Amazon.com Product Description

Targeting the home and work-at-home user and those who like to spend atleast some of their computing hours in the pursuit of entertainment, Compaq'sPresario 710US notebook strikes a happy balance between performance andaffordability. Although it doesn't incorporate the fastest processor on themarket, the Presario 710US is certainly ready to handle most light to mediumduties and virtually all computer-related leisure activities.

Sporting a sleek design and a futuristic two-tone color scheme, the Presario710US looks substantially snazzier than many of its notebook peers. It tips thescales at a comfortable 6.4 pounds and measures in with a slightly larger thanaverage 10.6-by-12.4-by-1.64-inch profile. Under the hood, Compaq has fashioneda reasonably powerful engine consisting of a 1 GHz AMD Duron processor and 256MB of RAM (expandable to 512 MB), a setup that won't elicit blinding speed butmotors along nicely and easily runs several concurrent applications. Thesystem's 20 GB hard drive offers plenty of room for all the MP3 files you maywant to collect and later broadcast through the unit's impressively proficientJBL Audio bass reflex speaker system.

Powered by a 16 MB Via ProSavage graphics card and capable of 1,024-by-768resolution, the Presario's 14.1-inch LCD display is ready to handle all themovies you'll play on the unit's integrated 8x DVD-ROM drive. Its keyboardsection offers full-size keys, a separate cursor and touch pad, and an array ofsix one-touch buttons for instant control of such everyday functions as speakervolume, e-mail, and Internet access. A 3.5-inch floppy disk drive ensuressupport for older programs that have yet to find their way to disc, and a 56Kmodem permits acceptable Internet access speeds.

The Presario 710US veritably bristles with ports. Compaq has included two USBports for plug-and-play peripherals such as joysticks, a 10/100 Mbps Ethernetnetwork connection, a single parallel port for devices such as printers, anNTSC/PAL port for connection to various video devices, a multipurpose PC Cardslot, and a speaker-out and microphone-in port. In addition, the system isequipped with AMD's battery-saving PowerNow technology, which adjusts processorclock speed to determine the best compromise between speed, power, and batterylife. This is a valuable tool for users who go long periods of times betweencharges.

Preloaded software includes useful utilities such as Microsoft Internet Explorer6.0, Microsoft Works 6.0, Microsoft Money 2001, Norton AntiVirus, Roxio's niftyEasy CD Creator 5.01, InterVideo WinDVD 3.0 DVD player, and a one-yearsubscription to Microsoft's Encarta Online Deluxe Encyclopedia. Users willoperate their system with the Home Edition of Windows XP, arguably Microsoft'smost stable OS since Windows 98 Second Edition.

Faster, beefier notebooks are not hard to find. Yet for those who don't havevast, untapped financial resources, Compaq's Presario 710US is fine choice. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Great machine for the money!
Bought this a couple of months ago (not from Amazon)... Did have to take the first one back for a defective LCD, no big deal. Once I got the 2nd one, I immediately wiped the machine clean (took an image of the drive first), loaded Windows XP professional (I work in IT, and XP Home just doesn't have enough oomph for me...), and added another 256 MB of RAM (for ...

WOW, love this machine!!! Added an Orinocco gold wireless LAN card, and I am ready to rock! Windows Update downloaded Wireless LAN and Video drivers (it recognized my S3 video card with no problem), then installed them on the fly with no reboot! Now that's the way an operating system should be!

Like the ability to increase the video RAM up to 32 MB via a BIOS setting (it's shared with system memory). Changed it to 32MB, and it works well. DVD drive & software produce great video. Like the S-Video output, and integrated 10/100 ethernet too (compared this to an HP in the same price range, but it didn't have either of these).

My only reason for not giving it 5 stars is that if the battery gets really low, the machine will experience a keyboard failure during the boot-up POST process (even if it's plugged in). Sometimes you have to unplug it, and remove the battery in order to get it straight again. It's a small nit, and it doesn't happen often.

Would definitely recommend it to anyone that's looking for an entry level laptop.

Unstable & Incompatible
I purchased this product because it offered more processing power & memory than others in similar price range.

