I have a brand new, 40-hour-old, Lenovo T400 with Windows 7 Home Premium factory-installed. I had my cable company come out to set up the broadband this morning, but they couldn't set up my email because Windows Live Mail is not compatible for configuration with my local cable broadband. They also couldn't install the free anti-virus service that comes with the cable modem service, because it is not compatible with Windows 7. This is my first computer in 5 years (was offline entirely for 4.5 years until last June, when I got my Blackberry, so please forgive my naiivette' [sorry, I know that is mis-spelled; I don't know how to type an "i" with an umlaut; my BB auto-corrects the spelling on that word]), so I have never used Vista before, but have read enough to know that it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Is there a way to downgrade a factory-installed Windows 7 OS on a Lenovo T400 to XP?
In my past 16-hr attempt to get non-web-based email for a $1000+ device that is beginning to seem more like just a really expensive DVD and MP3 player with minimal web abilities, while my $50 Blackberry has email, near-normal desktop web browsing (except Flash Media), text, phone, video, and mp3 player capabilities; I called the cable company (Mediacom) who told me to call Lenovo or Microsoft.
Called Lenovo first, and according to the tech I spoke with, the ONLY free non-web-based email client that is compatible with the combination of Windows 7 on a Lenovo T400 with cable broadband, that would allow access to email from more than 1 email address from different email providers, is Thunderbird, HOWEVER, when I went to download it from Mozilla, I kept getting warning messages that Thunderbird is infected with viruses. Does anyone know where I can find a virus-free copy of Thunderbird? Like a mirror site, or maybe from a file-sharing site from someone who downloaded/uploaded it before it was infected? The tech said he had no other solutions and told me to call Microsoft.
So, I called Microsoft, who said they could only *tell* me the name of a free non-web-based email client that could consolidate the messages from several email accounts and is Windows 7 and cable broadband compatible and compatible with my T400, for the "bargain price" of $59.95! I felt like I was talking to an organized crime syndicate, 'yeah, we'll give you the information...for a price.' They said since Mom bought it for me for Christmas from Lenovo, that Lenovo is allegedly responsible for any software/OS issues.
I called Lenovo back, and they said they are only responsible for the hardware, so between the two companies I apparently have NO technical support for my Windows 7 (in the event I have another problem besides no compatible email client), or any assistance in finding what non-virus-infected email clients are compatible with Windows 7 and cable broadband, are not web-based, and are capable of consolidating messages from more than one email address from different email providers, and store messages in an inbox that can be accessed offline, and would work on T400. Does *anyone* know of a free email client that meets these requirements?
Also, if I do have another OS problem, since neither MS, nor Lenovo, are allegedly responsible for the installed OS, does anyone know if there is a contracted 3rd company to deal with that, or some other way of supporting Windows 7? Because it was factory installed at Lenovo, I never received a Windows 7 backup disk or any MS or Windows literature; so if it gets corrupted or something, and neither MS nor Lenovo are responsible for OS or software issues, who would be responsible for fixing OS/software issues? Lenovo said MS was, and the warranty information booklet from Lenovo only covers hardware, specifically exempting pre-installed software: yet MS swears it is Lenovo's responsibility, and I can pay MS techs $60/question to have them tell me again that it is Lenova's responsibility and that MS can't do anything. Someone PLEASE tell me that there is a legitimate 3rd party responsible for supporting my OS 7; that there is some legitimate way to get a backup disk of my OS 7; and that there is either a free, virus-free email client that meets my above reqirements, or that I can somehow downgrade to XP that has a built-in email client.
Thanks so much,
Ann
(I would really appreciate any suggestions ASAP, as I only have 46 hours left to confirm my registration for this site from my email, which, as detailed above, I cannot receive on my brand new laptop to begin with; and the registration email never came through to my Gmail account which I checked online [yes, including spam folders], nor has it come to my Blackberry email inbox. I enabled email notification for this thread, but since my registration email didn't come through [I am assuming this a Gmail problem, not a site issue, as I have had trouble receiving other emails recently already], I doubt notifications will either, so I will check back as often as feasible over the next 2 days. Thanks!)
In my past 16-hr attempt to get non-web-based email for a $1000+ device that is beginning to seem more like just a really expensive DVD and MP3 player with minimal web abilities, while my $50 Blackberry has email, near-normal desktop web browsing (except Flash Media), text, phone, video, and mp3 player capabilities; I called the cable company (Mediacom) who told me to call Lenovo or Microsoft.
Called Lenovo first, and according to the tech I spoke with, the ONLY free non-web-based email client that is compatible with the combination of Windows 7 on a Lenovo T400 with cable broadband, that would allow access to email from more than 1 email address from different email providers, is Thunderbird, HOWEVER, when I went to download it from Mozilla, I kept getting warning messages that Thunderbird is infected with viruses. Does anyone know where I can find a virus-free copy of Thunderbird? Like a mirror site, or maybe from a file-sharing site from someone who downloaded/uploaded it before it was infected? The tech said he had no other solutions and told me to call Microsoft.
So, I called Microsoft, who said they could only *tell* me the name of a free non-web-based email client that could consolidate the messages from several email accounts and is Windows 7 and cable broadband compatible and compatible with my T400, for the "bargain price" of $59.95! I felt like I was talking to an organized crime syndicate, 'yeah, we'll give you the information...for a price.' They said since Mom bought it for me for Christmas from Lenovo, that Lenovo is allegedly responsible for any software/OS issues.
I called Lenovo back, and they said they are only responsible for the hardware, so between the two companies I apparently have NO technical support for my Windows 7 (in the event I have another problem besides no compatible email client), or any assistance in finding what non-virus-infected email clients are compatible with Windows 7 and cable broadband, are not web-based, and are capable of consolidating messages from more than one email address from different email providers, and store messages in an inbox that can be accessed offline, and would work on T400. Does *anyone* know of a free email client that meets these requirements?
Also, if I do have another OS problem, since neither MS, nor Lenovo, are allegedly responsible for the installed OS, does anyone know if there is a contracted 3rd company to deal with that, or some other way of supporting Windows 7? Because it was factory installed at Lenovo, I never received a Windows 7 backup disk or any MS or Windows literature; so if it gets corrupted or something, and neither MS nor Lenovo are responsible for OS or software issues, who would be responsible for fixing OS/software issues? Lenovo said MS was, and the warranty information booklet from Lenovo only covers hardware, specifically exempting pre-installed software: yet MS swears it is Lenovo's responsibility, and I can pay MS techs $60/question to have them tell me again that it is Lenova's responsibility and that MS can't do anything. Someone PLEASE tell me that there is a legitimate 3rd party responsible for supporting my OS 7; that there is some legitimate way to get a backup disk of my OS 7; and that there is either a free, virus-free email client that meets my above reqirements, or that I can somehow downgrade to XP that has a built-in email client.
Thanks so much,
Ann
(I would really appreciate any suggestions ASAP, as I only have 46 hours left to confirm my registration for this site from my email, which, as detailed above, I cannot receive on my brand new laptop to begin with; and the registration email never came through to my Gmail account which I checked online [yes, including spam folders], nor has it come to my Blackberry email inbox. I enabled email notification for this thread, but since my registration email didn't come through [I am assuming this a Gmail problem, not a site issue, as I have had trouble receiving other emails recently already], I doubt notifications will either, so I will check back as often as feasible over the next 2 days. Thanks!)
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