BOSTON (01/28/2000) - Compaq Computer Corp. has issued a fix for long system lock-ups caused by the company's Service Connection software, which automatically sends users of some Presario desktop PCs BIOS updates and other upgrades intended to boost performance.
"It seems like it's freezing, but it's really just a long lock-up," Hedy Baker, Compaq's manager of consumer public relations, said of the problem, which first was noticed in November and affects computers in the Presario 5800 and 5900 series.
Compaq is still trying to gauge how many computers are affected by the software problem, but so far the company thinks it's not that many, she said. The same problem has also been found among users in Denmark and England.
As the software automatically connects users to the Internet to receive the updates, some computers that have low system resources appear to freeze, Baker said. The company has responded by sending out fixes to customers and also has posted a fix on the corporate Web site.
The problem is not a hardware issue and relates solely to the Service Connection software, she said.
Compaq, in Houston, can be reached at +1-281-370-0670 or at http://www.compaq.com/.