What kind of computer would be best to record at home without the hassle?

[Trevor]

I have a toshiba satellie laptop that runs windows 7 64 bit proffesional, 4G ram, 320G Hard drive, and dual processing. The processing power is incredible. However ive been under a rock so long i never stopped to think about the fact that the newest OS isnt necessarily the best for recording music. Windows 7 is great if you ask me but its compatability with alot of audio equipment is very limited. I have a fasttrack pro ai and a tascam US-800, the fast tracks drivers couldnt even between installed until i got the upgrade to proffesional, but as for the tascam, i cant even find drivers for it period. the drivers have been a big pain in the ass and thats just the beginning of my problems with windows 7. I want to get my hands on another computer to work with music. Id like to have opinions on wether or not to use a laptop or desktop (and why), What make and model,what operating system, and why? opinions greatly appreciated