Compaq Athlon X2 Laptop Back At Staples, 3-1-09 - 3-7-09.

[JC]

"This offer has already expired"

 

[Harvey]

< UPDATE >

I phoned Staples online sales line. The CSR directed me to enter the SKU in the search window, which took me to this page, which says:

In store only special order

He said that means, the way to get it is to go to your local store and order it either for in-store pickup or delivery to your address.

The ad still comes up on page 4 of their weekly special listing. I pointed out to him that no such limitation appears in their ad, and when you click the item, the detail page includes links labeled Shop online and Add to Shopping List, which imply that you should be able to order it online.

I suggested he should report this discrepancy to his supervisor because, to me, that sounds like an unambiguous offer to sell the machine online. I'll give them credit for a possible error in the ad, but they should update it.

I'll add this info to the OP.

 

[AMD K9]

eh this is the laptop that I returned once I saw the 4gb version comne out 2 weeks later. I hope THAT 4gb deal comes back or I wouldn't have returned the 2gb version.

Also at what point do you get a chance to burn a set of restore CDs/DVDs? I remember when I first got the CQ-US-210 it went through the setup program but never did it ask me if I wanted to create a set of restore CDs. Once I used it for 2 weeks I had the unfun task of taking off important files knowing it was going to be returned and then having to do a system restore through Windows.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: AMD K9

eh this is the laptop that I returned once I saw the 4gb version comne out 2 weeks later. I hope THAT 4gb deal comes back or I wouldn't have returned the 2gb version.

It's the same machine. It would have been less hassle to wait for a special on 2 x 2GB sticks of RAM. I'd suggest going back to get it, again. You never know when this OR the other version will come around at this price.

Also at what point do you get a chance to burn a set of restore CDs/DVDs? I remember when I first got the CQ-US-210 it went through the setup program but never did it ask me if I wanted to create a set of restore CDs.

You can do it at any time, but only once... unless you clone the drive before burning the disks. You'll probably want to use DVD's. It requires three blank single layer DVD's or around 11 - 12 CD's.

 

[CrackRabbit]

I went in to Staples this morning looking at the Compaq and the HP DV4-1222NR Ended up going with the HP over the Compaq.
Overall it seems to be a much nicer machine, even if the screen is smaller.
It's faster, a pound lighter, has better a better video chipset (Radeon 3200 vs Geforce 8200) and more ram.

 

[ericb]

Yes, the HP is nicer but it's also $150 more even on sale. I went to the Staples in Rock Hill, SC and got the last compaq they had about ten minutes after they opened. The clerk said they only had two in stock and the first sold as soon as the doors opened. It was not in the ad the store had either (but it was marked at the sale price) and the guy was a little surprised they were on sale again.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: JLee
I showed up less than ten minutes after the store opened- they had one, and didn't recall selling any others.

Congratulations. That's one more than zero and probably as many as you'll need for a few days. :thumbsup:

Any recommendations on what I should use (free) to image the drive?

~ Reply deleted. Offer for free copy of Acronis True Image 10 has expired.

I actually was hoping to get another one- they're not on sale where my family lives & my mother wanted one. There's always next week!

I'll go with the free trial of Acronis True Image '09- apparently it's fully functional for 15 days and the backup media will have the restore function available after that time period..that's all I need. :thumbsup:

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: JLee

I'll go with the free trial of Acronis True Image '09- apparently it's fully functional for 15 days and the backup media will have the restore function available after that time period..that's all I need. :thumbsup:

I just remembered, if your backup drive is Seagate or Maxtor, you can download their disk tools which includes a full working copy of Acronis True Image that works only if at least one of the drives is Seagate or Maxtor.

 

[balloonshark]

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: JLee

I'll go with the free trial of Acronis True Image '09- apparently it's fully functional for 15 days and the backup media will have the restore function available after that time period..that's all I need. :thumbsup:

I just remembered, if your backup drive is Seagate or Maxtor, you can download their disk tools which includes a full working copy of Acronis True Image that works only if at least one of the drives is Seagate or Maxtor.

