Hey guys, it looks like my laptop is going to die on me about a year sooner than I had anticipated. :( I knew it wasn't going to last long, but I had been hoping it would at least get me through my associate's. Now it looks like I'll be needing a new one by the end of this semester. I hadn't anticipated having to buy a new one so soon, so I'm a bit unsure of what to get. It really doesn't help that I'm not that much of a tech-y person either. ^_^;

Suggestions? Helpful hints for laptop shopping? Brands/models I should totally stay away from?

For the record, I'm looking for one with a lot of memory (although that's not such a biggie since I can always add more later if I end up not having enough), cd/dvd player/burner, small and not too heavy, multiple usb ports (is this standard now? I haven't really looked into it), and umm...well that's it. Just really basic stuff. I'm not fancy or anything. I'm not a gamer, I mostly need it to handle a shit-load of writing (school and not) and be insanely easy to use and come with a lot of support for when I invariable don't know what I'm doing. I'm looking to spend about $1,000 on it, but I am willing to go higher if I find "The One."

I've just never had to buy a laptop before (this one was a second gen hand-down) so I don't know what to look for. :[