Amazon.com Product Description

The HP Pavilion a720n is a great entry level PC that's ready for your multimedia needs. It's powered by Windows XP Home Edition and it features a 2.20 GHz Athlon XP 3200+ processor, 512 MB RAM, and extra-large 200 GB hard drive. It comes with two drives: a CD-ROM and a dual-layer DVD+RW. It's bundled with a variety of software, including HP Image Zone Plus digital photography software, aimed to get you online and capturing, editing, and sharing your digital photos, audio, and video.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The massive 200 GB Ultra DMA hard drive (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect for storing a vast multimedia collection or for editing digital video.
• Processor: The 2.2 GHz AMD Athlon XP 3200+ processor offers a high level of performance--speedy enough for PC gaming, graphic design software, and multimedia creation. It also features an advanced 462 MHz front-side bus (FSB) speed and a 512 KB L2 cache.
• Memory: The A720N comes with a 512 MB built-in memory (1 x 512 MB DDR SDRAM, PC2700)--a good start for power users. It only has a 1 GB maximum memory expansion (2 x 512 MB).
• CD/DVD Drive: This desktop PC comes with two optical drives: a CD--ROM for reading CDs and a double-layer DVD+RW drive for writing both DVDs and CDS. With double-layered DVD+R/RW discs, you can store up to 8.5 GB of data. The DVD+R/RW drive has 8x write and 4x rewrite speeds. You can burn CDs at 24x and rewrite at 10x.
• Keyboard & Mouse: The A720N comes with an HP Internet keyboard and scroller mouse (both with PS/2 connections).

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
For expansion, the A720N has two 5.25-inch external bays (none available), two 3.5-inch bays (one available), three PCI slots (two available), and one AGP 8x slot (available). It comes with a built-in floppy drive and the following external connectors:

• 7 USB 2.0 ports (3 in front, 4 in rear) for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 2 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals (1 in front, 1 in rear)
• 1 parallel port for connecting older printers and scanners
• 2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 serial port for older peripherals such as early PDAs
• 1 microphone, 1 headphone, and 1 line-in jack in the front
• 9-in-1 media card reader on the front, compatible with CompactFlash (Type I and II), MicroDrive, Smaredia, Memory Stick/Memory Stick Pro, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digitial, and XD Picture Card

Preloaded System and Software
This system comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it also features Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). Other preloaded software includes Quicken New User Edition 2004, Norton Antivirus 2004 (with 60-day LiveUpdate subscription) and Personal Firewall 2003, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Encarta Encyclopedia 2004 Standard Edition, HP Image Zone Plus, RecordNow 7.2 (for burning CDs), WinDVD SE 5.0 (for DVD playback), and Apple iTunes.

The included HP Image Zone Plus photo and imaging software makes it easy to organize, edit, share, print, protect, and store your photos and video clips. Organize and find your photos easily by timeline, keywords, and/or location using the unique photo-globe mapping tool. Remove red eye and fix other common problems. Share your photos quickly via e-mails that include thumbnails with links to the full-sized images--without downloading time-consuming attachments.

Dimensions and Weight
It measures 15.2 x 16.5 x 7.5 (W x D x H).

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Pavilion A720N desktop PC, power cable, keyboard, and mouse. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

At the midpoint of HP's Pavilion a200n series of personal computers, the Pavilion a230n Desktop PC delivers reasonable performance and upscale perks such as DVD recording at a solid price point. If you're a serious gamer or a demanding business user, you may want to look at either upgrading the unit or opting for HP's new Media Center series, but all others should find the Pavilion a230n a perfect fit.

At the heart of the Pavilion a230n lies an AMD Athlon XP 2800+ processor running at 2.08 GHz. HP has matched this efficient yet cost effective CPU with 512 MB of DDR SDRAM, an nVidia GeForce4 MX video card with 64 MB dedicated memory, and a massive 120 GB hard disk. In its stock configuration, the unit will breeze through most 2-D tasks but will have trouble efficiently rendering some high-end 3-D applications and may not be powerful enough for demanding professional environments.

The Pavilion a230n is distinct from the model just below it, the a220n, by virtue of its DVD recording capabilities. Unlike the a220n, which offers just a CD player, this unit features a DVD-RW/CD-RW drive through which users may burn audio CDs, backup data, watch their favorite movies, and burn homegrown videos to DVD. Other data handling tools include a massive 120 GB hard disk and a separate CD drive for playing compact discs and installing applications. To upload and download information from external devices such as digital camcorders and cameras, the system also features six fast USB 2.0 ports (two on the front), two FireWire interfaces (one front, one rear), and a 6-in-1 media card reader.

Connectivity options include a 56K modem for low-speed surfing and a 10/100Base-T networking interface for high-speed e-communications. HP has added a two-button PS/2 scrolling mouse and convenient HP Multimedia keyboard but has not enclosed a display or speakers.

The impressive bundled software package features such useful applications as WordPerfect Productivity Pack 2002, WordPerfect 10 and Quattro Pro 10, Intuit Quicken New Users Edition, InterVideo's WinDVD DVD player, and several photo and music uti ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Works Great
Great computer. Works wonderful with no problems. Even on dial-up. The AMD processor is as good as the P4,s. A bit overpriced though. I think you could get the same value out an e-machines with as good of quality as HP.

