This notebook was nearly a steal!
Written: Dec 31 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: DVD, 6gb HDD, 56K modem, JBL spreakers
Cons: DVD picture is "jerky" unless maximum memory is available.
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| tony5's Full Review: Compaq Presario 1200XL111 (164027-003) PC Notebook |
This past October I bought a nearly new Compaq Presario 1200XL-111 from a newspaper ad. I hate to say this but I think one of the other reviewers here got a lemon, but I most certainly did not. My DVD works great and I am tickled with this terrific notebook.
Maybe I have more reason than most to be tickled. First, I found this notebook in a newspaper ad for $875 (a steal, right?). Second, the original owner had only had it for three months thus it was still under warranty. Third, the warranty is not usually transferable, but since the original owner had never used tech support, when I called tech support the same day I bought it and gave them all my info: name, address, model number, etcetera, by the time they found out the reason I was calling was to find out if the warranty was transferable, due to the fact the original owner had never called in and the fact he sold it after only three months, the tech said that since he had already put me in the computer he would leave me there, so I received 11 months of a 12 month warranty.
Since that first call I have called tech support about eight more times for piddling matters (such as what to do when the pc goes into hibernation during a lockup -- the answer is remove the power plug and the battery then wait 5 minutes before replacing the battery) and they were very helpful every time.
Yes, I bought the 1200XL-111 because the price was right, but the reason the price was right is because it has everything I wanted in a notebook, plus stuff I didn't even know was available in a notebook in a price range I could afford -- the DVD drive. The DVD is cool because you can watch movies on the road and when you're in a little flea-bag motel in the boonies and the local programming sucks it is really nice to be able to watch a movie on your notebook's DVD drive.
The only thing about this DVD is that for it to work nearly perfectly you have to click START/RUN and type "msconfig" and then remove just about everything from the start-up profile. Use of the DVD is very memory intensive. After you finish with the DVD you can reset all your start-up selections by using msconfig again. This is easy for a computer pro, but I can see where it could be a hassle for others with less experience.
What else did I want and get in the 1200XL-111? I wanted an active matrix screen and a 13.3" TFT looks great, I wanted a fairly quick cpu -- 500 mhz does nicely, I wanted enough memory to not get bogged down when I have several apps open and 64mB ram does the job, plus it's expanded to at least 128mB but I think more. It also has a 6 gB hard disk drive -- plenty of room on a notebook pc. Not to mention fantastic sound with built-in JBL speakers.
About the only thing I didn't like was the fact it has built-in ethernet capability, but you have to buy a pcmia card to make it work. I think the card should come with it. But for $875 I wasn't about to complain. Like I said I think for me the Compaq Presario 1200XL-111 was the steal of the century. It is one fine notebook pc. Knowing what I know now I think I would still feel like I got a great deal even if I had to pay a couple of hundred more for it. When I set out to buy a notebook I was prepared to pay up to $1,200, but when the 1200XL-111 came along I knew in an instant my search was over. I got the perfect pc for the perfect price.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tony5
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Member: Tony Safina
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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