Hm, when did I say it was a fact? I think it's quite obvious that it was an opinion
It's also the majority opinion. Just because a compaq machine works here and there doesn't mean they're any good.
Like nano said above me, the ARE utter shit. Want more detail? BIOS, cheap hardware, and flimsy design. By all means, if you wanna drop $1400 on a laptop and have it crap out in 2 years, be my guest. Don't say I didn't warn ya
Generally when I spend that much on something not easily upgradable (like a laptop), I kinda expect it to still be working after 4 years.
Also, desktop vs laptop systems are different. Their desktop systems are crap too, but at least you can upgrade those and replace parts yourself.
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And you are right, if there's a problem after one month, there's no risk, but it's only a taste of the future problems you'll experience
Sure, Sony and IBM probably have their share of problems too, but in every single compaq laptop I've ever come across (or HP for that matter), there's ALWAYS been a problem.
A friend of mine bought an HP and had the power connector bust on him the first time he plugged it in. It actually wasn't covered under warranty (read the agreement)
He exchanged it at the store, but the one after that.. he had something else crap out that he sent it in for.
Therefore, it's in my opinion, and pretty much the opinion of reputable people that Compaq is poop!