I've made the switch to Lenovo. We used to be strictly Toshiba, but the last few have had monitor hinge failures and power supply failures, so I don't bother anymore. My latest purchase wasn't a laptop, but a Tiny ThinkCentre refurbished. You can buy refurbished products directly from Lenovo here. The products are covered by warranties and everything. The stock is constantly changing too, so you can check back and there is always something new.

look for a used laptop! I had an inexpensive new one that I thought was fine until I dropped it and my daughter gave me an extra Galaxy, well used. What a difference!!

I've also had 2 Toshiba Satellites and they are real workhorses.

HP seems to be my go to. My first one lasted 15 years and the second one I have now is at least 5 years old.

Another very satisfied Toshiba laptop user here too!

I second this. I've had HP computers & laptops for years. I've never had any trouble with any of them.

Shopping for computers by brand name is fraught with pitfalls because there are better and worse ones from any company and a lot depends on what you plan to use it for. Before buying, be sure to track down some feedback about the particular model you're considering. Even that tends to be unhelpful because they change the models all the time and different people have different uses for their machines.

I don't know what comes with the Destiny, but I have the Ellisimo Gold (the precursor of the Destiny), and the editing software that comes with it works with the little tablet what was included with it, which displays your work on the machine's screen. It doesn't do anything else (as far as I know), and is disappointingly limited just to satin stitch, but works well within those limitations. I bought embroidery software for my PC to do a little editing. If you decide to go that route, Embrilliance Essentials is compatible with both Windows and Mac, and can be upgraded. As a beginner, I have found it to be quite intuitive and useful.

My Asus R752M notebook with Windows 10 is 3 years old and I'm happy with it. My son, who has a degree in computer science and stays up to date on technology stuff, went to the Micro Center store with me and he knew what questions to ask and what to look for based on my needs. If I were to go in by myself, the chances are great that the young clerks in these types of stores are gamers who have a lot of interest in features that might not apply to me at all. Before you shop at a computer store, take a picture of the embroidery software package or insert listing the memory requirements. Maybe a tech person in the store can evaluate what would work well. Embroidery software can be pretty demanding.

You could visit a Facebook group specifically aimed at sharing help with embroidery. They may already have a thread about what computers work well with the software. It's by invitation, but they were quick to respond to my request to join: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/...20and%20advice Also, there are probably groups on FB or Yahoo specific to the Destiny. Ask at the store where you bought the Destiny what computer they use and let them demonstrate what the software can do. There should be free lessons, and they may have or know of an embroidery club in your area.

Thanks, Rose. I have done much of what you suggest, although hadn't thought of the FaceBook groups. The local store folks are using HP and Font Works... but, they are a BabyLock dealer, so no surprise there. I am planning on a Micocenter store run when I'm in OH. Will definitely check out Embrilliance also. Thanks again.