I was told I own too many laptops... :|

[VirtualLarry]

I've got a pile of laptops on my bed, and was told / suggested to pare it down to maybe two, and sell the others.

I've got a Dell with an N2830 CPU, and a 120GB Samsung SSD.
An Asus with an N2830 CPU, and a 480GB SSD. (Using that one right now.)
A pair of Lenovo business class laptops, with A6-6310 APUs and 4GB DDR3 and one has a 240GB SSD, one is still factory-spec. (Willing to sell the factory-spec one.)

And a couple of laptops I bought just to flip, primarily.
A Lenovo IdeaPad 110S w/N3060, 2GB, 32GB eMMC, 11.6".
A Blue Dell Inspiron 3000 series, 11.6", N3060, 4GB (I think... maybe?), 32GB eMMC, 64-bit.

And I've got a pair of 11.6" laptops, that I use Linux on for banking. One is an older IVB U-series CPU, with a HDD, which I could sell. The other is a more recent Acer CloudBook, that I managed to shoe-horn Linux Mint onto it.

My needs are thus:
A daily-driver laptop, running Windows most likely, that I can use to web browse and Skype from the comfort of my bed.
A laptop running Linux, to be used for online banking.
A laptop that I can take on-site to clients to use to look up stuff online, download drivers, and configure routers with. (Needs both wireless, and an ethernet port. Not all cheap laptops have ethernet ports any more.) This one should not be a big deal if it gets lost / stolen / damage. Basically, a "disposable" laptop, with an ethernet jack.

And possibly a backup daily-driver running Windows, in case my primary DD gets a virus or malware, and I need to use a Windows-based laptop to fix it. (MS Media Creation tool to create a Win10 USB requires Windows to run.)

Budget: I have $0 available right now for new laptop purchases, but if anyone knows anything coming up soon that will be cheap, but faster than an Atom-based laptop, then chime in. (Maybe wait for Raven Ridge-based laptops, for a new DD laptop?)

Performance requirements: I'm happy with the performance of the N2830-based laptops, at least with a real SATA SSD installed. The N3060-based laptops with limited RAM and eMMC really suck though, I couldn't quite stand to use those as a DD. The A6-6310 laptops are fairly fast too, but they don't have as good a battery life as the N2830 ones do.

Battery life is somewhat important. I want more than 4 hours. My Lenovo IdeaPad 100S has nearly 9-10 hours battery life just web browsing. Bonus if laptop battery is user-removable.

I'm looking for another cheap laptop to run Linux, though, because the IVB-based one, when you upgrade the distro too far, it doesn't support the onboard graphics any more, so cannot upgrade from the factory distro, and the Acer Cloudbook, has a key on the keyboard that returns the wrong letter when you hit it. (Weird problem.) It was a refurb that I got cheap, might have been bad from day one but I just never noticed.

Edit: This thread is in no way a brag thread, all of these laptops are really low-end. Only I've souped up a few of them with SSDs.

 

[lxskllr]

Sounds like you need one laptop. Windows and gnu/linux dual boot, and a cloned hd you've kept up to date. Add in a $5 bootable thumb drive with partedmagic, and you can take over the world.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Don't want dual-boot, due to security issues, as well as the fact that I heavily utilize Hibernation on the Windows laptop, and that isn't compatible with a Linux dual-boot arrangement.

 

[XavierMace]

Don't want dual-boot, due to security issues

Wut?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Wut?

Physical isolation >>> Logical isolation.

Windows malware could, in theory, place trojan programs on the Linux filesystem / partition, when booted into Windows.

 

[XavierMace]

Keep one of the OS's on an external hard drive then? Although I'd first wonder what you are doing on the internet in the first place to make that a major concern.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Although I'd first wonder what you are doing on the internet in the first place to make that a major concern.

I just want my online banking to be secure. Windows has too great a risk of viruses / trojans / malware. Especially Windows 10.

 

[XavierMace]

I just want my online banking to be secure. Windows has too great a risk of viruses / trojans / malware. Especially Windows 10.

You keep telling yourself that.

 

[JeffMD]

Windows has no great risk of trojans and viruses, especially if you stick to legit sites. As long as you keep stuff updated (And unless you go out of your way to shut updates down, its automatic for both chrome and windows 8/10). All the viruses today are designed around either piggy backing onto legit programs (malware) or tricking gullible people into running something they are told is to protect them ( web based trojan warnings).