First one I received had to be returned because of defective LCD.
Second one I received had different brand DVD-ROM which caused some problems (not recognizing CD's after I put them in) at first but now it seems to be working.

The real problem with this machine is that it is made to work only with the software package that Compaq provides (WinXp Home Edition package).
My work requires that I use Windows 2000 as well as XP Pro, so I installed them both. This computer does NOT work well with Windows 2000. The system simply freezes, or hangs with little or no warning, and the only way to get out of it is to turn the power off and on again. I tried the same kind of work on my old Dell Inspiron - it does crash sometimes but can be recovered by pressing CTL-ALT-DEL (never freezes like Compaq does), thus you rarely loose your unsaved work. Maybe it has to do with the Duron processor because the machine tends to get very hot sometimes (a lot hotter than my other Pentium-based laptops).

Compaq lists only a couple of drivers & updates on their website (mouse and modem drivers). Beware: Windows 2000 (and even XPPro, if you're installing your own copy) won't recognize this machine's video & audio cards. Even Windows Update site doesn't have the drivers listed for these devices, so you're on your own once you get out of default-factory-installed software environment.
I wish Compaq had better support - Dell lists virtually every drivers and updates you need for almost any operating systems including Linux.

Bottom line: This is an OK product if you are a casual user and intend to use it the way Compaq wants you to use. If you like using it the way you want to, don't buy this one (especially if you're concerned with reliability & compatibility issues).
The only thing I liked about this computer is the JBL speaker system, but I wish they had spent more money on other components such as mainboard and video card instead.
Oh and one more thing, this doesn't have on board microphone and infrared.. just letting you know.

Great laptop for the money
I'm so pleased with this purchase. It's light, efficient, attractive, and easy to use. And as a side note, despite some criticisms, I find Windows XP intuitive and an easy fit, once I turned off the features I don't use, and that keep popping up on the screen! But all my old programs, with the exception of my printer driver, made the shift without a hitch.

solid laptop
This laptop is excellent for the traveller. Battery life is above average, has enough expansion ports to almost replace a desktop. screen is bright and easy to look at, video performs well, and it works great with Windows XP Pro. I originally purchased this to replace my desktop and I think it was a good choice. It has the power, storage, and speed to keep up. The Duron 1 gig is the second generation Duron so it supports SSE and extended MMX and 3d!now extensions.. sweet!

Great Laptop for the Price
I recently purchased this laptop to use for presentations in classes I teach. THe s-video connector provides for better picture quality than the RCA connector on many of the comparable machines. As an OS junkie, I had to set it up to dual boot with Linux. Had a few problems at first with getting X server to work from Mandrake Linux 8.1, but as of yesterday, with the release of Mandrake 8.2, I now have Linux running with the XP Home. Great laptop. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Presario 700US is a reasonably priced notebook designed to appeal tobusiness users. Featuring an AMD Duron chip clocked at 900 MHz, 256 MB of memory(expandable to 384 MB), a 20 GB hard disk, and an 8x DVD-ROM drive, this systemwill fulfill most portable PC needs. Also included are a 56K modem, a 10/100Mbps Ethernet NIC, and a 14.1-inch, active-matrix screen 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

Amazon.com Product Description

Targeting the demanding home and home office computer user who can'tquite afford the absolute latest and greatest in state-of-the-art portablecomputing, the Compaq Presario 722US notebook is a good tradeoff between priceand performance.

At 10.6 by 12.4 by 1.64 inches and 6.39 pounds, the 722US is a bit larger thantoday's most recent examples of micro-miniaturization, yet substantially morecompact than many other comparably priced units. Outfitted with a cost-effective1.1 GHz AMD Duron processor (64 KB of Level 2 cache), 256 MB of SDRAM(expandable to 384 MB), and a Via ProSavage KN133 video card with 32 MB of videomemory, it will efficiently run most common notebook applications and even some3-D games. Hard-core gamers and anyone who plans to work extensively withcomplex 3-D graphics may wish to look beyond this model to the Presario 725USnotebook or Presario 6024US desktop.

