Don't buy a HP

[MacQuarie]

I don't usually choose or overlook hardware based on a brand name, but HP has annoyed the hell out of me with it's problems.

First, with this pre-built computer it's extremely slow when starting up or doing pretty much anything from running microsoft word to playing a basic game like empire earth. There are a heap of HP programs that are basically useless except to annoy the user by slowing the computer. If you want to open any game made in the past 5 years, you have to end all these processes.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p55/132945/HP.png

Next, all the preoloaded crap that you don't get a choice in loading onto the computer unless you take out the harddrive and replace or delete the 'recovery' partition. Which, either way, means replacing a lot of other parts because you don't get drivers for the hardware on disc or anywhere on the internet. I don't know how much specifically, but I'd estimate I freed around 300-400mb of space after removing all the useless programs that comes on the installation.

Finally, the one that has caused me to never use HP products unless I don't have a choice is the hardware. Faulty hardware. Diablo 2 has been one of my favourite games since I bought it 5 years ago, and I've played it since then without problem on several computers. But today this HP cd burner decided it didn't like my favourite game and destroyed the disc.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p55/132945/DSCN1690.jpg

I don't know what caused it to happen, all I know is that I've never once had this happen until I used this computer.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p55/132945/DSCN1692.jpg

As well as this, I've owned 3 ipods that have broken down and quit working within about 2 months of the warranty expiring. Although one was my fault, the other two failed without reason and I'm damned sure not paying $200 to replace the harddrive inside them, especially when my crappy-looking no-name brand 1GB MP3 player has lasted longer and been just as, if not more, reliable than the iCrap on the market today.

I will never buy any product produced or branded by Hewlett-Packard again.

[LiNuX]

wow..horrible experience, I've used HP computers for years without a problem, my sister has an HP computer ( I customized parts of it) and my dad has an HP laptop, and no bad experience like this before.

but after a while I've been customizing and building my own computers so yeah..i avoid that

looks like you have bad exp with apple as well with their ipods...i bought the first gen nano a few years ago, my sister has it now, using it for years, no problem, warranty is long expired - same with the 2nd gen nano that I have now, had it for a very long time, my warranty expired august 2007 and it still works perfectly

maybe its technology's grudge against you for some reason

[rukisuto]

I really can't figure out how a computer shatter a CD ROM.
It doesn't look real.

[Joshuah]

Well, I've never had an Hp product, and with the looks of this I don't think I ever will, sucks about your disk, but I don't know how it could have done that :-S unless it has a built in cd shredder :-P I have a E-System computer downstairs, and I have a spare Tiny computer upstairs, which isn't that tiny :-P
Edit*
Oh, something is wrong with my cd drive :-S it doesn't open, I have to hit it hard so it'll open or if I leave a disk in it opens straight away, which is really confusing me :-S

[MacQuarie]

I really can't figure out how a computer shatter a CD ROM.
It doesn't look real.

What do you mean by that?
Half the cd was still jammed in the drive when I took it out of the computer.

EDIT:
Just found out Blizzard offers free downloads for their games if you still have the CD-Key which is brilliant. :D I'll be back to D2 in a matter of minutes.

[LiNuX]

What do you mean by that?
Half the cd was still jammed in the drive when I took it out of the computer.

EDIT:
Just found out Blizzard offers free downloads for their games if you still have the CD-Key which is brilliant. :D I'll be back to D2 in a matter of minutes.

blizzard and any game bought from steam is the same - some other game engines do it too so yeah, very convenient :D
but yeah, i've had a cd get stuck in my cd rom drive before, it was on my custom computer which im using, i didn't force it out though, i took apart the rom and remove it from the inside - did you tug on the cd? or did it just break by itself?

[rukisuto]

What do you mean by that?
Half the cd was still jammed in the drive when I took it out of the computer.

EDIT:
Just found out Blizzard offers free downloads for their games if you still have the CD-Key which is brilliant. :D I'll be back to D2 in a matter of minutes.

All I said was it doesn't look real.
You know, kind of in awe of how that happened.
I'm not saying you're making stuff up.

[MacQuarie]

blizzard and any game bought from steam is the same - some other game engines do it too so yeah, very convenient :D
but yeah, i've had a cd get stuck in my cd rom drive before, it was on my custom computer which im using, i didn't force it out though, i took apart the rom and remove it from the inside - did you tug on the cd? or did it just break by itself?
Nope. I heard a noise and hit the button, it didn't open so I pulled it out. I didn't tear it out, didn't really need to. The first photo is the first thing I saw. I was mighty pissed. I did get the rest of the pieces out by taking apart the drive though.

