New Processor & Compatibility Issues (Laptop)

I am looking at buying a new laptop. I use it for quickbooks, word processing, and basic office things. I do not play games, watch movies, or anything like that.

I am having some issues deciding who to buy from due to some processer confusion.

I was going to buy a dell, I was recommended to get an IntelT5250 Dual Core 1.5GHz
They told me I have to run Vista on this processor becuase Windows XP does not recognize the "dual" cores and will only run on one of them ignoring the other.

I was told by another local computer shop, Columbus Micro Systems, that that is a lie and XP can work on and does recognize Dual Core processors. They also said that processor that Dell was recommending was out of date / old.

I have a concern on which system to get (vista or XP) because I use quickbooks 2006 and I am under the understanding the it will not work on the Vista system.

Please Help

Dell should be able to provide you with a laptop running XP. The bit about XP not recognizing multiple cores is bullsh*t. Tell the sales goon you need XP, and if you can't have it you'll order elsewhere. Then go and do just that.

XP is going to be viable for years to come. Microsoft just extended the OEM dates by 6 months! It's not going away in the next few years. If I remember correctly MS won't discontinue updates for XP for like 3 more years. If I bought a new computer today right now, I'd still insist on XP. I'd even go elsewhere/pay more to have XP instead of Vista.

I've seen XP with dual core and quad processor setups, and it works great. That tech is a moron. He has no idea what he's talking about. Also, I might be wrong but I've heard there's alot of compatibility problems with Vista. You might want to look into that before you buy a laptop with Vista in the event someone tries to convince you that Vista really is SO much better(which it isn't).

In all honesty, I'd get a Dell laptop. I am typing on one while on a ferry ride and it's awesome. I have an E1705 myself, but they don't sell those anymore because they compete with the XPS line for alot less dough. For office applications, any Core 2 Duo will be perfect for your needs. I am familiar with all of the software you are talking about, so my post is probably closer to being the information you need than others. But their opinions are good to look at too.

As for DVD watching, if you travel you'll prolly watch a few DVDs on it. Don't go looking for the feature because they all have it. Dell laptops as well as other companies have a special power button that loads a special partition that runs Linux so you can watch DVDs and still get 3 hours or more out of your battery. I can't watch a DVD in XP on my battery, but load up that special Linux partition and I can watch 2 DVDs on 1 charge.

Get a laptop with:

-Windows XP
-Dell
-Core 2 Duo
-at least 1GB of RAM