Computer Question
 

Looking for a small 13 or 14" laptop. I don't need much Ram but i also don't want it to be slow.I don't know what to look for with all of the tech. terms out there. I would like windows XP. I also do not want to pay too much either.
BTW: Is a refurbished laptop a bad idea?

I'd never buy any second hand computer equipment especially a lap top - they often lead a hard life and technology is still leaping along so it would be out of date quite quickly.

Take a look at Netbooks may be they fit your budget.

What is the difference between a netbook and a laptop?

Well the Netbooks are using smaller lower powered processors. In effect they have the same sort of computing power as an average 4 year old laptop. They tend to have a 1GB of RAM but with a modern sized hard disk (for a laptop not a desk top - so you won't get 1 TB of space)

The idea behind these Netbooks is that they are smaller lighter and last for longer on batteries. They are meant to be more portable particularly compared with some large screened laptops with desktop processing powers on the market.

Basically if you want something for a couple of years (say 3) and you want to email, surf the web, and do a bit of word processing then I guess they'd be fine. Over here they retail for about 200 euros upwards (probably for about the same money in USD where you are). If you want to do gaming and 3D CAD modeling then this is not the option for you!

Thanks for the info.

I have purchased a number of business lease return laptops with great success, but I stick to Panasonic Toughbooks.

What is a Toughbook?

I am going to need a wireless router. What is a good brand,and what should i look for?

A linksys WRT54g is a good wireless router.

http://www.google.com/products?q=linksys+wrt54g&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=8r8OTKGcM4SClAeei-1r&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CEUQrQQwAg

Do people still buy 802.11g routers?

Toughbook is a line of laptops made by Panasonic that are ruggedized. Meaning, they are tough. I had one get a full glass of beer right on the keyboard while it was on... quick rinse with some water, and kept right on working. Shock, water and dust resistant. Used in many military and police applications.

http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/toughbook-products.asp

A Panny Toughbook is to computing, what a pair of Doc Martens are to shoes . .

Sure. Why buy an 802.11n router when most of the country's outbound internet connection caps out at 3 or 5 mbps? That and the updated firmware from linksys works very well and my five year old unit works very well.

No reason to go out and spend a lot of money when $40 can get you a decent router with a somewhat rich set of features for the home environment.

No, I built a smoothwall firewall and connected it to my Gigabit switch. No wireless here. :D

For routers I'd stick with Linksys - they aren't as good as they used to be but they are usually less frustrating than any alternative.

A Panasonic tough book is indeed a truly lovely bit of kit. New ones cost a fortune - may be refurbished second hand items are cheaper where you are but I guess they will still be quite expensive.

I get the impression that buying computers is now a little bit like buying clothing:- People used to buy a really good expensive winter coat (for example) and expect it to last for 10 years. Now it is difficult to find a really good quality coat like you used to. Fashion is now disposable. You buy something for the season and then throw it away. Computers are a bit like that. You can't expect to buy a computer and expect it to last more than a few years. Even if the hardware is still working the software will have moved on - the internet will display wider and wider pages so you'll be scrolling from side to side. And if you are going to use MS products you'll probably need more and more hard disk space to store all of those corrective updates they love to produce. Try loading Windows Vista on a 8GB hard drive - try to do an update and see how much space you have left!