my go to relaxation game). I usually convert them to Linux machines, sometimes well ahead of the drop dead date. But lately they are being recycled by that time as I am thinning the herd. Some have been donated to a local group that uses them to support disabled and needy clients, others are so old they just go the the E-cycler.
I use something similar to this, it sits on my lap while I'm on the couch. I'm not sure where I would put an external keyboard.
Does anyone know if Best Buy will match prices on Dell.com?
Does anyone have a discount code for Dell or know were to find one? The last time I bought from them I chatted with them on their website and they did give me a certain % off.
Last edited by SanyBelle; 02-05-2024 at 05:41 PM..
I bought this when I was still working back in 2017 so I wanted a good laptop, it's Intel core i7, 8th Gen. It was fairly expensive, I don't have the receipt but it was between $1500 and $2000 I think, I could be wrong about the price. Back then I was consulting on my own, did a lot of word, excel, needed to log into client machines. Today I'm retired and really only do the following:
Surf the web
Watch Hulu, Netflix, NBC, etc
Gmail and Yahoo email.
How much of that stuff do you do outside the home? You can get an external keyboard, bluetooth or USB, which takes care of shorted out keyboard. Alternatively you can get a keyboard for $30-50 depending if you get one from Dell. Personally I would as "genuine" these days is usually a fake if you're getting it on eBay or Amazon. iFixit is a bit cheaper and a reputable company if you have to save a few bucks. XPS 13 isn't the easiest laptop to work on but it's not terribly difficult either. Shouldn't be more than a $200 fix at a local computer store if you don't want to do it yourself. Given the age of the laptop you could go either way. If you want a cheap replacement ~400-500 I'd just fix what you have. If you want to spend more or go with something with a larger screen since you're retired and not schlepping it around or whatever, could be a good time to upgrade as it is old. I still have an older Thinkpad with a busted screen that works fine for regular browsing, tubing, email. It can only do 4k@30 FPS but that's really the only actual issue I have with it. It's not worth replacing the screen on though.
New really depends on budget:
Intel i3/i5/i7 processor at a minimum (AMD is fine but less common)
16 GB of RAM highly recommended, 8 GB at a minimum.
SSD is best to look at your current laptop storage, 256 GB is a good minimum.
Then you start looking at budget.
I'd go with an OLED panel if you can afford one over IPS but that does cost more.
Asus Zenbook 13/14
XPS 13/14
Lenovo 9i, 7i, Thinkpad T14, Thinkpad X1 Carbon
HP EliteBook/Envy/X13
All 13-14", all higher end and costly thin and lights with low performance but perfect for your uses if the price doesn't turn you off.
If you want something bigger in the 15 or 16" category there's not as many choices. Most of them are productivity focused which means more expensive hardware you don't need. Asus Vivobook 15/16 OLEDs aren't really that good laptops other than the screen and spendy. Same for the Acer Swift Edge 16. https://store.acer.com/en-us/swift-e...RoCoLYQAvD_BwE
At $800 that's not a bad one. Old laptop on clearance, worth $800 if you want a big 16" OLED laptop and don't want to spend a lot of money. At $1,500 I couldn't recommend it. It's a cheap laptop with a great screen. $800 is reasonable for it.
Do you have any purchased software on your laptop? You might have to factor buying it again if you buy a new laptop.
The way you use the machine, you don’t need a fast processor, lots of storage space, or a huge amount of RAM. You could buy a minimal configuration leftover previous model version at a discount.
You say you watch Hulu, NBC, etc on it. Do you have a real TV for streaming or is this your only device? If it’s your primary device, I’d be focusing on display size and display quality. If it’s occasional use, I’d stick with the 14” ultrabook class you already have.
Personally, if I had a higher end ultrabook that is 7 years old, I’d just replace the keyboard. There’s always a YouTube video for DIY. It doesn’t apply to you but if I had a cheap plastic case consumer grade laptop instead of an aluminum case ultrabook, I’d be more prone to replace it. The higher end business machines are normally built with better components. Capacitors age and there are tons of little surface mount capacitors on the circuit board. Better quality ones last longer.
I have a Dell XPS 13 with 16 gb ram and lots of storage that I bought in 2017. The keyboard is starting to fail, the 'g' 'h' and the semicolon keys are not working. To use these keys, I have to bring up the on-screen keyboard.
I have been dreading this day. I am going to save this and continue on my tablet because I cant type like tis.
Replacing the keyboard is common. I have done it a few times.
Unless your computing needs require an upgrade, I would just do the keyboard, or have it done.
Youtube has many videos on Dell XPS 13 keyboard replacement:
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