Really Great Computer
This HP comupter was a really great deal for all the features it provides. I can browse the internet, burn CDs, get technical support if I need it, and do a lot of really cool things that I could never do on my old computer, which is now five years old. I am also very impressed with Windows XP because it is quick and very worth the money paid. Another thing I like is that this computer is fairly computer friendly. In the first hour I was using it, I burned two CDs, listened to music, surfed the internet and started to watch a DVD. Not only does it work very well, but it looks good too; it's very stylish. I reccomend anyone who buys this computer also gets the HP pavilion f1703 moniter because it's adjustible and has excellent color quality. This is a very good computer and I reccomend first computer buyers to get this computer. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Designed with an emphasis on business use, the Presario 705US offers a comprehensive feature set at a price that won't hurt the bottom line.Boasting a 1 GHz AMD Athlon 4 CPU, 256 MB of RAM (expandable to 384 MB), a 20 GB hard disk, and a combo CD-RW/DVD-ROM (6x) drive, thissystem will fulfill most any portable PC need. Also included are a 56K modem, a10/100 Mbps Ethernet NIC, and a 14.1-inch, active-matrix LCD with 1024 x 768resolution. The installed operating system is Windows XP, Microsoft's newoperating system that combines the stability of Windows 2000 with better supportfor peripherals and games. This system is also easily portable, weighing in atjust 6.39 pounds with a height of 1.64 inches. ... Read more

Reviews (31)

More added problems
I'm putting this review on several of the Compaq laptop systems since they are all from the same platform

1. The offer and rebates did not apply from Compaq, but only from an authorized reseller.

2. Right out of the box the 700z system had Driver errors and a bad modem. Corporate tech support sugested that I return it and buy another through a reseller.

3. They then took 2 months to clear up my account for financing after I returned the system but meanwhile I bought a newer system - a 705us.

4. The rebate went through and everything was working okay until the floppy drive went bad, which occured in four weeks. It never wrote to the hard drive and I couldn't copy to or from other disks onto any other computer.

5. I called tech support and they sent out a box for repair pickup and told me the turnaround would be 3-5 days. Well, it took over 4 weeks to get the system back.

6. The repair shop failed to recognize that the second system was mine and did not follow through with repairs even when all the proper paperwork was channeled through support on the phone. I also seemed to get tech swupport in India when I called during certain business hours, and they were not help at all!

7. I wish they could dumped the hard drive info on to a refurbished 2710 system that has a better track record. As it is I'll use this until I get the funds for another system.

My advice is to wait until they get the bugs worked out on this system. They don't even have a Docking station yet, but they'll tell you the part number to order the "phantom" station.

In their defense they have tried to compensate me by sending memory to update my system but they've sent the wrong memory twice!

I'm giving it 2 stars since it worked beautifully when it was up and running and the screen is clear and bright! Oh, the DVD player on my system works great and I've played it through my TV with no complaints!

Now the problem is the memory that was sent to me. The 256k chip freezes the system and I've tried to get it fixed but calling tech support only adds to the frustration.

Same problems everyone else had
I had the same problems as everyone else. It runs so hot that it is uncomfortable to hold on your lap. The battery life is less than a year (two batteries died total). The hinge cracks appeared after about a year, and completely broke through after a few more months so the display is dangling...I also got a quote of $800 to repair although the LCD itself is fine.

A couple things of things that weren't mentioned in the other reviews....the PCMCIA slot had no guide initially so the pins bent after I inserted the wireless card a few times, and the power adapter quit working after 1.5 years. Tech support was worthless.

Overall, this product is a joke. Avoid it at all costs.

waste of money
We also developed the small cracks at the hinge site. The whole thing is broken out now after only 1 1/2 years. ONLY solution would be to buy a whole new LCD screen for $800!!! Yeah right, buy the same cheap plastic POS. They do not stand behind their product and do not care we spent our hard earned money on what looks to be a disposable product. If cracks appear in the plastic around the hinges, take immediate action.

Cracked hinge
I have had the same problem as described above, cracks develop above the hinges and eventually the screen falls off. It does not happen until the warranty is expired.

Not Recommended
Well I dropped quite a bit of money on this thing with many enjoyable problems.

*Overheats!!! (You better have some fans handy)
*Battery life is short!!! (Expect to buy replacement batteries)
*Case cracks!!! (Expect to quickly get cracks and imperfections with normal use)
*S-video feature doesn't appear on screen correctly
*Compaq had to replace my hinges, they did it for free but only because it was still under warranty. If you are lucky yours will break early.
*Keyboard keys are cheap and flimsy and prone to breakage if you decide to clean underneath.
* If you want to run different OSes on your computer such as Linux this particular machine is not ideal, search around and find a better one.
* Don't even think about gaming with this, poor performance.

