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Message: <blockquote data-quote="drothgery" data-source="post: 2171673" data-attributes="member: 360">It's very hard not to get XP (with SP2 slipstreamed in) on a new Windows box (assuming it has a new and legal copy of Windows), as Microsoft makes other versions of Windows very difficult to get a hold of, and since using any other version of Windows on a non-ancient PC (any PIII or better with at least 256 MB of RAM) very rarely makes sense (some developers need to run Win2K3 for testing; some DOS programs don't work under NT-based operating systems).I've had no problems with my Dell desktops (on my third), but that doesn't really say anything about their laptops (though the consensus seems to be Lattitude good; Inspiron sometimes good, sometimes not).My standard advice for buying laptops is to figure out what's important to you before looking. Are you going to carry it around a lot? Make sure it's light. Will you want to use it a coach-class airline seat? Then don't go for the 17" screen. Will you want to use it for a long time unplugged? Check the battery life numbers. Will you want to play games on it? Check the video card. Will you wan to watch DVDs? Get a widescreen display.</blockquote>