Yep, Seagate DiscWizard and Maxtor MaxBlast.
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/

It's a light version of one of the Acronis versions, but it does have the ability to burn the rescue disc.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I just finished my 2 GB to 4 GB upgrade using 4 MB of Crucial 5300 ($37 shipped from Frys and $27 after a $10 rebate). Now I'm gonna see if I can sell the 2 GB I removed for $30 on Craigslist.

 

[jlee]

Let me know if you're able to burn the recovery DVDs. I had three blank DVDs left (requires three)...it gave me an error on the first one, so now I don't have enough media. I'm tempted to call HP/Compaq and tell them I want a free one because their software sucks. :Q

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: JLee

Let me know if you're able to burn the recovery DVDs. I had three blank DVDs left (requires three)...it gave me an error on the first one, so now I don't have enough media. I'm tempted to call HP/Compaq and tell them I want a free one because their software sucks. :Q

It could be that your media sucked. The bigger problem would be if the system sees your failed attempt as the one allowed burn cycle and stops another pass at burning them.

One reason I like HP/Compaq lappies is that I've always had good luck with their tech support people. They've even helped me on their chat line with machines that are out of warranty.

As far as they're concerned, you're a brand new customer so they probably want to help you. Instead of being hostile, just phone their tech support and politely explain the situation. You can always go negative, later. It's harder to do it in the reverse order.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: JLee

Let me know if you're able to burn the recovery DVDs. I had three blank DVDs left (requires three)...it gave me an error on the first one, so now I don't have enough media. I'm tempted to call HP/Compaq and tell them I want a free one because their software sucks. :Q

It could be that your media sucked. The bigger problem would be if the system sees your failed attempt as the one allowed burn cycle and stops another pass at burning them.

One reason I like HP/Compaq lappies is that I've always had good luck with their tech support people. They've even helped me on their chat line with machines that are out of warranty.

As far as they're concerned, you're a brand new customer so they probably want to help you. Instead of being hostile, just phone their tech support and politely explain the situation. You can always go negative, later. It's harder to do it in the reverse order.

That was the last three of a 50pk, the other 47 of which burned properly in my desktop.

I'm usually pretty good at getting what I want from CS- having been there, the polite way definitely is the way to go.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

So, I added my 2 x 2 GB of RAM and the Computer properties now claims that it has "4.00 GB" of RAM. Is the 32-bit operating system really seeing that and can it access it or is that just a bogus number? (My Vista experience is a 3.8 now, but I'm not sure what it was before.)

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

So, I added my 2 x 2 GB of RAM and the Computer properties now claims that it has "4.00 GB" of RAM. Is the 32-bit operating system really seeing that and can it access it or is that just a bogus number? (My Vista experience is a 3.8 now, but I'm not sure what it was before.)

I posted in one of the previous deal threads for this machine that the RAM above the 3.x GB limit for a 32 bit OS could be used by the shared memory architechture video system. Others replied that this was not possible, but I have since seen many articles and posts around the web that suggest that it is. If so, much of that fourth GB won't be wasted.

There's also other memory overhead, such as page files, etc. that use RAM other than that used by the OS.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Let's hope so. Now if I could just figure out if the Internet speed problems at my folks' house are from Cavalier DSL, a bad router, or bad settings.

 

[ericb]

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

So, I added my 2 x 2 GB of RAM and the Computer properties now claims that it has "4.00 GB" of RAM. Is the 32-bit operating system really seeing that and can it access it or is that just a bogus number? (My Vista experience is a 3.8 now, but I'm not sure what it was before.)

Hate to say it but I have a 4.0 Vista experience with the 2GB that came with the laptop. Did you get 667 or 800 DDR2?

I have also read a number of sites claiming the extra .75GB could/would be used for the shared video when you go to 4GB.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Heh. Seems like we should have th exact same Vista experience. It's DDR 667.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I'm standing in staples this minute. They had one in stock and a free HP D4360 printer.

Thanks Harvey!

 

[OBLAMA2009]

office depot (in store) has a toshiba 3400 notebook for 399 for the intel junkies. i was there yesterday and they still had 3