Pavilion A350y Problems

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

I just replaced an 80GB Maxtor in a client's 1.6GHz Pentium 4 Pavilion. The
drive developed bad sectors, Maxtor's diagnostic confirmed that the drive was
going south. I was unable to copy the entire contents of the drive to a
replacement drive. Both drive and system were out of warranty. It is no
coincidence that nearly all of the drive manufacturers have cut their warranties
back to one year, all in lock step. Systems have one year warranties, too.
This is the price paid for low quality cheap systems, which everyone seems to
want these days. Buyers want to pay a low price. Manufacturers are happy, too,
'cause when the system breaks down, you'll by a new one. This is planned
obscelescence, once refined to a high degree by the Detroit automakers, opening
the door for high quality imports from Germany, Sweden, and Japan. Get used to
it, unless you want to pay more for a high quality system. Back up your
important data regularly... Ben Myers

On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 14:54:59 -0400, "Dick" <Smok10a@netscape.net> wrote:

>I have a 6 month old HP Pavilion A350y. Three months after install the hard
>drive went bad it was a 80 gig drive. HP support sent me a replacement drive
>which was 120 gig. It has been installed for three months and it also went
>bad. HP is sending me another 120 gig drive to solve the problem. Has anyone
>experienced this type of drive problems?
>
>

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

"Dick" <Smok10a@netscape.net> wrote in message
news tWdnQAwWo0allvdRVn-gQ@comcast.com...
> I have a 6 month old HP Pavilion A350y. Three months after install
the hard
> drive went bad it was a 80 gig drive. HP support sent me a
replacement drive
> which was 120 gig. It has been installed for three months and it
also went
> bad. HP is sending me another 120 gig drive to solve the problem.
Has anyone
> experienced this type of drive problems?
>
>

You are one up on me. I have been trying to tell the HP Non-Support
department that I already *Replaced the Hard Drive* since they wanted
me to ship the whole unit back to them. Now the error was a Code 10,
the moron in India (Yep India of all places) tells me over and over
how he would like to help me if I send the whole machine back.

I bought a new larger drive myself at 1/3 the cost of a HP replacement
cost. Told the butt hole to sit and spin and let it go at that.
As Ben stated the cost of the unit was cheap compared to most high end
systems (Notebooks) but the good thing is now I never recommend a HP
anything, my work uses Dells, I just purchased a new Dell laptop and
all is well.

For each unhappy customer out there that warns others to stay away
from HP and the lousy service the better it makes me feel.

Elector

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

They do seem to have a great deal of trouble with harddrives
failing...It makes you wonder if they are not getting a poorer quality
product to begin with... I had to replace my original 60 GB western
digital harddrive from HP right after the warranty ended ...
(literally days after, and the machine had not been abused).. I could
not be bothered fighting with those people in India, BTDT a few times,
so I just bought a new WD with a 3 year warranty instead...

That is the first instance of premature failure I can remember having
with a WD drive.......

In the past I have had maxtor drives fail prematurely (talk about
junk)... I would never buy another maxtor drive...

End of problem....

Overall, I figure I am ahead, and this way my blood pressure did not
wind up in the stratosphere...

In any case, HP still has eMachines around to make them look good....

JM

On Tue, 08 Jun 2004 20:50:21 GMT, "Elector" <elector@my-deja.com>
wrote:

>You are one up on me. I have been trying to tell the HP Non-Support
>department that I already *Replaced the Hard Drive* since they wanted
>me to ship the whole unit back to them. Now the error was a Code 10,
>the moron in India (Yep India of all places) tells me over and over
>how he would like to help me if I send the whole machine back.
>
>I bought a new larger drive myself at 1/3 the cost of a HP replacement
>cost. Told the butt hole to sit and spin and let it go at that.
>As Ben stated the cost of the unit was cheap compared to most high end
>systems (Notebooks) but the good thing is now I never recommend a HP
>anything, my work uses Dells, I just purchased a new Dell laptop and
>all is well.
>
>For each unhappy customer out there that warns others to stay away
>from HP and the lousy service the better it makes me feel.
>
>Elector
>

