Seeking Advice From the Computer Savvy

I've got a decision to make regarding my laptop. Other than Demi, most of the folks I see on a daily basis don't know much about puters. What I know is self taught. My first puter was one I put together from three discarded ones, so I know a little bit about the innards, but not much. It dawned on me today; what better place to seek advice than at Jake's place, where most of us are obsessed, to one degree or another, with this cyber world!

So here's what happened; late last night, I tipped my three legged puter desk over. Laptop, speakers and printer went crashing to the floor. The DVD I was playing (the third season of West Wing for those who are curious) continued, so I figured nothing terrible had happened, until I opened it up. The LCD screen display showed mostly white, with some ugly black lines that looked like windshield cracks drawn with charcoal.

So today I took it to two different puter stores I've used before. Both said the screen has to be replaced, and that Compaq has to do it. I called Compaq. They want 600 bucks. It appears that the display is the most expensive part of the puter. I bought the thing because it had all the bells and whistles I wanted (like a pentium processor) for a decent price ($1,000). But it's nothing all that fancy. It's no longer under warranty.

I found some screens online, but the cheapest for this model (Presario 2500) is over 400 bucks. I hooked up an external monitor, and it works fine; the puter is not damaged, just the display.

So here's my dilemma; do I hook this up to an external monitor and use it as a stationary puter for my downstairs office and buy another laptop (maybe something a bit fancier) or do I bite the bullet and buy a new screen.

Additional questions; it doesn't look that complicated to install a new screen. If I do buy a replacement, can I install it myself? And the final question; is there a particular laptop (not one astronomically priced) that you would recommend, and if so, why?

I'm also replacing the three legged desk with one with four legs. Three legs might be sufficient for Anglican theology, but it is way too unstable for much of anything else. On second thought, maybe it is too unstable for theology as well? Hmmm....

Thanks in advance for your help.

J.