Rating: 
Summary: Compaq presario 700US - TFT screen went bad
Review: I just bought it and it worked pretty well for 5 days. I was very happy until the 6th day when its screen went bad (dead backlight). Compaq told me they will take 10 business days to repair it. I am still contemplating keeping it and getting it repaired or returning it. I really liked it other than this problem.
Rating:
Summary: Good, But Breaks Too Often
Review: I received this as a graduation present to get me through 4 years of college, and so far has been doing a decent job. Before I left for college, I had several problems with it, however.I don't remember the exact order that these things happened, but after owning it for a few months, it all of a sudden stopped recognizing the touchpad! I hadn't done anything differently from what I usually do, either. I hadn't even been moving the thing around much (this was my primary computer and I kept it at home most of the time). After contacting tech support (which is free for the first year) and unsuccessfully trying to re-format my hard drive with the included Restore Discs, I finally had to ship it off to Compaq to get it repaired (also free for the first year). Two weeks later, I received it and everything worked fine again. Other problems have been intermittent, such as the computer occasionally deciding to turn itself off all by itself, or failing to start up properly. Compaq/Hewlett Packard tech support is utterly useless. Whenever I called I got some person that barely spoke English and their instructions were always unclear. Also, no matter what the problem was, their advice was ALWAYS to format the hard drive and then call back. Gee, thanks guys. This doesn't help when you can't start up. I was only given the run-around (transferred to the wrong people over and over again) one time, so I'm assuming this was just a fluke and doesn't usually happen. I have been at college for about 5 months now, and have had no major problems except a faulty Ethernet port that could only be fixed by buying a ... PC card that plugs into the side. I have heard from a few sources that this is a common problem with Compaq Laptops. Overall, not very good for processor intensive games (Like Unreal Tournament or Warcraft 3), but great for sound editing, picture tweaking, internet applications, and just fiddling around with. My roomate got a Hewlett Packard laptop with just about the same specs, and for about the same price, if not a little less. If I had a choice, I would probably go with the HP, now.
Hope this review helps!
Rating: 
Summary: A Few Peeves, But Worth It Overall
Review: I wanted a laptop that was relatively compact, had a one gigahertz AMD processor, at least 256 megabytes of memory, and a DVD/CD-RW combination drive. This laptop had them all. I purhcased it a couple of weeks ago, and in terms of the laptop I was looking for, I couldn't be happier. Two peeves, though. One is that I was duped into buying another computer that didn't have independent video memory (this computer's video memory, while a generous sixteen megabytes, is "shared" with--or taken away from, to be more precise--the computer's main memory, a problem I've encountered with my two previous desktop purchases), so while the computer is advertised to have 256 megabytes of memory, only 240 of them can be used for other applications. ("Only" 240--what am I saying? My previous computer had only 128!) The other is that in order to type in special characters using the integrated numeric keypad, I must hit Fn + NumLk, then the keystrokes required, then Fn + NumLk once again to turn off the keypad in order to again be able to use that part of the keyboard normally. Other computers allow the user just to type Fn and the required keystrokes without all the NumLk business, but this one suited my needs best, so I chose to overlook the flaw. I am reminded of it, however, every time I type up a French composition and need those accents. Sacré bleu! A more trivial annoyance is the row of Compaq "EasyAccess" buttons, which are not that easy to access at all (they are located in a narrow space between the keyboard and the screen--if you want a better of idea of how they look you can find a bunch of useful photographs at bestbuy.com), and the volume ones did not work (it had seemed) for the first week I used the computer. Finally I figured out that the EasyAccess volume buttons don't work like television volume buttons, the ones you can hold down--these ones can only be pressed once every second or so for them to respond. I usually opt to adjust the volume instead using the (excellent) Windows software. Also, the EasyAccess buttons (which include technical support, e-mail, Web search, and Windows Media Player buttons) all surround the computer's power button, so I generally don't use them for fear I might inadvertently shut off my computer. Short battery life is another problem--mine runs out after only an hour and thirty minutes, not even enough to watch a full DVD movie. Not good for portability, but since I don't travel that much, I'm fine--for now (I think). So aside from all that, the Compaq Presario 705US Notebook is a solidly built computer with a stable operating system, and both are a breeze to use. While I occasionally look at other notebooks with a tinge of envy, I keep reminding myself how little I paid in comparison to how much I got, and when I get home, I turn on my notebook, turn up its incredibly sonorous speakers (they really are good speakers) to full blast and get lost in the digital music library that, so far, the included Windows Media Player and I have managed to keep organized.
