|  |
| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 9 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 58 found the following review helpful:
 A good laptop if you get the right one Nov 26, 2007
By R. Hepokoski
"RHep"
After a lot of comparison, this was the notebook that met my expectations for features at the price I could afford. It runs quiet and cool, multi-tasks well and has a good feel and appearance. There are some LightScribe issues to be worked out, but it seems I'm OK if I use the right brand of DVDs. I still hope that a year from now I will be happy with this laptop.
However the first two months were no honeymoon. From day one it was hangs, crashes and blue screens about display drivers. There were few times I could work for more than an hour without trouble. Sometimes it just booted and crashed before I could do anything. I could never play any of the Windows solitaire for more than a minute without a freeze. (I can live without playing solitaire, but I can't live with a new PC that is incapable of playing it.)
I tried HP support by email, chat and phone. They offered a lot of basic attempts. I reset to factory specs twice (losing hours of customization), but overall they didn't seem to work to diagnose the problem and they would quickly say to just send it in for service. I was not about to lose all that time when there were so many unexplored solutions. Finally, after six weeks, I updated the BIOS. I am now two weeks of no issues and all is running smoothly.
According to HP, this systems should have shipped with the F.09 BIOS, but it came with the F.07. Oops. I guess that shouldn't have happened and nobody at HP ever suggested to check. When I discovered the solution, I wrote to HP so they could help anyone else who got a Pavillion from that batch. Maybe this will help some of you readers. HP's reply was classic. They wrote, "I greatly appreciate your efforts regarding the issue... the solution was a technical support to us." When HP thanks me for being a tech support to them, I don't need to tell you that something is backward!
I didn't expect to have great tech support. I did expect to get a system that was properly prepared before shipping. It was the luck of the draw. If this machine had come in the condition in which it is now, it would be a 4.5 star machine.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 HP ONE OF THE BEST Dec 23, 2007
By VD2400
I am an avid fan of HP products. I have dealt with many computer companies before. However, no other company offers greater support--trust me, I've tried nearly all. In addition, this laptop is the fastest laptop I've seen! I know other people with laptops and my machine can run circles around their's--while their's is still booting up! Again, perhaps it's because they don't own HP computers! I have suggested to many people they also buy only HP products for their computing needs.
Multitasking on this machine is a breeze! In addition, the built in webcam makes it great when talking to friends and family. I am not a fan of how one is supposed to use a laptop mouse, so I suggest you buy an external mouse as well--HP makes those too!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Happy with it Dec 13, 2007
By thebrotherofasis
Everything is excellent. It works quite fast and it has been a very useful tool. I can play games on it, record videos, chat with it's integrated webcam, connect to the internet with its wireless card and much more. Personally I prefer at least a screen of 15.4'' because I want to take care of my eyes, amplifying the fonts, and this screen size is perfect for that.
4 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Great laptop for the price. Screen display not great. Dec 10, 2007
By M Ville
This is a great little laptop for the price. I got it for $600, which was a huge bang for the buck relative to other laptops with similar options, memory, etc. I have NO complaints about its actual operation. BUT, the screen display is bad. It is glossy, so you will see glare and relections (even your own!) while working on it, particularly when working off of the battery since the screen will be in its less bright stage.
Not a Bad Notebook...when I finally got it running... Feb 14, 2009
By Stephen J. Bailey
"12Gauge"
I had not needed a notebook computer for many years. It would have been no more than a toy. I retired in 2001 and have had desktops since the beginning of the computer age.
I began a part-part-time business a couple of years ago and found that I wanted to be able to show pictures as a part of a presentation for prospective clients. I went shopping and found this HP dv6645us Entertainment Notebook to have the things I thought I would need to use for my business. I needed programs to design and print as well as checking emails and posting meetings & such. I also purchased a wi-fi router to allow me to use the notebook in more than one place.
That's where the headaches started. It was a NetGear router that I purchased and setup after I got home. It worked for about 24 hours and then would no longer allow the Notebook to connect. The Notebook recognized other Wireless Networks in my neighborhood, one unsecured. But every time I tried, it would not connect.
I spent what seemed like days on the telephone with Pakistan & India Tech Support. They would call me back. But nothing that we did, even after I took one NetGear router back & purchased a different would allow the Notebook to communicate via wi-fi for more than 24 hours.
I was so frustrated, I turned around & purchased a Belkin wi-fi router. I was more familiar with Belkin and tho' a less expensive router, I knew that I could set it up with little trouble. The best the Belkin router would do is 24 hours and then nothing. My ears, hands, arms & rear were fatigued after all the hours sitting and fooling around trying different configurations & settings that the Pakistani & Indian Techs were telling me to set.
Around March 2008, I just gave up and let the notebook sit and gather dust. Every so often I would boot it up, connected via a wire and upgrade the various programs that were in the 'book.
Finally, Christmas 2008, I decided to try again. I took the notebook to a friend's house that had wi-fi and tried to connect there...no dice. It would see the network but no matter what we did, it wouldn't connect. I was ready to turn the Notebook into landfill material.
I fired off a nasty email to the CEO of HP and was contacted via email by their Tech Support. This time I connected via HP's Tech Chat Support. 40 minutes of exchanges got this notebook talking via wi-fi to the internet.
The whole problem was that No One had told me to make the settings as the Administrator. The Paki's & Indian's never had a clue or recommended such. (Don't get me wrong, the phone Tech Support folks were always very polite & patient!).
Once I was able to get on-line wirelessly, things were GREAT!!!
The features on this Notebook are great. I'm able to take digital photos and take the memory card and plug into the Notebook and view/download/edit each photo. The Touchpad is a little super sensitive but takes just a little time to get used to.
I wasn't wild about getting Vista but it's not bad.
The Notebook rarely hangs or needs a re-boot. Tho' some programs seem to not respond, but Vista will attempt to correct the situation & find a solution.
Would I buy it again? Knowing what I know now, Yes. I just hope that Tech Support would get a clue. I would have been able to use this thing from the get-go.
Recommend to others....Yes, with the caveat that one shouldn't depend on Tech Support to solve all your problems.
See all 9 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
| | |
![Plantronics Voyager 510 Bluetooth Headset [Retail Packaging]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41XB1238FJL._SL75_.jpg "Plantronics Voyager 510 Bluetooth Headset [Retail Packaging]")
