$249 laptops can be found but the most of them are only useful for typing and saving basic documents. If you want to get online and browse the internet safely with speed then you'll need to bump up your laptop budget to at least $299. Ebay and similar computer auctions are the only places I can think of where you could find 249 dollar laptop computers. Keep in mind that $249 laptops are old, used, discontinued computers that usually contain outdated parts.
There are brand new desktop computers available that start at $199 and are more than suitable for browsing the internet safely and with speed, receiving and sending email, listening to and burning CDs, watching DVDs, and downloading or saving a reasonable amount of files. The cheapest laptops usually go for $399 although Asus does produce a 7 inch model that starts at $299(only has 2 GB hard drive space). If you desire the cheapest PC possible and want a secure online connection then I recommend checking out the options posted