A number of suggestions have been made on how to make an existing laptop last, or what might be the least expensive computer that could meet your need.

I look at it differently. Getting a new laptop is fun. Overkill never hurts and it’s not that expensive.

I think the fastest processor you can get and the most memory you can get (economically) is the way to go.

I would be going for:

I7 (or ryzen 7) processor or better (i9 is probably too pricey).

1Tb memory. Good laptops nowadays can have 1tb or even 2tb,

Full hD display (1920x1080).

The OPs weight requirement of 3lbs is mainly set by the screen size. you just pick a model that meets that weight,

If you type i7 or ryzen 7, 1 tb, FHD, 3lbs. Into Amazon several reasonably priced choices will come up which are all awesome computers. Overkill perhaps, but sweet. I personally like the ACER predator line. Those are gaming laptops but work well for general purpose as well. It just never hurts to have more speed, a good display and more memory.

By the way. When you get your new laptop also buy Zinstall or pcmover pro. Those will allow you, with zero technical skill or knowledge, to move all your files, settings, photos and applications from the old laptop to the new one.

$220...Hurry!...May not have enough storage for you at 128GB...A smidge heavy at 3.1 lbs.
X1404ZA-I38128 Asus 14 inch

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-vi...?skuId=6568805

The challenge is the 3 pound weight limit...And a Linux solution just laughable!

I think you would be happier with a 16 inch display in 16:10 format. If you can budge to 3.8 pounds, there are more inexpensive options this Black Friday.

Install linuxmint and scrap windows. Much more efficient in its use of space. It has thunderbird resident, so you don’t need outlook or a subscription to microsoft 365. It comes with libre office, which will handle your Office files.

There are no laptops available with 1TB of memory (RAM). The max you'll find in a laptop is 32GB and those will be VERY expensive. I'm pretty sure you meant 1TB of storage (i.e. hard drive). Getting 250GB, 500GB, or 1TB of storage will not make the laptop any faster or slower, it just gives you more room to store files and install programs. 1TB is overkill for 99% of folks.

I didn't say you SHOULD, I said you COULD. I've upgraded many friends' computers to Win 11 - none of them 10 years old, but many in the 4-6 year old range. I haven't had to swap out a single card or component. None of these were a legacy computer - they haven't built those for 15-20 years.

In each case I install a $35 SSD drive, transfer the contents over, then upgrade to Win 11. The resulting computer runs far faster than it did and has a current OS that is supported.

The only thing not supported on an older machine is TPM (Trusted Platform Module), and that in no way affects how the OS runs. It's a security module that is needed more for corporations than for personal use.

I 100% agree with your statement about recommending buying a newer computer. I only posted because I wanted folks to know that you can run the latest OS with no issues on older hardware.

Storage is nice
 

Solid state memory. Yes, storage for massive number of photos and ,particularly, videos. Minimizes dependency on cloud storage.

Post from a local Computer Tech (Michael McLeer) here in TV. Look like a great deal to me too. cut and paste the URL into your browser

Folks...
Many of you over the last couple of months have been advised by me that this is a real good deal on Amazon if you were looking to get a new computer.
https://a.co/d/ge1Ziz2
It just went back on sale and is EVEN LESS EXPENSIVE!
This was an amazing deal at $380!
It's $322 today!
If your computer is > 5 years old... Consider purchasing this.
I can move your files if you need me to.

That uses an Intel Celeron processor. That's the LOW-budget, cheapest, least efficient, slowest processor that Intel makes. The clock speed is only 1.1 and at turbo it's 2.8GHz. That's really slow, compared to today's "normal use" machines. The fact that it's just a dual core and not at LEAST a quad core would be concerning, unless the ONLY thing you ever did on it was check your e-mail, play solitaire, and write papers on Word.

Unless you are running some apps that are supported on Windows only, a Chromebook will probably satisfy your requirements. There will be a short learning curve but it may very well make things easier for you in the longer term.

OBB, I can't thank you enough for understnding my question & replying (multiple times) in language I can understand. Haven't selected the laptop yet, still complying & comparing TOTV and Next Door comments.

And thanks to all who commented. I appreciate that many individuals commented & re-commented on suggestions. It's great to have this forum for an intelligent, thoughtful discussion.
Blessings to you all & Happy Thanksgiving!

We once bought a laptop from Best Buy and purchased warranty with it. About a month or so later we were having issues with it. My husband brought it back to be repaired and was told that they wouldn't honor the warranty. They said if he wanted to have them run diagnostics on it they would charge $200. We ended up taking the laptop to a place at the Marion Market and they fixed it for $20.

I would never pay for a warranty of any type. They are almost always a rip-off.

I think you would be happy with the LG Gram 16 inch. Less than 3 pounds.
Keep an eye out for Black Friday deals...$760 at Amazon now.