HP Owners..quick question..

okay you know how HP/Compaq has it where you can go into the system tools..i think and from the drop down list you can make your own recovery discs..what i'm wondering is does that come with the new HP's?

 

The tool is now called "Recover Manager" You can make your recover DVD's in about 3 hours.
Matt

 

Yes it does. Mine took less than 45 minutes to make recovery discs. Re-installation is another story.. about 3 hours!

 

It really only takes an hour max, it took longer for me because I didn't sit there and watch it, I just let it go and checked on it every once in a while.

However you should note that you can, officially, only create one set. To burn additional sets you have to modify two files (there guides posted in the forum on how to do this you just have to search) and it resets it to think you never created recovery disks.

 

no i don't need two sets. I used to have a Compaq desktop and i didn't know if they still did that. it took me a while also to make them, but i was asking to know whether if i should buy an HP (still trying to decide between dell and hp) that i should save 19 bucks on a reinstall disc. thanks

 

Yes, I'd DEFINITELY save the $19...

Also, although I've never tried it, I see no reason why you couldn't make copies of the Recovery Disk(s), unless HP has some copy-protection scheme built into the disk(s) when you make it/them.

At THIS POINT, after 8.5 months with a Dell XPS 410, the system actually COMING with all the installation disks for the system, as well as all the software that's installed on the system is ABOUT the only advantage I see to Dell... This XPS 410 works very well (and gets rave reviews), but I've had a number of "issues" since upgrading to Vista and their tech support is pretty clueless (not that I expect the HP tech support when I get my new dv9500t to be much better).

I STILL THINK HP's WORST business decision is NOT including any installation disks and shipping their systems configured in such a way that even if you DO decide you want to get rid of their bloatware and/or re-install the system, the ONLY option they give you (short of going out and buying a BRAND NEW COPY of XP or Vista) is using the System Restore feature... I have used this with my 3.5-year-old m376n in the past, which after 3 years was giving me problems -- particularly with Media Center -- I just COULDN'T resolve any other way, and TRUST ME, when it's done, the system boots up JUST LIKE you just turned it on fresh out of the box, COMPLETE with EVERY SINGLE PIECE of bloatware that originally came with it...

I'm SURE HP's answer to this is that if you don't want the bloatware, you can simply run UNinstall from the Control Panel to get rid of the program and then delete the files from the Program Files area, but as most anyone who's ever tried that knows, that DOES NOT always get the job done... QUITE OFTEN there are still files left over in the System Registry, and you have to REALLY know how to go about finding those (and even THEN it's a time-consuming process, and if they're not named similar to the original program, you STILL might not find them all), and delete them from the System Registry... and if you ACCIDENTALLY DELETE THE WRONG FILES from your System Registry, you may COMPLETELY SCREW UP the system and it might not boot at all, or might not work right, or you may get all kinds of ODD errors...

ALL THIS BECAUSE HP chooses NOT to ship Installation Disks with its systems (of course many OTHER computer manufacturers other than Dell don't, either, but I'm not talking about them at present).

I just think it sucks, and if including those disks added $5 or $10 to the system cost, it would be worth it, and I'm sure people would pay that little difference... That ONE ISSUE ALMOST persuaded me to get an Inspiron 1720, INSTEAD, until I saw just HOW BADLY Dell is screwing over ITS customers right now!
Jeff

 

Yeah, the lack of installation discs is one of HP's most critical flaws in my mind. I remember my first computer was a Packard Bell (lol) it came with the PC, monitor, keyboard, mouse, mouse pad, full documentation and CDs for all the included software...an amazing bundle (well, relatively, considering what PCs cost in 1994-1995)

I think that was the only computer I ever that had all that stuff with it.

 

My windows 3.1 still glows with battle chess!

 

don't have that software in any of my HP computer (see my signature). Instead, they give me XP installation disc, driver disc (2), and application disc (1). That is for European version of zd7000