Acer Netbook Help Needed

http://www.howcast.com/videos/285263-Cant-Remember-Windows-Password-Forgot-Windows-Login-Password

If all that Windows stuff fails, Acer has a way to reset the computer to factory defaults. All software that was previously loaded, and any files will be lost. But you can start using the computer as it was the day you first got it. I put a big SD flash card in the slot on my Aspire 1 and save on it any data I consider too important to lose (something you can't do with an iPad). From the Acer Aspire 1 User Guide, if Disk-to-disk recovery is enabled, press alt-F10 while the computer is starting and the Acer logo is showing. Follow onscreen instructions. If D2D is not enabled, you can enable it from the Main page of the BIOS setup. You might need someone more familiar with computers to help you with that. You can get to the BIOS setup by pressing F2 during POST. BTW, Michael, FYI, I got an attack warning from Mozilla when I tried to log onto that URL.

Since technology evolves so quickly, you will eventually want to replace that Acer with something else. When you do, please consider how useful that item could be in your daily life at home. Clearly the Acer had no useful place in your regular life or this situation would not have happened. When the question of travel technology comes up (as it does here frequently) one important factor that is usually overlooked is how useful the item is when you are home. It's tempting, for example, to extol the virtues of the little $300 netbook micro-desktop computers as travel buddies. But if they sit there unused the rest of the time because you have a more comfortable computer to use at home, then that is actually a pretty expensive little travel buddy on a by-use basis. BTW, Lee, I had no trouble with the URL provided, but then again, I was using a Mac ;-)

BTW, Michael, FYI, I got an attack warning from Mozilla when I tried to log onto that URL. The link doesn't set off any alerts on my Windows PC. Firefox, Norton, Yahoo, and Google, all say it's kosher. Also Anna I'm sorry you had to endure that snotty post above...you were looking for technical advice not a lecture. Good luck.

If this were an Acer computer helpline my response would not have been helpful to anyone. But since this is a Rick Steves travel helpline I responded in the only way that this question could possibly have relevance to anyone else reading. The issue of updating technology is a very real one as is the desire of anyone to get the most useful device possible.

I don't use my Acer at home because I have a full sized box with a 17" display and a 20" keyboard. But my wife uses her Asus Netbook at home on a day-to-day basis. But I can't take the desktop with me to MacDonalds in the morning for coffee or to Barnes and Noble or to Panera for ETBD Saturday, and I certainly couldn't take it with me to Europe. But the two complement each other. Before I go on a trip to Europe, I do all of my planning on the desktop, creating a massive Excel file with maps, train schedules, etc. I load it all on a flash drive which also has some financial data on it and take the drive with me, keeping it secure when not in use, only putting it in the USB port on my netbook when needed.

@Randy.. so you are saying what? Drag you heavy laptop if you don't use your Acer at home?

Terry Kathryn, Actually, I was trying to NOT say what I was thinking because that would have just reverted to the same old snarky jabs at Apple products. But since you asked, what I was thinking was that if the Acer is sitting unused for months at a time, it must not have a use at home AND must be the least preferred tech device at home. Regardless of how much of a bargain it is, an unused device is a poor investment. A person in this situation might be wise to consider spending a bit more on a device that is good for travel AND useful and pleasurable to use at home. Tablet devices can fit that description for many (though not all) and small, thin, very lightweight laptop computers with full size keyboards and high resolution screens would fit that description for others. They cost more. But if they get used at home then they are a better value in the long run. These items can be found at a variety of stores, but the ones with the fruit on the logo are the most popular...

Randy... (sorry, off topic) I guess I read it too fast and now I understand what you are saying. I thought you meant take a bigger computer, now I think you mean take an Ipad.

Thank you, all of you - haven't tried the remedies yet, since I had unplugged everything because of the stormy weather. Yes, I know, the Acer sits here unused most of the time; it makes my daughter, who gave it to me, mad. Unfortunately, she lives too far away to give me hands-on help and I sure didn't want to admit to her that I had even forgotten how to sign on.

I use my netbook every work day for an extended amount of time. I use my smartphone numerous times every day to handle email and browse the web. I go back to using a desktop, however, when I am near one. The netbooks are so inexpensive (relatively speaking), that I could see buying one to use just on trips. It all depends on how much one values convenience and how much discretionary income one has. Because all my electronics are used for work (mostly), they pay for themselves as far as I'm concerned. I couldn't do what I do without them, at least. As a compromise, you can plug a netbook into an external keyboard and monitor. I do that sometimes. It works just about as well as having a dedicated desktop and it doesn't take more than a second to plug them in. I think my netbook even has a bigger hard drive than my desktop PC.

This needn't be an invitation to "defend" netbooks. If you bought one, thinking you had good use for it and you really do use it, good! Done. Nothing else needs to be said. What I am attempting to do is respond to Anna's specific situation and make a suggestion about how best to avoid it in the future. I didn't tell her to throw the Acer away. I told her that WHEN it comes time to upgrade electronics - as is generally done every 2-3 years - she should consider her options and lean toward a product she could use often. Hardly revolutionary advice. "...the Acer sits here unused most of the time; it makes my daughter, who gave it to me, mad." She didn't shop for it. It was given to her. She isn't using it at home. I'm guessing (and I know I could be wrong here - Anna feel free to set me strait) that she doesn't really need a powerhouse computing device when traveling. She probably just wants to use the internet and get email, maybe store some photos and use it for down-time entertainment. That's pretty much the definition of an iPad. In fact, all of that except the photo storage could be done on an iPod Touch. If the fruit logo offends, then there are a few non-fruit devices that do similar duty. All of them would be useful every day. Aside from my passport and backpack, I don't own a single item that is only useful for travel. In Anna's case (not yours perhaps, sensitive netbook users - but Anna's case) it seems it isn't useful for her at home.