Gateway NE56R34u 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

I was looking for an affordable, reasonably fast, easy to use PC for my wife. I found the Gateway NE56R34u 15.6" laptop at a great price at amazon.com. As usual with amazon.com, delivery was quick. The PC worked right out of the box, which is always a good sign. The 15.6" screen is perfect, and the performance is just right. It came with Windows 8, which takes a little getting used to. There is no user manual, but there is a cheat sheet that comes with the unit. It is very helpful, but not needed once you get the hang of the Windows 8 user interface. I highly recommend this PC to anyone looking for a moderately priced unit that does the job.

Got this computer for my dad. As soon as I got it I removed Windows 8 and installed Windows 7. I just don't see a reason to use Windows 8 on a computer that doesn't have a touch screen. I didn't have any trouble locating and installing the drivers for this computer.It has been working well without any issues for him for over a year now. I've not had to fix any major issues with it for him.I will not that when handling this laptop it does feel a bit on the fragile side. My dad does not carry it anywhere and basically uses it as a desktop that he can take from the office to the living room. So I'm not sure how well it would handle heavier use.Overall, it is a good computer for the price and runs Windows 7 without any problems.Note: If you plan to put Windows 7 on it make sure you know how to remove Windows 8 i.e. disabling the UEFI and such.

It would have 2 stars, but it was a great price. If I were reviewing it along with the pre-installed Windows 8 it would be 2 stars.But, I'm going to separate out the machine from the operating system.Likes: monitor size and screen quality (although there is glare, but they all seem to have that), number keyboard, feel of keyboard, fairly lightweight (for a larger size laptop).Dislikes: the mouse seems to be placed too far to the left. Also, if you don't click it in the far lower left right corner, it is very difficult to push. Carpal tunnel syndrome here I come!Let's talk about Windows 8 for a moment, shall we? I could learn to live with Windows 8. It's just different and takes getting used to (I had that issue when MS Office revamped their interface years ago...and now it's no big deal). But, Corel X5 would not work on it. Which I only needed to load so I could upgrade to X6 which does work on Wndows 8. (See my CorelDraw X6 review for the full rant on that issue.)I made the mistake of trying to change the operating system myself. I won't bore you with the gory details. Bottom line: I had to pay a pro to fix the mess I made. I now have Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OS loaded and I'm happier camper.Amazon does not let you return computers unless there is something wrong with them. This is a good deal; just make sure the programs you want to use work on Windows 8. If you're not sure, buy a Windows 7 computer. It's easier to upgrade than to downgrade.One more piece of somewhat unrelated advice: Back up all of your files on an external hard drive or in the cloud (dropbox.com is good) before you change your operating system. I hear all you techie guys laughing. Go ahead; that's why we pay you the big bucks. :-)

It worked well for a few days, but then began shutting down at random times. I made sure all the power settings said never to shut down automatically. Gateway support suggested resetting the BIOS, which I did, but that didn't solve it. I had to send it back to them (and I paid the shipping, even though it failed after only a week!) They sent it back a week later, and the problem just occurred again yesterday (two weeks after we got it back.) I'm calling this a lemon.Update:After sending it back TWICE, the problem persists. Gateway refuses to refund or replace, even though the second time it was in for a repair they couldn't reproduce the problem. Amazon says that my window of opportunity to return the item expired. (Hey, I've been trying to get it repaired!!)Another update:Third time's a charm, right? Maybe not.The first time I sent it back they replaced the hard drive.The second time I sent it back they couldn't reproduce the problem (they left it on for 24 hours), so they returned it with no changes.The third time I sent it back they ... wait for it ... replaced the hard drive. Yes, the same thing that didn't fix the problem the first time. Folks, something is telling this computer to shut itself down and I'm pretty sure it's NOT the hard drive.Have I mentioned that I'LL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GATEWAY PRODUCT AGAIN?Final update: After the 4th return (this time they replaced the motherboard/CPU), we got it back on Friday, unpacked it Saturday, and within an hour it failed again. Back to Gateway's customer service to fill out a report. Monday I get an email from Gateway saying they can't process our request, and they give an 800 # to call. I call, give the serial # of our computer, and the automated service responds, "That's not an Acer product. We can't help you." (Acer bought Gateway and now handles their service.)Fed up, I contacted Amazon. Their return policy says 30 days and we're way past that. I explained the situation, pointed out that I've bought a lot of technology through Amazon, and said that if I didn't get satisfaction out of this situation that I would never buy another computer or expensive item from Amazon again.Within two hours I received a reply from Amazon saying that although it's against their policy, they would grant an exception in this case. They even sent me a free shipping label so I could return the computer to Amazon and get a full refund.So kudos to Amazon.com for still caring about its customers (even if all they were responding to was a threat), and a one-finger salute to Gateway/Acer for making crappy products and providing even worse customer service.