HP tattoo utility

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October 26th, 2001, 08:05 PM
electronmanipulator

HP tattoo utility

Today, I installed a new motherboard in an HP Pavilion. HP shipped a utility with this part. It is to "tattoo" the BIOS to allow the use of the customer's recovery CD. Before I used it, I booted the system to Windows sans errors. After I wrote to the BIOS with this utility, the system's behavior became erratic. It won't come up on the hard drive and only occasionally on a floppy. When I tried to write to the BIOS again, I got a message that COMMAND.COM is gone or corrupt (sometimes). It gets worse. I get different messages and errors and results at every boot. Does anyone share this dreadful experience with the HP tattoo utility?
October 26th, 2001, 10:23 PM
DonJ

Which model Pavilion are you talking about...and which version of Windows are you trying to load? Go here for <a href="http://www.hp.com/cposupport/software.html" target="_blank">HP's drivers & downloads.</a> Hopefully, you'll be able to find a BIOS update there...

This is the only other <a href="http://www.support.vectra.hp.com/vectrasupport/level4/10bpv03628/10bpv03628.html" target="_blank">info on "tattoo" </a> that I could find...perform a Cntl+F...Enter "tattoo" (without the quotation marks)...it will take you a few different references to Tattoo...
October 26th, 2001, 10:35 PM
cc_penguin

I have tattooed many Hp's and never ran across those problems, give me a model ## and Ill try and get you a good tattoo
October 27th, 2001, 08:38 AM
electronmanipulator

The replacement is a Mercury MB for a model 66XX, but the machine is an 8650. They use the same board. Either model can be tattoo'd with the same program (HP sent around 15 different floppies for different models). Win98 is the OS.
I'm getting a new MB and HD on Monday. HP claimed the tattoo program didn't write to the BIOS, then changed their mind and said it just writes a little bit,.....(Clintonesque?) Anyway, thank you for your replies and I'll let everyone know how things go Monday.
September 20th, 2006, 08:18 PM
Aux

i got a code purple after installing a new mobo and HD, and some one said i need to install HP tattoo utility, where can i get that?
September 21st, 2006, 03:42 AM
NooNoo

Welcome to Windrivers Aux. You need to contact HP or an HP service agent.
September 21st, 2006, 07:23 AM
MobilePCPhysician

The tatoo writes just enough code so tha the hp install/restore disks will work. That is what keeps those disks from being used on other computers.
September 21st, 2006, 09:42 AM
crumbs

Quote:

Originally Posted by electronmanipulator

Today, I installed a new motherboard in an HP Pavilion. HP shipped a utility with this part. It is to "tattoo" the BIOS to allow the use of the customer's recovery CD. Before I used it, I booted the system to Windows sans errors. After I wrote to the BIOS with this utility, the system's behavior became erratic. It won't come up on the hard drive and only occasionally on a floppy. When I tried to write to the BIOS again, I got a message that COMMAND.COM is gone or corrupt (sometimes). It gets worse. I get different messages and errors and results at every boot. Does anyone share this dreadful experience with the HP tattoo utility?

HP sent you a HP board you should not have to utility the bios, COMMAND COM error is a Harddisk error/ download your harddisk utility and reinstall your harddisk.
September 21st, 2006, 03:02 PM
MobilePCPhysician

Hp ships replacement boards to customers and I will have to go and tatoo the board for the particular model, so the restore disks will work. If it is under warranty, have them send a tech to do it.
September 21st, 2006, 03:19 PM
NooNoo

Aux is the new mobo supplied by HP?
November 1st, 2009, 01:18 PM
darlim83

test mobo
November 2nd, 2009, 09:02 AM
Zonie

Welcome to windrivers darlim83. When you say you sent it to a shop for repair, did you mean someplace locally? The persons ressponsible for the repair should have loaded the system to a usable state for you. Can you give us some more information as to what was done for this system?
November 2nd, 2009, 09:44 AM
darlim83

great
November 11th, 2009, 09:54 PM
yeowjinghui

hi there, i need a hp tattoo. i have a compaq presario sr5010ap with a damaged motherboard, the motherboard is ECS 945GCT-HM (Livermore-GL6). I managed to get another same model motherboard with the exact specification. How can I tattoo it to use the system restore? By the way, do you have a hp tattoo for hp pavilion tx1000 laptops? I have changed my motherboard due to overheating and i need to use the system restore back. i really hope you can help me with this. Thanks a million.
November 11th, 2009, 10:00 PM
MobilePCPhysician

Quote:

Originally Posted by darlim83

i from malaysia. the system can run, just i saw the bios there state presario v3000 and not my serial number. i had hp pavilion dv2000 but v3000 motherboard, felt not nice. so i hope someone can teach me how to tattoo back to dv2000. thank you

Darlim, you have an updated bios version. It is fine.