uh - I'm not sure on that - its a dell inspiron E1505 with windows medai edition... if that means anything...
as for cost, I meant total cost of camera, editing program, and computer (assuming the computer is the cheapest of all those). I mean, I would need all those things to really do anything, right? I know theres a lot more I would need - but those three things are pretty essential, wouldnt you say?
Since you're looking at the PC world, let me give you a breakdown of what I spent last year just getting geared up to make some DV short films (I used the equipment to produce a couple of 20-30 minute documentaries already for family and friends, but nothing in the public domain):
1) Camera: Canon XL1s - $2400 used from E-Bay, and it came with an excellent Bogen tripod with fluid head, a Sennheiser ME66 microphone with blimp and a few cables (total of about $7500 in original retail value)
2) Camera case: $300 (Pelican)
3) 16x manual lens: ~$500 used from E-Bay ($1600 original retail value)
4) Blank tapes and spare batteries: ~$200
5) Canon MA-200 for XLR inputs: ~$300 used
6) 400GB internal hard drive for editing and a 500GB external drive for extra storage: $200
7) Adobe Production Studio Premium for PC: ~$1700.00
I work in the computer industry, so assembling the PC cost me next to nothing relatively speaking through bartering and labor trades, but my entire setup is an Intel Core2 Duo with 2GB RAM, an ATI FireGL V7350 (~$1500 retail value for this alone), DVD burner, Creative XFi sound card, 24" widescreen flat panel, 5.1 surround sound, IEEE 1394 Firewire card for camera interface, and other basic accessories. To build this system would cost over $4000 today. This is overkill for standard definition, but I'm ready to make the leap to high definition and plan to do some 3D rendering on it as well. It's a multi-purpose workhorse. It's running Windows XP Pro.
9) I built my own microphone boom for $26:
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=8863&page=2
10) Construction lights (4x500W), can lights, black wrap (black aluminum foil), white foam core, 3x DIY 6'x6' iron water pipe frames for mounting lights and felt and sound dampening (mattress foam covers), extension cords, dimmers (one 1000W dimmer included), parchment paper for light diffusion, microphone stand (in case I am sans boom operator): ~$500 for everything
11) Video slate with markers, various gels for changing color temperature of the lights, and a decent cine' light meter: ~$400
Grand total investment for 2007 (not including the computer): ~$6526. Add $4000-5000 if you were to match my computer setup, and this takes startup costs over $10,000.00.
Now imagine if I decided to take the plunge into learning and growing using actual film cameras and not DV.
This is not a cheap endeavor.
EDIT: I forgot to mention the filters for the camera: 3 ND filters of varying intensity and a UV filter: ~$200
I updated and augmented my film and writing library with about 10 new books: ~$250. I am always reading something. Learn something new every day.
I still need to make a handheld camera stabilizer, dolly tracks, a jib arm or crane - lots of work to do in 2008. I already wrote one short and am about to start writing another short and a feature. It's time to justify to the wife why I spent all this money last year.