Dell or HP/Gateway Laptop?

A little less than two years ago, I bought a Dell Inspiron 1440 laptop. This has been the WORST laptop in the history of laptops. I have had no less than 23 problems with it, some of them including a failed hard drive, a failed screen, a broken CD Drive, and a bad battery. Some of these problems popped up more than once. While it was under warranty, I sent the entire thing back twice to get a brand new one! All in all, a truly terrible experience.

I need to get a new laptop, but after all the troubles I've had with Dell (whose customer service was barely adequate: I got what I wanted, but not after hours on the phone and being transferred countless times) I'm hesitant to buy another Dell laptop. I know several people who have had no problems whatsoever with theirs, but I don't want to risk another dud. So, should I risk another faulty Dell or do I jump ship and get an HP or Gateway laptop?

By the way, so far the laptops I'm looking into are the Gateway ID laptops, the HP Pavillion G4t and the Dell Inspiron 14R (If I decide I'm not through with Dell). I am also heading to college in the fall and need something that is relatively lightweight and can handle the kind of computing needed for college.