Dell Inspiron 1100 Laptop
Very Happy With This Laptop
I got a Dell Inspiron 1150 laptop about 4 months ago.  I just needed a basic laptop at a great price and that's what I got (with a rebate and a free memory upgrade offered at the time I bought it).  I'm a knowledgable computer user and I've never had to call tech support (thank heavens), so I can't comment on Dell's tech support.  I have heard horror stories, but I've read that Dell recognizes the problem and is committed to fixing it, for whatever that is worth.  Also, I doubt you will find any computer vendor's tech support get anything other than horrible reviews.<br /><br />There are many models to choose from, so make sure you get what you need.  Mine only has 2 USB ports, which is ok for me but may not be enough for many people.  Mine only has 1 PCMCIA card slot, which I immediately used for my wireless adapter, so now I have no spare card slots.  That's ok for me, but may not be for you.  My 2.6GHz Celeron CPU with 512MB RAM is speedy and more than adequate for anything I throw at this laptop -- lots of Internet apps, concurrent broadband downloads, MS Word and Excel, and lots of open windows.  I won't be playing any high-res, fast-action video games on this computer, so the shared graphics is just fine.<br /><br />I've had at least 6 other laptops over the years, all of them much more expensive than my Inspiron 1150, and this Dell is so far just as satisfactory as any of the others (within its known limitations).  The screen is clear and bright, the keyboard is comfortable, the fan is not noisy, the battery lasts a long time (2 hours), and everything worked out of the box and continues to work fine.<br /><br />To the user that complained the screen is too bright, there is a function key (Fn+Down Arrow) to reduce brightness, at least on my model 1150.  And what's up with this guy who writes \\"urgent order\\" for all of his product reviews?  LOL!<br /><br />So, as long as your model provides the capabilities and features you need, I think you'll be very happy with a Dell Inspiron laptop.  Their tech support may be another story though.happy with a Dell Inspiron laptop.  Their tech support may be another story though.