I think you really want to stay in the main computer companies (Dell, HP, etc.) I've heard horror stories about all brands. For example, while I had an HP laptop whose hard drive completely failed right after I totally customized it for myself, my sister has an HP that has not required a single call to service in the two years she's had it (has never frozen up or anything). So it's up to you, but I'd recommend staying away from anything "too cheap". My brother had an E-Machine that lasted two days before it crashed. And that seemed like a great deal.
I have a Sony Vaio Laptop and it works great, aside from a few nagging things. I guess you just have to get lucky and get one with few or no problems.
