Getting a Laptop: Hp or Dell?

Vista is ok for the most part and, more importantly, is definitely a better investment for the future.
The battery differencies are not that big, but noticeable. The 8-cell one might give you about 20% more than the 6-cell one. You can easily change the battery later though, so it's not that big of a problem.

I'd recommend you a VBI laptop, I don't have that much experience with either Dell or HP.

GL.

vista is a big piece of shit. Vista uses up more of your computer's resources than XP, so you'll want the max ram you can. Also the battery life should be pretty comprable. If you get vista make sure you have 2gb+ of ram especially if you play video games on your computer. If you don't really game then I guess it won't matter all that much but if you do then basically double every requirement that the game needs for vista. I have a dell with XP and it's great. I dunno if you're getting a 17" one but if thats the dell you're looking at, then I would recommend it.

ya def. 17"

Vista is (imo) just fine, maybe a bit slower on some games but that's the only shortcoming.
And higher resolution equals more workspace and more windows open without overlap, which is always nice.

Dell