Rating: 
Summary: No Gaming Problems Here
Review: I was suprised to find that people are having problems with this computer. I own one and love it. I can play Unreal Tournament at 1024x768 at a high frame rate, with NO problems. I also play a lot of sims, and have had no trouble. This is faster than my desktop computer, an Athlon 500, with 320mb RAM! The audio is great, the screen is clear and bright. I for one have not had any problems with the DVD. (The movies I play are new releases from Blockbuster.) Due to copy-protection, Disney has had noted problems with its DVDs for quite a while. The biggest example is ANTS, which refused to play on many computers. I will bet that copy-protection schemes are messing up the video for the other reviewers. I have had no problems with skipping frames or the like. I do however remove the background programs from running while I play DVDs. Overall, this is a great computer. Light (6.5lbs), great memory (20 gigs), good battery life (about 3 hours on max battery life setting), and good audio. I really like it.
Rating: 
Summary: Bring a portable fan with you
Review: I'm going to return mine ... this unit locks up regularly due to overheating problems...The bios upgrade didn't fix anything... leaving a desktop fan blowing over the unit does. Also the battery life is horrible... under 2 hours for regular use. Nice speakers and seems fast enough when running.
Rating:
Summary: More added problems
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: DVD nightmare is real!
Review: I've got the same problem with dvd's on this unit- using it as a portable dvd player is one of the reasons i bought it, but something is very wrong- lots of frame and audio skip, and frequent screen freezes. Display units in the stores have the same problem. I've tried 3 dvd's and all three have had problems. 'Shrek', one of Amazon's top selling dvd's, is the most problematic when playing Otherwise, this laptop is fabulous, you can't beat it for price and features this holiday season. But a lot of folks will be upset Christmas morning when they can't watch their favorite animated dvd's I should mention that Compaq support has been very responsive to my calls for help, suggesting various configuration changes that have improved the playback, but it is still not 'dvd' quality... Additional Comments 12/11/01 - the Interactual DVD player conflicts with some of the Compaq settings (see Interactual web site). Do not load it on this laptop. It is the one that tries to self load when many of the newer dvds are played on computers. I recovered the computer and avoided the Interactual player. It now works great with all dvd's I've tried, except for Shrek, which I think might require the Interactual player due to all of the additional content. I am now really pleased with this laptop.
Rating: 
Summary: If reliability is important avoid Compaq
Review: If reliability and customer service are important to you look elsewhere. After years of using Compaq equipment professionally, I've seen a marked decline in the quality and reliability of the Presario series Notebook line. I have a 700Z Custom built that replaced my 1201Z 1 Ghz AMD notebook after Compaq attempted to repair it 5 times in 3 months. The customer service is awful, and they can't seem to get it right. Just this week I ordered a spare battery for the Mdl 700 and they sent the wrong battery. I spent years reccomending Compaq equipment but in good conscience could never reccomend one again. I too have had DVD playback difficulties and thats with it loaded with 384 Meg of RAM.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: Less than 2 years old...very heavy, very very hot, locks up quite a bit, and the case is cracking in half by the hinges. Called now, HP customer service and it will cost me about $250 to replace the cracked case which is obviously a design flaw along with the locking up and overheating problems. It took me almost 2 years to pay this thing off and now it is close to worthless.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: Less than 2 years old...very heavy, very very hot, locks up quite a bit, and the case is cracking in half by the hinges. Called now, HP customer service and it will cost me about $250 to replace the cracked case which is obviously a design flaw along with the locking up and overheating problems. It took me almost 2 years to pay this thing off and now it is close to worthless.
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