Sporting a sleek design and a futuristic two-tone, black-on-silver color scheme,the Presario 722US is as stylish as it is functional. To handle your valuablefiles and programs, Compaq has equipped the unit with a 20 GB hard drive and a3.5-inch floppy disk drive. A combination DVD/CD-RW drive allows you to back uplarge amounts of data, burn and play music CDs, and watch DVD movies. A14.1-inch, active-matrix viewing screen capable of 1,024 x 768 resolution and athree-way JBL speaker system with enhanced bass response help bring all yourmultimedia applications to life.

The 722US keyboard is equipped with numerous one-touch multimedia, Internet, ande-mail buttons, and a scroll wheel and touch pad for convenient navigation. Theunit features numerous ports and connections, including two USB jacks forplug-and-play peripherals such as joysticks and digital cameras, a singleparallel port for printers, a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network connection, anall-purpose PC Card slot, a PS2 jack for an external mouse or keyboard, a VGAvideo out for external monitors, an S-video TV-out, and speaker and microphoneports. A 56K modem delivers low-speed Internet and e-mail connectivity. To helpget you started, Compaq has preinstalled a number of useful software products,including Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows XP, Microsoft Works 6.0,and Microsoft Money 2001. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Zero problems, excellent machine
I'm a network administrator, and I'm picky about computers. I've supported many laptops in the field, especially Toshiba, Compaq, Dell, IBM and Fujitsu. I give the Presario a 4 star rating for a number of reasons:
*Excellent Price/Value ratio
*enough horsepower to play the 3d games I like (I'm not super high end, but it plays good stuff.)
*Combo CDRW/DVD drive plays flawlessly, no skipping.
*Well-behaved. No hiccups starting, stopping or otherwise.
*Form Factor: not too big, not too small. Keyboard feels good, easy to type on. Screen image quality is excellent.
*Excellent customer support- with any company the help is only as good as the person who picks up the phone. I'd have to say Compaq is on about 80% of the time, which is good.
The sound system is excellent. Uses SoundMAX with Sensaura, very good full sound compared to most I've heard.
*I am going to use this as a replacement for my desktop computer so I can go wireless 100% of the time. That says alot about how much I like this unit.

Here are a couple of features I would have liked to see on this model that it doesn't have out of the box:
*Larger hard drive- 20GB is big, but my 60GB desktop PC's drive is full already!
*Better heat dissipation- the bottom gets pretty hot. Bearable on a bare leg, but barely! (no pun intended)
*2nd PCMCIA Slot. looks like they had room for 2 slots, but you can only use one card at a time. Pity.

I'd recommend this unit to about anyone. I purchased mine as a return/openbox, and frankly I can't figure out why someone would have returned it! No problems here.

EXCELLENT- it's a winner! I'm a happy customer
I bought this computer about 2 weeks ago with some graduation money. I needed a computer that was portable so I could carry it back and forth on the plane next year between school and home (so that basically ruled out an "old-fashioned" desktop computer), something with more than adequate hard drive space (don't believe those snobs that say 20 MB isn't enough... unless you want to load every single video game ever manufactured onto your computer, 20 MB is more than sufficient for all of the documents, programs, favorite games, pictures, music, etc. that you want on your computer, and more.) The screen is sharp and big enough to comfortably view your favourite DVDs on the DVD/CD-RW drive. My only complaint is that the CD-RW drive could've been a bit faster. The design of the notebook is great- not only does it look sleek and futuristic with the silver and black design, but it's rounded and not quite as bulky and boxy as many other notebooks in its class. It also weighs a bit less than many other notebooks- a helpful feature especially when you need to carry it through the airport. The headphone and microphone jacks are conveniently located on the side, and all of the cable plugs including the USB's, S-video, etc. are neatly arranged in the back. The screen is crisp and sharp (a characteristic that is especially noticeable and appreciated when viewing DVDs or pictures), the color is excellent, and I have yet to have a problem with the system overheating, even after leaving it on for hours at a time. The battery life is decent- I get about an hour and a half out of it. As I said before, the DVD/CD-RW is an enjoyable feature- I think everyone should have a CD-RW drive these days, they're very useful for everything from storing music, presentations, backing up files, etc.; and a DVD-ROM drive is a fun bonus. I think the floppy drive also deserves to be mentioned, because a lot of desktops don't come with them anymore but I'm glad mine has one because it's useful when you're on the run and want to quickly copy a picture or document to give to a friend or transfer to another computer. In all, this is an excellent system- I'm very happy and very satisfied with it. (Trust me- you don't need to waste your money on some notebook just becuase everyone says it's "better" or you'll end up with a lot of unnecessary features and extras... you will be more than happy with this one.) It is a fantastic desktop replacement, especially for a student or home computer user who just wants to have something a little more portable. It runs well (I have yet to have a technical problem) and it's an attractive, efficient machine that does everything I need it and want it to do, and much more.

