About the Compaq laptops, they are still sold as Compaq, and made seperatly from the HP ones.

Also, I will tend to agree that many of the "Presario" line laptops aren't that great. But, the Evo line (used to be the Armada) is actually pretty decent. They are made by a different manufacturer, and in my experience have been very durable. I have had an M700 for the past 2 years, and it still runs great. Many of my coworkers also have company granded Armadas, and none have had any real problems.