The biggest and most important question I have is if I buy this laptop, will it run 
ok if I reformat the hard drive and install Windows XP Home Edition on it?  That 
is what I have on my desktop here.

That brings up another question I have because I need to know if the sales person 
was BSing me or not.  He said that XP Home Edition might not work on this laptop 
because the drivers were made for the Vista.  I wanted, and still do for that matter, 
to buy another XP and reformat the hard drive on the laptop and do a clean install 
of the XP I would buy.  Why is it that it would not work?  I just didn't understand 
his explanation about the drivers wouldn't be there for XP because they are new and 
different drivers for Vista.  I am one of those people out there that likes my hard 
drives partitioned and don't want all of that trial-ware that they stick on the machine, 
so I have always just reformatted and started clean by installing the OS myself and 
that way I get it installed the way I like it.  Actually, I am kind of a bit**
when it comes to stuff like that.  If anyone can explain to me what he was talking 
about and let me know if it was BS or not I would greatly appreciate it. 

I will let you know up front that I have no knowledge about laptops at all, except 
for the bare basics I would guess.  I have used desktops for well over 20 years now 
though and can even replace or add my own hard drives, sound cards and such as that. 
 Have never messed with a motherboard and really don't want to. 

I am wanting to buy a laptop to use on trips.  I do not need it for any kind of business 
or anything, just want to access the internet for information and email and such 
as that.

I saw one today at the local Best Buy.  This is it.  They are selling it for $599.99 
It has 4 USB ports and the guy told me that I could also connect to a data port via 
modem.  I would also be buying a cool deck (or whatever it is called) to have the 
laptop sitting on it to keep it from getting too hot. 

What I want to know is if this is a good buy and about right for a laptop for my 
needs?  Is Gateway any good?  What all do I need to know about laptops?  Any help 
would be greatly appreciated because I need to buy this by the end of the week if 
it is a good buy and such.

They have the memory I would need on sale and it would be another $50.00. 

Full Specifications: Gateway MX8738 Laptop Computer
CPU and Memory Processor Brand Intel 
Processor Class Pentium Dual Core 
Processor Speed 1.73 GHz 
Installed Memory 1 GB 
Memory Technology DDR II SDRAM 
Cache Size 1 MB 

Storage  Hard Drive Capacity 160 GB 
Included Drives DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM 
CD Write Speed 24 X  
CD Rewrite Speed 16 X 
CD Read Speed 24 X  
DVD Read Speed 8 X 
DVD Write Speed 8x (DVD±R), 2x (DVD-R DL), 2.4x (DVD+R DL) 

Display and Graphics Display Size 17 in 
Display Type TFT active matrix 
Graphics Processor Intel GMA 950 
Resolution 1440 x 900 pixels 

Battery Type Lithium ion 

Communications and Networking  Modem Speed 56 Kbps 
Network Support Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g 

Software  Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 

Connectors Interface Provided S-Video, VGA, Phone line, Ethernet 

Warranty Information 1 year warranty  
Base Warranty 1 year warranty  

General Product Info Input Devices Touchpad, Keypad 
Included Sound Card Sound card 
Weight 7.3 lbs 
Also known as Gateway MX8738, Gateway 
Manufacturer Part No. MX8738 
Dimension 1.4 in x 16.1 in x 10.9 in (HxWxD) 

• Reply or follow-up to this message

• Search this forum
• Start a new thread on a different subject

• Report abuse of the forum