Reasonable price but crash and overheated easily
A month ago, I bought this laptop for my wife as a gift for her daily office use. The price is good. However, the AMD CPU is so poor that it easily be overheated and the laptop sometimes die, even ctl-alt-del does not work. This is the first laptop I bought. I suggest if you want more reliability, choose Intel CPU laptop instead.

Look first - the LCD screen isn't the best
I just bought a notebook (went with a Sony) computer and I took a good look around before I bought. I went to Best Buy, Good Guys, Circuit City and so on. The price of this line got me interested but frankly the screen quality wasn't that great. It is an active matrix but it looks more like a dual scan LCD.

I think I know where they cut cost. Otherwise the machine seemed fine. The Duron CPU was my last choice for processors (it is about as slow as they come) but they are cheap and who really needs a lot of CPU horsepower in a note book?

So my advice is NOT to buy this notebook sight unseen. Go down and compare the screens first. I think you will find Sony and HP have much better quality screens. However if you are strapped for cash and don't mind if the color and brightness are a little washed out then you can't beat the price.

Good deal, very good computer.
To start with, it looks great. It's black & silver, sleek & svelte (6.4 lbs), at least compared to my old HP (Omnibook 6000). All the Compaq's stuff is in the right place, with a 3.5" floppy drive & a PCMIA slot on one side, and an acceptable DVD/CD-RW on the other. All the other connections (including 2 USB ports & a network interface port) are on the back, where they should be. In fact, when not connected to its home-based wires, the whole panel hides behind a plastic hinged door, a effective solution.
The processor is the basic AMD Duron. It's quite capable of most daily, non-graphics intense tasks, but not as good as the AMD Athalon or the Intel PIII mobile. Graphics are just okay, but the screen is unusually sharp. The 256K RAM is also okay for everyday stuff, and it can be increased to 384 megs. The 20 Meg hard drive is just adequate. Overall, this is a wonderful though soemwhat basic machine made by a company that looks like it's here to stay. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Compaq's Presario 730US notebook delivers a surprising array of features for such an affordable machine. A high-quality, 14.1-inch display, DVD drive, and built-in networking are just a few of this notebook's first-class features. It's ideal for students on a budget or as a second family PC.

At 1.64 by 12.4 by 10.6 inches and 6.39 pounds, this Presario is about average in size and weight for a system with a built-in floppy drive. Its 14.1-inch TFT monitor, powered by the integrated Via Twister K graphics accelerator, delivers high-quality graphics and text at 1,024 x 768 resolution. Using the video-out connector, you can output those graphics to your TV. Combine that with the Presario's DVD-ROM drive to turn it into a portable DVD player. Or watch DVDs right on the display, enjoying the system's JBL Pro Audio speakers with Bass Reflex.

Compaq achieves this attractive pricing by using AMD's 1 GHz Mobile Duron CPU, which features PowerNow technology for maximizing battery life. The Duron offers more than enough power for typical home applications like word processing and Web browsing. The system's generous 256 MB of memory lets multiple applications run simultaneously without slowing down. The 20 GB hard drive provides plenty of space for storing applications, digital photos, or music files.

