Are there any suggestions for a shop in or near the 5th Arr that sells cheap printers- I need to buy one for my wife and just walking around here,nothing has showed up.
Ozflier

Not too sure about the 5th, but Surcouf has a well-stocked electronic superstore not that far away in the adjacent 12th, at 139 avenue Daumesnil; printers are downstairs, IIRC. A few years ago, they even had the portable Canon BJ's, in case you plan on bringing your printer back to Australia .

Otherwise, any of the consumer electronics stores or larger FNAC stores will carry commodity low-end inkjets, on which there isn't much of a margin anyway.


P.S. make sure there is a printer cable included in the box, inexpensive models usually come without one in Europe.


[This message has been edited by monahos (edited 09-15-2003).]

mohanos gives excellent advice, Surcouf is the cheapest mainstream computer store in Paris. But for an even better deal (but no display models or customer service or guarantees valid outside the store), there is a slew of very cheap and competitive computer outlets behind and around the corner from Surcouf, centered on both the rue Mongallet and the rue de Charenton. Browse in Surcouf to decide which model you want, then look in the windows of the outlets nearby, they all post their prices daily. Or just go to soak up the nerdy atmosphere (yes it exists in chic Paris).

Or if you don't want to wander far from the 5th, the new Fnac Digitale at 77 bd St. Germain in the neighboring 6th is nice, but expensive, especially if you compare to US prices.

[Edited to fix a stubborn link.]

[This message has been edited by puck (edited 09-15-2003).]

Very useful link, puck. Rue Mongallet appears to be the Parisian equivalent of Tokyo's Akihabara .

How long have these discounters been active? My last prolonged stay in Paris was four years ago, and my admittedly not-nerdy-enough local contacts failed to steer me that way.

I didn't find them until I was myself in the market for a printer about a year ago, and a colleague of mine recommended them to me (I'm a happy owner of a Canon i850 bought from Golden Gate computers on the rue de Charenton). But there are so many of them I'd be surprised if they've all sprung up in the last 4 years...

Thank you .I checked the local office depot and indeed all cheap end models were without cable .I will be at the rue clarendon today .
Ozflier

One more hint, if it's a nice day (and it's been beautiful in Paris lately), walk along the Promenade Plant�e (a linear garden up on an old rail line) to Surcouf, starting at Bastille behind and to the right of the opera house.

Great thread!

Thanks everyone.

Anyone have a recommendation for checking a possible(I hope) fried CPU. I had to take the power supply out and to CA for a fast check(20 minutes and $25.00 for a new one). It's a HP tower and I find Surcouf and environs incredibly frustrating, but am open to all advice. I'm sitting in an internet cafe(one with a Qwerty keyboard) now, since Noos has also not been working in my secteur for the last 5 days. Help.

I don't quite understand your problem, but it is very rare for a CPU to go bad without any action on your part, unless the heatsink fan fails and the CPU overheats. All Intel and AMD Athlon XP CPU's will shutdown automatically in such cases; Durons and earlier Athlons will not.

If your PC is not giving any sign of life, a power supply or motherboard problem is most likely.