HP Notebook Battery Pack Replacement Programme

Important Information Regarding HP Notebook
Battery Pack Replacement Programme

New Zealand, April 20, 2006 – HP in Asia Pacific today announced the voluntary replacement of 3,768 removable battery packs used in certain models of HP and Compaq notebooks, as part of a voluntary global recall in cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The estimated impacted battery shipments to Asia Pacific make up 0.23% of the total HP notebook shipment for the region (including Japan) in 2005, based on IDC’s Asia Pacific Quarterly PC Tracker for the fourth quarter of 2005(1).

HP and the battery manufacturer identified a defect in batteries assembled between January 1, 2005 and January 10, 2005. HP considers the defect to pose a potential safety hazard to customers. To date, 20 incidents have been reported worldwide, with 11 resulting in minor property damage and one minor injury.

The affected third-party battery packs are used with the following HP notebooks in Asia Pacific:-

- HP Pavilion dv1000 Family
- Compaq Presario V2000 Family
- Compaq M2000 Family

All affected battery packs have a barcode label starting with L3 and will be replaced by HP free of charge. Customers who may be affected could check if their battery packs are involved in the replacement program by going online at www.hp.com/support/BatteryReplacement (available in multiple languages) or contact HP’s Customer Support Center in their respective country.

HP Customer Support Centre Free Phone Numbers

New Zealand
HP Pavilion notebooks
0800 441147
Compaq Presario notebooks
0800 113694

The notebook computer should be used without the recalled battery pack and plugged into A/C power as designed until the replacement battery pack arrives.

HP fully stands behind the products it makes and has taken a proactive approach to this situation to ensure the safety of our customers and the integrity and quality of our products.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2006, HP revenue totaled $87.9 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.au.

ENDS

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