My IPAQ is broken

[Fattizzi]

I have a brand new IPAQ 3835 and the SD slot does not work. I just purcharsed a brand new SanDisk 128mb card and when I insert it, I get an error 20. I even tried the same card in another unit and it worked fine.

I called Compaq and they want me to send my unit in for a week while they fix it. I am forcing them to send me a new one and then I will return mine. It is unacceptable to buy something for 600 bucks and it not work. I should not have to be inconvenienced in any more than I already am. They are escalating my issue to a Customer Relations person and should get back to me by Monday. The store I bought it from (CompUSA) does not have any more in stock within a 50 mile radius.

If anyone can provide a solution for my SD card error, I will try anything.

I already tried using third party Formatting programs, I tried a soft and a hard reset. I am applying MS's SR1 for PPC2002 to see if that will "jolt" the system into seeing the card.

[seanturner]

You can ask your CompUSA MANAGER (notice I said manager, not just any old employee) to have another CompUSA ship them an iPaq. They've done it for me in the past.

[Howard]

Hello.

My iPaq 3835 also has trouble with SD slot. It is not the media, because I have tried three different cards from both Lexar and Panasonic, both MMC and SD, and all have same symptoms.

However, Compaq refuses to send me a replacement before I return my ipaq. Did you actually get them to do this for you? How?

I gave up and sent mine in. After it came back, the note said that they didn't change anything, and they are right... The problems are just the same as before!!!

Symptoms include long hangs, corrupted filesystem. No problem with CF cards.

[fbosch]

My dear, it is always too late that we do realise that in fact there are some SD cards which are simply not going to work with the IPaq as those have been declared uncompatible.
I was lucky when I bought my 128SD card 6 month ago as it worked fine straight away but after I spent some time on the web I found a web site which I think was the compaq one,
This site was listing the part Number on the SD card that we have to select to be successful,

My SD card is referenced 0203LM/0201LM If I remember the important part is the LM.

Regards

[Brad Adrian]

My experience with Compaq customer service (and most others) has been that a determined, yet polite approach usually works. If they balk at sending a replacement unit, simply explain that such is an unacceptable solution because you need your device each and every day. Add that it is enough of an inconvenience as it is. If they still balk, ask to speak to a manager. Again, reiterate the facts (new unit, every day use, inconvenience, etc.) and insist that an up-front swap is the only acceptable solution.

Nine times out of ten, they agree to my terms, as long as I'm respectful and determined.