The Presario 730US is outfitted with a complete array of connectivity options. An integrated 10/100 Ethernet adapter will connect you to broadband or your home network, and a 56K modem lets you dial up to the Internet. Two USB ports connect to peripherals like digital cameras or scanners, and a parallel port connects to legacy printers.

The system's keyboard section features a standard 88-key layout and a touch pad for cursor control. Pre-installed software includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Works 6.0, Microsoft Money 2001, a one-year subscription to the Encarta Online Encyclopedia, and Norton AntiVirus 2002. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

WOW Super price!
This is very good laptop for the price!
I use it for Internet and DVD movies.
Battery life over 2 hours not bad!
This is the best price I have seen, well worth the money, no stability or tempeture isseus!
Best Buy!

GREAT FOR THE CASUAL NOTEBOOK USER
I bought this machine for a couple reasons. First I didn't want to be pinned to my desktop and second for a slight amount of business use. Performance has not been an issue at all with the exception of it running hot. The clarity of the screen is impressive. I upgraded the RAM to 384 MB and use a Linksys wireless network card. For what I use this for it's worked flawlessly. Obviously if you want a notebook for heavy-duty use, you might want to look at other ones, but for non-"power users" it's great.

Good starter laptop.
To start with, it looks great. It's black & silver, sleek & svelte (6.4 lbs), at least compared to my old HP (Omnibook 6000). All the Compaq's stuff is in the right place, with a 3.5" floppy drive & a PCMCIA slot on one side, and an acceptable DVD drive on the other. All the other connections (including 2 USB ports & a network interface port) are on the back, where they should be. In fact, when not connected to its home-based wires, the whole panel hides behind a plastic hinged door, a[n inexpensive] but effective solution.
The processor is the mobile AMD Duron. It's quite capable of most daily, non-graphics intense tasks, but not as good as the AMD Athalon or the Intel PIII or PIV mobile. Graphics are just okay, but the screen is unusually sharp. The 256K RAM is also okay for everyday stuff, and it can be increased to 384 megs. The 20 Meg hard drive is just adequate. The removal of the CD burner from its predecessor, the 720, is a bit irksome. Overall though, this is a "good enough" basic machine made by a company that looks like it's here to stay.

Great mobile power for the average user
The Presario 730US is an excellent option for anyone who wants a balance between mobile power and price. The hard drive and memory are more than adequate for anything the notebook is capable of running; any media players (Winamp and WinDVD in particular) work smooth as silk, as well as Internet Explorer, Office, and a variety of other XP apps. While it won't be running today's hottest games with any reasonable speed due to the S3 Twister drawing from system memory (in actuality the system itself only has 240 MB of RAM available), it has no problems running fun games that are a year old or more. All in all,..., this is an excellent buy for studying or work on the fly. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fabulous for the Beginner and the Pro
We bought this computer for my granfather who live on a boat in Canada. We have been urging him to get a computer for years. He was down visiting for Thanksgiving and the day after I was looking throught he ads in the paper and I saw the n5415 at Circuit City for 1000USD (After rebates). I proposed the idea to my grandfather (who was at the time putting a roof on a gazebo for my mother) and he thought it a good idea. After we had been to circuit city twice (our first one had 'Bad pixels' according to a circuit city salesperson) and got our second unit home we set it up.

Windows XP set up was very quick and very helpful. I set it up with user accounts for my grandmother, grandfather, and myself (as admin). The included Microsoft Interactive Training (Start > All Programs > Accessories > Microsoft Interactive Training) was fabulous and incredibly helpful for my granfather and grandmother, what with them having last used typewriters as computers (it took a while for my grandmother to not bang and hold down keys).

The touchpad is marvelous and the DVD player works perfectly with Windows Media Player. 10GB doesn't seem like a lot, but for the novice it's A-OK. If I were buying a laptop now I would choose the n5415. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Surely one of the most affordable desktop computers ever released, Linare's new Linare PC won't cost you much more than the price of a couple of dinners at your favorite high-end restaurant. There are concessions of course -- it won't suffice in a demanding business or home office environment and it isn't equipped to act as a full-fledged entertainment hub -- but for basic everyday computing tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, homework and light gaming, the Linare PC is certainly sufficient.

