Q: During the recent ice storm and power outage here in Houston, it was impossible for me to keep my laptop battery charged. I had no problem getting out to the car and charging my smartphone. Is there a way to charge a laptop in my car if it ever happens again?
A: The easiest way to charge a laptop in a car would be to purchase a special charging unit from the laptop manufacturer that is specific to the make and model of your laptop.
For example, if you have a Dell Latitude 5510, you can type the make and model of your laptop into your favorite browser, along with the words car charger, and you’ll find what Dell has to offer.
These things aren’t cheap when purchased from the manufacturer, but Amazon offers fairly inexpensive options that typically offer a variety of connectors that will suit several different types of laptops, including laptops that charge via USB-C.
Be sure to read the reviews and look for suppliers who have a good warranty and refund policy.
Q: I recently bought a new HP laptop. Unfortunately, the laptop does not have a CD ROM. Many of my software applications that I have to install are on the CD, so I’m thinking of getting an additional drive, but I don’t know what I’m looking for. Can you give some recommendations?
A: CD and DVD ROM drives are becoming rarer on newer computers. Especially on laptops.
While it is not uncommon to have to install media in this format, most software applications can be downloaded from a variety of vendor sites. And since high-speed Internet is very common, downloading and installing from the Internet can in many cases be faster than installing from a physical drive.
The trick is, sometimes, to find a version that you actually have a license for.
As an example, you may have an older version of Microsoft Office that will still work on your new computer, but finding a download for that licensed version can be a little tricky.
Still, don’t worry. CD and DVD ROM drives are very cheap and almost any of the available drives will work when connected to a modern computer.
These drives are usually connected to your computer via USB, so while your laptop has a USB port, you should be able to plug in one of these drives and run it instantly.
Many newer laptops only have new USB-C ports, so if you have one of them, you’ll need to get a USB to USB-C adapter. And these are expensive.