ok so help me pick a cheap Laptop

So looking at cheap laptops but most look like they do not have CD-DVD-Bluray. And all my info mostly pictures are on CD. Should I get one without and get an external DVD drive.
Chrome Book or Windows I mostly surf at a Web Site I Moderate and here and upload pics that are taken out so the room is not taken up.
My last laptop was bought in 2013 and is on its last leg and full due to being small with updates.
Last time I git one I took out Micro Office and put in Open Office as it was smaller-sized and free, added AVG, Grammarly and kept it clean with Bleach Bit
Mostly I am looking at HP on sale at Best Buy for my wife to surf Facebook as hers is caput as well
I am looking at all kinds of damage from Hurricane IDA so must get low cost or none at all.
A few I am looking at
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-14-...-chalkboard-gray/6477483.p?skuId=6477483

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-14-...emmc-indigo-blue/6437580.p?skuId=6437580

Worries are mostly about not getting a CD-DVD Drive

Can you still get into the old one? How much data are you looking to transfer? When you find out, get a large enough flash drive or external Hard Drive, back your stuff onto that and use it to transfer whatever data you want to the new laptop. Maybe someone you know close by has a spare unit they could loan you until you get the data transferred?

Alternately, if you have sufficient cloud space, for instance onedrive is part of windows and gives you 5 gigs free, you could up and download from there? Here I'm limited to ~5 -7 mb upload speed, it could take a while to upload a lot of data. If you have a symmetrical high speed connection it could be more feasible.

Okay, scratch that, you're on a serious budget. Just get the external DVD, cheap enough?

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-u...play-dw316-black/4697703.p?skuId=4697703

An external DVD drive is like $30. If you're not using it daily I wouldn't worry about having it built into the laptop. It just adds weight and takes away from the whole laptop aspect.

Chromebooks and Windows Home S laptops are basically cloud computers. Very cheap and most of what they can do rely on an Internet connection.

How portable do you need this to be and what do you have currently? Might be more cost effective to fix or upgrade what you got. Hell, I might even have something you can have between all the parts I have laying around.

You are probably 5 weeks early as it may pay to wait till Black Friday deals.

The 2 I posted are dirt cheap and say Black Friday Early Days.
As far as portable Just easy so can sit on a Sofa or Bed {ie} not sitting at Desk-Top. I do Have an Old DeskTop bought for a buck running on Mint.
I never take a LapTop with me. It is an old HP running on Windows early version of 8. The battery in this one is shot, and freezes up bad and takes forever to boot I hardly use it other than to upload pics or get them off a disk and send them to my email. As I mostly use a Samsung Smart Phone from 2012 that was given as At&T went digital and gave me new a phone to get me off Analog.
This site kills my phone with the Info Links
I may just grab 2 of the same of what links I posted above and get his and hers. But was wondering if the Chrome or Windows 10 was better? We don't do any Gaming ect

Instead of storing pictures on CD, wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to store the pictures on USB flash drives?
If you need to stay with the CD drive, I d just get one of the separate drives.

I will from the new computer do USB but have piles and piles of stuff on CD.

Just wondering if the Windows 10 is better than the Chrome OS at this point. Yes I know one step above entry level but is still bigger better than what we both had and is new. Hers has been broken a long time and mine barely works.

Load Mint on what you have and keep surfing away! The laptop I'm typing on was originally a Vista machine! It's ancient! Bought it for $50 from my workplace many years ago...it finally dumped the battery this year so another $15 from Amazon and I'm still up and running! Linux runs so much smoother than windows....it's amazing. Has all the office stuff I need(Libre), Thunderbird mail,etc. For a home based surfing/email type laptop...this works flawless. No Antivirus crap needed......load Chrome and Adblock Plus and those pesky Moparts ads are gone! Plus the OS is free!!!!!

One if the computers has bad power supply I guess as eats battrrys and the other has a bad cord us something is just plain old wrong with it.
Here is the info on the worse of the 2 wonder how it compares to a low end new HP like in the second link. As does not seem worth fooling with the old one. Plus we both need one, so need to get 2.
https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04497734

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-14-...b-emmc-pale-gold/6427569.p?skuId=6427569

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-14-...-chalkboard-gray/6477483.p?skuId=6477483

This one has a nicer a screen at 1920x1080, but slightly inferior processor.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-14-...emmc-indigo-blue/6437580.p?skuId=6437580

This one has a junk screen with a slightly better processor.


Honestly, there really isn't much comparison as they're fairly similar spec wise. I would be inclined to go for the better screen of the two myself. Be aware that it really isn't Windows though. It's a stripped down version that limits what you can install on the laptop. Only applications you can install are on the Windows Store and you have to use their browser, Edge. No Chrome or Firefox.

Given the limitations I would be inclined to get a Chromebook instead . Doubly so if you already have a Google account and/or Android phone.

Thanks, I ended up since you posted going a little more cash-wise to get better and ended up going with this one.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-...d-natural-silver/6461985.p?skuId=6461985
Loos like if the security does not work out I can do a one-way change and get rid of the Windows 10-S and get it to be Windows 10 so that non-Microsoft can be used if it should come to that.
I know that last time Windows 8 had Microsoft Office for just a 30-90 days trial so I ended up putting in Open Office instead, It worked better and took up less room for free. And added AVG Free as it looks like the stripped-down 10 uses their own security if that does not work out.
But hope to just have her use it as is since she should not need changes and do notta
note ti others that may get something new sith Windows 10 S. Upon set up it asked if we wanted to keep it as Windows 10 S or upgrade free to 11 so no more worry about the Windows 10 S being stripped down and only compatible with Microsoft programs

since you got a silver one, i expect it to get the full polish treatment on the lid !