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It really depends what those "recovery" CD's do. If they partition the drive and format, then you certainly want to avoid them because they will undo any partitioning you have done. They probably also contain all the software that came with the computer.

Usually, those recovery CD's allow you to reinstall just the applications they contain in the options when they start.

Knowing no more, and from experience with these OEM recovery things, I'd suggest a generic setup from the XP CD and adding software later. You can get any drivers you need online if you can get the modem working and they may be found on the recovery CD's without actually running the whole recovery process (but the online ones would be newer and probably better, anyway).

I may be a "generic" type of guy, but the first thing I do with a new compuer is format, remove any OEM "recovery partitions ", and work from there. Recovery is easier for me from the XP Cd than the recovery things that usually offer less control over the process and often install unneeded OEM junk.

In addition to that, getting help from online bbs is certainly easier if the installation is a standard one rather than an intricate OEM setup that requires that people be familiar with a specific make and model. Many of the hotfixes and SP1 itself have had problems on these specialized setups that simply don't happen on the standard setup. Manufacturers have no way of anticipating, when they make these recovery CD's, what interactions their own software will have with future updates.

 

The diagnostics partition that comes on many new Compaq laptops was something I completely overlooked when installing on an Armada 1500c. The system does not need the partition. Here is an example of setting one up if someone wants to use it:

http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/armada/us/download/9260.html

Basically, before anything else, the diagnostics partition is set up and then the rest of the HD used for installing the OS. This partition is not generally deleted or even detected by Windows and the only indication that it is there is a small discrepancy in drive size.

I used delpart or aefdisk to remove all the partitions from the drive and installed ME before I even knew about this "special" partition. The computer worked fine. On a reinstall, I put in the diagnostics partition, only to wonder why later.

This partition contains some diagnostic tests that are now better done by SiSoft Sandra or many other tools. The clear purpose of the partition is for the user to prepare a report with some actual data before contacting Compaq support and sparing the tech people questions like, "My computer doesn't work. Can you tell me how to fix it?" and offering no further information. These same diagnostics can usually be run from a floppy prepared according to the instructions at Compaq.

Like most of your questions, Christer, it again all boils down to personal preference. I found the partition quite useless. Other models of laptop may have differing programs, but they appear to be similar. Installing the diagnostics can't hurt because no one needs to use them if they don't wish to.

Again, I can't vouch for all models, etc., but this summarizes my experiences. Others may want to weigh in on this.

I found everything I needed on the Compaq site. If Compaq sells a particular model with a particular OS, then it has all the necessary drivers available for download.

 

More than happy to spare someone else all the problems I had with Compaq. Many people simply refuse to work on them due to their proprietary memory, and other hardware, their wacky function keys unsupported by the OS, etc. But after I discovered that they offer support and downloads for all these things, I forgave them their eccentricities and fear them no more .

PS. Despite the fact that I wondered sometimes what drugs prompted a particular design by Compaq, I never, even in my darkest moments, questioned the quality of the machines or their components. They are very well-built. And I feel the same about HP, so a good marriage in my mind .