MSI Megabook S250 - Mini Review

[Dim]

Happy New Year MSI.

[[K0re]]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for dragging out that post, but I have a few question you can maybe answer if you own a MSI S250.

I live in france and I have just ordered one of those notebooks, the one in white color.
I will use it for email/office. Combined it with a 360 Celeron (1.4Ghz) and 512Mb of Ram

But I see a lot of pictures of the white version (here) and on some shots, the touchpad is black, and on some other photos, it is white. Even in the article writen on Hexus, on one picture it's black, and on another white.

Is it two different models? or the angle the picture was shot? light reflection?
Anyway, I can wait untill I receive it and it's just a stupid detail

Thx, Bye

[Rys]

Hi there [K0re],

It's just the angle at which the photographs were taken, the touchpad is white like the rest of the chassis.

[[K0re]]

Hi again,

So i received a few days after my answer the msi s250.
Everything ok, 700€ with 768Mb of ram, a 40gigs 5400rpm 16Mb hard drive and a 360 intel celeron. I baught it from a french cheap but/and non-serious shop. Even if they are official MSI resselers and distributors. There was no mini pci wifi card inside, i had to add it myself.
i prefered to do that rather than sending it back to them when i saw how they have been gentle with the three plastic clips when they assembled the barebone in that shop, the clips have all been far too much bent with a screwdriver, and there where some few scratches on some places of the case (i.e. beneath the battery).

Also the keyboard was not pushed down under the side clips retaining it so was deformed, but i fixed that too.

That shop only took 29€ to assemble the notebook, i started to be anxious when the guy told me he could not send it to me in spare parts and barebone because of the warranty...blahblahblah, and as expected, it was a mess, i would have preffered them to take 40 or even 60 euros to do it, but do it well and tidilly.

Anyway, it's ok, nobody died

But there is one detail, the MSI logo on the back of the screen (top cover) is unglued and starting to fall off
I sent an email to MSI explaining them the problem (wich is not really a big deal, but is a little bit annoying, he was really cute with his logo, and he kind of "lost his soul" now ) and asked them if against a few bucks they could send me another one, but i had no reply.

I suppose the logos are sticked in thailand or wherever in asia where the notebook is built, and that they have no spare in the commercial european support agencies.

But if you know or have any ideas wher or who i can contact to have some help for that, you are welcomed and i would thank you for that.

Thank you for your replies and sorry for that english, i have not spoke english since the age of 15 so terms may be innapropriate

Bye

[ikonia]

ok, this threads been going a while now, and things are still not looking good.

My DVD drive on my S260 has gone a bit "funnny" in that it won't read certain CD's (not damaged) it can no longer burn anything without an error thus making many coasters

I've been mailing MSI requesting info on replacment DVD drives either the existing S260 one or even the S270's slot loading version. Based on the feedback on this forum, I will not send my S260 away to have the DVD drive replaced due to a.) time away from my laptop - still usable without the burner b.) fear of damage from MSI and the problems noted on this forum.

I've had no response on

a.) can you inform my how to buy a replacment S260 DVD dual layer DVD burner, drive is faulty.
b.) can you inform me on how to buy a replacment S270 Slot loading dual layer DVD burner to go into my S260 as the drive in my untit is faulty
c.) I'm getting nowhere mailing you for parts for my S260 - can you confirm what models/specification Slimline DVD drivers you approve / don't approve in the MSI S260 so that I may buy one from a 3rd party as I can't get any information from you at MSI.

Not great

[Steve]

You tried a firmware upgrade ikonia? Also, is the lense clean. Laptop drives can easy get mucky given that the lense is exposed when the tray is ejected.

[ikonia]

lense looks fine - which is sort of backed up by some cd's being fine and others not working at all, and the DVD burning error always being exactly the same. I will give the lense a little run over thought tonight.

There is no firmware update on the MSI website - so I'm not aware of any other firmware updates (I'm open to options though, plus this used to work just fine and has recently just started behaving a little odd, which doesn't suggest a hardware/firmware issue

[Steve]

Forget the MSI site. Is it their DVD burner? If not, go into device manager, get the model name and search the net (or OEM's website) for firmware. That's what I did with my Acer laptop, though I can't remember what (if anything) I was trying to fix.

[ikonia]

already been there my friend,

Slimline DVDRW SOSW-852S running Firmware PES2

a quick google on this drive says many firmware versions are available (some cd specific forums have loads of info) however this drive is marked as an OEM drive and it is up to the system vendor (msi in this case) to provide the firmware for this model to ensure compatability (not sure how much that matters) lite-on (drive maker) doesn't offer any firmware for this, and there appears to be many versions out there but all for specific laptops eg: I've found your acer firmware version.

I'm a bit twitchy about applying a random firmware more so when the makers don't provide one, the laptop vendor doesn't provide one and there is a note that says "this is a vendor release drive - the vendor provides firmware"

if you see one thats for the MSI S260 - point me at it, the PES2 release was release on 23-09-2004 so could certainly do with an update.

[ikonia]

ok - time has gone and I thought I'd add to this thread.

I had to send my S260 notebook back to MSI due to the screen dying. This was mission impossible its self to get through to MSI. Luckly Morgan Computers stepped in and took the notebook back to send off to MSI. When I recived the notebook (20+ days later) the screen was working no problems, the DVD drive cover had been knocked off however and the monitor hinge on the right hand side of the laptop was "loose". I rang up morgan to see what could be done, they said I would have to send it back to MSI which would take another 20+ days to get the hinge tightened. I decided against this based on this thread and the fact that my machine came back in worse condition than when it went. On Friday (20th/10/06) my monitor again went black and unusuable - totally dead. I've now a month after having my laptop back from a monitor fault got to send it away for another 20+ plus for the exact same monitor fault. I have asked them to fix the loose hinge they did for me on the first visit to MSI.

I would STRONGLY recommend against buying another MSI product at this time - not because their products are bad but on the basis that there RMA process is unusable (I would still have the orignional fault if it were not for morgan) and that once you do get the kit to them - it gets damaged and comes back in worse condition than when you sent it, and the work is substandard and has a reasonable possibility of failing again.

[Dim]

Sorry to hear that Ikonia. I really wasn't exaggerating about how BAD the U.K operation is. I ended up using the MSI for parts & bought a Sony. Trading standards said they couldn't do much at the timefor me. Maybe worth trying them yourself as MSI were blaming the couriers in my case. Truly appalling.