Don't get Vista...haha. I use it for work and it's sooo confusing. Like for example, when you press Programs, they all pop up horizontally above the word programs. Instead of XP, where they are to the right. Everything is re-worded and bunched up together..it's annoying. lol.
I have a Dell Inspiron 6000 and I like it. It's a good computer. You can add extra memory to it too which is nice :-)