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Looking in to buy in a Laptop which brands are good? And Internet question?

First I'm just looking for a simple computer to do school work internet, play and copy DVD and CDs. I'm not in to gaming or anything else. I’m trying to get the best for a low price. Rank HP, Dell, Toshiba, and Gateway. I've called Dell and been to Best Buy, CompUSA, Radio Shack, and Circuit City. Those are the brands I’ve been shown and all including warranty average about $1100. Also as far as the internet goes they all have a built in wireless card. But for home they tell me I’m going to need a router. Can I install myself to Roadrunner? The sales men tell me its best to let them do it I’m not too familiar with computers and if I don’t do it right my neighbors can use my internet signal and even steal my passwords and stuff. Is that true? They want to install on average $150 to $200.

Public Comments

1. All the PC manufacturers you mentioned are quite reputable. Are you familiar with Google's FROOGLE? The price you mentioned seems high for this time of year. As far as connecting to the internet, it is very easy and you can do it yourself. You will need an ISP first and the hardware beyond that will depend on your choice of ISP. You can get dialup and with that you will probably need go no further - be sure the laptop you buy has a phone modem. Dialup is not recommended if you can afford broadband. Broadband comes in two flavors: DSL and cable. DSL is offered by the phone company and transmission speed is highly dependent on distance to the central office. DSL is available via fiber optics in some neighborhoods and is quite fast! Cable is offered by the cable company and it sounds like you are in a Roadrunner franchise area. You will need a modem for your broadband connection, too. Either a DSL model or a cable modem. Buy dont rent! You can stop here if you are satisfied with a wired connection, but you didnt buy a laptop to be tied down by a cable, so you will need a router. The choice of routers is huge, but you most likely will be satisfied by a 802.11g compliant router (that's what your laptop will probably have installed, too). The cable from the wall goes to the modem, an ethernet cable goes from the modem to the router and it is wireless to the PC. "Out of the box", routers and adapters will connect to each other no problem. But the salesmen are right, you must use network security of some form and there are three forms of security available. Get this far, and ask us "How do I secure my wireless network" and we'll help you.
2. Mac Some FAQs about Macs here http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20071115/heres-a-mac-faq-if-youre-looking-to-buy-a-computer/
3. I got a my first laptop in July, and it's a Toshiba. I am VERY happy with it. Disclaimer: I don't work for Toshiba or any other computer company. I can get a discount on Dell through my employer, but I bought a Toshiba and I'm pleased.
4. Buy a Macbook...! Without question they are the best notebooks out there, unless you want to spend a few extra bucks an opt for the incomparable Macbook Pro as I have. Neither will disappoint, will always keep you interested, and most importantly...don't use Microsoft Vista. Also since Macs have there new Leopard OS you will feel as up to date as anyone and maybe even more so.
5. My preference, in order of brands: Toshiba, HP, Dell, Gateway. I agree with maybe considering an Apple Macbook, just because it is cool to be able to use Windows if you need/want to, it sounds like you'll be using the laptop for a lot of media-intensive tasks, and, ultimately, Mac OS X is way better than Windows-anything, but I've always thought Apple (laptops, not desktops) were really sketchy on quality. I don't think anything has changed since they've changed to Intel either - the good thing, they're pretty cool with replacing items (owned an iBook G4). Me, I own a ThinkPad now and I've been very impressed. I've also been using Windows Vista Business, which I was terrified to upgrade to after all the bad stories, and have had absolutely not a single problem. It's been...pleasant, in fact. *shocked look* As for the internet question, I recently set up a wireless network and bought a Linksys router - a WRT54G, I think. I was intimidated and I shouldn't have been. I put the CD in my computer and it walked me through it. No problems.