IE 7? I downloaded the beta version on my home computer months ago. I like it, but it is different enough to take some time to look through all of the controls. Sammy, Microsoft is the company that produces operating systems and tools (as well as game systems) for use on computers. Other than their game systems, Microsoft does not manufacture computers of their own (unlike Apple). An "operating system" is the software that runs the computer, no operating system, no running computer. There are many different operating systems, some are used for PCs some are used for large-scale servers. Windows is an operating system that is produced by Microsoft and Windows runs on many different makes and models of computer (Apple uses its own operating system on their computers). "Vista" is the next version of the Windows operating system, XP is the promary current version (you will see a banner with the version when you turn on the computer and it is booting up). Internet Explorer is a tool that runs on Windows that provides browsing capabilities. You can use IE to browse files inside of your computer or to access remote files, which is what you do when you "browse" the internet. Microsoft, unfortunately, likes to cram a lot of stuff into their upgrades, without really explaining how they work and how to configure. Sorry, sometimes I get all geeky. ;-) I do wish they would just take your current settings and incorporate them into the new version of IE when it is installed. Things are tricky enough with differences in internet providers (Cox Cable in your case), PC capacities, user preferences and home networking options (a few years ago this one didn't exist) to make things more difficult.

first you need to know which version of windows 7 you want there are several, I would not go under the windows home premium, the starter version for example is quite lacking. The various versions have different options not all have the same things on them. Which one is right for you? Windows 7 Product Editions: A Comparison look at costco and sams as well as walmart for prices. also very important is what version of windows do you currently have and will you be replacing it with 7 if you have vista you can do an upgrade but if you have xp you will have to wipe clean and do a full clean install, it is however suggested to do a clean install even if you have vista. Windows 7, what's the difference between the editions?

Owbist, thank you for replying. I realized after I posted that my question re cd/dvd was irrelevant, being as how it has lightscribe. Why would it have lightscribe if it didn't burn cds/dvds? duh I have looked at a lot of reviews and it seems to be very highly rated by most, and the cons seem minor. It does have an extended warranty from costco (an extra 9 months), and 90 days return policy. Do you see any feature that might be missing or questionable?

Dee, Please continue to update the way you feel comfortable. The key idea is you let the site scan your system to determine need. Some users download updates directly from Microsoft without scanning. It is recommended by Microsoft to update through the Windows Update utility. Their thinking, and I do support it, is by using the utility it insures that a user only installs the needed and correct updates for their system. Further by using the utility, and I would say also the site scan, cumulative updates only download and install pertinent portions of the update not the whole update.