bodoh@engr.wisc.edu (Daniel Bodoh) (06/28/91)
In article <2781@cruzio.santa-cruz.ca.us> mscott@cruzio.santa-cruz.ca.us (Michael Scott) writes: > >I am considering buying a new Gateway 2000 486/33. Before I go that final >step, I am curious as to whether anyone has heard of any problems with >Gateway. [stuff deleted] >Michael Scott Problems? I've spent this whole week with problems with 2 Gateway 486/25s. The first had a very noisy hard drive, and did some very strange things. Every software installation program I ran locked the computer up, but it wasn't very consistent. WP 5.1, for example, locked up while copying, and on the second try, gave me a divide error. And in windows, moving the pointer near text causes random pixels in the area to flip color so the screen quickly becomes dirty. On the second, I melted the main chip on the IO/Drive/Game port card. I got a new one, plugged in the printer, and felt the chip heat up again. After spending about an hour on the phone with Gateway, I'm getting a new motherboard and memory for the first (suspect memory problem). And it seems the second is the case of an old revision of the board - make sure you get revision B3, not B, of that combination card. Gateway was very helpful when I called, I must admit. However, the first time I called with the Windows/lockup problem, the tech made me boot up with no autoexec.bat or config.sys (although I didn't change them and tried to explain this to her) and she concluded that it was a software problem 'cause the intermittent problems didn't return during our phone call. The one machine I did get running with no problems works like a charm. They are nice machines; maybe it was just my turn for a few problems. Good luck! Dan Bodoh
bt@bailey.u.washington.edu (bt garner) (06/28/91)
In article <2781@cruzio.santa-cruz.ca.us> mscott@cruzio.santa-cruz.ca.us (Michael Scott) writes: *> *> I am considering buying a new Gateway 2000 486/33. Before I go that final *> step, I am curious as to whether anyone has heard of any problems with *> Gateway. I would avoid Gateway at all costs. I purchased a 386/20 system from them in October, 89. When I bought the system, it was supposed to have came with an 80M hard drive (all formated, with software preloaded). It actaully contained only a 40M hard drive (I wonder how many people don't realize this until it is too late?) The replacement drive that they sent was defective (either that, or their technical support staff was so unknowledgable that they couldn't figure out how to format an 80Meg hard drive either), so another one was sent. This too was defective. The third drive finally worded (and I might add, without the assistance of their tech support personnel). Time lost due to this, about 4 weeks (plus I had to pay return shipping on all those hard drives). A little later, I realized that my 1.44 Meg floppy (what I had purchased) coul only handle 720K disks (at el). Another call (and I might add that any time you call Gateway Tech support, expect to be put on hold for at least an hour) and I was informed that I had the wrong floppy drive. So, they send a new one out, that didn't fix the problem. Another call to tech support, and they told me that my motherboard was too old to support 1.44 floppies. Now wait a second, you guys sold me a system that you *KNEW* would not support that kind of hardware? Finally I was send another motherboard, of the 4 Meg RAM on board, some of it was defective, so yet *another* board was send out, this had a defective chip on it, so I took the memory from the second one and placed it on the first one that they had sent. That worked. However in the process of doing all of this floppy.board swapping (blech!) My hard disk had failed, so I called them yet again, and finally convinced them that since this had rooted from their faux pas, that they should replace the hard drive - they did. Total down time: 10 weeks. I will say that they were good about getting replacement parts out to me, but I have just too many complaints that don't come close to outweighing the bad side: Unknowledgable tech support people, knowingly bad hardware sent out to me, unwillingness to use the "on site repair service (something they proudly used to proclaim in their ads and on the phone)" No thanks. I would avoid Gateway at all costs. bt garner bt@cpac.washington.edu NOTE: this is not to start a flame war, I know others who have had very little problems with Gateway, this is just what happend to me.