New problems with the Compaq 5000 and 7000 series
Sep 10 '00
Over the last couple months, I have setup, upgraded and troubleshot over 200 of the new Compaq 5000 and 7000 series computers. They range in speed and expandability from 566MHz to 1000MHz. They use different processors from the Intel Celeron to the AMD Athlon. Each computer is unique and has it's own pro's and con's, but there is one thing they all share... a problem.
I only discovered this problem recently while setting up a new computer for a customer. I usually use a data CD to test the CDROM and CDRW drives in the new computers but this particular day all I had available was a music CD to use. I inserted the disk into the CDROM of a Compaq 5000 5BW250 and listened for the music to start playing. The music started and played fine. I then removed the disk and inserted it into the CDRW drive and the computer started the Windows CD player and immediately locked up.
This problem has reared it's ugly head on every Compaq 5000 and 7000 series computer we have tested at our tech bench. I have speculated that the problem may be due to the fact that Compaq, unlike many other computer manufacturers, does not attach an audio cable to the CDRW in their computers. This alone is a nuisance but not detrimental since you can still play CD audio from the DVD or CDROM drive. But when I tested this theory using a Hewlett Packard with CDROM and CDRW drives by removing the CD audio cable from the CDRW drive, the Hewlett Packard did what it was supposed to do. It played the CD anyway, even though you could not hear it.
This leads me to believe there may be a problem in the Compaq BIOS because I have eliminated the possibility it could be a Windows problem and the possibility it could be due to a missing audio cable. I have tested these computers with Windows 98 SE and Windows ME and the outcome is the same every time. If you own one of these computers you can test it yourself by simply inserting a music CD into the CDRW drive and your computer will lock up.
In recent weeks I have also discovered many other problems (some relating only to individual computers) with the CDRW drives and Compaq's BIOS. I have had several computers returned because the computer no longer would recognize the CDRW drive and this problem has always been traced back to the BIOS. For some reason the Compaq BIOS looses the CDRW drive and does not see it any more. Some of the CDRW drives were actually bad but most, when tested in another computer, were fine but would not register in the BIOS of the afflicted computer.
I had previously given Compaq a decent rating on the 5900Z, but since then I have had many problems with the 5000 and 7000 series mostly relating to the CDRW drive. Therefore I have to give both of these series one star. I would not recommend buying any of these Compaq computers until this problem is resolved.
Update: 09/17/00 Today we received a new shipment of Compaq Presarios and all of the computers in the 5000 and 7000 series on this shipment do not show any signs of the problem with the CDRW drive. Also, many of these computers have had a second audio cable installed on to the CDRW drive so you can use the drive to play audio CD media.
I will update this review as necessary if problems arise in this new shipment and will continue to report any problems I find with the computers that I deal with on a daily basis.
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