Posted on 01/10/2002 6:46:47 AM PST by colette_g
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
Dude, you're gettin' a Dell!
Good one. Reopen that Anti-Trust case. Seems that the 'non-monopoly' strikes again.
Pre-installed software giving the customer all disks necessary to reinstall software should be required by the States pursuing the anti-trust case. The federal government has let Microsoft escape and it is beginning to show.
Not surprising. That's like trying to defend 50 tons of arms and explosives to the "Palestinians" as an "Israeli plot".
That is why the Microsoft flying monkeys always resort to personal attacks and the ever-popular, totally asinine "if you don't like Microsoft don't buy it, write your own OS..."
My first PC didn’t come with the DOS diskettes. I had to harass the company I bought it from to get them.
It's stupid, short-sighted, and was probably designed by a complete dweeb who thinks people will just buy anothe HP computer if they get zapped by this.
That's what the benchmark tests posted at zdnet said. One interesting point, it appears that the graphics performance that would have made Win 2K attractive as a gaming platform were intentionally withheld from the OS until service pack 2, and magically, XP was released about a month after that. The benchmarks now show Win 2K and Win XP practically identical in that area of performance, with the slight edge given to Win 2K.
I'll let the users of XP be the judge of whether the "bells and whistles" were worth the price and the agravation.
You can always just ask around among your friends and try to get a Windows XP CD. Preferrably the Corporate Edition, so's you won't need to activate.
I have no idea why these companies work like this. I'll continue to build my own - and until MS drops the registration scheme for XP, I'll stick with WIN98 / Linux.
Theoretically, yeah. But if you have a catastrophic hard disk failure, the installation routines on the recovery files are going to prompt for you to authenticate the installation S/N with that of the OS on your hard disk... catch 22, your hard disk no longer exists... the installation won't complete. Nice, huh?
That is my story, too. I bought a HP scanner and a HP Laserjet printer at the same time. I never did get the scanner to work and Support admitted that they "have had problems' with that.
Bought a Dell last year and have never had a single problem.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.