Basically after replacing the battery on this machine it becomes a decent machine for internet browsing, instant messaging, and word processing. That's really about it. I've done basic things in Fireworks, multitasking doesn't really lag this machine that much. It's a decent machine but has many problems. I will be giving this machine to my dad soon when I can afford a nice NON-Compaq/HP notebook. I really wish I had shopped around but when you have money in pocket and get excited you tend to make impulse buys. All well, lesson learned. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Compaq Presario 700Z 1.2GHz Athlon
Firts of all - never buy this computer - new or used!
It gets so warm at the bottom, you can not hold it at all.
In addition it switches to 800MHz by himslef and there is no way you can switch it back to 1.2GHz. Imagine you render your home movie, you do not touch the keyboard or mouse for a few hours, and the CPU gets to the half of the speed! How nice!!! Also it eats the battery so fast, that you will not believe. Stated "up to 1.5" hour is OK, if you do not run any application and screen is off, and you don't do any keyboard or touch pad work. Otherwise it lasts less then 45 min of normal work. I bought mine new in Best Buy. In 14 month it gets broken -power switch doesn't power up the laptop up. I waited 53 days!!! until I've got it back from the "Best Buy --> Compaq --> Best Buy" repair center. And guess what!!! In few days I've got similar problem again. To switch the laptop ON, you have to wait until its completely cool down (approximately an hour after you switching it off). In addition they replaced the DVD drive (I didn't complain about fixing old one at all). Now drive gets stuck from time to time and do not lead out. Compaq says now that I have to contact Best Buy. Best Buy says: "Bring it in and wait for another few months". They thought me a good lesson NEVER EVER BUY EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM RETAILER.
The only good thing about this laptop - it has a cool design! But I better go for Sony for my next laptop. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Compaq Presario S6300NX is powerful and fast enough to cover a wide range of computing tasks--from basic word processing to multimedia creativity--and is a great choice as a family digital hub. It features a fast CD burner and a separate DVD drive, AMD Athlon XP 2600+ processor, extra-large 120 GB hard drive, 512 MB of installed RAM, and loads of connectivity options.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 120 GB Ultra DMA hard drive (7200 RPM) offers more than enough storage for all your documents, digital photos, and MP3 collection.
• Processor: The 2.08 GHz AMD Athlon XP 2600+ processor offers good performance without being too spendy. It's equivalent to a 2.6 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor. It also features a 333 MHz front-side bus (FSB) speed and a 512 KB L2 cache.
• Memory: The S6300NX comes with a 512 MB built-in memory (1 x 512 MB DDR SDRAM, 333 MHz)--a good start for power users--with a maximum memory expansion up to 2 GB (2 x 1 GB).
• CD/DVD Drive: This desktop PC comes with two optical drives: a CD-RW and a DVD-ROM (for playback of movies and data discs). The speedy CD-RW drive has 48x write, 24x re-write, 48x read speeds, while the DVD-ROM has a 16x maximum playback speed (DVD movie discs require 8x).
• Keyboard & Mouse: The S6300NX comes with a Compaq Productivity keyboard and scroller mouse (both with PS/2 connections).

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
For expansion, the S6300NX has two 5.25-inch external bays (one available), three 3.5-inch bays (one available), three PCI slots (two available), and one AGP2 slot (available). It comes with a built-in floppy drive and the following external connectors:

• 8 USB 2.0 ports (2 in front, 6 in rear) for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 2 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals (1 in front, 1 in rear)
• 1 parallel port for connecting older printers and scanners
• 2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice
• 1 RGB monitor port
• 1 serial port for older peripherals such as early PDAs
• 1 microphone and 1 headphone jack in the front

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.92) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
The S6300NX comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it also features Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). Other preloaded software includes Microsoft Money 2004, Quicken New User Edition 2004, Norton Antivirus 2004 and Personal Firewall 2003, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Encarta Encyclopedia 2004 Standard Edition, Adobe Photoshop album (starter edition), RecordNow 6.5 (for burning CDs), WinDVD SE 4.0 (for DVD playback), ArcSoft ShowBiz 2 (for writing DVDs), and MusicMatch Jukebox.

Dimensions and Weight
This mini-tower measures 14.6 x 6.9 x 16.6 inches (H x W x D)and weighs 35 pounds (packaged).

What's in the Box
This package contains the Compaq Presario S6300NX desktop PC, power cable, keyboard, and mouse. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A great computer
I love this PC...The unit isn't cheaply made at all..I love the huge hard drive and the dvd and cd writer drives. It is fast and does basically everything i need it to do. I can highly reccommend this computer to anyone wanting to purchase one. And Amazon had the best price on it, trust me i went looking around. So don't let the other bad review influence you, this one is a very good PC.

Flimsy
The plastic case dents easily and the whole thing just feels cheap. This is not Compaq's finest hour. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

As one of the newest models in HP's wide-ranging a300n series of desktop computers, the HP Pavilion a330n Desktop PC is a capable and versatile rig that's more than ready to handle most any home, home office, leisure and business application. HP has clearly kept the cost within reach of budget-conscious shoppers by opting for a midlevel processor, but all the other tools you need are present and accounted for.

Driven by a reasonably snappy 2.16 GHz AMD Athlon 3000+ CPU, the Pavilion a330n Desktop does not deliver state-of-the-art processing speed. However, you may not ever need a more powerful processor, because HP has otherwise equipped the unit with quality components that help keep the unit fast enough for most purposes. It has added 512 MB DDR SDRAM memory for efficient multitasking, and an nVidia GeForce4 MX graphics card with 64 MB of dedicated video memory to allow you to blaze through all but high-end 3-D games and 3-D graphics packages. And it has included a generous 120 GB hard disk so you'll have plenty of room for programs, games, and a full multimedia library.

Other key amenities include a blazing 48-speed CD-ROM drive for playing audio discs and loading programs; a DVD+RW/CD-RW combo drive for burning audio and data discs, playing DVD movies and writing homegrown videos to DVD; and a 7-in-1 digital card reader for accessing memory cards from PDAs, digital cameras, and the like.

HP has clearly built the Pavilion a330n Desktop to meet current and future expansion and connectivity needs. The unit features five high-speed USB 2.0 ports (one on the front) for exchanging information with external devices such as digital cameras and scanners, two FireWire ports (one on the front) for fast interaction with digital camcorders, front-mounted microphone and headphone ports, two available PCI slots, one available AGP slot, and a six-speaker surround sound audio controller. Communication options include a 56K modem for low-speed dial-up surfing and a 10/100Base-T Ethernet interface for high-speed e-communications. An HP multimedia keyboard with hotkeys and a scroll wheel PS/2 mouse complete the hardware picture.

