A Compaq spokesman, Bob Beach, said Mr. Stimac's resignation was not tied to the performance of the server division, however.

Until Compaq can catch up with demand, it has placed dealers on "allocation," a Compaq spokesman, Bob Beach, said.

Some engineers within Digital also expressed doubts, a Compaq spokesman said.

A Compaq spokesman said the decision allowed Compaq to guarantee that its quality standards would be met.

"We're trying to get away from sticker prices," said Mike Berman, a Compaq spokesman.

A Compaq spokesman declined to confirm the report.

"People always marvel at the fact that their notebook computers can do what a mainframe did 10 years ago," said Jim Finlaw, a Compaq spokesman.

A Compaq spokesman later said Mr. Clarke meant that employees and customers needed time to digest the announcement.

A Compaq spokesman said replacing the recalled adapters, which were supplied by an outside vendor, would have no material impact.

A Compaq spokesman said the company never includes software with its machines, believing the choice of software should be left to the buyer.