Customer Reviews

Toshiba Satellite Pro M15-S405 Laptop (1.40-GHz Pentium-M(Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 40GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I am very happy with the Toshiba M15-405. I have a Mitsubishi 18" LCD monitor at home and the Toshiba looks just as good. Sharp lines and crisp colors.

I am finding the Wi-Fi capabilities to be satisfactory as well. Battery life according to the onboard indicator is over five hour fully charged, I have yet to run out of battery power. The keyboard is comfortable and the unit does not get hot, the left side does warm up but not to an uncomfortable degree.

The speakers are nice, loud in a quiet room, acceptable in a moderately noisy environment but I would still suggest headphones for this or any laptop to avoid annoying others. You can definitely hear the speakers in a conference room full of people.

My first and last Toshiba product.

I was happy with this computer when I got it and I recommended it to everyone who asked my opinion about laptops. After a few months, it started to crash on me very often. I did clean installs of the operating system but that didn't help. It would crash repeatedly and then finally it wouldn't boot at all. It would crash when the computer was moved or the screen angle was adjusted, or for no reason at all. I brought it to the local Toshiba Service Center. 15 minutes after I got it back it started crashing again, and the problem continued. There was some additional damage caused by the service center, in that a piece was loose and the computer would crash if the piece was wiggled (the plate that goes over the power switch). It wasn't doing that before I brought it to the service center.

Toshiba had me ship it to a larger service center. I told them that I didn't want the same computer back because it was an obvious lemon, and especially after the additional damage caused by the service center. After about 10 days I got the same computer back. It had greasy finger smears on the plate that covers the power switch, and a big new scratch. I turned on the computer and the operating system wouldn't even boot. I just got a blank screen. The second time I turned it on, the computer booted, but before I was finished configuring Windows, the computer started crashing again. Now, several weeks later--an *immense* amount of wasted time, and with unfinished projects that I couldn't work on without my computer--I still have a non-functioning computer. How many more days or weeks is it going to be before they fix this problem? I heard that Toshiba had great laptops and great service but this was a terrible disappointment. I am very unhappy with Toshiba. I wish I had bought a Dell.

This is a wonderful little notebook and i would recommend it highly. especially to any of you who might also be considering a Dell (like i was). the reason i went with this one was because i was able to get it at [a local store] with 0% for 12 months (same price after rebate as here at Amazon). but dealing with the goofballs at [the local store] is no picnic and if you could get the Amazon Visa with no interest financing then i would go that route as Amazon is a much better company to deal with in my opinion.

now to the M15-S405:

it has a great 15" XGA (1024x768) screen. and it is definetly the way to go if you don't want to spend all your time squinting at a higher resolution display like Dell offers on their systems (go to the Dell community forums to hear the support and hardware horror stories too!)

the wi-fi capability is awesome! i currently have it running on a wireless network with my desktop and i am able to access my DSL, share files, and share the desktop's printer with ease from anywhere in the house. also, you can use wi-fi in places like Starbucks for an additional fee. check out T-Mobile's website for more info.

this computer also has great battery life, very good Nvidia graphics card and plenty of memory (512mb) and a nice 40gb hard drive (5400rpm). and at just under 7 pounds it is not to heavy to carry around.

for accessories i recommend a wireless router , optical notebook mouse, and of course a case of your choice. i got a Samsonite L35 that is slim and fits the notebook nice and snug.

if you are in the market for a great all-around notebook, you can't go wrong here.

Toshiba may make good products, but their support is the worst i have ever come across. They have lost my laptop for over a month now and do not care a lick about it. They're tech support team is in Turkey and they dont care a thing about anybody. They kept hanging up on me and refused to help me saying it will take some time. When i called back- no one knew anything and had zero updates. DO NOT BUY TOSHIBA PRODUCTS! Get a Gateway or Dell instead...two companies that actually care about their customers.

