The advice someone gave above to purchase a stand-alone PVR-DVD recorder is a good way to go. You can transfer the VHS to DVD this way, then pop the DVD into any computer (like your future laptop), rip the video and edit it in software.
That way, you are not tied to a specific video card that only has drivers for a certain OS, or a a piece of hardware that (obviously) won't fit in your laptop.
Plus, you can keep the DVD recorder deck and use it for general TV recording, etc.
DVD decks also come with USB and firewire inputs for video cameras, digital cameras, USB drives and flash memory sticks.
