 |  | By Bruce Stevens Technical Editor Monday, 5 November 2007 |
Interested in the AOL free laptop (or free PS3) offer?
You can sign
up on their site from here...
|
What are the specs of the AOL free laptop?
The AOL free laptop specs
- HP Compaq 6720s Notebook
- Vista Home Basic
- 1GB Memory
- 80GB Hard Drive
- Intel Celeron Processor
- DVD Writer
- Wireless card
- Media Card
How do I upgrade the AOL free laptop memory?
Please note: The following instructions apply to
the older Dell Inspiron 1520 Notebook, and not the new HP 6720 that
AOL is now giving away.
The AOL free laptop supports the 200-pin SODIMM DDR2 PC5300 memory.
To upgrade the HP Compaq 6720s from 1GB to 2GB you will need to buy 2 x 1GB cards. The cheapest we have found so far are:
- 2 x 1GB memory for £31.75 (incl delivery)
7Dayshop.com
- 2 x 1GB memory (named brand with lifetime warranty) for £35.98 (incl delivery)
Play.com
The product to search for is: 200-pin SODIMM DDR2 PC5300
Do you have instructions for replacing the memory on my AOL free laptop?
If you received one of Dell Inspiron notebooks from AOL, follow these instructions (these instructions do not apply to the newer HP 6720 that AOL is giving away for free):
While replacing one of the two memory cards in the AOL free laptop is easy, replacing them both is a bit more of a chore as the second memory slot is located under the laptop's keyboard. While we would recommend you only do this if you know what you are doing with laptops, Dell has produced a very user friendly guide to replacing the memory.
Read Dell's full instructions for replacing memory cards in AOL free laptop.
Reviews of the AOL free laptop (or free PS3) offer
The AOL free laptop is included with all the AOL Wireless Plus packages. You can read full reviews of each AOL Wireless Plus package here:
AOL Wireless Plus 1
AOL Wireless Plus 2
AOL Wireless Plus 3
AOL Wireless Plus 4
Compare the AOL broadband packages
Interested in the AOL free laptop (or AOL free PS3) offer? You can sign up on the AOL site... |
STOP PRESS! AOL is offering the option of a free PS3 (PlayStation 3) instead of the laptop if you prefer. You can find out more here.
IT has been two months since we first reported on AOL’s storming free laptop offer. Since then, thousands of broadband users have signed up to AOL Wireless Plus broadband package in the hope of receiving a free laptop.
Two months on, what is the consensus of the AOL free laptop offer, and what are most people asking? Bruce Stevens, ChooseISP’s technical editor found out.
My Carphone Warehouse / AOL free laptop hasn’t arrived yet
There has been a number of reports of impatient users who have signed up for the AOL free laptop offer but still haven’t received their free laptop, despite their AOL broadband already having gone live.
The problem appears to lie with supply. While AOL were well prepared for the rush, there is no doubt that in some cases a lack of supply of free laptops has caused a backlog.
At this point it seems there is nothing to worry about. Users all across the UK have been receiving their free AOL laptops over the last few weeks and, for those who were sceptical, there have been no catches.
In almost all cases where a delay was reported, a simple phonecall to AOL is enough to get them on the case. If your AOL service is up and running, you can call them free from your AOL Talk phone line.
Upgrading the memory on AOL’s free laptop
Please note: The following instructions apply to
the older Dell Inspiron 1520 Notebook, and not the new HP 6720 that
AOL is now giving away.
The free AOL laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1520 Notebook with just 1GB of RAM. While this is still a decent specification, many users have discovered that 1GB of memory is not quite ample to run Windows Vista optimally.
It is however, cheap and relatively easy to upgrade the AOL free laptop’s Dell Inspiron 1520 memory specification yourself.
The free AOL Dell Inspiron 1520 laptop includes 1GB of memory consisting of 2 x 512MB (ie. it can hold 2 memory cards).
The AOL free laptop memory specification is:
200-pin SODIMM DDR2 PC5300
So to upgrade the free AOL laptop (Dell Inspiron 1520) from 1GB to 2GB you should buy 2 x 1GB cards. It is best to buy identical spec cards to squeeze the best performance out of them.
So far, the best value 1GB cards we have found on the web are from the store 7Dayshop.com where they cost just £13.49 each with £3.95 delivery. There is no VAT on these items as the store is based in Guernsey. Be aware though that this is not branded memory, so it is unlikely to have any kind of warranty.
So you can cheaply upgrade the memory in your free AOL laptop for a total of £31.75.
Alternatively, if you want brand name and lifetime warranty memory, you should look at the Play.com Kingston memory instead, which costs £17.99 with free delivery.
This will then cost you £35.98 for two memory cards including delivery.
A word of warning though: having just upgraded one of the free AOL laptops ourselves, we should point out that replacing the memory cards is not an easy task. To be more precise, replacing just one of the cards is easy, but replacing both requires you to dismantle parts of the laptop in order to access the poorly accessible second slot.
Please be aware that upgrading both memory slots on the AOL free laptop is best undertaken by someone who knows what they are doing.
Read the full instructions for replacing memory cards in AOL free laptop.
Where is the AOL free laptop user manual?
Please note: The following instructions apply to
the older Dell Inspiron 1520 Notebook, and not the new HP 6720 that
AOL is now giving away.
Novice computer users may be surprised or concerned that the AOL free laptop does not come with any written documentation.
This is because the manual is in digital format only and is accessible once you turn the laptop on. Just follow these instructions and you’ll have easy access to your AOL free laptops digital user manual.
How to find the Dell Inspiron 1520 user manual:
Click Start > Help and Support > Dell Edocs > System Documentation > Dell Owners Manual.
Do I get to keep the free AOL laptop when my contract ends?
There has been some confusion as to whether customers actually 'own' the laptop, or whether they need to hand it back at the end of the contract. The good news is that the AOL free laptop is yours to keep!
I already have a laptop, is AOL giving away anything else instead?
Yes, AOL realises that not everybody needs or wants a new laptop, so are now offering instead a brand new, full-spec free PS3 (PlayStation 3) as an optional alternative. The AOL free PS3 offer is identical to the free AOL laptop.
What is the catch with the Carphone Warehouse / AOL free PS3 giveaway?
Like AOL's free laptop giveaway, we are pleased to report that there are no catches with the AOL free PS3 giveaway. This is literally a full-spec PS3 that AOL will give you for free. Of course, all the requirements that exist for the AOL free laptop are in place for the AOL free PS3 too - it is just an alternative incentive to the free laptop.
Is the AOL free PS3 a real, full spec PS3?
Yes, it is exactly the same as a PS3 you would buy in the stores. You even get a free game with it and a free Blu-Ray DVD! For those unfamiliar with it, the free AOL PS3 you will receive is more than just a games console - it is a full entertainment suite, featuring:
- 40GB PS3 'hard drive' to store pictures, music and movies
- Access to the PlayStation Network for online gaming
- High-definition Blu-ray technology for films and games, offering definition five times crisper than regular DVD
- Wireless Sixaxis controller
ChooseISP will continue to keep you updated on the AOL free laptop offer.
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