After purchasing a new HP laptop running Windows Vista Home Basic I noticed that the computer did not come with a Windows Vista installation DVD, but instead prompts me to make a set of recovery disks. I was working under the assumption that brand-name computers came with a Windows install CD, so could you confirm whether this is normal? Another problem relates to the HP all-in-one printer which I also purchased with the computer. The printer initially installs alright from the included drivers and software CD, but on every third or fourth reboot the computer either installs additional printers in the Control Panel (which are not needed) or deletes the existing printers. I attempt to delete all the extra printers but they reinstall themselves. I hear that Microsoft is trying to fix all the problems with Vista. Is this true, and will they notify users?

Computer manufacturers not including recovery or operating system media with their systems is becoming an increasingly common trend, at the irritation of many users. When purchasing a new computer system you will generally find that either you receive recovery and operating system media with the computer or the recovery information is stored within a hidden partition on the hard drive. The latter is the most likely scenario in your case. Rather than providing recovery CDs, all the recovery information (such as the original Windows operating system installation data, and all the relevant drivers for your specific HP computer) are contained within a special hidden section of the hard drive. Then, should you need to recover the system at some future date, you generally press a special hot-key during computer startup and the computer will boot from the hidden partition, allowing you to recover data onto the main partition (section) of the hard drive. It also seems that your computer allows you to copy the data from the recovery partition onto CDs. This is a very good idea, as a major flaw with having purely a recovery partition is, should the hard drive fail then you lose all the recovery partition data. By having a second backup of the recovery partition data on CD or DVD means, that should the hard drive fail, you can still recover the system using the CDs or DVDs you created containing the recovery information.

The problem with the HP all-in-one printer will be tricky to diagnose, since driver related issues are always quite difficult. The first possible cause of this problem is that the current drivers installed do not fully support Windows Vista. Therefore, you should first try uninstalling the existing drivers then download and install the latest drivers (which support Windows Vista) from the HP website. To begin, you need to uninstall the existing drivers and related software. Click the “Start” button > “Control Panel” and under “Programs” click “Uninstall a program”. Find the entries relating to your printer and uninstall the relevant software. Once this has completed, you should double-check that the printers have been removed. Go back into the Control Panel and under the “Hardware and Sound” heading, click “Printer”. Check whether the relevant printer(s) have been removed. If not, select the printer(s) then right-click and select “Delete”. After all the printers and related software have been removed, restart the computer. Once Windows has loaded, visit the HP website (www.hp.com.au) and click the “Software & Driver Downloads” link on the front page of the HP website. Search for your model of printer and proceed to download the relevant drivers. Once this has completed, install these updated drivers on the computer and reboot. Check whether the problem persists. If the problem does continue, please contact me again with more specific information such as the exact model of printer you are using together with descriptions of the “additional printers” which are installed without your consent, and the exact procedure and effect when you attempt to delete these additional printers and they reappear.

Regarding your final question about problems with Windows Vista, you would hope that when any bugs or faults are found within software the manufacturer attempts to fix these problems quickly to minimise disruption and angst towards the end user. Microsoft has been doing this through the release of periodic updates to Windows Vista, together with the anticipated release of Service Pack 1 later this year. When there are major releases and updates to software, Microsoft does generally announce these updates through particular channels, such as the Microsoft website and Windows Update. The best way to receive updates for Windows Vista is to enable automatic updates within Windows, so updates are automatically downloaded and installed on your computer without user interaction or the need to regularly check Windows Update.