I wrote another review about this computer previously which I will briefly summarize here, and tell you the continuation of the story:

I bought this model of Toshiba laptop. Several months later it began crashing. I brought it to the local service center in Honolulu. It was returned unrepaired, and with additional damage caused by the local Honolulu service center. They told me I had to send it to the Depot in Kentucky. When I got the computer back a second time, it was STILL BROKEN and there was even more damage--a large scratch and greasy fingerprint (literally, there was grease on my computer). I argued my way all the way to the head of the 'customer relations department' in Istanbul. She is a terribly rude and unhelpful woman named Linda. She told me flat out that "Toshiba does not ever give replacements." I told her that my legally-binding warranty gave me the right to a replacement. She said "Toshiba does not ever give replacements."

(Think carefully about that before you buy a Toshiba product: they do not honor their warranty.)

So they made me send my computer to CPU Repair in California. I sent my computer to California, and didn't get it back for three weeks. I use this computer for business and cannot afford to have my computer gone for over a month (in total).

When I got my computer back after an immense amount of time, it finally worked. But about a month later the new CD/DVD drive that the repair center installed stopped working. It won't read or write CDs and it just makes a grinding noise. I called Toshiba again and was transferred again to 'customer relations' in Istanbul. They told me to bring it to the local service center. I went to the local Honolulu service center and there was a sign on the door saying that it had closed three months ago. I called Istanbul again. They told me to go to the downtown Radio Shack which is an "authorized Toshiba repair center." I called Radio Shack and the guy on the phone told me that his store doesn't repair Toshiba computers that are under warranty! When I called Istanbul again, they told me "he HAS to repair your computer! Tell him he HAS to repair your computer!" I told the lady in Istanbul to call them for me and tell him that. She put me on hold and when she returned she said, "I'm sorry, Toshiba doesn't have an authorized service center in Hawaii. You will have to ship your computer back to the depot."

Last time I shipped my computer in for repairs it took three weeks to get it back. I can't do that again for a broken CD/DVD drive. They want me to ship it back to the same depot that didn't repair my computer the last time.

Do not buy Toshiba products. The service is terrible, the repair centers send things back unrepaired, and in my case the products have failed multiple times. The computer is less than a year old and more than 10% of its entire warranty period was spent in repair. I will never buy anything built by Toshiba again and recommend that you don't either.

As far as my computer goes, I will have to wait a couple of months until I go to the mainland where there is a Toshiba Service Center, and in the meantime I will not have a working CD/DVD drive. I can't install programs, I can't install my digital camera software, I can't tranfer spreadsheets and documents on CDs, or do any other task that requires a CD RW drive.

I purchased this laptop in August 2003 as a freshman in College, so this was the first laptop I ever got. Initially, I was really amazed with the machine as it ran smoothly and also has a vast amount of battery life (approx 6 hours). However, 10 months later, it started to get extremely hot and made buzzing sounds. Finally, it crashed. I called TOSHIBA and they only went through safe-mode procedures with me, which ultimately did NOT work since I was unable to boot the computer anyway, so they directed me to a local Toshiba Service Provider. They fixed my laptop under warranty, however, the battery life dropped significantly from 6 hours to 3 hours after this repair.

My 1-year warranty expired and I purchased another 2 years. LUCKILY enough for me, though, because 6 months later, the hard drive crashed AGAIN right after the same symptoms: over-heating and buzzing sounds coming from the hard drive. Like before, they claimed that it was over-heated and may have been due to virus/spyware. So, after that, I made SURE I went through proper ways of protecting my computer by having the most up-to-date addition of Norton Anti-virus -- checking my computer at least once a week on windows AS WELL AS safemode. I also had spyware protection and checked my computer at least once a week (these procedures were done previously as well, but since both occasions claimed that it was due to a "virus", this time i MADE SURE i was going through very careful and proper procedures). On top of that, I also bought a "chill mat" to cool my laptop and prevent it from overheating (as they claimed this was my problem as well which lead to it crashing). I did everything to protect my computer.

