buying a new laptop

[SkinnyDan]

[QUOTE=HersheyWalker;88245]Then every month or so you'll have to reformat and reinstall your os. Not that big of a deal, but those moments when you need to fix your computer can come at the most inoportune moments.QUOTE]

Not to be an ass, but I hate this arguement for Mac fan-boys. I am a pc fan, and I have been using windows almost exclusivly for years. If you know how to stay away from virus infested downloads, and websites that install spyware/malware on your system then there is no need reformat that often. I have been running my Windows XP for about 1 1/2 years right now with out reformatting, and I've been running the pc at almost 100% uptime. Also I have only had Windows crash on me once and I had to reformat, and that was because I was doing some testing on somw software for a friend that turned out to be very buggy.

It's all about being smart with a computer.

[Mikemedic]

You might want to find out whether your school will have macs or PC's beforfe you choose (I think most schools use PC - at least the ones around here). It's nice to put all your work/papers on a flash drive and print it out on the school's paper (trust me, you'll use a ton )

I've heard good things about acer and toshiba in the lower end of the price spectrum. I really like my dell desktop, but I really don't use it for anything more complicated than internet and word-processing.