I know it's kinda a hard question, and on larger sites it may well turn into a flamewar, but I'd like your answers on the subject. My girlfriend and I want to know a bit more about the different companies that make laptops and what their track records are, because by the looks of things, the next one she buys won't be dell. (She's not very happy with their tech support, and there have been quite a few issues with the hardware in her laptop.)
As far as her issues go, here's a quick list:
Hard drive was loose and always seemed to be jiggling out and causing issues and such. (It's been fixed, last I heard, but it was a rather long running issue, and even the stuff tech support told her to do didn't fix it, I'm not sure how it was fixed.)
The ethernet port doesn't keep a good connection, and since her cord is missing the springy piece of plastic that locks it in, she has to wrap it around the screen to keep it at the right angle to make a connection, and it still disconnects a lot.
Her power cord is broken, but dell won't replace it. The want her to buy another one. Their credit card is at it's limit, so they can't afford to right now, so even if they have enough money on them, they can't buy it because she needs a credit card.
Plus, re-installing the dell hardware drivers is a gigantic pain in the ass. Their site is nearly impossible to navigate. At least their forums are nice.
In any case, what other companies should we look into and what are the general impressions you have of them. (I'm also interested personally, because I don't know much about the companies that make laptops, since I've never owned a laptop. I may yet need one, or buy one, at some point, so this would be as good a time as any to learn.)