Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ncar!tank!ads4
From: ads4@tank.uchicago.edu (adam david sah)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: PC's LIKE NEW : Is this company for real?
Summary: CompuAdd and their products
Keywords: ibmpc
Message-ID: <484@tank.uchicago.edu>
Date: 23 Oct 88 15:00:25 GMT
References: <25511@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA> <6609@pyr.gatech.EDU> <12645@duke.cs.duke.edu>
Reply-To: ads4@tank.uchicago.edu.UUCP (adam david sah)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Chicago
Lines: 26

In article <12645@duke.cs.duke.edu> aw@romeo.UUCP (Angus Wang) writes:
>In article <6609@pyr.gatech.EDU> ccastgw@pyr.UUCP (GREG WILLIAMS) writes:
>>you could get 640k and a turbo machine for about that price, possibly a little
>>less. 
>
>I just had a friend order a set up similar to this (XT clone, 2 floppies,
>640K, amber monitor, citizen printer) for about $900. I saw
>the ad in PC Mag for CompuAdd's "Career Starter Kit.

You also asked about CompuAdd as a company. It is GREAT.

1. They have a dedicated tech support staff that is now easier to reach (they had some problems getting through bec. of growth...)

2. Their products are ROCK solid. I have their 286/10 (mhz) and it is 100% compatible and that means both hardware AND software compatible.

3. Their prices are VERY reasonable. My entire system cost me about $1500 and it included the cpu, mono monitor, LX800 printer (that's epson- standard! compat. with FX series and MX series), 640K, 20 mb hard disk, some blank disks and paper, etc. very nice!


My only complaint is one that seems to afflict the AT clone market as a whole. The machines (the ATs) are not THAT reliable. The old IbXTs ALWAYS booted and they didn't really crash-with-no-reason. But my machine and friends' machines don't always work 100% and we don't know why. It doesn't seem to be CompuAdd's fault- albeit they are the BEST of the lot.
For example, when I try something new (i.e. something radical- like putting in some new TSR into the works or installing a RAM disk, etc ) sometimes it will just CRASH- and yet I know that the TSR was not at fault...
This also is hardware related- things don't install easily or 100%. It took me about a day's labor just to install a new 40 meg hard disk, when it should have gone in within 4 hours. Now, you can blame this on me- but I doubt it. It just seems to fluky, that's all.
My concern is not for hobbyists like myself, who get a perverted sort of thrill
out of doing this- but for businesses who cannot afford ANY slippage. They would go nuts if the computer didn't boot today- or the configuration settings were lost and they had to boot floppy and re-configure the system.
My machine is wonderful- but I'd be damned if I'd recommend it for an office.

p.s. By a strange sort of irony, my old company (used to work for) - just before I left- switched to CompuAdd as their computer products supplier. I'm withholding their name, but suffice it to say that they're Fortune 500 (and well up there...). In fact, I know it for a fact that they're going to be ordering the same machine I have. I only hope they're microcomputer dept is very strong...