Bundled software includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Money 2003, and a variety of multimedia and security utilities. A monitor and speakers are not enclosed, thus allowing you to select from the wide variety of choices available today. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great for a low price
Great all purpose computer. Runs XP and comes with lots of free software. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed to appeal to users who can't afford or don't require cutting-edge components but need a reasonably capable machine, Compaq's Presario 2100US series of notebooks features budget-conscious processors such as AMD's Athlon and Intel's Celeron. This model, the Presario 2195us Notebook PC, lacks popular modern amenities such as DVD burning and wireless communication yet will efficiently run common midlevel home, home office and leisure applications and features double the memory of its close cousin, the marginally more affordable Presario 2190US.

Driving the Presario 2195us is a 1.87 GHz Athlon XP 2500+ processor. While not a super-speedy Intel Pentium 4, an Athlon running at this speed is nevertheless an effective CPU. Compaq has added 512 MB RAM memory (upgradeable to 1024 MB) and an ATI Mobility Radeon 4x AGP graphics chipset with 64 MB shared (not dedicated) memory. For your data storage needs, the unit offers an adequate 40 GB hard disk and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive through which you can burn and play audio CDs, archive your data and watch your favorite DVD movies. DVD burning is not supported in this stock configuration.

At 12.96 by 10.72 by 1.62 inches and 7.25 pounds, the Presario 2195us is of average size, midway between a bulky desktop replacement and a slim ultralight. The unit is equipped with a number of standard amenities, including a generous 15-inch XGA TFT display (1024 by 768 maximum resolution), an 88-key keyboard, a Touch Pad with on/off and dedicated up/down scroll surface, and a pair of internal stereo speakers. Connectivity options include an IEEE 1394 FireWire port for fast interaction with external devices such as digital camcorders, two conventional USB 1.1 ports for plug and play peripheral connections (the system does not support high-speed USB 2.0), a 56K modem for low-speed dial-up Internet and email access and a high-speed RJ-45 LAN network connector. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Compaq 2195 Christmas Present
I bought this as a present for myself this 2003 Christmas Eve at Best Buy. There are always better processors and computers, but I am fairly happy with this computer. I build my own destop computers. As others have said the really only downside is the USB 1.1 ports. It would have been nice to have USB 2.0 ports. The weight at 7.3 pounds is not bad and the monitor has been great. I have been fortunate in that I have not had a single problem with my laptop. I use it at work and around the house on a fairly daily basis. The USB port is too close to the power adapter and makes the connection to a USB thumbdrive ackward at times. The wired network connection works great the majority of the time. The built-in wireless card is handy and can be touchy depending on the wireless network that you are trying to connect to. Netgear and 2-Wire wireless routers are fine, but I have had problems with Linksys. Overall, the wireless card is not bad. The battery life is great at 3 hours or more. I was really surprised and only expected 2 hours and sometimes have achieved 4 hours just doing word processing or spreadsheets. The 56K modem is not the greatest, but OK with a connection speed of about 44K most times. Yes, the 2 RAM chip slots are occupied with two 256MB chips. I knew this when I bought the laptop. Plays DVD movies fine. In short, I am happy that I bought this laptop for about $900. There will always be faster and better equipped laptops at a lower price, which I have already seen. Great computer for a great price.

Very attractive laptop
This was my first purchase of a laptop (...). Everything on this computer was pretty nice... dvd player, cd burner, VERY fast compared to my Pentium3 desktop (but I suppose everything is fast compared to that nowadays). The wireless connection was a little bit tricky to figure out how to enable, but after reading Compaq's integrated help menu, it worked like a charm and is pretty much hands-off when it comes to picking up a signal. The laptop itself is very user-friendly, with minimal assistance needed from my computer savvy friends (I needed to have some help setting up the tap function on the pad--it's GREAT having the mousepad right at the gentle touch of a finger).

The only downsides that I've found, so far, were these: First off, this doesn't come with a floppy drive, which sucks since I can't bring my 3.5" diskettes home from work to catch up, but I solved that by purchasing a thumb drive. My thumb drive is a USB 2.0, so the USB 1.1 just wasn't going to cut it for me, and I had to upgrade using the PCMCIA slot for a USB 2.0 port. Another issue was that this came equipped with 512MB RAM (with a shared 64MB video card--I'd have preferred dedicated), but instead of one 512MB chip, it was actually 2 256MB chips (and only 2 chip slots). So, needless to say, that irked me. Finally, the left click button on the laptop's pad was starting to get difficult to utilize after just 3 1/2 months of use (hopefully the tap pad won't have that lifespan before it starts faltering--and oh, by the way, make sure to restart your computer if the cursor doesn't want to drag with the pad anymore, another glitch I found to be annoying after playing a few dvd's and/or games without restarting to refresh the virtual memory cache)

Overall though, (...) this was a great purchase and I'm satisfied with its performance since I bought it 6 months ago.

Great laptop for the price
I purchased this laptop about 4 months ago. I have been using it almost every day, mostly around my house, using it with my wireless 54G router. I like listening to radio and tv streams over the net. It performs flawlessly. The high quality of the product, the neat design is surprising for the $899 I paid for it. I get about 2 to 3 hours of battery life with heavy use. Friends that have purchased Dell's are jealous of what I got for the price. I have used it for digital photography and it works great. Nice firewire port. Integrated wireless is great.

Do not buy from Compaq
The first laptop I bought didn't work, so I had to exchange it for a more expensive model--they were out of the model I originally bought. After a month I decided that I really needed some sort of floppy drive, which Compaq is supposed to provide, but they wouldn't do anything. Then, a couple of months after that, my cd drive stopped working. I'm still trying to get it fixed and it's been quite a while. The customer service people are in India, some of them barely speak English, and they were very rude. Also, the notebooks themselves are low-quality and break often. Everyone I know who has a Compaq is dissatisfied.

