Hello All,

I'm sure you have had this question before, but I need to ask it again.

I have an HP Pavilion 7965. It never came with either a Repair Disc or a Recovery Disc when I purchased it oh so long ago. I had to call HP at one point and they sent me a Repair CD with instructions. It worked perfectly and helped me maintain my machine.

Unfortunately when I moved the Repair CD got lost. I contacted HP again because Microsoft does not provide the discs. I was told that the CD was absolutely free, but would be $15 for shipping and handling to send it to me.

My machine has had several kernal errors and I want to get the system repaired as quickly as possible. I have been backing up important files and avoiding running any programs that use allot of processing power like Photoshop.

Before I shell out another $15 dollars to have a FREE repair CD sent to me I want to know what my best options are to get the Repair CD an/or get my system fixed.

I appreciate the help.

Thanks

Personally i would go for the $15 disk. You can't find anything on the net that is even close to that price. I have a compaq SR2011 that i had H-P send me a repair disk for that works very well. The only problem is i lose all data and programs i have installed on the computer.

It really doesn't matter since i use Norton Ghost to make my own backup CD's. With Ghost i get recovery cd's that keep all my data and software installed with the OS. Ghost would not work in your case since you already have kernel problems, but it is something you may want to think about in the future.

Another thought is to use a regular old Microsoft CD to install windows and then find the drivers you need for the hardware. That way you get to eliminate all the software clutter that H-P installs on the computer. I have done this many times and usually end up with a much faster computer that what came from the factory. Just make sure you have all the necessary drivers before you do this. I had to install a graphics card in one computer because i could not find the correct drivers for the on-board video card( on a older system). The only problem i see with this method is you have to buy a microsoft CD ( usually off Ebay)and that will cost you a minimum of around $50. It makes the recovery CD seem pretty cheap, EH!

SRX660

Thank you so much. I wish that there had been instructions that came with the machine that told you HOW to create the Repair Disc when I got it. I still want to know how to do that once I get the machine repaired. I know this is an older machine, but its been great with regular maintenance. This time I plan on making a backup copy of the repair disc just in case.

Again, thanks so much.

Just curious. Does yours come with the installed HP Recovery image partition? Usually you access this with one of the "F" keys or through the HP programs listed in Start>Programs. It will give you an option to burn all the Recovery CDs you need. Mine took 5 CDs to burn the Recovery partition.

Might be helpful:

System recovery
Performing an HP System Recovery in Windows XP
Setup and install
Manuals
Software & Driver Downloads
What type of support do you need Good list of everything for your PC.

Of course, the partition may not be there if you ever did a drive format.