My 6-year-old Dell has developed a loose AC socket connection, which means it won’t work from the mains adaptor.

Local PC repair shop says worst case scenario is replacing one of the boards, in which case given the cost of this I might want to look at getting a new laptop.

What would people recommend?

It’ll primarily only be used for internet/e-mail, no games, no fancy movie editing etc.

Also needs to be cheap (as I don’t really have the money for a new computer, but it’s virtually essential for HRH to keep in touch with her family back home in Brazil).

What would people recommend?

A better repair shop?

If you’re intent on replacing it and you want something cheap to do emails, pretty much anything would suffice. A netbook or something second hand would probably be your best bet. Either that or have a look at ‘deal of the week’ fare in supermarkets.

Refurbs on pcworld and the like are also a good option, using one right now 🙂

I was in the same position as you a couple of months ago and settled for an Acer in the sales. It is no Dell, but it does the job for little dollar.

I bought one of these for my mum recently – she’s been really pleased with it. Netbook format but reasonably fast and decent sized keyboard and screen. Would meet your requirements and really good build quality too.