Ahh, so does it have its own proprietary version of Ubuntu on it? If so, I might just replace it, with the caveat that you'll probably have to do a bit of work afterward. A proprietary version is often customed to work with the machine's hardware. It shouldn't be too hard to google a solution to whatever problem you encounter, though.

My netbook is absolutely critical to my writing productivity. I carry it with me every day, everywhere, for about 3 years until only very recently. And that's only because I salvaged and resurrected a full-size laptop. I almost forgot what it was like to sit up straight while typing in a coffee shop. :)