Thank you all for the wonderful info. I read it all and then research. Just wanted you to know that because I do appreciate all of the feedback.

buy Windows (WAIT FOR PRE_INSTALLED WINDOWS 7).
I forgot to mention that this was thrown into my decision making too. I'm hearing windows 7 is the bomb;

If I get windows 7 will my software run on it? I've never bought a computer with a brand new windows version and not sure how this works with existing software.

The software I'm most concerned about is:
cs4
LR
PSE
proshow producer
zoombrowser ex (canon)
eos utility