TSGL: : what to do with a FOUR GIG drive?

[Eric and Merna Bitter]

Chuck,

I have done some searching at HP's website and elsewhere, and I am wondering
if it is possible for you to restore your original 80GB drive (which you
said was not booting) on the HP computer another way, even though you have
indicated that you have formatted that drive and written to it to test it.

The following is based on:
(a)    what you have written,
(b)    the results of my searches, and
(c)    the assumption that at one time (if not when you inherited it) the
computer had an operating system (presumably XP) on that 80GB hard drive.

If I'm way off base with the above or the following, I'm sure others will
jump in and say so.

Although you indicated that HP has no restore disk, you did not say whether
they ever had one or simply no longer do because of the age of the computer.
At their page
(http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph07143&cc=au&lc=en&dl
c=en&product=83461&dlc=en&lang=en) for "Obtaining a Recovery CD or DVD set,"
they state:
(beginning of quote)
NOTE:  Most HP and Compaq desktop PCs that ship with Windows Vista and XP do
not come with recovery discs. Instead, they use a hidden space (partition)
on the hard drive to store the recovery information. Using a hidden
partition provides a convenient, more stable recovery solution.
(end of quote)

Two big IFs:
IF the reason HP could not supply a restore disk is that your computer has
such a hidden partition, it appears from what I have read elsewhere that
formatting will not have damaged it.
IF it is not damaged, you may be able to restore the drive by using that
hidden restore partition.

For "HP and Compaq Desktop PCs -  Performing an HP System Recovery in
Windows XP," go to (watch the wraparound)
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&docname=bph07145&dlc
=en&product=83514&lang=en&printable=yes&encodeUrl=true&
and for your situation scroll down to "Recovering during startup" (the
second of the three methods shown).
(This is a link to the printer-friendly version.)

Note, too, that at the bottom of that page there is an additional link to
"HP and Compaq Desktop PCs -  Troubleshooting System Recovery Problems in
Windows XP".  The printer-friendly version of that page is at (watch the
wraparound again)
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&lang=en&docname=bph0
7144&product=83514&dlc=en&printable=yes&encodeUrl=true&.

The procedure will seem daunting, and I found it a bit confusing in places
until I had read through it several times.  However, if you read the two
pages above a few times, do whatever applies to your situation (removing
that little hard drive, for instance), and take it slowly step by step, you
might be lucky.  Unless I'm missing something from the things you have
written and tried, it appears you have nothing to lose.

And if it does work, note the instructions for "HP and Compaq Desktop PCs -
Things To Do After Performing a System Recovery in Windows XP" at
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&lang=en&docname=c002
76693&product=83514&dlc=en&printable=yes&encodeUrl=true& (and again watch
the wraparound to this printer-friendly link).

Another two or three (enjoyable) hours on these searches, and I wish I could
try the results myself.

Good luck.

Merna


----- Original Message -----
From: "Chuck Neuenschwander" <annandchuck at yahoo.com>
To: "Tech Support Guy Mailing List" <list at tsgserver.com>
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 7:51 AM
Subject: TSGL: : what to do with a FOUR GIG drive?


I called HP looking to get a RESTORE DISK. They have none. The HP Pavilion
762n is about 6 years old.
  Is there any chance someone here can get me onto a RESTORE DISK?
  -chuck