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

Elector wrote:
> "Dick" <Smok10a@netscape.net> wrote in message
> news tWdnQAwWo0allvdRVn-gQ@comcast.com...
>> I have a 6 month old HP Pavilion A350y. Three months after install
>> the hard drive went bad it was a 80 gig drive. HP support sent me a
>> replacement drive which was 120 gig. It has been installed for
>> three months and it also went bad. HP is sending me another 120 gig
>> drive to solve the problem. Has anyone experienced this type of
>> drive problems?
>>
>>
>
> You are one up on me. I have been trying to tell the HP Non-Support
> department that I already *Replaced the Hard Drive* since they wanted
> me to ship the whole unit back to them. Now the error was a Code 10,
> the moron in India (Yep India of all places) tells me over and over
> how he would like to help me if I send the whole machine back.
>
> I bought a new larger drive myself at 1/3 the cost of a HP replacement
> cost. Told the butt hole to sit and spin and let it go at that.
> As Ben stated the cost of the unit was cheap compared to most high end
> systems (Notebooks) but the good thing is now I never recommend a HP
> anything, my work uses Dells, I just purchased a new Dell laptop and
> all is well.
>
> For each unhappy customer out there that warns others to stay away
> from HP and the lousy service the better it makes me feel.
>
> Elector

The way the laptop business changing, how can you possibly be certain
that Dell is an improvement? alt.sys.pc-clone.dell suggests that some
of *their* lines are having difficulties. This month's reputation is
certainly not last year's reputation for most computer vendors. IMO.

Q

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

The first HP a350n system I bought last December for my wife suffered
a failed 160GB Maxtor drive in the first week. Fortunately had few
programs loaded. Whole computer was replaced, and new one had Western
Digital drive. Don't know if the drive vendor change was just chance
or if HP had experienced problems with Maxtor. Probably just
coincidence.

In January I purchased a Sony PC to replace my ancient 100MHz machine.
It also has Western Digital (200MB). I have since added matching
second HD to both PC's (Western Digital in both). I have no
information on long term reliability. Fingers crossed, ok so far.

Dick Ballard
ballardr@att.net


On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 14:54:59 -0400, "Dick" <Smok10a@netscape.net>
wrote:

>I have a 6 month old HP Pavilion A350y. Three months after install the hard
>drive went bad it was a 80 gig drive. HP support sent me a replacement drive
>which was 120 gig. It has been installed for three months and it also went
>bad. HP is sending me another 120 gig drive to solve the problem. Has anyone
>experienced this type of drive problems?
>

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

I do not believe that HP uses one specific brand of drive.. I think
that they buy drives in "lowest bid" lots, and just install them in
whatever computers they are building, and when their stock starts to
get low, the put another lot out for bid... Hence the variety of
drives found in HP boxes... (I think this is also probably true for
most of the components in their systems.)

For example, the HP533w may have an ASUS motherboard,
*or* it may have a TriGem motherboard.. (If you are lucky, it is an
ASUS board in your system, and not a TriGem)....

It is sort of a garbage-in , garbage-out based model, without many
real specs or standards to maintain..... This also helps to explain
the lack of documentation provided with the machines, and on HP's
website... It makes you wonder where all the employees from US
Packard Bell wound up...




There, now doesn't that sound jaded?