Technical support is really bad...
First of all technical service is really bad. I bought my notebook two months back. Sometimes (not always) my new laptop was not booting at all. I called up Compaq. The call went to India. I was told that I need to poke into the reset button located at the bottom of notebook and discharge static electricity. He said exactly "you need to do that once in two week, sir". Give me a break! That reset button is not regular use - once in a week. Anybody knows that. Then another day I called up, and the call went China. She asked me to give the list of softwares I installed. I gave her the list - Yahoo Dialup, Photoshop. She suspected that one of these softwares is causing problem. "Who knows, your Photoshop may be causing problem". Give me another break!!!! A software is causing system not to reboot (that is not even a system software or device driver, it's a imgae processing software)!!!! She asked me to format the disk and install Window XP again. I did that and as expected, the problem did not go away. Eventually after one months of ordeal, calling technical support more than 10 times (not to mention how long I had to wait for each call), they asked me to send it to Compaq repair service center. They found problem in hard-disk and replaced it.
Bottom line, Compaq technical support is bad. Thousands of people in India and China are recruited by Compaq/HP and given a month crash course, and suddenly within one month they become technical experts to solve the problems. But the real fact is that, their intention is not to support, but somehow convince the customers to live with the problem. Otherwise why on the earth someone asks me to use the reset button every week. Is that a responsible answer from the company who sold me the notebook? In that one month, I understood couple of things

-all the technical support guys are given a huge book problem list and their answers. They know nothing practical about the notebooks (probably they never saw the notebooks they are providing technical support for ). So whenever customer calls up, they go through the list and try to find the "matching" problem. Whatever the answer they get for that "matching" problem - that's the answer. Now they will ask you to follow few steps and "solve" (???) the problem. They really don't care if that is REALLY solving the problem or customer is satisfied. "Answer" is answer - problem solved. If you ask them again, then you will get some vague answers - "you have to use reset button one in a week".

- They try to avoid any repair at Repair Center. I believe all the technical support guys are instructed to avoid making service order as much as possible. They will try to avoid making a service order any possible way (I wild guess is that any service order effects their performance review). I think it's fair game to minimizing service order for repair. People should not send their computer to repair center for trivial reason that can be solved by technical support - especially all the software issues. But when it is not getting solved after calling three times (certainly not 10 times), and it's clear that the problem certainly not a software issue, then they should be forthcoming to make a repair order. But it was not the case. They simply try to avoid that, until you are fed up and frustrated.

-All the technical support guys are instructed to be VERY polite, but I don't think they are instructed to deliver good and effective support. You will hear "sorry for the inconvenience", but at the end you will get a vague answer. Ironic...cheap labor.

I paid [$$$] for warranty and I do not think that this kind of service worths that much. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The affordable Presario 6410NX from Compaq is a good bet for budget-minded individuals needing a solid mid-level workhorse for home, school, or light business duty.

Compaq has designed the Presario 6410NX Desktop PC to deliver the most bang for very few bucks. Powered by a cost-effective yet powerful 1.67 GHz AMD Athlon XP 2200+ processor with Quantispeed architecture, 256 MB of DDR SDRAM memory and an integrated 32 MB ProSavageDDR KM266 graphics chipset, the unit will easily handle most general applications but is not powerful enough for severe multitasking or 3-D graphics-intensive tasks. At 60 GB, the enclosed hard disk is roomy, yet economical. The system's optical drive offers CD burning and playing and DVD playback, but does not support DVD writing.

The Presario 6410NX features a variety of connectivity options, including serial and parallel ports, a 56K V.90 flex modem, a 10-Mbps/100-Mbps Ethernet connection, and a whopping half-dozen high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals. Compaq has not included a FireWire port for quick interaction with external devices such as digital camcorders, nor has it equipped the system with wireless communication. It has, however, added a convenient Presario Internet Keyboard and a Presario Scroller Mouse.

Bundled software includes Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Money 2002 Standard, Intuit Quicken Financial Center, and several audio-video utilities. The system does not ship with a monitor or speakers, thus allowing users to custom select their favorite models from the many options available today. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Gateway and Dell are worth it
I hate to say it, but Gateway and Dell are worth the extra money. Even with their pain in the neck propriety parts.

I've had my Presario for a year (warranty ran out Monday). It's sluggish, locks up, shows umteen errors and constantly shuts down programs.

There is an error message for Nvida graphics card that keeps telling me to upgrade. The computer does not come with Nvida graphics card. After 40 minutes on hold trying to get help from Compaq.......they tell me that it is a SOFTWARE ISSUE.

I hate to spend the extra $300 but we had our Gateway for 5 years with minimal trouble and my mom's had Dell happily for a couple years.

This computer is going to the kids!

A worthy buy
Now, just to start off. This computer wasn't for me. I already have a few computers better then this one that i built myself. However, my cousins (ages 8/12/13/4) needed to learn on a good computer. And i wanted them to use a company made computer. Since this is the computer ive seen all the local schools buying. I decided to check it out. It was a well worth buying. They easily handled it. The only problem was sometimes when the computer crashes (which is rarely). I'll restart it and it says my password is incorrect. However i reboot and it runs fine. The sixty gigabytes let my cousins install anything they wan't on these. I bought 2. I also bought a compaq laptop for the older of the four since he travels alot. He enjoys it. This compaq computer, allows almsot any installation. It definitly defeats my cousin's old computers i got them from a auction which ran at 7gb and 500mHZ. They really learn from these machines. It is a true buy to old/new users alike. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

HP has designed its new Pavilion ze4365us Notebook PC to meet the needs of those who require punchy performance at an affordable price point. For most typical business, personal, and leisure tasks, the Pavilion ze4365us should suffice quite nicely.

