I'm looking to buy a laptop to use Linux on. Has to be cheap. Has to work with photo management and word processing software. I intend to use a brand spanking new hard drive - just in case.

Any ideas on where I can get a windows-free laptop?

Also, if the laptop breaks and I need to change it, is it possible just to swop the hard drive into another laptop and be up and running in minutes (not necessarily the same model/brand?

As far as a suggestion on where to buy one, I bought my old dell off ebay for $250. If you are willing to spend a little more, you can find a nice second hand machine. As far as swapping drives between unlike machines, it really depends on the the hardware, operating system and configuration. If your operating system is configured in such a way that it will boot and run on both machines, you shouldn't have a problem.

As far as a suggestion on where to buy one, I bought my old dell off ebay for $250. If you are willing to spend a little more, you can find a nice second hand machine. As far as swapping drives between unlike machines, it really depends on the the hardware, operating system and configuration. If your operating system is configured in such a way that it will boot and run on both machines, you shouldn't have a problem.

Gosh. $250? That seems terribly expensive when a new Dell 1200 is only $500 brand new.

Actually, having thought about it and having found the Dell 1200 etc, it doesn't make a load of sense to use secondhand laptops unless they are in pristine condition an cost about $50. I think I'll just get a Del 1200and run XP on it instead.

If you can get a new Dell with everything you want for $500, and $500 is within your budget, you should buy one. You won't find a decent used machine for $50, thats not realistic. I just bought an lcd for my old latitude and it was $50.

If you can get a new Dell with everything you want for $500, and $500 is within your budget, you should buy one. You won't find a decent used machine for $50, thats not realistic. I just bought an lcd for my old latitude and it was $50.

That's the problem I had with my 2nd hand laptop.

Prices quoted are British Pounds.

I spent 250 on an IBM 760EL
It had insufficient memory so I added more. That cost me 30.
Then I needed to replace the O/S so I bought NT4 for 5.
Then the charger blew so I had to spend 50 on a new charger.
Then not long after that the laptop ceased to recognise the hard drive and ceased to recognise or run off the battery simulteneously.
By then I'd had enough of the POS and threw it in the trashcan.

That cost me a total of 85 extra and I'm pretty sure there were more expenses that I haven't listed. I know I ended up spending a total of 125 on top of the 250. Basically my cheap secondhand laptop cost me almost 3/4 of the price of a brand new laptop and died after giving me only old laptop performance.

As far as I can see, it makes no sense to spend more than $50 on a secondhand laptop. $250 just seems way over the top when brand spanking new with a warranty is just $500.