buying a laptop help

A notebook (assuming you mean a web book type machine) won't really cut it for media storage.

Pretty much any laptop these days will have more than enough memory/processing speed/graphics capacity/etc for home use. For example, don't get tied up in debates about whether you need a duo or quad processor, 2 Gb RAM or 4 Gb RAM. Anything over 200 Gb harddrive is ample. Casual home use doesn't need the power that an application-heavy work machine needs. I'd really just pick a good basic brand, see what's on special offer at Currys...

Here's the starter Dell option:

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-15-intel-n5050/pd

I would add that, when purchasing their first laptop, many people make the mistake of thinking that size doesn't matter, "it'll sit on the desk all the time anyway". It's not long before you realise that, actually, a lighter/thinner one is far better because soon, you'll want to be using on your lap in front of the TV. A 17 inch screen/fattened by a million USB connectors laptop isn't the easiest option here!

Thank you very much!

Ebay Daily Deals normally have a laptop or two on from reputable retailers (today there is a Fujitsu from Ebuyer) that come with the same warranty as buying from a "normal" shop:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290621146634?item=290621146634#ht_2501wt_1128

http://deals.ebay.co.uk/

I recently bought a Packard Bell Easy Note. It's good for wireless internet, word processing and has Photoshop Elements 9 preloaded for you! It's got a 4GB RAM and 500GB internal memory which isn't too bad. Cost us just under £400 and we got it from Comet!