In September 2004, I bought a Sony TR3 thanks to the help from the mods and members of this forum. It has been a wonderful laptop. I use it so heavily that most of the letters on the keyboard are worn off. However, a failure on Saturday and a lengthy and risky rebuild, has left me feeling edgy as to how much life the computer has. I want to buy a new one when I've got time to safely consider the decision, rather than needing it within the hour.

What laptops should I consider? My top priority is minimal weight. I don't remember the stat on this laptop, but Sony's TZ, the replacement model, weighs 2.5lb. I like that. I'm perfectly comfortable with the 11" screen. I don't do heavy computing; I use little more than Microsoft Office and Firefox.

Also, I am concerned about switching to Vista. Should I look for a laptop that uses Window XP?