Laptop Issues

My Dell laptop is having issues! It was my graduation present from my parents two years ago and it's held up well. I had to re-install the operating system a few months ago when I got a ridiculous virus, and I ended up putting Windows 7 on it. However, starting middle of last week I've been getting disk error warning messages. Yikes!

I back my computer up once a month, but I immediately backed it up again once I started seeing the messages. I'm fairly tech-savvy, so I know the hard-drive is probably dying. Sad! My roommate took a second look at the message and agreed with my conclusion. He's doing some research for me to try to find the best deal on buying a new hard-drive plus some additional RAM, which my laptop is definitely in need of since it's not really equipped to run the new operating system. (It used to have Windows XP... and I definitely did not want to put Vista on it!) This will probably run me ~$140, according to roommate. Not horrible and totally worth it! Plus I know how to do the installation myself. :) But, I *might* take the money from my emergency fund, as it IS a large expense that doesn't fit into my regular budget... We'll see, maybe I can finagle it into June's budget since I am going out of town for two of four weekends!

I mentioned the fact that I was having some laptop issues to my parents last week. They know I take really good care of all my belongings, especially my electronics. A few days later, they e-mailed me and said they'd be willing to split the cost of a new laptop with me in the near future if it came to that...but only if I become a Mac user! What! I did not expect their generosity, so I'm thinking within the next two years, or sooner if it really gives out, I'll save up half the cost of a new MacBook. My FIRST Mac computer!! (I told myself when I got this Dell laptop that, whenever it died on me, that my next computer would be a Mac.) :)