Cheap Laptops and More

I need to buy a laptop for university. My friend recommended dell. I’m not sure on what specs to choose. It will basically be used for coursework, watching movies and playing music. Need to also install Maple and mathematica on it. Help please!!!
Thanks in advance.

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Well, I have a Gateway laptop that is stuck in safe mode and I just want to reformatthe damn thing. However, I bought it online and it didn’t come with a disk. Can I still reformat it and how ?

Have HP laptops improved since 2006?
I have a HP pavillion from 2006 and its awful.
It overheats, which makes it not easy to travel with.
It big, and the charger is awful.
What are your thoughts on HP laptops?
I want another one, but don’t want to waste money.

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