dddave Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Several months ago I posted a series of questions regarding a computer donation I planned to make to a school in an Issan village. I got a lot of helpful responses in return, but find myself, with only a month to go before my trip, in need of more advice. Originally, I planned to bring my 3 year old "home" computer, but the idea of lugging it from Boston to Bangkok, dealing with customs, then on to Udon Thanni became less appealing the more I thought about it. The O/S is Win. XP Home Ed. which I understand does not support Thai script. I am not particularly computer savvy and am sure I would have difficulty setting it up in a way they could use. Several respondees suggested I simply purchase a used machine at Pantip or MBK and I am now inclined to do that, however I have never been at either place and don't have any idea of what to expect. How much should I expect to pay for a basic P2 or better used system including monitor in decent condition? Do they usually include the O/S? How much would WinXP Pro run if I have to buy it seperatly.? Is there a dealer who any of you can particularly recommend? Teachers; Any Thai educational software you know of that would be appropriate for an elementary level school with NO prior computer experience? I intend to give them a few thousand Baht along with the computer so they can hire a Thai to help in set up. Little English is spoken in the Moo Ban and my Thai is way to thin to deal with technical explanations. Any suggestions welcome. dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dddave Posted October 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 I forgot to add that if anyone reading this has what they think would be a suitable computer for sale in the Bkk area, let me know. dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 First......great project Just bring the tower ....leave the bulky monitor behind. Pick up a used monitor in Bkk ..... then set to go WinXP home does support Thai character sets ...they are built in just need to get them a Thai keyboard. Suggest you contact KS as he is involved in a similar project through the AGM Charties fund. No problems with customs, they won't look or ask, no need to volunteer info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritTim Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 As someone else mentioned, Windows XP Home does support Thai script. The misunderstanding might be that the "Multi Lingual User Interface Pack -- Thai" (providing Thai menus and help screens for Windows itself) can only be added to XP Professional. That I would not worry about too much. The applications can all be in Thai regardless. On buying a machine in Panthip Plaza, the most important thing is knowing what you need to buy. For a school that will not hook the machine up to the Internet, my suggestion would be to go for a Windows 98 machine: this keeps the hardware requirements down and should be able to run stuff that is important to them. A suitable machine (with monitor) could be put together for about 5,500 baht (much of it for the hard disk drive). If you can bring just the hard disk drive from your old machine, this would come down to about 3,500 baht. If you want something to support Windows XP, the hardware requirements go up and you are looking at about 9,000 baht (again, less if you provide the hard drive). Any Panthip outlet will be willing to load a pirated operating system for you on the machine (and I consider that ethically justified in such a case). No doubt you would like a bit more detail on configuration. Give us your thoughts so far, and we will try to help some more. I would actually be willing to meet you when you come here and go along with you to Panthip Plaza if you want me to. Kudos for a great act of charity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Not really sure what your budget is but you may consider a new ATEC machine that they're selling through 7-eleven outlets now for around 13,000 baht. The spec is pretty good also: http://www.atec.co.th As above said you'll need something reasonably quick to run XP (the OS alone uses over a Gig of HDD space and runs like a pig on anything less than 128 MB RAM). Also you wont have the hassle of parts going south as they're all new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dddave Posted October 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 BritTim, Thanks not only for the informative response this time, but also for your detailed reply the last time I posted questions on this same matter. I will be arriving in Bangkok on Nov. 11 and staying about 4 days before heading up-country. I certainly would like to take you up on your generous offer of assistance as long as it doesn't inconvenience you. I haven't settled on a hotel in Bangkok yet, but will P.M. you when I do. You can let me know the best way to contact you and make arangements. I'm probably going to sell my home computer to a friend and just apply whatever money I get for it to what I buy in Bkk. I am not known amongst my friends and family as Mr. Handy, therefor I will leave the hard drive where it is, sparing both it and I the inevitable pain. I'm sure to come up with more questions before I leave. Thanks dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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