Thanks to Slashdot for the heads up on this story.
When some users purchased a new Windows XP based PC from HP, some were a little bemused to learn that there was no XP recovery CD, just in case that something went wrong with their new PC, they at least could use the CD to get their system back to a recoverable state.
As it turns out, a recovery CD does not come with their new PC, rather a "recovery partition" is included. HP owners who called to complain were told that XP was so big that half a dozen or more CDs would be required to deliver all the recovery files and that there is indeed a "recovery partition" and that you do not need a CD.
Some owners even express concern that the "recovery partition" was not always available (plus it ate up well in excess of 4gb of their previous drive!). HP suggests that if something happens and that your "recovery partition" is unavailable, you can send ship the whole tower back so that HP can reimage the hard drive.
Customers complained, and it looks like HP heard, a little... A Windows XP recovery CD WOULD be made available, for a slight fee of $9.95, which miffed some users who actually thought their CD should have come with their computers.
BUT, you ever notice that is there is always a BUT... HP wouldn"t send the recovery CDs to just any Pavilion customer ready to pay the $9.95. First, you had to answer some questions. One users called, asking for the CD as a backup option, and was told NO. Said one user... "If you don"t have an immediate need for it, they won"t let you order it. So I"ve got to wait until my hard drive crashes and then sit around with no computer while I wait for the CD to arrive."
HP"s Web site states that customers can get the recovery CD set for three reasons:
- If their hard drive has failed
- If it has been upgraded
- Or if it has been reformatted or repartitioned.