Customer Reviews

Gateway 200Ea Notebook (1.6-GHz Pentium M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Combo)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I bought this model in September and have been extremely pleased with it except for one thing: the USB ports do not work. While my experience was (I'm assuming) an isolated case, the customer service reps were not helpful at all, each telling me something different. I waited 3 months for a replacement part, but never received it and therefore returned my computer. I have not heard of any other cases of USB malfunctions like this from Gateway and have never had any problems with my other Gateway computers. Under normal circumstanes, I highly recommend the 200x, but if you have any problems with it when you receive it RETURN IT ASAP.

I've owned mine for a month and have had no technical issues with the computer. Getting my wireless network installed at home was another matter.
One of the big selling points for me was the unlimited toll-free support from Gateway technicians as long as the product is under warranty (the first year). They've been outstanding, even when the problem with my network was coming from the router, not their computer.
My last system was from a competitor and you had to provide a credit card number just to ask them a question, and then you were connected to someone overseas who barely spoke English.

I bought a Gateway 200E (200 ARC series) 2 days ago from another online store (I'm still posting it here, so that other potential buyers may find out about this before making a buying decision). The quality, features and speed are good. The reason I'm giving 1 star is because Gateway doesnt accept responsibility for their bugs, and doesn't want to fix them.

If I put the computer into standby and then wake it up, and use the volume control by pressing Fn + left or right arrow keys, the system crashes. It freezes completely. Even ctrl + alt + del doesn't work.

I called Gateway, and this is what they said:

"It's an already documented problem with this model.

Gateway doesn't have a solution for this problem, they only have two workarounds:

1. Don't use the Fn + key combo for volume control, use the volume control icon on the system tray with your mouse.

2. Don't use the Fn + key combo for a while after waking up from
stand by"

My reply to #1, I dont want to look for the icon and click it, I want a shortcut whenever I want to control the volume. That's what it is there for. Besides, I press ctrl + arrow to tab through my text documents. It's very easy to press Fn instead of ctrl, and this is more possible in this model especially since Fn is the outermost key on the left side, and ctrl is to the right side of it, unlike most other laptop keyboards where ctrl is the outermost key. I dont want my laptop to crash when I'm browsing through my text documents or writing code.

#2. I even tried doing this after an hour, and it still crashes.

I have the latest BIOS (v 42.01.02), and Gateway doesnt have a newer BIOS update of fix for this. I use Win XP Pro, by the way. This crash is reproducible every single time I do what I described above (use volume control after waking up from standby).

Gateway said they just wont fix it or replace this laptop. If I send it for service, they won't give me a time estimate of how long it will take to fix it. They are just trying to deter me from sending it for service I guess.

The tech who answered my second call was so rude and yelling on the phone telling me not to use the key combo, rather than focusing on how to fix it. He even said he won't let me talk to Level 2 tech people when I asked. I had to give him a piece of my mind before he would let me talk to Level 2.

The level 2 guy was even more ridiculous. He suggested that I use the screensaver instead of standby. Moron, he doesnt even know the difference between the use of a screensaver and a standby mode.

Perhaps, he thinks people who buy their laptops are starfishes who they can push around and deny service for their defective product.

How many of you have had this problem replicable with the Gateway 200 ARC series? Can you try this on your laptop and see if it happens?

Does anyone know a fix for it? I badly need it. If you have the same problem, or know how to fix it, please email me at sen@stanmed.net

If there are enough number of people with this problem, without
proper service being provided by Gateway, I think a class action
lawsuit would be feasible.

Thanks.

Sen.

I have had the computer for about 2 weeks. I especially like the speed, keyboard (like desktop) and wireless connection. My only problem would be that I can't adjust the contrast on the desktop. Since this is my first laptop, I don't know if I could do it with a different one. Very light to carry, especially since the CD/DVD is internal. Also like the scroll button near the touch pad.