[LiNuX]

Nope. I heard a noise and hit the button, it didn't open so I pulled it out. I didn't tear it out, didn't really need to. The first photo is the first thing I saw. I was mighty pissed. I did get the rest of the pieces out by taking apart the drive though.

wow, probably got stuck going in then somehow, weird though - never had that happen to me

[MacQuarie]

Couldnt have been while going in. I'd been playing the game for about a half hour before it happened. Then all of a sudden "please insert expansion disc".

[LiNuX]

Couldnt have been while going in. I'd been playing the game for about a half hour before it happened. Then all of a sudden "please insert expansion disc".

must have been the rom drive itself - maybe the thing that spins the disk went haywire and boom..

[YuriPrime]

Well you are right about the preloaded crap. I have the same problem with my HP. I still haven't figured out any way to get rid of some of the useless, memory consuming programs.

[MacQuarie]

Start > Control Panel > Add Remove Programs

Gets rid of a lot of them, but not everything.

[LiNuX]

just reinstall windows lol...thats what i did with my old hp, gets rid of all of them! unless of course you use the installation cd provided by HP, then you'll just be stuck with it

my current computer is the same way - it really has no brand since i custom built it lol, so yeah..no useless programs like those

resinstalling is a longer process yes - but it will get rid of a lot more bad stuff and make your computer MUCH faster than just getting rid of a few components. its a fresh start

[YuriPrime]

True - but I don't know how I would get Windows back. It too came pre-installed with my computer.

[LiNuX]

True - but I don't know how I would get Windows back. It too came pre-installed with my computer.

installation cd...you just have to know how to work bios, make it so it loads the cd/dvd rom drive first and it'll auto install if you put cd in and restart the pc lol..simple stuff

[LemonRising]

installation cd...you just have to know how to work bios, make it so it loads the cd/dvd rom drive first and it'll auto install if you put cd in and restart the pc lol..simple stuff

Not everywhere supplies the installation cd though D:
So if you buy a preloaded computer, and get no cd, it's mass fail.

[LiNuX]

Not everywhere supplies the installation cd though D:
So if you buy a preloaded computer, and get no cd, it's mass fail.

installation cd isn't a big deal, the CD key is, no place will give you free CD keys because it costs a lot of money

HP won't give you an installation cd either, they give you their recovery disk where you can reset it to what it was like when you first got it, not really an installation CD - but if you have warranty and contact them, they will give you a CD but then no point lol - you'll have those useless programs running

Dell does the same thing

[Blackbird]

I'm never actually own a HP computers before, only have bought Dell and Alienware so far. Of course Customize it too xD

[Joshuah]

I'm still not sure how your cd drive sliced your cd up :S if you bend a cd it doesn't snap only if you get to a certain point or you do it fast, still confussing lol :-)

[Trunks]

How did I miss this thread for so long?

I don't think it's the CD drive, rather than the disc. If a disc has a crack in it can get destroyed like that. The disc spins so quickly that it puts stress on the disc which normally isn't a problem, unless there's a crack in it. That's probably why it broke in mid game.

I'm surprised no one knew about this. Someone on line was talking about it and I tried it on my CD rom, using a music CD. I use my DvD drive, so I didn't care if i broke it. ?I found it pretty entertaining.

[MacQuarie]

Wasn't entertaining for me. D:
My game CDs are spotless, not a crack, not a scratch, not even so much as a smudge. I take care of my things. :P

[Trunks]

Wasn't entertaining for me. D:
My game CDs are spotless, not a crack, not a scratch, not even so much as a smudge. I take care of my things. :P

Well, you've had it for 5 years or so, the cd player scratches disk by them self. So there are scratches on it. Also if you keep it in your CD drive all the time, it wears the CD down faster.

[MacQuarie]

That's a fair argument, but I have other games that I have played as much as diablo like empire earth and incoming. I've had those cds for just as long without problems. Empire Earth must be nearing 7-8 years now and Incoming a good 10 years at least

[Trunks]

That's a fair argument, but I have other games that I have played as much as diablo like empire earth and incoming. I've had those cds for just as long without problems. Empire Earth must be nearing 7-8 years now and Incoming a good 10 years at least

It doesn't happen often, I'm not saying every game you have for awhile will do it. When you put it back in the case, if you push to hard on it, it can crack inside rim. Maybe you got a deep scratch in it and after awhile it just start getting deep until boom. The CD drive won't crush your disk like that, unless the motor in it malfunctioned, but I think they are set to there max to begin with. It has to be the disk, I'm sure you don't look at the bottom of your disk every time you play it.

[MacQuarie]

I look at it to clean off dust and look at my face in the reflection. :P