Recovery Discs Seem Like Raw Deal!

[Guest]

I have an Hp Pavillion Desktop which recently had some
serious hardware issues. I am now replacing my motherboard
and hard-drive. Since I am replacing the motherboard
anyway, I figure I might as well upgrade at the same time.
The problem is that the computer did not come with any
software on cd. It was pre-loaded and all software is on
hidden partition of hard-drive which is no good. I called
HP customer service to get my software that came with the
system on cd. I had to pay $37.05 to get the cds'. Only
now to find out that they are recovery cds' that HP says
will only work with my original motherboard. Does anyone
know how if this is indeed the case. Is there anyway I can
get my software loaded after installing an upgraded
motherboard without having to buy Windows XP all over
again. I thought I paid for my software when I bought the
computer. Then I had to pay again for recovery discs that
probably wont even work! Do I have to buy my software
AGAIN? PLEASE HELP ME IF YOU CAN. Thanks,
Very Frustrated

 

[Jim Macklin]

Yes, the CDs that HP supplies are an image of the system as
they shipped it. They are BIOS locked and will not run at
all without the HP BIOS.

Maybe they will accept a return of the CDs. But just go buy
a real Microsoft XO CD and some new applications too,
because the stuff that MS sent is OEM and BIOS locked.

If you buy a cheap horse from a salesman without having an
expert bit of advice from a veterinarian and the better
business bureau, any thing can happen.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But legislators see it as an obstacle to be overcome.


| I have an Hp Pavillion Desktop which recently had some
| serious hardware issues. I am now replacing my motherboard
| and hard-drive. Since I am replacing the motherboard
| anyway, I figure I might as well upgrade at the same time.
| The problem is that the computer did not come with any
| software on cd. It was pre-loaded and all software is on
| hidden partition of hard-drive which is no good. I called
| HP customer service to get my software that came with the
| system on cd. I had to pay $37.05 to get the cds'. Only
| now to find out that they are recovery cds' that HP says
| will only work with my original motherboard. Does anyone
| know how if this is indeed the case. Is there anyway I can
| get my software loaded after installing an upgraded
| motherboard without having to buy Windows XP all over
| again. I thought I paid for my software when I bought the
| computer. Then I had to pay again for recovery discs that
| probably wont even work! Do I have to buy my software
| AGAIN? PLEASE HELP ME IF YOU CAN. Thanks,
| Very Frustrated

 

[Plato]

system on cd. I had to pay $37.05 to get the cds'. Only
now to find out that they are recovery cds' that HP says
will only work with my original motherboard. Does anyone
know how if this is indeed the case. Is there anyway I can

Probably. You didn't pay for for the real XP when you got your PC. Time
to pay for XP now.

 

[t.cruise]

Some say: You get what you pay for. I say: Do some research before you buy.
Even a Dell $499 "As Advertised" Special comes with a Windows XP CD (not a
System Recovery CD, but a real OEM Windows XP CD). HP is notorious for not
providing Windows XP CDs, sometimes having the setup files on a hidden
partition, and sometimes providing System Recovery CDs, all of which are
unacceptable. I can't believe that supplying an OEM Windows XP CD would add
much to the price of an HP system.

 

[LOSTSOUL]

FOR ALL INFO....HP..COMPAUQ,EMAHINES ARE ALL SAME KIND OF
JUNK..YOU GET WHAT YOU BY AN BAND AIDE MACHINE THIS HOW
COMPANYS AS THEY ARE ROB OTHERS OF MONEY PLUS PEOPLE BUY
THERE JUNK FOR THEY ARE BRAIN DEAD THINKING BRANDS NAME
EVEN SUCH AS DELL OR IBM OR THE BEST...HELL GO TO
PRICEWATCH.COM AND BUY THE XP CD FOR $85.00...

THEN BUILD YOUR OWN..THE SO CALLED STORE GARBBAGE..IS
JUST THAT GARBBAGE FOR ALL SPEND MONEY ON.,....

