Looking for decently cheap laptop (Sub $500)

[xerodok]

My friend and I both got HPs in 2005 (diff models)

After about a year or so, we both had tremendous problems with the thing overheating and shutting itself off. The screen died out on mine, then about half a year later, on his.

Paid 200 to have my screen replaced, and the laptop itself finally took a shit about half a year later

HP produces good server hardware and some printers, that's it. Stay away from the laptops.