 

[whm1974]

I just want my online banking to be secure. Windows has too great a risk of viruses / trojans / malware. Especially Windows 10.

While there are some issues with dual booting, I think your caution is overblown.

 

[cbn]

Physical isolation >>> Logical isolation.

Windows malware could, in theory, place trojan programs on the Linux filesystem / partition, when booted into Windows.

How about booting Linux off a usb stick? (Universal USB Installer is what I use)

https://www.howtogeek.com/139926/securely-access-online-banking-and-email-on-untrusted-computers-with-a-linux-usb-drive/ <---- It looks Ubuntu changed from Universal USB Installer to Rufus. (re: The Howtogeek article has a screen shot of Universal USB Installer, but the newly updated Ubuntu Instructions (which the article links to) have 16.04 and Rufus*)

*Some info I found on why the switch to Rufus might have occurred:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/57492888

Another popular choice over the years is the Universal USB installer from PenDriveLinux. See more about it here:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/

But, many newer distros have switched to .iso files using different boot methods, so that they can work as hybrid .iso images on both traditional mbr setups, as well as UEFI systems.

As a result, some newer distro images will not work when burned to a flash drive using those older utilities.

So, I would suggest using Rufus from within Windows to write the distros being discussed to a USB Flash drive, so that you can boot into them. More about it here:

https://rufus.akeo.ie/

P.S. Rufus doesn't allow for an installation with persistent changes, but the utility described in this article does. I am assuming it works with hybrid .iso images?

 

[EXCellR8]

I have two identical Toshiba laptops and I feel like that's too many... they aren't my thing, obviously.

Windows 10, like the last few Win OS's are plenty secure with the right software. There are some premium antivirus suites that offer private or sandbox browsing but I've never felt the need to use them unless I'm dealing with super sensitive personal data, which is basically never. Couple that with a good firewall and VPN and I doubt you'll ever run into trouble unless you royally mess it all up.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

You do own too many laptops. Also, they are all terrible.

Sell the junk you have. Get one refurbished big-core laptop. (2-3 year old i5 or i7 business refurb with a new battery.)

Install Linux on it.*
Use it for everything.
Enable home directory encryption.

*If games are not part of the equation, that's the simple answer to your Windows concerns, even though I think they're baseless.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Dual booting is annoying as it means you have to close everything you're working on to go to the other OS. I would just have two laptops one for each OS. Try your best to just avoid using the Windows one but when you do need Windows for something you can fire it up. You can use VMs for some stuff too, but some things like games just work better natively. So I'd focus on getting a good Linux laptop and make that your primary.

 

[kenzz]

I've been thinking I would like a new, cheap 11.6" laptop for Linux. Are there any suggestions, please, for a suitable laptop ... or would any of the cheap Win10 laptops be OK?

 

[Torn Mind]

@VirtualLarry Do online banking with a diskless liveCD system if you want to wipe all traces of contact once the computer is off.
Or do it in a virtual machine with the OS of your choice. Do not run Windows with admin privileges.

Buy an old Dell XPS 13 for daily driving needs. Actually, since you say "bed", a tablet like an Ipad Air or 2-in-1 is what you're looking for there.

An old Thinkpad, even a fast Core 2 Duo, preferably with a Penryn, one, can serve your "on-site" needs. Or a Latitude D"X"30, with "X" being 4, 6, or 8.

Sorry, but most of your laptops are not good enough for what you are asking for. Atom-based laptops are only suitable as makeshift servers for the uninitiated, in my opinion, and my opinion is based on my experience with an older Atom N270.

 

[IEC]

You'd be better served downsizing to one nicer laptop and using virtual machines.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Sorry, but most of your laptops are not good enough for what you are asking for. Atom-based laptops are only suitable as makeshift servers for the uninitiated, in my opinion, and my opinion is based on my experience with an older Atom N270.

With all due respect, then, your experience with Atom-family CPUs is woefully out-of-date. Bay Trail (Silvermont core) Atoms, are way, way, better than prior early-gen Atoms, being some of the first OoO Atom cores, I believe. This is further improved in Apollo Lake (Goldmont core) Atoms, which are said to be nearly on the order of Core2 performance, at the usual power-sipping Atom TDP. Which sounds fine to me. Unfortunately, Intel seems like they're discontinuing Atom, probably because it has lower margins than Core-family CPUs.

