I had a Toshiba, and it died within a month. I'll never own another one again.
I've had friends get the Sony Vaio, and they've all traded them in within months because they had so many problems with them.
I've had an HP for several years and have been extremely happy. I got mine at Circuit City after shopping around for prices. I've had it for about 3 years and it still runs extremely well. Customer service is GREAT! I've only had to call twice, and my wait was no more than a few minutes both times. The problem was easily fixed. HP is the same as Compaq, and I highly recommend them both.
I'm looking for a powerbook now, but since you don't want a mac, then I guess you don't want to hear my praises for that
