H-P/Compaq Disappoints

Okay, I’m back to writing after an absence enforced by injury compounded by the crash of my “reliable” computer. I attribute the bulk of this hiatus to the unreliability and poor performance of both H-P/Compaq products and service. This laptop suffered a fatal hard drive lock up just two months off warranty and after less than a year of actual use. That the lock up was physical indicates that the problem was the result of manufacturer’s defect. My brother is licensed to work on Compaq products, but their service center never replied to him regarding the acquisition of the “tattoo” code necessary to match a new hard drive to the motherboard. So, he sent this machine to a shop, and they it took three weeks to resolve the issues. Because of these issues, occurring little more than a year after original purchase, I will not ever again purchase an H-P/Compaq product other than ink for my current printer. And I will not recommend that anyone else do so either. I am seriously considering a total conversion to Apple, as Hewlett-Packard products are so ubiquitous to the Microsoft platform.