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Technology

Why I finally bought a Windows 11 laptop

Sandra Elam

For more than a year, I resisted upgrading my laptop to Windows 11—because I was content using Windows 10. I also don’t appreciate Microsoft forcing customers to accept new features that are often annoying. Every time I saw the upgrade notice on my screen, I clicked past it.

However, I was forced to buy new equipment after a power surge blasted the batteries on my old Lenovo Flex laptop and Samsung Note 9 phone.

Both devices crashed, leaving the black screen of death. When neither device would start, I assumed they were fried and ordered new equipment.

Power surge drained batteries

Two days later, it occurred to me to press the laptop’s start button again. This time, I saw a faint flicker on the screen.

That’s when it dawned on me that the problem could be a drained battery! After recharging both devices for many hours, they recovered. However, the laptop battery is permanently damaged and does not hold a charge well. It works best when connected to AC power.

In case you’re wondering, all my equipment was connected to a surge protector, but it turns out my house was not grounded!

My new office setup

I just set up my new laptop, docking station, and other devices. Here’s what I bought and why.

14” Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 touchscreen laptop with Windows 11.
($750 at BestBuy.com)
I’ve loved touchscreen laptops ever since I first used one in 2019. Then I bought a 14″ Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 2-in-1 touchscreen laptop (Intel Core i5-8250U with 8 GB RAM)—and now I’m spoiled. I don’t want a laptop without a touchscreen.

I’ve also used employer-provided Dell and HP laptops in the past five years, but I like the Lenovo models so much better—for the reasonable price, 2-in-1 touchscreen, and extra ports.

So I bought the 14″ Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 touchscreen laptop (Intel Core i7-1355U with 16 GB RAM), which I think is a great deal for $750 at BestBuy.com. I chose this model because it has twice the RAM of my old laptop and the price was under $1000.

Plugable TBT4-UDX1 Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Docking Station.
($290 at Colamco.com)
One huge limitation of newer laptops is they have too few ports. Now you need a docking station to get the number and type of ports that all laptops had as recently as 5 years ago. Even though Lenovo laptops have more ports than most brands, I knew I needed a docking station.

I wanted the fastest type of ports—Thunderbolt 4 ports—as well as an Ethernet port for a wired connection to the Internet. I looked at various docking stations, including one offered by Lenovo, but I ruled it out because it did not have Thunderbolt 4 ports.

I decided on the Plugable TBT4-UDX1 Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Docking Station—because its ports connect to either Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, or USB-C cables (learn what’s the difference between Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C). The box includes a Thunderbolt 4 cable to connect it to the laptop.

I ordered from Colamco because it’s an authorized Plugable dealer (I avoid Amazon when possible because it’s overrun with counterfeit items).

Netgear 8-port Ethernet unmanaged switch.
($48 at BestBuy.com)
I thought it wise to replace my old TP-link switch that was inline when the power surge damaged my equipment. I chose a Netgear 8-port Ethernet unmanaged switch because it’s plug-and-play. The Netgear switch feels sturdy with its metal case; it’s definitely an upgrade over the plastic case of the low-end TP-link switch.

APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 uninterruptible power supply.
($309 at Connection.com)
I needed to replace the cheap desktop surge protector that was probably damaged after the power surge. I decided to upgrade to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that includes a robust built-in surge protector.

A UPS provides conditioned power—which means it smoothes the electric signal to remove damaging power surges and drops that often damage sensitive equipment.

I chose the APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 unit for several reasons. First, it’s a reliable, plug-and-play design that does not rely on software or Wifi.

Second, it has plenty of plugs, as well as critical Ethernet-In and Ethernet-Out ports. I connected the RS-232 Ethernet cable from my router to the UPS, then connected a second RS-232 Ethernet cable from the UPS to the new Netgear switch.

I’m sure the UPS saved my equipment last week. The power in my office briefly went out, the UPS kicked on for a few seconds, and the desk lamps—which were not connected to the UPS—flickered ominously. However, the equipment (laptop and peripherals) connected to the UPS did not crash. The next night, however, the light bulbs in the desk lamps burned out at the same time (they must have been damaged the night before). It’s possible that the Siemens surge protector on the coaxial line is defective; I don’t know. What I do know is that without the UPS, additional equipment would now be damaged.

Siemens Boltshield FSPD 140-amp whole-house surge protection device.
($206 at HomeDepot.com)
I devised what I thought would be a comprehensive plan to protect my expensive office equipment against future power surges. I suspected that something was seriously wrong with the electrical wiring in my house (4 wall switches plus 2 devices blew out in the past year).

I called an electrician, who discovered that my house was not grounded (this was a major code violation that could have caused an electrical fire and should have been done by the builder). He installed external ground rods outside where the main power enters the house.

I discovered that power surges happen even without lightning or storms nearby—and damaging power surges occur most often through the unprotected coaxial (Internet) line.

So I had the electrician also install two Siemens whole-house surge protectors: the Siemens Boltshield FSPD 140-amp surge protection device on the main power line and the Siemens First Surge FSCATV coaxial cable protection device ($71 from HomeDepot.com) on the coaxial (Internet) line.

Summary

This itemized list shows I spent about $2213 recovering from my power surge disaster. This amount includes taxes, shipping, and electrician fees.

  • $790 – 14” Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 touchscreen laptop with Windows 11.

  • $301 – Plugable TBT4-UDX1 docking station.

  • $47 – Netgear unmanaged switch (my price was less than the current Best Buy price).

  • $326 – APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 unit.

  • $499 – Electrician fee (parts and labor) to install Siemens Boltshield FSPD 140-amp surge protection device and First Surge FSCATV coaxial surge protection device.

  • $250 – Electrician fee (parts and labor) to install 2 external ground rods.

Recommendations

It’s tempting to think that a power surge could never happen outside of a storm. Sadly, I learned otherwise. Here are some recommendations to protect your expensive computer equipment.

Ask an electrician to ensure your house is grounded. If not, add ground rods per code.

Install whole-house surge protectors on all electrical lines (main and Internet).

Add a UPS to protect computer equipment. I am sure the UPS protected my laptop during the latest power surge, which happened after I had the whole-house surge protection installed.

Always unplug devices whenever there’s a lightning storm (now I also unplug my laptop when not in use).

Consider charging your phone using a portable battery charger, not AC power. I used to plug my phone to AC power to charge. Not anymore. I first charge a portable battery charger, then I connect the phone to the portable battery charger. I figure if the battery charger gets fried, I can replace it for $55, rather than spending $700+ for a new phone.

What happened to me is not common. But it’s certainly best to take precautions before your valuable equipment is ruined.