Is the Toshiba Windows 10 Laptop a Good Buy? Read This and Decide for Yourself    Following is a review of the Toshiba Windows 10 Laptop, and services connected with it. This is a story from personal experience and I think it will give you a good idea of what you are in for when you get one, for better or worse. I hope this will aid in any computer shopping experience you may have.    My husband got the laptop for me about seven months ago, specifically so I could handle work traffic for our startup marketing company. Previously we had shared a Mac Book Pro laptop, but now I was going to be online all day, thus needing my own. We could not afford another Mac, so had to go with the budget buy.    Let me begin by saying that I am not much of a 'computer person' so embarked on the Windows experience with much trepidation. My husband wisely bought me a year of virus protection and warranty service, as well as some other service doo-dads which I have yet to take advantage of ( though the story is certainly not over and they may come in handy yet).    I had heard horror stories about using Windows as compared to Mac, that Windows were likely to have more problems and meltdowns, and that Toshiba was a cheap and junky brand. Here's what happened and you be the judge.    On getting the new laptop, I followed along with the set-up instructions on my own - yes, little old me! And I actually managed to wade my way through. All went well until the part where it was recommended to back up the system right away. The Windows 10 laptop is a satellite version- something I knew nothing about prior to that day. And for you fellow luddites, satellite means there is no CD or DVD player, though there are two USB ports.   After becoming very baffled, I noticed that there was a number listed to call for technical help. Now, that's what I'm talkin' about! I called it and quickly reached a nice young man who explained that he could walk me through the procedure. As it is a satellite version, he could log right into my laptop and run the cycle through. I breathed a sigh of relief and felt the nervous knot in my neck begin to relax.    He began to move ahead with the steps. Then he told me that he had checked the settings and discovered that although the computer was sold to me as a Windows 10, in fact when it was manufactured it was a Windows 8.0. Apparently it had been upgraded somewhere along the way and then repackaged and resold as a Windows 10. And furthermore, because of this, he was not able to back it up. He told me to go into Best Buy where I had purchased it, and report the problem.    I had a bad feeling about this. I told my husband who kindly said that he would try to do the backup...when he had time. That is pretty much equivalent to a "no" as just about any wife can tell you.    In desperation to complete the setup before my next workday started, I had to invoke my secret weapon- calling in a favor from my son. He sat down and had it figured out and backed up in 30 minutes onto a flash drive. Now the little drive sits in a box on my desk like an idol at a temple - and I pray I never have to use it.    In spite of this inauspicious start, I managed to not only get going on use of the computer, but by poking around was able to figure out just about all the functions and apps on my own. And for those I couldn't, the nice young people at Tech Support were easily reachable (no long waiting lines) and helped me quickly and efficiently. And I have to say that this speaks well of the Toshiba design, as for me to navigate on my own on any computer is quite a milestone, and one I am proud of.    All went well as I continued and I noticed there were two things that made my Toshiba a terrific work tool. First- it is as fast as lightening, far faster than any other computer I have ever used. Second, I could store ten or more tabs/pages on the top bar and keep them open with programs running, and pop back and forth on them all day at great speed. This made a significant improvement in my work pace and being able to multi-task on the computer. I could get my work done without ever having to sit there waiting for a page to come up.    My Computer Life was blissful until one day, about two weeks ago, the battery abruptly stopped taking charge. It worked fine if plugged in, but the battery was just plain gone.    I called trusty Tech Support, who logged into my computer, scoped it out, and confirmed that indeed my battery had failed and must be replaced. He then informed me that as the computer was still under warranty, Toshiba was going to replace it for free. I was to send it in and they would repair it at the depot. This would take 7-10 days.    While I was happy this would be free, nonetheless being without a work computer (and forced to cope using my personal IPad) meant certain disaster. But there was no other choice.    I promptly received an email with instructions to sign up for the repair. I could mail my laptop in myself, or pay $30.00 for a special added box and that price would cover the shipping as well. This solved for me the dilemma of how to safely pack my computer, so I happily paid for it.    The box arrived promptly a few days later. It had a nifty airbag that would certainly keep the computer safe, and a mailing slip to address the box. It was all very easy and I packed it and then sent it off. I received a tracking number and an email saying they would let me know when it was on the way back.    Overall I'd have to say their service is excellent and efficient- though I have a feeling that if I'd gotten a Mac, I would not have had to use the service in the first place. My husband's MacBook Pro has been going for years and never, ever breaks down or needs service. And it was the same on the Mac laptop he had before- it ran for over eight years perfectly, until it became too antiquated for today's data useage needs, programs and apps.    But here I sit after several days of being Toshiba-less, and I am missing my little rocket-ride laptop badly. Work is going incomparably slow as I mush along using my IPad and at times borrowing my husband's Mac. I find myself tidying up my desk while I wait for commands to run through. I have always found that phenomenon to be really annoying as my mind works very fast and I need a computer that can keep up with me. My Toshiba Windows 10- in spite of the glitches- really filled that bill.    One other minor adventure to this. On the instructions for sending in my laptop for service, it was recommended to back up all files and remove sensitive data, as it could not be guaranteed that all files would be saved when repairs were done. Check- One of the doo-dads my husband got me was a backup drive! So before I mailed it off, I called my new best friends the Toshiba Customer Service guys, and they walked me through the installation and backup.    Today I needed a work document, so had a call to use my trusty backup drive. When I plugged it in to our Mac, however, it did not work. So, there I sat with no access to my work files. When I called Customer Service, the young lady kindly and serenely explained (without any insinuation that I was as dumb as an ox for not knowing this already, which I appreciated) that Mac cannot read Windows files, and vice versa. So my backup drive could only be read by another Windows computer, which I do not have.    I can now see myself gliding down a slippery path of getting more and more Windows equipment to match with my Toshiba ware as time goes by. But do I want it?    If I won the lotto, high on my list would be getting a Mac. But in the meantime, in spite of the glitches, my little rocket-ride Toshiba will do. I just hope it comes home soon.     Shelli's Shopping is a blog for shoppers of all kinds and in particular those looking for a good buy, from starving artists to working poor to those who are on a budget for whatever reason or just want good value for their hard-earned money. Shelli Pruett is a blogger, cartoonist, proofreader, product reviewer, and communications director at a marketing company. She lives in Southern California with her family and four dogs, who provide an ample stream of dog product purchasing experiences. #Windows10, #ShellisShopping, #MacBookPro,#ToshibaWindows10,#computershopping,#toshibaCustomerService,#bestcomputerstobuy