JM

On Tue, 08 Jun 2004 22:05:16 GMT, Dick Ballard <ballardr@att.net>
wrote:

>The first HP a350n system I bought last December for my wife suffered
>a failed 160GB Maxtor drive in the first week. Fortunately had few
>programs loaded. Whole computer was replaced, and new one had Western
>Digital drive. Don't know if the drive vendor change was just chance
>or if HP had experienced problems with Maxtor. Probably just
>coincidence.
>
>In January I purchased a Sony PC to replace my ancient 100MHz machine.
>It also has Western Digital (200MB). I have since added matching
>second HD to both PC's (Western Digital in both). I have no
>information on long term reliability. Fingers crossed, ok so far.
>
>Dick Ballard
>ballardr@att.net

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

I think you are probably correct about brands of components used, but
I would also suggest that ALL of the common PC brands are alike in
this respect, be it HP, Sony, Dell, Brand X, you name it. After all,
there is extremely fierce price competition for a commodity type of
product.

Specifications exist, I'm sure, and most of the components in a PC are
designed for fairly common interface standards. But I also suspect
that reliability is one "spec" that is either not adequately supported
by actual data or doesn't get much priority in the component purchase
process. If a manufacturer gets a lot of warranty returns ($$$) on a
component, then that issue will be addressed, but only
retrospectively.

Dick Ballard
ballardr@att.net


On Tue, 08 Jun 2004 15:32:13 -0700, JustMee <me@nowhere.com.invalid>
wrote:

>I do not believe that HP uses one specific brand of drive.. I think
>that they buy drives in "lowest bid" lots, and just install them in
>whatever computers they are building, and when their stock starts to
>get low, the put another lot out for bid... Hence the variety of
>drives found in HP boxes... (I think this is also probably true for
>most of the components in their systems.)
>
>For example, the HP533w may have an ASUS motherboard,
>*or* it may have a TriGem motherboard.. (If you are lucky, it is an
>ASUS board in your system, and not a TriGem)....
>
>It is sort of a garbage-in , garbage-out based model, without many
>real specs or standards to maintain..... This also helps to explain
>the lack of documentation provided with the machines, and on HP's
>website... It makes you wonder where all the employees from US
>Packard Bell wound up...
>
>
>
>
>There, now doesn't that sound jaded?
>
>JM
>
>On Tue, 08 Jun 2004 22:05:16 GMT, Dick Ballard <ballardr@att.net>
>wrote:
>
>>The first HP a350n system I bought last December for my wife suffered
>>a failed 160GB Maxtor drive in the first week. Fortunately had few
>>programs loaded. Whole computer was replaced, and new one had Western
>>Digital drive. Don't know if the drive vendor change was just chance
>>or if HP had experienced problems with Maxtor. Probably just
>>coincidence.
>>
>>In January I purchased a Sony PC to replace my ancient 100MHz machine.
>>It also has Western Digital (200MB). I have since added matching
>>second HD to both PC's (Western Digital in both). I have no
>>information on long term reliability. Fingers crossed, ok so far.
>>
>>Dick Ballard
>>ballardr@att.net

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

"Quaoar" <quaoar@tenthplanet.net> wrote in message
news:4_KdnaluC97mFVvdRVn-hg@comcast.com...
<snip>
> The way the laptop business changing, how can you possibly be
certain
> that Dell is an improvement? alt.sys.pc-clone.dell suggests that
some
> of *their* lines are having difficulties. This month's reputation
is
> certainly not last year's reputation for most computer vendors.
IMO.
>
> Q
>
>

That is true on the whole. Going by years of laptop use at work and
current experience with the HP (ZE4420US) the Dells have never broken
down. However my HP had to be serviced 25 Minutes out of the box (That
problem is also on going) the Sympatics Mouse-touchpad turns on and
works and then it won't. This is a constant annoyance. However I had
the foresight to get a mouse before my first use. Again I can see HP
needing the machine for that repair, but I can also repair it myself
and ask for the part and they refuse to send it. However in work when
a Dell needs a part (Touchpad) they send it overnight when a user
broke it and not through a fault of Dell. Took old one out snap new
one in, problem all fixed.

So my bargain HP laptop at $1200 cost me an additional $150-$200 for
my hard drive, and $25 for a mini mouse. My new Dell costs me $800 and
it has no problems what so ever. Hard Drive is small but I can replace
that myself.

Elector