The HP CD-Writer Plus 9200e series is HP' s premium performance external SCSI drive. It writes data at up to 8X transfer speed and reads data at up to 32X transfer speed. Before today, HP's fastest external drive wrote data at up to 4X with read speeds at 6X. Designed for customers who value high performance, this high-speed external drive helps users save time and allows them to move the drive between computers.

The HP CD-Writer Plus 9100i series is HP's easy-to-install internal IDE drive that gives users high performance at a lower price. It also writes data at up to 8X transfer speed and reads data at up to 32X transfer speed. This new drive doubles the write speeds of HP's previous internal IDE drives and increases read speeds from 24X to 32X.

Included with the drives is software that compresses data, enabling users to effectively double speed and capacity on CD-RW media. CD-RW and CD-R media hold up to 650MB or up to 1.2GB of data with compression.

The HP CD-RW drives combine the compatibility, flexibility and storage capacity of a CD with the "drag-and-drop" ease of use of a floppy disk. CD-RW drives allow users to create, write, rewrite, store, manage and share data, music, photos and more on a CD just as they would save information to a floppy. However, CDs can store up to 650MB of data -- the equivalent of more than 400 standard high-density floppy disks or 20,000 scanned pages of text.

	    Available software packages include the following:

--   Adaptec Direct CD -- users can drag and drop files to CD from
     Microsoft® Explorer or save directly from any application;
--   HP Disaster Recovery -- protects and secures data and restores
     operating-system files quickly should a disaster occur;
--   Adaptec Easy CD Creator -- users can create data or music CDs
     that can be read by most CD-ROM or audio CD players;
--   Neato CD Labeler -- users can personalize CDs and jewel cases
     with included labeler, labels and software;
--   eFax Filing Central -- allows users to organize electronic files,
     scanned images and Web pages;
--   Broderbund Print Shop Multimedia Organizer Deluxe or Professional
     -- allows users to organize and publish videos, photos, graphics
     and music and makes creating presentations, Web pages and screen
     savers easy;
--   Corel Print Office -- users can create stationary, calendars,
     greeting cards and more; and
--   Sonic Foundry's ACID -- users can compose original songs and
     record them directly to CDs that can be played in home, car or
     portable CD players.

U.S. Pricing and Availability

Both products are expected to be available Oct. 27 through HP authorized resellers, distributors, retailers and mail-order catalogs worldwide. The estimated street prices are $299 for the HP CD Writer Plus 9100i series and $499 for the HP CD-Writer 9200e series. More information is available at www.hp.com\go\cdr.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services for business and home -- is focused on capitalizing on the opportunities of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic services.

HP plans to launch Agilent Technologies as an independent company by mid-calendar 2000. Agilent consists of HP's test and measurement, semiconductor products, chemical analysis and healthcare solutions businesses, and has leading positions in multiple market segments.

HP has 123,500 employees worldwide and had total revenue of $47.1 billion in its 1998 fiscal year. Information about HP, its products and the company's Year 2000 program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.