Finally, a year later, it crashed ONCE AGAIN. This is the third time in under 3 years it has crashed and it has DEFINITELY not been a pleasantful experience especially at the convenience of a University student. I called Toshiba who ONCE AGAIN directed me to a Toshiba distributor. AGAIN, they merely replaced the HARD DRIVE, however, once I took it home, it said a component in windows was missing, so I had to take it back to the store again. This time, they claimed it was the whole MOTHERBOARD and had to replace EVERYTHING. It is currently still in the store.

Numerous times, I have claimed to Toshiba due to the amount of times I have had problems with this laptop, I wanted them to repalce it for a new one instead of replacing the hard drive which seemingly crashes every 6-10 months on average. However, they refuse and claim that warranty only fixes the components that are effected. Because my laptop has had the same problem OVER and OVER again, replacing it this often is VERY frustarting and INCONVENIENT and they SHOULD'VE just given me a new one.

While reading the other reviews, I must say that I am sharing the SAME experience which leads to ONE conclusion...... this laptop is HORRIBLE!!!! Please don't even CONSIDER purchasing this laptop, or any TOSHIBA laptop at that -- unless, of course, you want to experience constant hardware difficulties and Toshiba representatives who brush away a consistent problem.

Have to echo the horrible service reviews. My Toshiba notebook is on the way back to the Kentucky repair depot for the third time now (been without it for over a month now). It went in for one problem which was fixed but came back with another. Went back to have the second problem fixed came back with the same problem. And they could care less and won't even consider honoring they warranty which says "repair or replace". Would never buy a Toshiba anything again.

The LOWDOWN: Was sold a LEMON by Toshiba. Motherboard/hard drive crashed after 6 months, was "fixed" by Toshiba, then broke down again w/ the same problem after 2 months. Countless phone conversations and letters to Customer Service and got the runaround big-time. Will NEVER buy a Toshiba notebook, computer product and probably anything with Toshiba brand on it ever again. I should've bought an IBM or Sony.

The DETAILS: I and other members of my family and co-owners purchased this and 8 other Toshiba notebooks of different models for my small business and family use b/c we heard that these were the best selling notebooks (which I later researched and found to be dubious and just hype). Of these 8, 3 had serious hardware problems. Yes that's right, I said 3 out of 8. And I bought them directly from Toshiba. I've owned 3 notebooks (Dell, IBM) and countless desktops in the past, and while I've had software problems, software glitches and the like, none ever had hardware problems.

But 6 months after use, the computer would start whirring very loud and vibrating, then it crashed. A few of my friends who are support experts looked at it, said they've never seen anything like it. I called Toshiba, they said to try to reinstall Windows. I lost ALL my data as my friends couldn't even copy the info. b/c they said the hard drive or motherboard was so damaged. I sent it in to their Depot department (which repairs borken computers), and while my experience was horrible just like many others I've heard, it was sort of the opposite - I got it back too quickly. UPS picked it up on Friday, they got it on Monday morning, had it "fixed" by Monday afternoon (which is what the invoice said) and I got it back on Tuesday. And the only explanation I got was from that one page invoice which said "Bad Hard Drive/Motherboard".

I felt wary about this, but had no choice and used it anyway. After a few days, I got the same whirring sound, called customer service and they said they didn't know what the problem was and that I could send it in and have it looked at, but even if they did that, that if there was a problem I would have to pay for it as the 1 year warranty expires after your first problem. They also said that since it expired I would have to give them a $200 deposit just to have them look at it, and that just to look at it would cost a good chunk of the deposit. Yeah, I'll do that... NOT. My budget not being able to afford buying an IBM or Dell, I was forced to use this. Although it whirred and vibrated constantly, no major problems until, again, 2 months went by and it crashed again, with same symptoms and errors.

