[Reminiscing]

I used to use a desktop computer and a beautiful large flat screen monitor. While the desktop machine is many years old, just over a year ago we added a brand new large hard drive (as well as more memory). It seemed like the the hard drive was huge when we got it because I only used about a tenth of it at first. But all those PSD files, digi-scrappin files, and photos take up a lot of space and now the drive is about 2/3 full.

Also around a year ago we bought a laptop for me. We got it because our home office was upstairs and I thought if I made a little home office in our kitchen nook I'd do better about home management stuff like getting bills paid. I like my laptop a lot, but as the screen is only 15 inches, in the first year I had it I still primarily used my desktop machine, especially for scrapbooking.

In fact, PSE5 doesn't even seem to be able to fit on this laptop screen properly. For instance, the scroll bar between the PSE5 main window and the styles and layer palettes is squished so that it's difficult to click on it for scrolling. Question number 1, has anyone else experienced this? I also preferred using the track ball and keyboard of my desktop over this smaller keyboard and touchpad, although I'm doing better with that over the last couple of weeks.

Anyway, as the hard drive on my desktop got fuller and I started sharing that machine with my kids (who sometimes have dirty fingers), I came to the conclusion that I would like an EHD and I'd like to switch entirely over to using my laptop. I'd have to get an EHD because the laptop hard drive is not nearly large enough for the amount of photos and scrapbooking stuff I have. So the weekend before Thanksgiving, on my birthday, I became the proud new owner of a 1.5TB WD My Book. By the next day, I had copied over all my many GBs of data, which continues to reside on my desktop. Not only is there no reason to delete it -- it's going to be my kids' computer -- I can consider it another back up.

Well, I'm not sure I like the new arrangement. I'm not quite having buyer's remorse, but I really miss my desktop's big monitor, and my digi-scrappin output has decreased slightly (or maybe the holidays just got in the way).

Other factors: I'm still running Backblaze on the old desktop. I communicated with them and know how I could switch my account over to my laptop, but I haven't done anything yet. And I have enjoyed not sharing a keyboard with kids, although I was cleaning that desk regularly when I was sharing it and now that I'm not it's getting messier, so maybe it's actually better to share.

So that's where I am now, kind of in limbo. I'm downloading my daily freebies onto my laptop hard drive, but I know I've got to work out a routine for archiving stuff onto my EHD. I've got to move or cancel Backblaze on the old desktop.

I half jokingly considered giving my kids the laptop and making the desktop mine all mine, but I do love being able to carry my laptop around the house and into town to places that offer free wireless internet. (I love Panera!) EDITED to add: My kids are 8, 6 and 3. All proficient at computer use, love to use them, and use them regularly. We have two desktops for the kids. My husband and I have our own laptops.

Thank you to anyone who read my long story. Thanks again to anyone who shares a comment, advice, words of wisdom, etc.

[Vaughnde]

Hmmm I see what you mean. I don't have a laptop but when I used my mom's which has Vista and PSP I didn't have a problem. Only thing is I liked the wireless mouse than the touch pad on the laptop. I have had a 320 GB EHD for almost 2 years now and I like it. I do understand about the screen being small...did you know you can hook up your laptop to a larger monitor for scrapping purposes? Maybe you should have a flat top monitor downstairs for when you are scrapping while the kids have the larger desktops and then you are still able to take your laptop places when you need it for the wifi. Ask April Showers about her set up sometime

[J9Buckles]

Sounds like my house! LOL I shared the desktop with dh & ds but got my own laptop because I couldn't stand the mess they made of the keyboard and mouse. My laptop has a 17 inch screen so it's pretty nice (I do hook up the bigger monitor sometimes) and I've gotten used to the keyboard. I used a cordless mouse most of the time, except when actually using the laptop on my lap....that's when I use the mousepad.

I see that the keyboard dh & ds are using is getting pretty gross. I think what I'll do is pop the keys off, clean it and then let them figure out where the keys go. Maybe that'll teach them to stop eating over the keyboard! LOL

Good luck with your choices!

[angelaNussbaum]

i understand your situation.

I have a large monitor that i plug into my laptop. If im scrapping, i ues it most times (unless im at a crop, which is great for a laptop!)

For my supplies i have them on an ehd, and backed up on our network drive. A network drive can be very inexpensive if you havea a membership to sams or costco. I have a dual network drive that has 2 drives in it, one backing the other up.

Since i got this arrangement, i havnt gone back to the kids desktop. I love my flat screen monitor. I have my laptop and it side by side... (theres pictures on the board somewhere...)


Angela N.

[DDecker]

I would suggest a larger flat screen monitor and maybe wireless keyboard and mouse. You can dual screen with the second monitor and still have the freedom of the laptop. If you don't have room on your desk try hanging it on the wall over the space.

When I download and unzip to my hard drive I have it set to immediately copy to my ehd through Western digitals software. I don't have to think about it this way as long as the ehd is plugged in, then I can take it to another computer in the house and have it ready, this includes photos and supplies.


HTH

[Kacie]

I only have a laptop and it is a 13" monitor. I have been using it alone to scrap for the past year, but about a month ago I discovered not only can I hook my laptop up to the monitor from DH's desktop, but I can actually hook it up to our 42" flat panel TV as well! I still think the TV is a little bit much, but I do enjoy hooking up to the desktop monitor occasionally when I am scrapping. Then I will use my laptop monitor to have Bridge open (I organize my files there, others could have Picasa or whatever open on that monitor), and the larger desktop monitor to have Photoshop running. One key for me is a bluetooth wireless mouse that I use when scrapping. It doesn't bother me to use my laptop mouse for most things, but it is easier to have a real mouse for scrapping. (Hoping to get a Bamboo for Christmas too )

Anyway, it will take a little adjusting to scrap on your laptop, but you always have the freedom to travel around the house and you can still go back to using your larger monitors whenever the need arises. Good luck!

[Julie - scrapaholic]

Wow, this is like a mirror image of me. I too have the desktop and the laptop, and I too had put a new harddrive into my old desktop, but I am finding myself using my laptop more and more, and downloading all the freebies into that. Once a week, I transfer all purchased and downloaded stuff from my EHD to the desktop. My new LO's which I have been doing on the smaller screen, I have not transfered to the desktop, to hopefully keep that harddrive a bit free. I do put all my LO's in the EHD and on disks.

I want to try to hook my laptop up to my large screen monitor, which I believe you can. I think that for me that would be the way to go. Maybe you can do that too. Then at least you would have the larger screen to work with. Or like you said, just give the kiddies the laptop, and put your larger files on the EHD to clear out the hard drive in the desktop computer.