Truth be told, I'm actually a big fan of Bay Trail Atoms. Which is probably why I own so many laptops with them.

 

[whm1974]

With all due respect, then, your experience with Atom-family CPUs is woefully out-of-date. Bay Trail (Silvermont core) Atoms, are way, way, better than prior early-gen Atoms, being some of the first OoO Atom cores, I believe. This is further improved in Apollo Lake (Goldmont core) Atoms, which are said to be nearly on the order of Core2 performance, at the usual power-sipping Atom TDP. Which sounds fine to me. Unfortunately, Intel seems like they're discontinuing Atom, probably because it has lower margins than Core-family CPUs.

Truth be told, I'm actually a big fan of Bay Trail Atoms. Which is probably why I own so many laptops with them.

So sad, I would find something similar to the GPD Win and Pocket or even a tablet using Goldmont Atoms running Linux to be useful enough to buy one.

 

[mikeymikec]

Apart from wanting to target a particular system, why on earth would someone write malware that infects dual-boot systems? It's going to be the most diverse type of environment to write malware for (so therefore it would be difficult) as well as one of the least popular.

 

[Torn Mind]

So sad, I would find something similar to the GPD Win and Pocket or even a tablet using Goldmont Atoms running Linux to be useful enough to buy one.

GPD pocket is $570 from Amazon and $510 at Gearbest? That's freaking IPad territory. Not to mention the 7" form factor are for those who need small more than they need comfortable; 10" is where the pleasure is at, not a 7". I used a Nexus 7 (2012).

Performance might have improved, but landscape remains similar. Atom might be good in a vacuum, but there is no way that it is the best option for the money except for a very small of number of people. "Rich boy old toys (and useful tools)" have always been there to steal Atom's thunder. Refurb business laptops and refurb high-end 10" tablets undercut or match the price of a "new" China direct device and do more faster. That was the story during the netbook era. It's still the same story now. Just around the corner, is Qualcomm+Microsoft are developing Windows 10 on ARM devices. hahah. Atom, same ol' same ol'. Always second best. Analogous to Vegeta's ability compared to Goku.

 

[whm1974]

GPD pocket is $570 from Amazon and $510 at Gearbest? That's freaking IPad territory. Not to mention the 7" form factor are for those who need small more than they need comfortable; 10" is where the pleasure is at, not a 7". I used a Nexus 7 (2012).

Performance might have improved, but landscape remains similar. Atom might be good in a vacuum, but there is no way that it is the best option for the money except for a very small of number of people. "Rich boy old toys (and useful tools)" have always been there to steal Atom's thunder. Refurb business laptops and refurb high-end 10" tablets undercut or match the price of a "new" China direct device and do more faster. That was the story during the netbook era. It's still the same story now. Just around the corner, is Qualcomm+Microsoft are developing Windows 10 on ARM devices. hahah. Atom, same ol' same ol'. Always second best. Analogous to Vegeta's ability compared to Goku.

Well the GPD Win is cheaper, well at it least was the last time I've looked at it.

 

[ninaholic37]

Don't want dual-boot, due to security issues

I don't think Windows even understands anything except FAT and NTFS. I know it doesn't understand EXT2-4 and F2FS, and doesn't know how to see them, at least Windows 7 and XP without added drivers. If Windows touched these drives it would probably be chkdsk or similar just corrupting them completely to dominate your machine and you'd have to re-install Linux.

I haven't tried Bay Trail+ yet, but from I've heard I'd rather throw them out and just keep the 11.6" Ivy Bridge U laptop.

 

[whm1974]

I don't think Windows even understands anything except FAT and NTFS. I know it doesn't understand EXT2-4 and F2FS, and doesn't know how to see them, at least Windows 7 and XP without added drivers. If Windows touched these drives it would probably be chkdsk or similar just corrupting them completely to dominate your machine and you'd have to re-install Linux.

I haven't tried Bay Trail+ yet, but from I've heard I'd rather throw them out and just keep the 11.6" Ivy Bridge U laptop.

The last time I was dual booting both Windows 8 and Linux, Windows didn't even see the SSD which had Linux installed.

 

[mxnerd]

Sell the laptops that are not needed, use the proceeds to upgrade the memory of the laptop that you want to keep and run VMs on it.