At 12.96 by 10.72 by 1.57 inches, the unit is a wee bit larger than some of the alternatives. It is conveniently lightweight though, at a mere 7.25 pounds. Inside, HP has installed a capable yet cost-effective 1.8 GHz Mobile AMD Athlon XP processor 2200+ with battery-conserving PowerNow Technology, 512 MB of DDR SDRAM memory, and an ATI Mobility Radeon graphics chipset with 64 MB of shared (not dedicated) memory. This is an ample powerplant for a mobile machine, though it shouldn't be expected to efficiently drive and display some high-end 3-D games or animation packages.

The system features an adequate 40 GB hard disk for file and application storage and a convenient DVD+CD-RW combo drive for listening to and burning music CDs and playing the latest movies. DVD writing is not offered in this stock configuration. The system's crisp 15-inch XGA TFT display supports images of 1024x768 resolution, and its 16-bit Sound Blaster Pro-compatible audio chipset and integrated Altec Lansing-designed speakers deliver accurate, full-bodied sound.

Controlling the Pavilion ze4365us is a snap. The unit features a full size 88-key keyboard with embedded numeric keypad, a Touch Pad with on/off button, and a dedicated vertical scroll up/down pad. Other amenities include two traditional USB 1.1 ports for plug and play peripherals, an IEEE 1394 FireWire port for fast interaction with external devices such as digital camcorders, and an S-Video TV-out. Communication facilities include integrated 802.11 b wireless LAN, an RJ-45 Ethernet jack for fast "wired" network and Internet interaction, and a 56K modem for low-speed e-communication. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

What a deal!
This is the first Laptop or Notebook I have owned. So far I have been satisfied with this model. I have not had to deal with tech support yet, and hopefully I won't.

I bought this unit so I could run Architectural Desktop 2004 (A CAD software package), and so I could play games in my spare time. It achieves both of these quite well. ADT 2004 is quite a hog, but still runs very well. I have played Grand Theft Auto - Vice City, Links 2003 and Nascar 2003. They all played very well. I had some problems with Links 2003, but I updated it and now it seems to work ok.

CD burner seems to be pretty fast, DVD drive works great, and music ripping is also very fast. No complaints here.

The touchpad is kind of wierd, but works well when you can't use a mouse. The keyboard feels nice, even though the keys are a little stiff.

The 15" screen is very nice! Very clear & crisp.

The hard drive is fairly fast, and pretty quiet.

Wireless ethernet works well with a D-Link 604+, and the standard ethernet port is very fast.

I replaced the XP Home with XP Pro, no problems there.

Battery lasts around 2 hours for me, depending on the tasks. Haven't tried playing a DVD for the life of the battery yet.

It seems rather heavy, but I don't have experience here. With a nice bag that has a shoulder strap, it isn't so bad.

In summary, I would buy another one, and would also consider using it as a desktop with additional keyboard, mouse and possibly external screen.

I would give it 5 stars, but I haven't dealt with tech support yet. Besides, nothing's perfect!

HP ZE4365US + Linux == Powerful Portable Workstation
I've only had it for a couple days, but here are my initial thoughts and observations regarding the HP ze4365us. It's currently running Mandrake 9.1 and Win XP.

****
Good keyboard layout. Has CTRL and ALT keys on each side of the keyboard (not symmetrical though). The power button is very close to the escape key, VI users beware.

**
Heat. The fan is a little loud for my liking, but hey, what do you want, from a fast computer? The bios seems to have no provision for under-clocking, which would sure be a nice feature. The cold air intake is in a poor location as well. It is on the bottom and easily blocked if you set the notebook on a soft or uneven surface. It runs hot enough that you'll want to set it on something other than your lap anyway.

***
Short battery life. Again, with this much computing power you can't ask for much more. It doesn't seem to last much over an hour for continuous use. I'd be surprised if you could watch a full DVD on the battery.

*****
Software bundle. Ships with Win XP (yuck) taking up the whole 40G partition. Thankfully, HP included a real Win XP install disk, in addition to the normal rescue disks. The disk will install to a more appropriate sized partition, making room for an alternative opeating system or a more thoughtful partitioning scheme. They also included a cd version of Roxio and a DVD program I haven't used. Kudos to HP for giving me a way to avoid having to resize a NTFS partition.

*****

Wireless. The included Orinoco PCI wireless ethernet was easy to set up and use.

*****
Display. I really like the display! It's large and does not cause eye strain. I have had problems with other laptops over this in the past.

****
Firewire. The single Firewire (ieee1394) port is a mini. Cables are a little harder to find and more expensive.

Other notes. It doesn't have a floppy drive. Red Hat 9 loaded the wrong keyboard which halted my install process. I didn't mess with trying to find the correct argument to pass to the kernel. Mandrake 9.1 had no such problem, and I've wanted to try it anyhow. PCMCIA caused my boot to hang under Mandrake 9.1. I just turned it off because I have no need for it. I haven't tried to set up the modem either. The volume controls don't respond well with either OS. I much prefer the traditional wheel for volume. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

HP's Pavilion a420n Desktop PC is an affordable and capable midlevel computer that will need some upgrading for high-end 3-D animated graphics or the hottest 3-D games but is certainly ready for most any other home, home office or business application. Great as a multimedia center too, the Pavilion a420n also features massive data storage, impressive connectivity and DVD movie support, all at a price that won't break the bank.

