Frustrated HP customers target Carly

Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina is the latest target for angry Pavilion PC owners who are demanding their missing Windows XP recovery disks.

Users have been pouring out their frustration over the computer manufacturer's latest policy of installing XP backup files on a hidden partition on the hard drive, rather than providing CDs.

silicon.com reader Gary Johnson sent a copy of his letter to Fiorina. "As a licensed user of Windows XP home (preinstalled on my Pavilion) I believe that I have the right to use this software even if my hard drive fails.

"I spoke with tech support and first was told there are no disks, then they said they are available only to certain customers, and finally that they will be available on a limited basis after 22 January 2002.

"I need my CDs now, as I have a problem with Chkdsk not restarting Windows after completing its check. This is a very serious problem for me and for other Pavilion owners," Johnson said.

Another reader ran into trouble after accidentally wiping the recovery partition on his PC.

"Windows failed to boot after that and since the recovery tools were on the hidden partition that got wiped, there was no possibility of re-installing Windows," he wrote.

"The HP support technician that I talked with arranged to have the machine "repaired" and covered under warranty. The wait wasn't too long, but the machine came back with all the old data wiped.

"I hope HP learns something from this fiasco. It would be a shame for the reputation of a good company that put out semi-decent PCs to be blackened permanently by some inept manager or accountant's recommendations."

After convincing the manufacturer to send him XP recovery disks Pavilion owner Danny Mitchell's story has a happier ending, although HP appears to be unaware of its own generosity.

"The day I received my recovery CDs from HP via Fed-Ex, I received a phone call from HP Corporate Office, Mike Ross, saying that HP had made a decision to not provide recovery CDs, and would only contact me if something changed in the future," Mitchell told silicon.com.