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Thread ID: 115388	2011-01-16 21:34:00	Can anybody help a student with a free or cheap laptop?	Billy T (70)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1170191	2011-01-16 21:34:00	I'm asking on behalf of our daughter, but some serious assistance is needed: we are looking for a very cheap or preferably donated reliable laptop . Something with a reasonable sized screen, wifi built in and a CD burner . Please take the time to read the explanation below, I've given you chapter and verse because this is a very important issue for a very dedicate young woman . She is leaving for Melbourne in about 5 weeks to study for her Masters in Music Therapy . If you have not heard of this therapy before (and I hadn't either), in simple terms music therapy is often able to unlock the most disordered brains, and people who are otherwise mute or unable to speak coherently may be able to do so by singing (just as severe stutterers can often sing fluently) severely damaged brains can regain vital functionality through musical therapy, and in one remarkable case, a man who through a severe brain disease and was reduced to a memory span of just a few seconds was able to retain memories for up to twenty minutes, long enough to communicate with his wife and enjoy a semblance of normality . A deeply moving account of the extraordinary powers of Music Therapy can be found in Professor Oliver Sacks' book, Musicophilia . Music therapy is applicable to all ages from early childhood (autism and other disorders) through to adults late in life . There are many injuries, illnesses and congenital disorders that can severely disable the human brain, and just as drugs cannot cure all instances of disease, music therapy may not be able to help every individual, but in many cases it can make the lives of sufferers more fulfilling by restoring some semblance of order to their brain functions and their social interaction with family and others . We have assisted our daughter through University with free transport, board and lodging, medical insurance and incidental costs and she graduated Bachelor of Music . She worked her way through Uni principally as a caregiver to the seriously disabled, graduated debt free, and has saved as much as she could to finance her studies in Australia . She based her budget planning on professional advice that as a New Zealander she would be eligible for a student loan in Australia, and also following that advice, she applied for and was granted permanent residence in Australia to facilitate this entitlement . However, just a week ago, and after being accepted by all of the four Universities to which she applied, she discovered that she would not be eligible for a student loan for 12 months, which effectively meant she could not take up the study position offered . We have done what we believe any parents would do in the circumstances: we cashed in the modest investment savings we had put away for our retirement and gave it all to her so that she could commence her studies in February as planned . Now that she is adequately funded for her first year she has accepted a position offered at the University of Melbourne which is the leading Pacific region institution for Music Therapy studies, and she plans to find suitable part-time work to fund the second and any subsequent years . She will be entitled to apply for scholarships at the end of her first year and will submit applications for any she is eligible to receive . She has also applied for and been granted accommodation on campus, so that will allow her to focus full time on her studies . So, we are looking for a reliable second-hand laptop for her because now she has literally no spare money at all, and if anybody has one that they could donate it would be very much appreciated . All she needs is a decent sized screen and a reliable brand, and if the battery has any life left so much the better, but it will be run pretty much exclusively on mains anyway . Something in the right age group will probably be running XP which is what she is familiar with but later OS's would be OK too . If you think you could help, please PM me, I don't want to enter into any further personal explanations in public, but any question asked via a PM will be answered, as will any serious general question asked on the board . On PM request I will provide by email her academic record and full CV so that you can judge her on her own merits . This study has been her sole objective since she was 14 years old, and everything she has done since then has been aimed at achieving this career goal, and the breadth and depth of her CV will surprise you . Even though I've been watching her develop for the last eight years her dedication astounded me and I simply did not realise the incredible range of her activities . She is an extraordinarily dedicated and focused young woman . Thanks for taking the time to read this . Billy	Billy T (70)
1170192	2011-01-16 22:49:00	Hope this all works out for you, keep us informed. Unfortunately I've only got Desktops, donated the last laptop I had about a month ago just prior to Christmas ...	Chilling_Silence (9)
1170193	2011-01-16 23:18:00	Wish I could help but like Chill only have desktops. I sincerely hope that someone will come forward and help out, best of luck	gary67 (56)
1170194	2011-01-16 23:32:00	I have an oldish Toshiba that might fit the bill..only problem with it is that one of the keys is a bit sticky (the r or the y I think) so you just have to be careful that it is pressed properly, esp when typing in your password. Let me know if your interested and Ill dig around in my cupboard of toys to see if I can find it.	Barnabas (4562)
1170195	2011-01-17 00:29:00	I have a DV5 1009ax, 3GB RAM 256mb Radeon HD Gfx with win7 ultimate (or whatever open source you want pre installed) It has a dead CPU so i'm not sure if i will be buying a new CPU or laptop. if its ends up a new lappy then you can get the DV5. CPU's can be obtained for >$41 on amazon (2nd hand)	The Error Guy (14052)
1170196	2011-01-17 02:24:00	Man if I have finished my degree my laptop can be yours Billy. Hope you get your daughter a laptop soon, I'll see what I can do by asking a few people around.	qazwsxokmijn (102)
1170197	2011-01-17 07:52:00	Hope you get your daughter a laptop soon, I'll see what I can do by asking a few people around. x2 (Nudge) :thumbs:	WalOne (4202)
1170198	2011-01-17 11:19:00	Billy, I would be happy to donate your daughter a laptop. It is fairly old and slow, but runs Windows XP and should be capable of everyday tasks. It has a CD writer, 14 inch screen, and WiFi. I am unsure of the condition of the battery and will check it out tomorrow if possible. If you are interested, you could come and get it tomorrow (if I remember correctly you live in Wellington also?). If that's not convenient I could courier it. Specs are: - Celeron M 1.3GHz - 768MB RAM - 40GB Hard Drive As far as I am aware the laptop should be reliable, but in the interests of her saving money I would recommend she keep a backup copy of all her data so that if/when it does fail she doesn't need to enlist the expensive services of a computer tech to recover her data. As you can imagine, any 4+ year old laptop is at the age where there is a reasonable chance of problems emerging. Alternatively, I could provide a somewhat better and much newer laptop at say half market price (ie $180 or so). Give me a call tomorrow on 04 831 1077 if interested. By the way, I am going to China on Thursday so you will need to decide by Wednesday at the latest if you want one before late February when I return. I wish your daughter the best of luck with her studies and the practice of the music therapy. Cheers!	george12 (7)
1170199	2011-01-17 19:06:00	I only have desktops . . . . :( and George i think billy lives up the island north of bombay hills . . . . . . . . . . . good luck billy, we need more of your daughters caliber in our world . . . . . . . . . beetle :)	beetle (243)
1170200	2011-01-17 19:09:00	Yeah he does, but that's OK, it only cost me $14 to ship my Macbook from Aucks to Napier a week or two ago. Posted it 4:50PM on the Thursday, it arrived 8AM the next morning!! :D	Chilling_Silence (9)
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