USE THIS SITE TO BUT PRODUCTS AND BUILD YOUR OWN PC AND
INSTALL XP

http://www.pricewatch.com/

 

[sgopus]

Unfortunetly, your premise is correct. It would be nice if
dell and other pc makers would supply an OEM version of
the operating system, but they figure to save money on the
license fees, which Microsoft charges thru the roof.
So the average consumer has to be expected to know this
and prepare, NOT!
Now you have learned an expensive lesson, and are forced
to buy either a full version or an OEM version of your
operating system.

 

[Jim Macklin]

Dell does! I've used the discs supplied by Dell to repair
several friends computers. Now, Dell and Compaq are
different and I would not buy one of those.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But legislators see it as an obstacle to be overcome.


message | Unfortunetly, your premise is correct. It would be nice if
| dell and other pc makers would supply an OEM version of
| the operating system, but they figure to save money on the
| license fees, which Microsoft charges thru the roof.
| So the average consumer has to be expected to know this
| and prepare, NOT!
| Now you have learned an expensive lesson, and are forced
| to buy either a full version or an OEM version of your
| operating system.
|
|
|
|
| >-----Original Message-----
| >I have an Hp Pavillion Desktop which recently had some
| >serious hardware issues. I am now replacing my
| motherboard
| >and hard-drive. Since I am replacing the motherboard
| >anyway, I figure I might as well upgrade at the same
| time.
| >The problem is that the computer did not come with any
| >software on cd. It was pre-loaded and all software is on
| >hidden partition of hard-drive which is no good. I called
| >HP customer service to get my software that came with the
| >system on cd. I had to pay $37.05 to get the cds'. Only
| >now to find out that they are recovery cds' that HP says
| >will only work with my original motherboard. Does anyone
| >know how if this is indeed the case. Is there anyway I
| can
| >get my software loaded after installing an upgraded
| >motherboard without having to buy Windows XP all over
| >again. I thought I paid for my software when I bought the
| >computer. Then I had to pay again for recovery discs that
| >probably wont even work! Do I have to buy my software
| >AGAIN? PLEASE HELP ME IF YOU CAN. Thanks,
| > Very Frustrated
| >.
| >

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Because you chose to purchase a PC with a pre-installed OEM
license for the operating system, all you are "entitled to" is a means
of returning the PC to the condition it was in when it left the
factory. To meet this obligation, most OEM manufacturers provide a
Recovery CD, some (the worst ones, such as Compaq and HP) provide only
a hidden Recovery partition on the hard drive, and some (the better
ones, such as Dell and Gateway) provide a full, BIOS-locked
installation CD. OEM licenses are considerably less expensive than
retail licenses, and with the lower cost comes lower flexibility; with
software, as with everything else in life, you generally get what you
pay for, and no more. Computers have been sold this many for several
years, now, so this really shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone.

If you want a full installation CD to perform custom
installations, you'll need to purchase such, and the accompanying
license.



Bruce Chambers

--
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You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Brian Coats]

According to Emachine. The only thing that will prevent the restore
cd from working is if you replace or flash the bios.

However you may have to activate if you replace the mother board.
If you have the i386 folder burned to cd. It still should install.
You should be able to activate it. You will also need the product key.
However, you will need a boot disk to boot to the cd.


Brian

 

[t.cruise]

A client had an HP system, and the System Recovery CDs wouldn't work. It
turned out that it was because he had added a CDR/CD-RW drive to an empty
bay. Even though that drive didn't take the letter of the CD drive, the
System Recovery CDs wouldn't work UNTIL I unplugged the data cable for that
added CDR/CD-RW, making the system have the EXACT hardware components that
were shipped.
--

T.C.
t__cruise@[NoSpam]hotmail.com
Remove [NoSpam] to reply

According to Emachine. The only thing that will prevent the restore
cd from working is if you replace or flash the bios.

However you may have to activate if you replace the mother board.
If you have the i386 folder burned to cd. It still should install.
You should be able to activate it. You will also need the product key.
However, you will need a boot disk to boot to the cd.


Brian