Works for a while, but has increasing problems the longer I use it. The battery went out just a year after receiving it (new, as a gift). The touch-pad sends subtle electric vibes through my fingers so I have to use a mouse most of the time. Notebook also heats up easily and will shut off if I don't keep it tilted up somehow. The charger didn't last long either. Received a replacement under warrenty, but that too went bad after warrenty ran out. Problems with system, too. Can't do many commands using Admin because it simply won't respond. This is probably a Vista OS problem, though.

FaithEliza

Collinsville, TX

This laptop is a nice laptop at first but the longer you have it the more things that go wrong with it. i had one for less than a week and the whole thing crashed for no reason. then took it back to where i got it from and didn't get it back for two weeks. they didn't even know what was wrong with it. this laptop has been nothing but problems. if you only get online to check email then it would be a great computer for you but if you like to do anything other than that it is not a good computer at all. so i would not suggest this computer to anyone at all.then if you want to talk to anyone at the hp customer service they are no help and they will keep you on the phone for five to seven hours everytime you call them for help. so again i would not get this computer if i was you because it is nothing but problems.it is not worth the moiney that you spend on it either it should only be the price of the mini laptops.thanks for taking the time to read my review.

wolftjl1

Horseheads, NY

I get the machine, which came with Vista (no option for XP). What a mistake! It comes with this nifty Cyberlink DVD Suite, so I try it out. The video I'm playing is stopping and starting and, while II was pretty sure this is because the program wasn't using a big enough buffer, I couldn't find where to make it larger, so I contacted the software manufacturer. They told me that I had to reinstall Cyberlink DVD Suite. I told them that HP hadn't seen fit to include installation disks for any of the software they had preloaded on the machine. So they give me a link where I can go to download this HUGE file. Unfortunately, I have dialup and my service, though cheap, hangs up on me every 4 hours, so I can't download it at home. I go to the library, but their Wi-Fi, though faster than dialup, isn't fast enough. finally, I get a friend to let me come by his office & use his work Wi-Fi to download the file. I run the install and now, instead of getting a jerky, starrt & stop video, I get a black screen & no sound. I tell the guys at Cyberlink this and they say uninstall & reinstall your video drivers. I remind them that I don't have installation disks, so they give me a link. I uninstall the drivers, try the link, and get a message saying that there's no hardware on my machine that matches this driver. Did they warn me to set a restore point before uninstalling the drivers? Of course not. Luckily I did have a recent restore point, and I went to the HP site & got the current video drivers, installed them and the thing still didn't work. When I told the folks at Cyberlink this, they said "Well, it works on our machines. Itr must be something you or HP did." While this was going on, I was going back and forth with HP tech support because I was having intermittent problems with clicking. On occasion, the mouse buttons would stop working. the cursoe moved, I'd position it over something I wanted to click, but when I clicked, either nothing would happen or the focus would actually shift away from the window I had clicked on. After several rounds of back & forth, just after they had sent me an email saying "we give up, ship it back to us", I realized that it only happened when I plugged in my USB mouse. I mentioned that to them and they said to go to a link to download a driver. I got an error message, and they told me to run something, without telling me that it would create a new administrator account and I would not be able to delete the new administrator account. The problem with email support is that there is no continuity, so I'm going to actually call them and stay on the phone until they tell me how to get rid of the extra admin acount, and find drivers that will work for my USB mouse.

antfaber

San Francisco, CA

I have owned the Compac CQ50 for 2 years, and I have been very pleased with its performance.  It has been extremely reliable compared to other pc's  I have owned, and for that reason I will most likely buy another Compac laptop when I replace this model in the next year.  The price was outstanding for what I received, and I can only hope prices remain competitive for future purchases. This has been a super purchase and am looking forward to owning other similar models from Compac in the future.  The only problem that comes to mind is the wireless feature has been somewhat of a let down.  My connection with wireless has been poor, whereas it may be a defect in the PC or router.  I am hoping my next Compac laptop will be more efficient while wireless.  Overall this is a great product for the price and you should be very satisfied with the purchase.   Always shop around for the best price because there are great deals on PC's everyday.

Stevbo

Sparta, TN

This laptop is great for the price. It has Intel CPU and chipset (stay away from Nvidia chipsets). I have used this computer for a year now with no problems, but have serviced a few with simular issues. The issues are weak stability for the LCD screen causing flexing and cracked LCD's. Gotta be careful with this one, so maybe not best for kids, but is a great dependable laptop for the price.

Carl2010

Pikeville, KY

I've inherited a Compaq presario CQ50-142.  I have always unsed a desk top computer but have thought I wanted a laptop for a very long time.  So, when this almost two year old computer came to me I was very excited.  It is smaller, only a fifteen (15) inch as opposed to my husband and son's which are seventeen (17) inch ones but it is great. It does all the things that my desk top does and, as all know, is portable too.  I can play videos and movies on this, plug in my camera card to download photographs that I have taken and view power point presentations, etcetera etcetera. This model also has a built in webcam, so I can get on the yahoo messenger and do video calls with my two beautiful grand babies.  That is way cool.  And, since they live far away, it is a God send to be able to have them also see us because when they are little they need to see you to remember you.  I am so happy with this laptop.

dcptmt

Jasper, IN

This is my first laptop and I really thought I was getting a good deal.  It is a nice little computer, but after having it several months I've found it is lacking in a couple of small areas,of course for the price I paid this is not surprising.  the one thing it is missing that I wish it had was an HDMI port so I could hook this thing up to my TV.  That is really the biggest thing.  Also the battery fully charged dies so fast it's scary.  Outside of that, I do like this laptop, but I wouldn't purchase it again.

momto1want2

Center Line, MI

I have had this laptop for about two years.I spend alot of time play cards on yahoo and shopping online.I book all of our family trips on line and enjoy just surfing the internet.This computer is always been very dependable and easy to use.I have a fourteen year old son who also spend alot of time playing games and surfing the web.He likes to get on Ebay to see what king of Boy Scout patches he can find.He collects then and getting on line makes that easy for him to do.I also take this laptop to the hotels and places that we travel and use the wirless feature on this computer it is wonderful.I also load all my pictures on this laptop and then load them on CD's.It also makes it easy to send pictures to friends and family with in a email,or load pictures foe everyone to see on Facebook.I would recommend these computers to anyone who want good value for the price.It is east to use and very reliable.

cdf799

Franklin, TN

When my husband suprised me for chrismas in 08 I was thrilled. H.P. have always been great in computers. I have full 24 hr service and suport. Its quick and very easy to use. When I get my next computer it will be a H.P.

sassykatluv

Greeneville, TN

My Compaq is the best product I have ever bought. I love my computer and I could not be a day without it. I bought this computer in Feb. and it has been good to me. It was well in my price range which was not high at all. So to find such a great computer was so challenging. I do everything on-line so I needed a computer that was going to be dependable. The only thing I could use more of is memory but that's an easy solve. So I'm okay with that. The customer service at Hp is great and have always been so helpful and courteous. I would have to dedicate most of my new computer knowledge. They are so helpful to equip you with everything your going to need. It made it easier on me to just get home and go on-line right away. I love that you can get on-line with just a click. It is also great for burning cds and dvds, which I love because I'm on the go and I like to take everything with me. It has plenty of usb connections which is anouther plus. So all I have to say is Thank you Hp Compaq!

lleeea

Houston, TX