Driven by a fast 2.167 GHz AMD Athlon XP 3000+ processor and 512 MB of PC2700 DDR SDRAM memory, the Pavilion a420n will efficiently tackle virtually any environment and task. HP has enclosed an integrated Intel Extreme Graphics video chipset with 64 MB of shared (not dedicated) video memory, thus compelling anyone who works primarily with 3-D graphics to add an appropriate video card with dedicated, integrated video memory. The system's 160 GB hard drive is one of the biggest in any PC, and its dual optical drives allow you to archive your files, play and burn audio CDs, watch DVD videos and quickly copy the contents of one CD to another. In this stock configuration, DVD writing is not supported.

Other key amenities include a 7-in-1 digital card reader for accessing memory cards from devices such as PDAs and digital cameras, six high-speed USB 2.0 ports (one of the front) for exchanging information with external devices such as scanners and external drives, two FireWire ports (one on the front) for fast interaction with digital camcorders, a front-mounted microphone and headphone port, and six-speaker surround sound audio support. The package does not feature a speaker system or a monitor, thus allowing you to choose from the many alternatives currently available.

Communication facilities include a 56K modem for low-speed dial-up surfing and a 10/100Base-T Ethernet interface for high-speed e-communications. An HP Internet keyboard with hotkeys and a PS/2 optical mouse (no moving parts to get dirty) complete the hardware picture.

The bundled software package features such essentials as the Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition operating system, Microsoft's Works 7.0 productivity suite, Quicken New User Edition 2004 financial center, and a variety of multimedia and security utilities. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent performance
I got this computer because I love multitasking, but I was a little bit tight with my budget, so I decided to look AMD instead of Intel since they are cheaper. The performance of this baby is great watching DVD's, Listening to music, Instant Messaging. I used to have a P4 1.4 GHZ with 256 MB of ram which was very fast when I got it, but is incredibly slow compared to this one. You install programs in a breeze. The only letdown is that it has integrated graphics video card, but that mainly affects gaming, which I don't use in this computer. This was definitely a great buy, it has been the easiest computer I have ever owned to set up once turned on, specially compared to the former one I had that came with Windows ME. You get a trial version of Microsoft Office. It also has a lot of HP bundled software but with about 130 GB of hard drive it doesn't matter much. 512 MB of Ram make it very speedy. It was love at first sight. It also has memory card readers in the front that read multiple kind of memory cards. And if you like to use the computer while the rest of the people sleep, it has a headphone plug in the front. 4 usb ports on tha back en 2 in the front are also very convenient. If you are on a tight budget and need performance, but cant afford a high end Pentium 4 this is the way to go. Still I don't really feel i'm sacrificing performance for price. This computer is extremely good. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Affordable but lacking overwhelming power, the HP Pavilion a220n Desktop PC is built for folks who don't want or don't need to drop a lot of dough on state-of-the-art equipment. The unit won't appease those who constantly strain their computer with processor-intensive applications, but is equipped with a spacious hard disk and DVD playing capabilities, and is therefore a solid choice for the budget-conscious user.

At the heart of the Pavilion a220n lies a 2.08 GHz AMD Athlon XP 2600+ processor running at 2.08 GHz. HP has matched this efficient yet cost effective CPU with 512 MB of DDR SDRAM, an nVidia GeForce4 MX video card with 64 MB dedicated memory, and a massive 120 GB hard disk. In its stock configuration, the unit will breeze through most 2-D tasks and even some 3-D applications, but will have trouble with high-end 3-D games and isn't fast enough for demanding business environments. Data handling tools include a massive 120 GB hard disk, a CD-RW drive through which you can play and burn audio CDs and archive information, and a DVD-ROM drive for watching movies.

The Pavilion a220n features enough connectivity options to suit anyone, including two IEEE 1394 FireWire ports (the accepted standard for data movement to and from external devices such as digital camcorders), a half dozen USB 2.0 ports for speedy interaction with plug and play peripherals, a 56K modem for low-speed surfing and a 10/100Base-T networking interface for high-speed e-communications. HP has added a two-button PS/2 scrolling mouse and convenient HP Multimedia keyboard but did not include a display or speakers.

The impressive bundled software package features such useful applications as WordPerfect Productivity Pack 2002, WordPerfect 10 and Quattro Pro 10, Intuit Quicken New Users Edition, InterVideo's WinDVD DVD player, and several photo and music utilities. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Good Computer, Bad Support
I've worked on computers alot in my time. This seemed like it would be a simple computer that I could just enjoy. it was running great! except for the fact that HP loaded it with a bunch of HP software (trialware) and a wonderful advertisement window that would randomly peek in from the side of the screen every 15 minutes (if you thought popups were annoying, wait til you try to handle an hour with that thing on). But I got it all cleaned up and running just the way I liked it. Unfortunately, something internally had screwed up. Since it wasn't displaying anything on the monitor, I naturally checked the video cards. I tested both the onboard PCI (shared memory ugh) a seperate PCI, and two different AGP cards. All produced similar results. So I decide to call up HP support.

After about 15 minutes of trying to get the computerized voice recognition to understand why my product was, I got to listen to the exact same 1 minute country song in repetition for about 45 mintues. Until finally it rang and the annoying song stopped.

