I purchased the same model number but it came with the AMD A6, not the A8. Wonder if Best Buy found a way to reduce their cost a bit buy insisting HP use the A6 in the same model.

Wanted to see Windows 8 on this machine take a giant leap forward but I believe we took a trip down memory lane and landed in the bashed Vista territory.

Frankly I think Win XP SP3 is a much better OS for laptops and notebooks than Win 8.

As for security software, as always I start with a free copy of Avast and then if needs arise I move to the paid copy of Avast, which I have always had great success with.

The HP g7-2251 is an OK machine, but nothing special except the 17" screen at the under $400 price point.
I have actually disliked HP keys and key placement for a couple of years now.