SW BUILD ID Doesn't Match the Recovery Media Error
Question:I have an HP desktop that crashed. I went to use my recovery CD and after loading it says my SW BUILD ID doesn't match the recovery media. Can you tell me how to get to my software build ID and change it to match? Thank you.
Answer: I have heard
of this happening before with HP computers. If you have changed any of
your hardware such as RAM or the hard drive or sometimes even something
as unimportant as your keyboard then the software ID won't match the
hardware and won't let you do the recovery. They most likely do this so
people don't use the recovery CDs on other computers to install Windows
and all the software that comes with an HP computer. You will most
likely need to contact HP to get new disks and there may be a chance
they will charge you for them.
If you know someone who has a Windows disk you can
borrow that and use the key off your Windows sticker to install it on
your computer. Keep in mind that you may need to download drivers for
any hardware Windows doesn't have drivers for during the installation
plus any HP software that came with the computer will not get installed
but you will have a cleaner installation and a faster computer since it
won't be bogged down with all the extra junk that usually gets installed
with recovery disks.