I had a representative start by asking me what the problem was. I told him exactly what happened, explained that I checked all fans on the computer and all were functioning correctly, there were no system beeps whereupon the man decides to take matters into his own hands because he obviously had the solution. After listening to him explain to me for a half hour on how to unplug my computer (and having him ask me if it was unplugged a million times), he instructed me to hold the button for 20 seconds. And it still didn't work. The man went on rambling how I wasn't qualified to install my own video card (even though it is no longer brain surgery, for plug and play. But I was properly grounded) then the man went through the exact procedure listed before (the whole holding the button thing and making sure my computer wasn't plugged in). The man said that they'd ship it to their center and reformat the harddrives (and hopefully reset the CMOS too)

Upon recieving the computer everything worked fine and there haven't been any problems since.

To the point: I might be making a big deal about the fact that I clearly demonstrated that I knew how to handle computers and assemble them. Nevertheless, the support decides to belittle my knowledge and just toss out all the extra information I gave them because I was not "qualified" to give information. Well all I have to say to anyone buying this computer or any HP computer is that the support isn't as great as they make it out to be. Just buy a normal computer with no support, but with a warrenty. The warrenty is nice, but support is completely unnecessary. That I leave for you to chew the fat a bit.

HP a220n is still problematic
Buyer beware. Our a220n has been under repair more than it's been functioning.

Purchsed HP a220n from local big national electronics store for X-mas 2003. Out of the box it would not bootup so returned to the store where they replaced the hard drive (supposedly). Was OK for about 2 weeks and it failed again at bootup - "hard drive not found". Sent to HP in Cali for repair. They reformatted the HD. Good for about 2 weeks, then same error. Returned to HP again, they replaced hard drive this time. Now when it boots, the machine displays non-windows diagnostic pages that list a variety of disk errors. Works intermittently.

Through all of this, the HP reps (including the ones from India) have been polite however they've been unable to diagnose the problem via phone. We're re-boxing the CPU one more time for return for repair.

Who knows, maybe it's simply a bad internal cable or a CPU ... it's still under warrantee so I'm not digging into the CPU.

Next time, I'm getting a Dell.

Simply the most problematic computer I have ever owned
I purchased my pavilion in early July and immediately began having installation problems either it would allow complete installation of games but fail to play them or it would simply not allow any installation at all.
I've spent several hours speaking with HP support to no avail finally I was told to send the machine in for repairs which took 3 weeks, when I finally got it back it still did not work.
HP is now asking for the machine back in order to take another crack at fixing it but refuse to tell me what plan of action they are willing to take if they can not fix it.
Despite the fact that HP has a record of this problem dating back to the time of purchase they are telling me the can not simply replace the computer.;
I find this unacceptable

Pretty good desktop - but lots of fluff
I purchased this computer in late July. So far - we have had no problems at all, and with a family of five it gets a lot of daily use. I particularly like the multi-format card reader - its a really handy way to download digital camera photos, and the fact that it is very quiet. The CPU cooling fan appears to be thermostatically controlled and only runs occasionally. But, there are a few downsides. First, HP has chosen to include dozens of add-on applications and free offers which no one in my family uses. Yeah, I know, you can remove them - but why should I have to remove junk in order to speed up my computer? Secondly, the HDD is really large (120 Gb) but its an old technology 5400-rpm drive. Between all of the start-up junk included by HP, and the speed of this drive, this computer takes nearly two minutes to boot to a log-in prompt, and switching between programs is relatively slow. Third, it comes with on-board graphics which are only so-so with newer games. Both IL2 Forgotten Battles and Raven Shield ran poorly on it. Good news is that it does have an AGP slot and the upgrade to a 128mb DDR nVidia card was cheap and easy (kudos to HP for easy access to the interior). Last but not least, it does not include a set of restore CD's (although it does have a separate restore partition on the HDD). You have the option, on a one-time basis, to burn a set of recovery CD's but that seems kinda chintzy on a nearly-$700 computer. Overall, I am satisfied with the a220N and we all like how quiet it is - but it could've been a lot better.

RAM Memory needed and expensive
To replace my 5 year old computer and to enable me to do graphics programs and burn CD's, I decided it was time for a new computer. The pavilion a220n looked promising after research. Amazingly, it ran almost as slowly as my old computer when I first set it up. Supposedly lightyears ahead of my old computer, I was astounded and disappointed. 2 reasons accounted for the slowness: the new Windows XP operating system is a RAM hog and the many items that were preloaded on the computer also slowed it's performance. After removing some unnecessary items, it was still slow, and expanding from 500MG to 1GB RAM seemed an option. HOWEVER, one can not expand to 1 GB RAM on this system without the purchase of not 500MB RAM, but a full 1000MB because this system has TWO memory slots of 250 RAM, each of which must be expanded to 500, rather than being able to reach 1000MB with only 500 additional MB. VERY DISAPPOINTING AND EXPENSIVE to get this to run smoothly. It performs much better with the extra RAM ... Read more

Amazon.com

Compaq's Presario 1215, with its speedy 1 GHz AMD Athlon processor and combination CD-RW/DVD drive, is an impressive-looking desktop-replacement or entertainment-oriented notebook. Yet its price is still comparatively low--though its weight, at 7.3 pounds, is on the high side. With its 14.1-inch XGA (1,024 x 768) display, 128 MB of RAM (expandable to 320 MB), a 20 GB hard disk drive, and modem and networking, it has just about all the features you could ask for in a notebook PC. The installed operating system is Windows Me, Microsoft's consumer-oriented platform, and Microsoft's lightweight Works suite is included as well. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

WAITING
THIS IS THE COMPUTER THAT I WANT. WHEN THIS GETS OFF OF BACKORDER, I AM BUYING THIS MACHINE, WHY YOU ASK? BECAUSE I CAN. ... Read more