I'm going to China for a year to work and was going to buy a laptop once I am there. Of course it will all be in Chinese. But I have a flash drive with an English internet browser, word processor etc loaded on it. Will this be able to work on a Chinese computer? (computer novice alert!). Or will it make more sense to buy a laptop in my home country?
Yes. Your stuff will work. You don't even need your stuff... just change the settings in the software on the comp you buy. As long as you buy from a large retail store you shouldnt have any issues with getting it fixed. However... the closer you are to leaving the more risks you take if you just happen to pick a retailier that is slow or a lil bit sus. I'd buy at home. The odds are in your fav as far as faulty equip goes. and if something does happen you will probaly get a better experience. and finialy... given the prices of netbooks have you considered treating the purchase as if it were a disposable item ? yes, i saw past the whole, 'will my software work' thing.