By Sally Watson, 10 January 2002 12:43
NEWS Angry Hewlett-Packard customers have forced the computer manufacturer into a U-turn after it scrapped recovery disks for its latest range of Pavilion PCs. HP ditched the standard backup CDs in favour of installing Windows XP recovery files on a partition on the hard drive, prompting scores of users to complain. Customers posted irate messages on HP's technical support site and bombarded the manufacturer with phone calls demanding to be sent the disks. One customer wrote: "I really think that HP is putting out a raw deal when you buy their new XP systems and you don't get any recovery CDs. What happens if the warranty runs out and the hard drive physically dies?" Another Pavilion customer returned her machine in disgust. "One person from [HP] support said I would have to purchase a retail version of XP if my hard drive failed. Another said I could purchase a hard drive from HP with XP preinstalled, but could not tell me how much it would cost," she wrote. Customers complained that the move could jeopardise recovery following damage to the hard drive and would also prevent deliberate partitioning of the drive to add a second OS like Linux. According to HP's product description recovery CDs are included in the Pavilion package. But when silicon.com reader, Ian Rowe, contacted HP he was initially told that CDs for the model did not exist. An email from customer support told him: "HP recommends that you do not replace the hard disk as it is preloaded with Windows XP. The operating system will be lost if the hard disk is replaced. If you further wish to replace the hard disk, please purchase a retail version of Windows XP from your reseller and install it on the new hard drive." Rowe told silicon.com: "From the moment I bought the PC, to the current time, it is not mentioned that you will not be able to upgrade the hard disk in the PC. Certainly nothing in any agreement that states that I am not entitled to do so without purchasing a new copy of XP." Contrary to HP's advice, Microsoft claims that even if XP recovery files on the hard drive are damaged or lost, the company can use its authentication technology to identify legitimate users and replace the OS for free. Under pressure from angry customers, HP began sending out CDs in late December. But according to a spokeswoman for HP UK, recovery disks will only be provided for customers who complain and will still not be included with the original PC. "The recovery data is now stored on the hard drive, and you're not usually going to lose the hard drive if it crashes," she said. But this explanation is unlikely to pacify angry customers. "I bought HP because they stood for quality and getting a good piece of equipment for the value," one Pavilion user wrote on HP's message board. "When cutting corners like this starts affecting the morale and attitude of customers, then nobody wins." Have you had problems with HP? Or recovering Windows XP? Let us know by posting a reader comment below or emailing editorial@silicon.com
Comments
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1. anonymous
I am a die hard HP buyer this kind of corner cutting really disappointed me.
i am haveing a lot of trouble contacting HP to recieve a new Recovery Disk. I Recover my hard disk (usually) once a month so this is quite an annoying situation.
2. James London
Recently my system decided to quit completely. My mother yanked the surge protector out of the wall issuing a hard shut down on the pc. When I try to run XP through any type of mode, (i.e. safe mode, normal mode) the system simply restarts itself. The system hangs on amdagp.sys, which is located in the drivers file of partition 2. If HP could issue recovery disks for their computers then we wouldn't have this PROBLEM. Now they are telling me that I have to buy CDS from them for money I thought I already payed for at the original purchase of product. If I knew they treated their customers this way, ripping them off for every little penny, I would of built my own system. How can I go about getting CDS for a pavillion xt963 computer to restore the hard drive.
I feel that next time I get a computer I will purchase Dell. However, I will ask before hand if they provide a copy of XP. On another hand, they provide me a copy of Money & Microsoft Works to install and reinstall. I know policies remain the same through Microsoft. SO WHERE ARE MY RECOVERY CD'S?
3. anonymous
I have purchased 2 HP desktops and 3 HP printers. Because of the XP recovery mess I will NEVER purchase and will strongly recommend anyone against purchasing HP products. Although I will have to lay most of the blame on Microsoft. Because of the holes in Microsoft's S/W, It is not IF but when a system fails. My wife depends 100% on her HP for her work and has lost countless days to this mess. Now I will have to setup a Linux machine so she can work since anything running Microsoft S/W will crash and burn eventually. As much as I don't like them, I wonder if anyone has considered a class action suit against Microsoft and HP? I know it would cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives so maybe conventional weapons would be better, :).
4. anonymous
Its A Sin Paying for an operating system twice,thats if you can get a reply from hp in the first place, it seems that if you purchased a pc from them before 3 years ago then you just dont get support or replacment cds unless you e-mail them. then you get sent round the houses until you give up just like me. suppose now ill have to go buy xp home edition for nearly GBP 165-00
or carry on trying to contact hp for the next god knows how long its well wrong
5. Sherry Klosterman
Yes, I am so frustrated by their lack of concern. On January 17 of 2004 I bought my a384x-b desktop hp computer and it crashed on me in late August. I've tried every application it had on computer XP, had to take it in to fix problem, but problem still exsists. Called hp and said I was not on their register for help. Any suggestions?
6. phyllis madden
my brand new hp crashed - fatal kernel error. no reaching the recovery partition. HP charged me 23.95 for the disks. took 5 tries to get windows files back on the drive-keep getting fatal errors, then errors saying certain files were not recoverable. reinstalled drivers a dozen times-half of them still don't work and all those unrecoverable files are still missing because you can't unlock the recovery partition and install them manually plus sound and help and support doesn't work anymore. i used to be one of those die-hard-hp customers. not anymore. starting to feel the same way about microsoft since the sp2 screws up everything.
7. anonymous
My husbands HP Pavilion died just after warranty and the recovery partition is not working. I asked where his recovery disks are and he said he didn't get any! I was shocked...I never heard of a computer manufacturer not giving the recovery disks in the package. Absolutely rediculous.