Driven by an entry-level 1.3 GHz AMD Duron processor and a nominal 128 MB of SDRAM memory (expandable to 1 GB), the Linare PC is less potent than the majority of modern laptops. Its onboard 3-D graphics controller, featuring 64 MB of shared (not dedicated) video memory, is not adequate for the current crop of high-end PC games but should satisfactorily handle most older or less demanding games and 3-D applications. At 30 GB, the unit's hard disk is of reasonable size considering the comparatively smallish programs and files you're likely to use on such a cost-efficient entry-level machine.

The Linare PC features an optical drive through which you can play audio CDs and load programs, though it does not permit CD burning or DVD playing. Somewhat surprisingly, the system also incorporates a pair of desktop speakers, a keyboard and wheel mouse. Connectivity options include four high-speed USB 2.0 ports for external peripherals such as scanners and joysticks, a line-in and microphone-in, parallel and serial ports, and a 10Base-T/100Base-TX Ethernet interface for high-speed email and Internet access. A monitor is not included, thus allowing users to select from the many choices currently available.

Prospective customers should note that the Linare PC is pre-configured to run the Linux operating system. A viable alternative to Microsoft's Windows, Linux does not support many Windows-based applications but is considered by many of its users to be faster and easier. Other pre-installed software includes word processing and spreadsheet utilities, a drawing and presentation package, and assorted multimedia tools. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Where's the User's Manual?!
I bought one just because I was curious to see what I'd
get for $...It came within a week which was good. The
system is in a micro tower and I think everything is integrated
on the motherboard. The speakers are small and the keyboard
looks and feels cheap. The 3 button mouse was okay. It booted
fine and brought me to the login screen. There was one user,
"root". It had a password. The password was not documented. The
User's Manual just describes the hardware and some windows

programs. I tried to guess it, but gave up. I e-mailed Linare
and they e-mailed the password for root in less than 24 hours.
I have a few years of Linux/Unix administration so I could
continue to play. (A novice would be lost without documentation.)
I changed the root password. The display
needed to be adjusted. There's a utility to set the monitor and
graphics card. I created a user account because I know how
dangerous it can be to operate from root. I played with the
various software packages and they worked fine. The systems
is a little slow, but runs quiet. I would have rated the
computer higher if they had a good user guide or even a support
page with a FAQ. A novice would have problems. But I guess
you get what you pay for.

Great comp even for college students!
I got this computer for Christmass with a scaanner,and I can say this computer is great! It may not be the fastest or the most feature-rich,but it's great for everyday Linux computing with familes and students. I am a college student,and need a replacement computer to my older four year old Gateway. On a budjet,I couldn't afford to spend thousands on one so I bouught this one after reading good reviews. It works good on the internet with Mozilla. Faster then Internet Explorer! And the Lindows OS is much more usuable then Windows. When I wanted to play a game and finish my 2 page essay,it didn't crash not once,and was decently fast unlike Windows XP. The memory might be puny compared to the rest that run XP or maybe Mac OSX,but Linux doesn't need more then 64mb to run,so 128mb is more then enough! This computer in my oppinion will do just as good as the more expensive ones. Only thing it lacks a DVD or CDRW drive. If it had that,it'd be up there withthe rest!

Great price for a great computer
I'm a big linux user and I was looking for a system for a few clients. These Linare systems are excelent as workstations for a client of mine, as they only need a computer to access the web, they were thinking of going with windows XP, but XP itself costs as much as one of these computers. Thanks Linare ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Targeting the demanding home and home office computer user who can'tquite afford the absolute latest and greatest in state-of-the-art portablecomputing, the Compaq Presario 722US notebook is a good tradeoff between priceand performance.

At 10.6 by 12.4 by 1.64 inches and 6.39 pounds, the 722US is a bit larger thantoday's most recent examples of micro-miniaturization, yet substantially morecompact than many other comparably priced units. Outfitted with a cost-effective1 GHz AMD Duron processor (64 KB of Level 2 cache), 256 MB of SDRAM (expandableto 384 MB), and a Via ProSavage KN133 video card with 32 MB of video memory, itwill efficiently run most common notebook applications and even some 3-D games.Hard-core gamers and anyone who plans to work extensively with complex 3-Dgraphics may wish to look beyond this model to the Presario 725US notebook orPresario 6024US desktop.

