I have here 2 universal remotes:
an RCA 11 in 1 (model RC811-A 3329 from the inside panel, I no longer have the packaging)
and a logitech harmony 880.

My advice for both is don't remotely consider getting them.

The rca is very slow and unresponsive, it often 'forgets' previous settings and is way too large to be usable by most.

The harmony is poorly built at best, most of the buttons are flimsy and it's layout was designed by someone who's never used a remote. It might recognize hundreds of brands and items, but you'll still have to record all actions from the original remotes for the commands to actually work. The pre-found codes never worked for me, and that's on a wide range of devices from tvs and dvd players to hdmi/dvi switch boxes and etc.

I've tried those 2 and have still gone back to the original remotes. I have yet not seen one I'd consider a proper universal remote.

Maybe I was unlucky and had a defective unit but one of those 'safe and eco-friendly' compact bulbs litterally shattered. I had just turned the lights on and it split apart, I found pieces all over the room, including one on my hand. It had impacted enough to draw blood (not too seriously). Still, I've since gone back to regular bulbs that have never once blown up.

Win or lose, to everyone good luck.

Win or lose, to everyone good luck.

Win or lose, to everyone good luck.

Thank you.

Maybe the song set will net me a friend 'insert puppy sad eyes moment here'.

That sansa would be welcome, my rio player has a cracked case, an lcd on the fritz and doesn't always charge when plugged in, and did I mention you get a cookie for picking me to win? :)

At the moment NFS:MW, no better stress relief than making half-smart npc cops crash.

Here's a possibly dumb question about em:

Can I take any of those pre-linux installed pcs, wipe em out, get a ubuntu cd from a trusted source and reinstall without running into issues?

Windows or Linux, I don't trust pre-installs, case in point I don't know -what- was pre-installed, legit or not (keyloggers/trojans/etc). And don't say it's because it's a name brand that it's fine, Dell or another, noone is beyond corrupt employees.

Right now I'm looking into a notebook for use with linux, can't really get one without knowing it'll work.