It sounds like your ideal is to end up with your Vista installation and all its programs and data intact on your laptop. There's no way to copy a Windows installation from one computer to another. Can't get there from here.

Putting Linux on the laptop is quite feasible. Linux was designed for PC hardware as a direct replacement for Windows. But only the operating system is installed--you won't get any of the PC programs you might need to work with your data.

So if you go that route, you'll have to look for Linux replacements for your programs or lose your data. There are a number of equivalents available for major Windows software, notably OpenOffice, which can read any of your Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint...). In the realm of graphics there's lots of open-source Linux software that can read and write Windows files such as PhotoShop. Where you're likely to be hurtin' is if you have obscure/less popular software that nobody's been motivated to port to Linux.

If it were me, bowser, my first step would be inventorying my data to get an inventory of the application software I'll need to preserve access to my data.

Getting experience with Linux is a good idea, on the general principle that it's smart to have an alternative to a monopolist/NSA-collaborator. But speaking of the NSA, here's some irony for you: The most widely-used method to "harden" a Linux computer against security threats is to install software called "selinux", which was written by...ta-da!...the NSA. That seems perverse at first blush--fox, henhouse, etc.--but it's open-source software, meaning that hundreds of extremely paranoid programmers have gone over it with a fine-tooth comb and haven't found any sneaky back doors or trojans. It may very well be an honest attempt to improve computer security for everybody. Will wonders never cease!

Good luck, bowser. Keep us posted on this latest adventure. At least you won't be risking heat stroke, dude!