Laptop for disabled wife

[splunge]

Hi all!
My wife has multiple sclerosis and in addition to her mobility problems and one working eye is having some hand weakness and coordination problems.
She's been using a HP Pavilion with large (17" I think) screen. It's not working as well a previously- slow, long time to boot and open windows, plus some keys don't work well and it's hard for her to use the touch pad.
We're looking for a replacement, ideally large screen, full sized keyboard with number pad, easy to use touch pad or alternate pointing device. Light and not too hot on the lap would be nice. She only web searches, does word and streams videos so speed is not a big deal as long as it can run Windows smoothly. Touch screen is not a priority. Battery life is not a priority as she usually uses it plugged in.She's not working now, so cost is unfortunately an issue.

Any suggestions or ideas for modification to make laptop use easier is welcome.

 

[jay.wooster]

I have a relative with the same condition who is now wheelchair bound and has terrible problems with her vision. We purchased her a NUC and a projector for the large screen and font and provided her a wireless keyboard and mouse that worked a charm. I see you are looking at a laptop, is that essential ?

A NUC is a VERY small desktop computer, and when i say small i mean about 4 inches by 4 inches and can be very powerful.

For a controller if the mouse is an issue you can look at the new XBOX Adaptive controller in the video below (these work with PC's):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEKIAHrugZ4

Can you give us an idea of your budget ?

 

[skitszo]

SSD and a re install of windows would help it go faster.-- if you wanted to salvage that system.

whats the specs of the laptop?
cpu/memory
etc.... work load.

 

[splunge]

Thank you Jay and skitszo.
The vision is not critical: she has one eye with messed up central vision but 1 good eye With glasses she can drive with hand controls.

The current machine is ID 00326-1000-0000-AA706 not sure if that provides a model # or not.

It was originally Win 7 or higher with the upgrade to Win 10 64 bit. Intel Core i3 3130M CPU@2.6 GHz, RAM 4 GB with integrated intel graphics. It's set to resolution 1600x900 and is very clear. I apologise, but I'm not sure what you mean by workload.

I considered reinstalling Windows but some of the keys don't work properly and it's 4+ years old so not sure I want to put money and time into it.

 

[skitszo]

check memory slots. you may have an extra slot to put another 4GB ram in.... buy local in case you need to exchange for another one if it doesn't go well with the current one.

buy a 250 GB SSD or 500 GB SSD and use the old one as a second drive externally or if you have a second bay in the laptop.
assuming you'll be able to install fresh windows. there is a good guide others are linking and posting.


http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c03837811
can't find if you have 2 hard drive slots or not.



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXU3TNM/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=A3ISMVC1FTQD6C&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BD32RLK/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=A1UVTGP6WV0D1P&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075RJS55D/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_5?smid=A25SITGFW0OQJA&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07573JBW3/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A26PVB3960EU85&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07997QV4Z/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=A25SITGFW0OQJA&psc=1

went with cheap..... as they all seem to work just fine now a days.

 

[splunge]

Thank you!

 

[jay.wooster]

If you having issues with the existing keyboard and functions i would suggest you look at refurbished laptops which will be both economical and meet your needs. Have a look around and post the specs of one you find at your price point when you find it and we can give feedback on how it will perform compared to your last laptop. Hopefully you can find what you need for $200-$300

 

[splunge]

Model number 17-e112dx