This notebook is great for someone that travels. After comparing many notebooks in it's class. Going to stores annd physcially playing with them I found this notebook to be most portable and have some of the more powerful features. This is the lightest I found in the 14.1 in screen size notebook. This notebook looks great and is powerful enough to satisfy most users. I guess I can list all the problems that way buyers can pay attention to those things when purchasing this notebook. The most noticeable draw back was the battery life. It comes with a 3 cell battery which amounts to about a 2 hours max battery life. I suggest buying the 6 cell battery which will double you battery life. I did have some issues with the 802.11b card which signal faded alot. I had them put in the 802.11g instead and it works great. The next problem I found was the notebook gets really hot after a while (1/2 hour). But not to where it might burn you just a bit unconfortable. Finally I the cd-rom drive to be a bit loud. Aside from these minor issues which can be easyly fixed, I found this notebook to be a great buy. After rebates and discounts I think this was the best bang for my buck.

I did a lot of research to find a light powerful notebook at a good value. I travel a fair amount for work and the 200 really packs the horsepower into a sleek, lightweight form.

The system has plenty of speed and memory for even the intense worksheets I use. The display is wonderful and being able to watch a DVD on the plane is nice. I wasn't a fan of touchpads, but this one has a good feel to it, along with the keyboard. Best of all, is the size. The notebook measures only 12.42"x10.2"x.94" and weighs in at less than 4 1/2 pounds with the battery. This machine is a pleasure to carry around.

There are only a couple minor drawbacks. There isn't a floppy drive, so instead I use one of those USB flash drives to transfer files. Also, the built-in speakers are weak. Again this is not a big deal to me because I tend to use headphones or external speakers. Finally, I recommend purchasing an extended life battery if you're looking at running off the battery for longer than the length of two movies.

Gateway is without a doubt the best computer brand. I previously had a Gateway laptop that lasted me about seven years. Seven years seems to be unheard of for a computer! And believe me, I was NOT easy on my laptop. They make a good product and unlike many other brands they make it to last. I knew that I would be buying a Gateway when I decided to get a new computer. I am very happy with my purchase so far.

One of the best aspects of this laptop is how silent it is. Sometimes I forget if I turned it on or not! One of the aspects I was looking for in a new laptop was a DVD/CD-RW drive. I haven't used it to burn any CDs yet, but I have watched many DVDs on it. The color and focus of the DVD player is very sharp. I have come to prefer to watch movies on my laptop as opposed to my television!

I noticed another reviewer complaining about the low battery life. Well, I keep my laptop plugged in all the time so that's not a problem for me. But to that all I can say is: what do you expect? I get about 2 hours from my battery if it isn't plugged in. To me that is about standard for a laptop. If you expect to get six hours of battery life, you're dreaming. One very positive aspect about the battery is that it charges very fast. Leave it plugged in for fifteen minutes and you will replenish an hour's worth of battery.

This computer is perfect, in my opinion. If you don't buy this particular model, you should still buy a Gateway computer. Don't go for the cheap brand just because it's cheaper. You get what you pay for, and with Gateway you get the best.

A very cute laptop that is all looks and no substance. In the 1.5 years I have owned this laptop, it has been moderately functional for 2 months. The service is some of the worst I have ever encountered, and I can say with certainty I will never again buy from Gateway. Apparently this computer has "known" issues, including a problem with the hard drive connector cable-- this is why so many of these laptops inexplicably shut down randomly. For about 4 months when the laptop was in partial-working condition, it was shutting down every 45 seconds. DO NOT BUY THIS LAPTOP. In fact, DO NOT BUY GATEWAY.

Gateway 200 series notebooks have been advertised as less than 1 inch thick. The technical specifications says it is 0.95 inches thick. I bought the Gateway (instead of a Dell, which is 1.33 inches thick)and measured it. It is 1.3 inches. It is 0.95 inches only when the top (the screen) is open and you don't include the screen in your measurement. And this is measuring from the thin end of the labtop. The rear end is even thicker! Someone should tell Gateway to stop such false advertisement. A corret way to measure the thickness of a laptop is to lay it on a flat surface, put one end of a ruler on the same flat surface, and note the highest point the laptop reaches on the ruler.

"No Operating System Found" Before for Gateway was aware of the "NOSF" problem, which is apparently a problem with the connection between the hard drive and motherboard, they replaced my entire hard drive. I lost all my information, not to mention, I was working in South America at the time so everything was extremely expensive and inconvenient. I've had this very serious problem with this computer at least once a year since I've owned. Save yourself the headaches and money and don't purchase this computer.