Glad to see you back, Wolfstar. I was getting worried about you!
And thanks for the tip about Toshiba laptops. I need a new one, and now may be a good time to go shopping for one.
Prices have really moderated a lot in a comparatively short time. In case you're interested in checking it out, here's a link to the model I bought. The specs are fantastic for the price, and the reviews are excellent. I managed to get it at Fry's for more than $100 under the MSRP, and they threw in a hard drive sleeve. I removed the hard drive from my old PC, because it's was not affected by what crashed. This way I have access to all my data on it via the laptop.
I've worked in the information technology field for a long time, and have kept an eye on laptop prices for several years. Never could afford to buy one with the specs I needed. That's how I know the specs for this would have sold for $2000 or more just 18 months to 2 years ago.
Rotten economy in many ways, but sharp price reductions in some consumer products does help when one is in the spot I was when my old desktop died.