======= Date Modified 11 Apr 2011 12:09:51 =======
Apologies for another computer question but I am at my wits' end! Here is the current situation:

I don't have anywhere to study so I bought a netbook to carry to the library with me as my laptop is too big. It had Windows Starter on it (Windows 7) and I attempted to upgrade using university software but this failed. I ended up somehow deleting Windows Starter so downloaded OpenOffice instead!

At home I use my laptop which is a few years old and has Windows Vista on it - it has been a big headache ever since I got it. Its only advantage is that I can use Endnote on it (which I can't on our even older home computer which has XP but is located in our lounge/playroom/dining room/study so is not useable most of the time).

My problem is that I am completely inept and have loads of different files in different versions of Word. When I try and put them together on the laptop something always goes wrong - formatting changes, Endnote fails etc etc. I am spending longer trying to do the techie things then writing the PhD at the moment and it is driving me mad.

My question is if I get a MacBook would this solve any of my problems? The cost is a big disadvantage but I can't go on working like this. I basically just want to write my thesis without having all these problems that I can't resolve. If I did get one could I still use my netbook for taking notes when I am not at home?

If you got this far, thanks for reading and thanks for any help - I am feeling really down about the whole thing as I am not able to get any help from the uni and am really ill-equipped to sort out these problems. Thanks.

I think macs are great, BUT they do restrict you if you want to use free/windows type programmes. Some say you can just split the drive and have windows and OS working - but what's the point of getting a Mac? - surely its the operating system, so if you don't use it, what's the point??

I personally would get a good laptop - I've just got an ASUS which is great. I'd work off that all the time. Use Mendeley instead of endnote and dropbox, with Office 2010.

Hi, I have a Mac (love it!) and have a Windows partition just so I can run SPSS & R to do my stats analysis. It works pretty well and I can switch between the two. I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't been able to get the Windows operating system nearly free from my uni. My Mac runs Windows faster than my Asus laptop and is A LOT lighter to carry around. That said, I would still recommend a Windows laptop if price is a concern. While you can get Open Office and other open source software free for Mac, there just isn't the catalogue that there is for Windows.

As for the MS Office versions problem, always be sure to save as the older .doc format instead of the newer .docx and you should be okay. I go between several computers that have everything from Office 97 to Office 2010 and have learned this lesson the hard way.

Previously I was using End Note but have recently switched to Mendeley. Wish I had found it sooner!

Timefortea, don't let the technology get you down and keep you getting your work done. Before the MacBook, I had to turn on my laptop, make a cup a tea or put some washing in while I waited for it to start up, click to open a program, go and feed the cat or check the post, click to open a document....you get the idea. Buying a new laptop just for the purpose of my PhD was the best thing I've done toward that end. Mac or Windows is unimportant...working for you is!

:-)Nic