I called Toshiba's "Customer" Customer Service dept., which is based in India, they said that since warranty expired, can't do anything about it. I tell them I bought a lemon, and at the very least they should fix it (not sure I would've used it, but wanted this as a courtesy at very least) and after being forwarded to the Depot dept. and back to "Customer" Customer Service, and back to Depot, getting hanged up on, back to Depot, ad nauseum... they basically tell me they can't do anything for me. When I ask to speak to manager, they said they can't do that, that the manager would tell me the exact same thing. When I then say I just want the manager's name so I could write a letter of complaint, they said they cannot do that! When I then ask for a mailing address, they give me one in the US, and I ask but you are in India right? but they say not to worry, it will get to them. So I write a long but detailed letter.

6 weeks go by w/ no response to my letter and I call up, give my case number. They at first said there's no record of my lettter. When I insist I sent it, they put me on hold for like 30 mintues, then say that the address that I sent it to was the "Corporate" Customer Service, and that they are "Customer" Customer Service. Huh? They then say that "Corporate" CS probably received it but that they cannot confirm this b/c they are on different computer systems, and that they cannot give me their contact number but not to worry, someone will get back to me.

Needless to say, no one ever did.

Oh, and about the computer's performance? Okay, I guess. The battery mysteriously started out at 5 (or 6, cant' remember for sure) hour capacity, then went down progressively to 3.5 maximum capacity for some reason, even tho I followed the manual and properly depleted it every month. (When I sent in my notebook for the HD problems, I asked them to look at it but they said I couldn't send my battery in.) The wireless device inside was pitifully slow, not much faster than dial-up, so I had to shell out more money for a real wireless card. Best thing I can say is you can have many apps running and speed only slowed significantly if you have way too many apps running.

All in all, a horrible experience with this LEMON. Like I said before, I'll never do business with Toshiba again. I suggest to stay away, or at least do proper research before buying this or any other Toshiba notebook.

I have a great Sony desktop system, but needed a machine that could travel with me. The Intel Centrino first attracted me because of the built-in WiFi capability, but I bought because of the extended battery life (>5 hours) and fast cache.

At almost 7 pounds, this is not the lightest laptop out there, but it is easy to carry. The 15" screen is nice (I'm used to a 17" screen at home) and the built-in DVD/CD-RW drive is handy for file management and watching movies. The TFT monitor is not as crisp as some, but the display is good for text, graphics and video.

I haven't used the wireless Internet access much, but it seems to work well. Overall, Internet access is fast and smooth with a broadband connection.

The keyboard is comfortable to use, and the touchpad works well. I don't care for the eraserhead-pointstick, but that's a personal preference. This one is probably better than most I've tried.

The Toshiba provides lots of flexibility for add-ons with the SlimSelect Bay, SD slot and a variety of ports and connectors.

There are cheaper laptops out there if you don't want the Intel Centrino technology. I figured that by the time you bought the wireless card and an extra battery, the prices got a lot closer. Add to that the fact that with this one you don't have to drag an extra battery around, and I was ready to buy.

This could be a good desktop replacement or a fantastic road warrior accessory.

As an experienced desktop user new to laptops, I found the Toshiba Satellite Pro M15-S405 acceptable but somewhat disappointing:

-the screen is dull and fuzzy and colors are difficult to adjust
-minimal documentation comes with computer. there is no user manual on paper, cd, or hard drive. an online one is available which is not helpful if you are having problems and are unable to access the internet.
-mine was made in Phillipines, not Japan, as reviews elsewhere have suggested.
-customer help line was rapidly answered, but representatives obviously did NOT speak English as their native language. I had to call three times to speak to someone I could understand, but this was on a weekend.

good points:
-large screen, even if fuzzy
-inexpensive compared to other centrino notebooks of similar configuration (eg Sony, Dell)
-computer is fast, but nowhere close to the desktop (P4 2.4/512MB/64MB video) I bought last Xmas.
-ethernet and wifi worked without major problems.

Overall, rather disappointed, but still decent enough, so that I wouldn't go through the hassle of returning it with restocking charges.