I just inherited an Hp Pavilion 7950 (not the system I am using now)with a host of problems...originally it had Windows Me as the OS, 866mhz Pentium III, 128mb RAM, cdrw and dvdrom drives, and a 60gb hard drive...unfortunately, all the original manuals and recovery cds were lost...Windows could not be reinstalled after the computer crashed...and getting replacement recovery cds from HP proved to be impossible...and then somebody installed Windows 2000 Pro, which created more problems...now the OS doesn't recognize the modem and doesn't have the drivers for the dvd drive...the original 60gb hard drive is now showing up as two drives with 2gb each (faulty installation and hd partitioning?)...the original owners entrusted the computer to us to see if it could be brought back to life...i am thinking of buying a full version of windows XP to install on this comp...what kind of problems can i anticipate...how should I go about installing the new OS..also, how do I bring back the hard drive to its original 60gb configuration? Help Please!!! Many thanks! manny

Here is a link to help with some manuals and drivers. http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualCategory?lc=en&cc=us&product=61317 If you want to completely wipe the harddrive and lose any chance of a restore to the original software then proceed as follows: Download and use a utility called killdisk. This should delete any and all partitions on the HD. Then boot to the WinXP CD and follow the prompts. If the boot order is not set to boot to the CD drive before the Harddrive you will need to enter the BIOS screens and change the boot order. I am soory I can't say what the keystroke is for the BIOS. I think it may be delete. At any rate the keystroke should be displayed during the startup screens. If WinXP can't configure all the hardware you will need to download drivers from the site I linked above, if they exist. If you find Win2000 drivers but no WinXP then try the Win2000 ones. I think WinXP should be able to configure all the hardware. Find killdisk here: http://www.killdisk.com/

Thanks OtheHill...one problem...i have to download the killdisk utility on another computer...can i copy it to a floppy and then run it from the floppy on the "dead" computer? manny

Does this machine boot into any of the above flavors of windows? If not, are you comfortable with DOS commands and pkunzip? Skip

You may not even need killdisk but it will save agravation. It will easily fit on a floppy. Along with the program there is also another program to help create a floppy and there are instructions on how to use the program. Look around the site. The free version is all you need.

1st things 1st... "how do I bring back the hard drive to its original 60gb configuration?" Find out what make hard drive you have (open the case & look if necessary). Then go to the manufacturer's website & download their software. Use it to repartiton/format the drive. I suggest 2 partitons rather than one large one. "i am thinking of buying a full version of windows XP" If you have the Win2K Pro software, you really don't 'need' to get WinXP. Win2K is a great OS, it's just not as pretty as XP, & since it's older, it may not have the drivers needed for newer hardware. I think there have been 4 service packs for 2K. I seem to recall some people using SP3 instead of SP4...maybe someone else can clarify? "the OS doesn't recognize the modem..." You may have to "force" the OS to recognize the modem, but you'll need the drivers for it. If you know the make/model, search for & download Win2K compatible drivers. "...and doesn't have the drivers for the dvd drive" A DVD drive doesn't need special drivers...they're included in the OS. Do you mean software for viewing DVDs? Asus A7N8X-X 1800+ @ 8 x 210MHz 512MB PC3200 Asus Ti4800SE 128MB WinME/WinXP Pro

First, to OtheHilll, disregard that last post about killdisk..lol...i sent that before I went on their website... To SkipCox: It does boot up Windows 2000Pro, but it bugs me that the hard drive space has been limited to 2 gb...and no, sorry to say I am not comfortable with DOS at all...anyway, I don't think that Windows 2000Pro is the OS I want, I think I would prefer to install XP on it...so I can use fun programs like moviemaker and photo story 3...if I do dedide to go in your direction, I'll get in touch with you...thanks! manny