Sporting a sleek design and a futuristic two-tone, black-on-silver color scheme,the Presario 722US is as stylish as it is functional. To handle your valuablefiles and programs, Compaq has equipped the unit with a 20 GB hard drive and a3.5-inch floppy disk drive. A combination DVD/CD-RW drive allows you to back uplarge amounts of data, burn and play music CDs, and watch DVD movies. A14.1-inch, active-matrix viewing screen capable of 1,024 x 768 resolution and athree-way JBL speaker system with enhanced bass response help bring all yourmultimedia applications to life.

The 722US keyboard is equipped with numerous one-touch multimedia, Internet, ande-mail buttons, and a scroll wheel and touch pad for convenient navigation. Theunit features numerous ports and connections, including two USB jacks forplug-and-play peripherals such as joysticks and digital cameras, a singleparallel port for printers, a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network connection, anall-purpose PC Card slot, a PS2 jack for an external mouse or keyboard, a VGAvideo out for external monitors, an S-video TV-out, and speaker and microphoneports. A 56K modem delivers low-speed Internet and e-mail connectivity. To helpget you started, Compaq has preinstalled a number of useful software products,including Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows XP, Microsoft Works 6.0,and Microsoft Money 2001. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Don't be fooled!
Just wanted to point out that while this is supposed to be a description of the Compaq 720US, the editorial review above is for the 722US model--obviously, not the same computer! The 3-star rating was only because I couldn't post this without rating it; I don't actually know how it performs.

Low Cost Laptop, reasonable performance
I have had my 720us laptop for about 15 months and have had very little trouble with it. The battery is somewhat limited to about 2 hours max, and it does get warm on the bottom, but not nearly warm enough to melt the case, etc. as I saw on anothers post.

I have had no maintenance problems with it, no overheating, no shutting down (unless the battery is weak)and I have had it running on AC for days at a time over the weekend, and I use the battery almost daily through the week, in the car.

All in all, I am satisfied with this computer that only cost me about $900 after rebates, and would buy it again.

I am disappointed with compaq
I obtained a compaq presario 720us and have had no rest since buying it. It constantly shuts off(i think there is a fundamental hardware problem), the battery lifespan is very short, it overheats(should not be called a laptop but burntop)and to make matters worse, it has crashed and i cant get a reasonable restore advice except to re-install. Unfortunately, i am far away from where i bought it in the US and can't return it!!!

Great Notebook!
Don't know why people complain, I have been using thie notebook for 2 months now.
I have not seen any problems.
super price , DVD playback is great.
I would buy it again

A Real Headache!
There is a real hardware problem on all 720US notebooks, This computer turns off at any moment, compaq service changed motherboard, memory, and battery, and still dont' tell me whats wrong, it's been 3 months and still I haven't received my computer back.- ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Solid performance, XP advantages, poor audio
This has been a good work performer for me. The energy-saving Duron stays at 550mhz most of the time, thus keeping the notebook cool, and doubles in speed whenever an application could benefit from it. The bundled softare is not too intrusive (like MS Works) and easy to remove. It's completely XP compatible, so it's very stable, boots and shuts down very quickly, and is easy to update and operate. The DVD drive does flawless DAE, which is an important feature to me. The Musicmatch utility program is surprisingly good at doing an automated conversion of cd's to mp3's with all the correct id3 tags, all in just a couple of keystrokes. The "bad" is that this is not a computer for gaming. The video is "integrated" so it's fine for 2d applications, but not for 3d gaming. The sound is the major disappointment in that the computer is incapable of playing any music (whether from mp3 or in a game) without stuttering. This is true even if I turn off every memory resident program: an expert told me that this occurs from a hardware conflict, but the chip is a combined modem and sound chip, and so they share an interrupt with no way to change this. In addition to this problem, the built in speakers sound lousy, and the volume scale is poorly designed, so a 'O' out of 16 is mute, but a '1' out of 16 is already fairly loud. Still, the computer has been otherwise a solid performer for eight months. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Sony Vaio PCG-FXA32 is a basic laptop for general-purpose use. Its price is lower than average for notebooks as a whole. Additionally, the system weighs 7.1 pounds and has a 900 MHz AMD Duron processor, 128 MB of RAM (expandable to 512 MB), a 15 GB hard disk, a DVD-ROM drive, 56K modem, and 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network card. Its screen is a 15-inch, active-matrix display with 1,024 x 768 resolution. Windows XP Home Edition comes installed. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A great inexpensive notebook
I purchased my PCG-FXA32 nearly two years ago, when they were offering the free 256MB RAM upgrade. It's served me well. It does not feel sluggish compared to other notebooks running WinXP. The screen is crisp and clear -- there aren't many notebooks at this price with a 15" screen. Mine has been rock-solid, never crashing unless I've put it to sleep with my wi-fi pc card installed (hibernate works fine.)

