Laptop Confusion

Well, I can tell you what not to buy. We got our daughter a Hewlett PAckard through Best Buy and have not been happy at all with it's performance.

I got a Compaq (HP) through Best Buy, love it, no probs. I've got aPresario R3000 Nursie, what have you got?

The IT person at work won't buy from Best Buy any more. She orders Dell stuff for her personal use at home, so you are probably on the right track.

I recently bought a HP/Compaq NX9030 and It's been a great machine. One major advantage of a Dell,though, is their accidental damage warranty (optional add-on). The downside to a Dell...They never seem to sell for the advertised prices after adding everything they don't come with. As for the XP pro, I believe that the Pro version works better with regard to networking (My co-workers think I'm nuts). Of course being an Apple technician, I would say an iBook kicks booty also. c:

Get a Sony or Thinkpad by IBM. IME they are the best of the best. Dells are iffy. Sometimes they work, sometimes the are a complete failer. And plus there coustmor support sucks.
(Totaly cant spell this monring.)

Win XP Home and Pro are almost the same thing. Pro just has:
Remote Desktop
Offline Files and Folders
Internet Information Services (IIS) version 5.1
Scalable processor support
Access Control
Encrypting File System
Centralized administration
Software Installation and Maintenance
Group Policy
Roaming User Profiles
Remote Installation Service (RIS)
Multi-lingual User Interface (MUI) add-on
See here for it: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx

Joe, if you do end up going with a Dell check out this link for a good deal. Its $750 off Inspiron laptops of $1499 or more. I dont know when the deal ends though so you might have to act fast!

I have a Toshiba Satellite and I'm very happy with it. I asked all the IT helpdesk people I know it was unanamously (sp????) recommended by all. It also comes in all prices ranges so there's one for every budget.

WiFi was dead easy to set up even for a moron like myself. I have XP home on it but tbh I can't tell the difference from XP Professional on my PC!

You can find some pretty good deals on dells in the form of coupon codes. But in terms of reliability and overall build quality I would say the Thinkpad line is the way to go. Personally I have and Acer Travelmate 8103 and I love it.