Like most people, I suspect, I’m terrible at remembering “when did I buy that machine” and “is it still under warranty”.  There is no convenient way that I have found to ascertain the manufacture date from just the serial number (though I really wish HP would add that little gem of information to the info they give you with this handy web page).

Here’s what you do: Go to this web page (http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/wc/home)

Put your serial number in the top box and press enter:

Here is what you get in return:

If you then click on the machine identifier (circled in red), you get this:

So while they don’t tell you exactly when it was MADE, you can see when you bought it (that’s when the warranty timer starts).  In my case above, that’s Dec 23, 2008!  Hmm… time for a new computer?