Sony would like to sell this model as a video editing platform (it does include a FireWire port.) Their software works ok, but with only 15GB of hard drive space, an upgrade there is in order unless you're just making short videos for the web or something.

Overall, a good notebook, and a great value.

Don't waste your money
Battery life: 30 minutes doing nothing
Tech support says this is normal!
What?
YES, they say this is normal. Now I Know they have no sense.
What can you possibly acomplish in 30 minutes on a laptop, assuming you are doing something productive. Forget about using this laptop in the airport.
The poorest, most sorry, stupid, neanderthal tech support on the planet.
Opposite of a Toyota product, wish they made a laptop.

FXA32>>NOT TO BAD
I purchased this Laptop in December, I have had a couple before this and I decided to go with a Sony. The computer is pretty good, there is 2 things that I have problems with....

1. The processor does not know how fast it is...It ranges between 550 to 900mhz.

2. The mouse like to stall for a second or two..which is kinda annoying...

other than that this computer is not that bad...I am goin to try an Athlon or Pentium 3...in a Sony brand...but like I said before...this does the job O.K.

VAIO are not good.
I live in Japan and I decided to buy a Japanese computer. I went to the local computer store and bought a VAIO notebook. The first night I got it I had problems. It froze often. I really didnt think much of it. It also would say "not enough memory....." I bought more memory and it said the same thing. I would have to turn it off then back on. Sometimes it wont turn off. Then, files started to disapear until it could even boot up. I sent it off to sony to get fixed, but when it came back it was still messed up.

My friend in college told me never buy a Sony computer I should have listened. He had a Sony and had problems with it. Sonys are eye candy for PCs. Buy an America comptuer.

Good Product but Extremely Poor Technical Support
I bought an FXA-32 laptop for home use, and it is a very good product given the price. It comes with an impressive 15" display and graphics are fantastic. The speed of FXA-32 is O.K. But to my suprise, it runs much faster after I added in an extra 128MB RAM (total 256MB). Kinston is running a promotion for Sony and I got the extra 128MB almost free (just pay $9 shipping cost). The machine is very reliable, and I don't see any reason to buy a desk top computer for home use.

However, the customer service of Sony on FXA-32 is the worst I have ever seen (not even remotely close to Dell). They do not return your email!!! I tried more than 10 times to reach them by phone, even at odd hours. But not a single time that I can get through. Circuit City alwayse refers the problem to Sony, but that is a black hole after many tries.

Here is a list of things I found on my machine:
(1) It needs to download various updates from Sony Web site and install them one by one (an hour job with a good IP connection).
(2) Volume control can only be set through control penal.
(3) Brightness control is not found and disabled from keyboard.
(4) System reading on CPU speed is buggy. I got a wide range of readings from 564MHz to 900 MHz.
(5) The manual is poorly written and not helpful.
(6) On my machine, Microsoft Word is not properly installed, missing wordret.ini. But without support, there is no way to fix it.

These are all minor problems if there is proper technical support. But overall, it is a very good machine and I give it a 4 star. ... Read more