Well the laptop died today and I need another to continue my tuning. I was using Tunercat and Datamaster on a old Toshiba satellite 2805-S401 Win XP os& (USB to serial adapter + ALDL) Any recommendations on Brands/Models to be on the hunt for? Craigs list? forum members? I was just getting the hang of this tuning on my $8d 730 TPI motor...Dang! Thanks in advance! So far I have found an old Dell inspiron 3500 on CL $150, has a serial port, but not sure about the other features. What do you all think? I found a IBM Think Pad T-30 that has a DB-9 (RS232) serial port. $209 Com Do Ri Computer Tech Service. Garden Grove, CA (714) 944-4401 contact: Jason Yea, I can dump the USB to serial adapter. I do think a list should be compiled of all laptops that the board members actually own and can verify function with the software we use to tune. Also, if the laptop has a DB-9 (RS232) serial port. This could be placed in the stickies or with the tuning guide for those seeking out the best computer configuration available in there area and price range. A web search turned up some postings on computer forums as to what laptops came with DB-9 serial ports, but I had no way to verify in each case if the information was accurate. It did help me to identify this CL posting as a possible candidate. http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/sys/1425748801.html

I'm running an Acer One Netbook. They are nice because they are small, have good battery life. I'm using ScannerPro/TunerPro/Moates Burn2. Using a Microconnectors USB to serial adapter. In my case, I use it in my motorhome and have a USB to video running a live back up camera all the time. No trouble running live video and ScannerPro at the same time.
The only bad thing is the screen is a bit bright at night. I have a tinted panel I put over it, so I'm not blinded. Still waiting for Mark to get a night view or inverted colors for ScannerPro.

My vote is for the T30. They are a rugged solid laptop. Also has 2 USB (v1.0) ports, and a bunch of features that are decent (such as a keyboard light for use at night).

RBob.