My S6231 arrived. Please help!

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I am a grad student and just got a new laptop. I was deciding between Dell 700M and this Fujitsu S6231. I had been looking and reading for a long time and I finally settled down with the Fujitsu. I ordered it from Newegg and got it today.

My first impression on the computer is that it looks bigger than I expected and especially when compared to 700M. As you guys might have guessed, I was not lucky enough to see it before I bought it.

Anyway the screen is nice but from my untrained eyes, I dont' see any differences in term of the quality between Fujitsu's screen and 700 M's screen.

All in all it looks okay, the screen is nicer than my Toshiba M35S359 but it did not blow my mind.
Upon looking closer at my S6231, I found that the DVD/CDRW combo drive looks a tiny bit crooked and it feels a little bit flimsy again compares to my Toshiba.

Anyway I first tried to install some programs and apparently the CD drive froze during the installation and it kept reading the CD over and over. I had no choice but tried to stop it. It did not work so I had to trun off the computer!

Being so curious and scared, I tested the drive by inserting normal music CD in. It was fine up until the point when I stopped it. Unexpectedly there was this noise of the CD still spinning while hitting the drive. It did not sound like it was slowing down at all so I pressed the eject button It then spun for awhile and stop.

Then I examined the drive even closer and found that the CD (not bent but normal looking CD) that is loaded in the drive, when the tray was pushed in place, will touch the top of the metal drive casing. It is not strong contact but enough for me to notice that once the CD was inserted > half way, the CD was always turned slightly. I am not sure how significant this is but I just tried it on my Toshiba and observed that the CD turns slightly when loaded onto the drive too


Anyway I was playing around with how I loaded the CD and made sure that it was pushed all the way onto the tray, finally I got to install my programs.

I am writing here to see if people with 6231 out there have noticed similar thing on their laptops? Please share your experiences. I am not sure how should I feel about this laptop now. Upon camparing it back to my Toshiba, I feel that Toshiba is more solid and not as hot as the Fujitsu. The keybord and the touchpad on the Fujitsu kind of disappoint me.

Sorry I have all the negative comments right now. I am just frustrated that's all.

[B)]

 

hey ifeelblue, I've not experienced this CD drive issue with my S6231, and when you talk about a CD "slightly turning when inserted" that is absolutely a natural thing, happens on every laptop I have (just did it on my ThinkPad T40 to confirm), very observant of you though!

It's possible the CD that was skipping had a scratch or is dirty and the laser on the Fujitsu was a little more sensitive to this fact, but if you see this happen a lot with various CDs then certainly something could be wrong with that specific drive because I have experienced now such thing.

One thing you should keep in mind is that the 700m screen is 1) Smaller than the Fuji in screen size 2) Even though it's smaller, the 700m battery life is a paltry 2 hours for a "mobile laptop" while I get 4 hours with the S6231 3) The keyboard on the S6231 is definitely better than the 700m 4) Even though the 700m is smaller screen and width wise than the S6231 it is somehow the same thickness or slightly thicker 5) Even though the 700m is smaller it weighs the same as the S6231 (4lbs)

I agree that the 700m and S6231 screen quality and brightness is equal though. However, having used both I'd take the S6231 any day of the week.

 

My thus far current/first/and only laptop, a toshiba did the same thing to the first CD I put in it. I didn't realize that I needed to "seat" the cd into the tray with a little push. I recon laptops require this whereas desktop optical drives don't because there is the propensity for movement.

Not sure if this is what happened to you, but it sounded similar.

Re: laptop priorities, I agree with abaxter that battery life is up there near the top of the list. That's what led my search initially to the P7000 series, then the S6000 series when I felt the P7000 would be a bit too small for me. But you have to make up your own mind and decide what is best for you regardless of what others think.

-David

 

[:I] I am sorry for all the typos. I just woke up and I still havn't worn my glasses nor did I preview it first. My two poor eyes don't focus at the same length[ ]
Have a nice day where ever you are!

 

I will play around wiit some more and see how it goes. On emoret thing though, this laptop was supposed to come with 512 MB RAM but when I checked, it says only 504 MB RAM. Do you guys see the same thing in your lifebook? My toshiba says 512 MB which is the corect one.
Also the lithim ion batery is supposed to be memory effect free but how crucial is it to fully charged it the first time of usage?


[:I]I charged it for 2-3 hours and I had to unplug it so I am not sure how much that will effect the battery [xx(] I read in the batteryuniversity already and it seems like no problem but I am not sure if the initial charge follows the same rule as any other charges.


Thank you very much for your opinions! They are really soothing to me to read and see how you feel [:I]

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by ifeelblue

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by shingouki

 

Setting the amount of video memory is usually done in the BIOS?






I know things, things that could get me killed

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>I get the same amount of RAM installed (504MB). I believe it's the integrated graphics that steals this 8 mb.<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>This is why I'm planning to get 768MB in my next notebook.

-David

 

Sorry that you are having concerns with your new Fujitsu. The CD drive is docked in a removable bay. Possibly it is inserted catty-wampus. Try popping it out and carefully re-inserting it until it clicks into place. Do not force it. If it still looks crooked (glasses on [ ]), then you may have a defective unit. I'm sure NewEgg will replace it with the same make and model. The video memory shouldn't be an issue with 512mb. The battery life meter is really just a visual reminder of where you're at. It will fluxuate depending on how big a load you are placing on the unit. I routinely get 3.5 to 4.0 hours before a recharge is required. You'd never get even close to that with the 700M. The L-ion batteries should not be affected by a short first charge. Work with your new notebook for a while longer; give it a chance and you will learn to love it! Keep those glasses close by. [ ] Regards, Ace [8D]

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by ifeelblue