The HP Pavilion Slimline may fit it into areas that you thought couldn't accommodate a desktop computer. Click photo for larger image.

One of the problems with computers that do everything is that they keep getting bigger. They take up too much room because we keep asking PC companies to put more in the box.

But sometimes less is more, as Hewlett-Packard Co. realized when it created its line of Pavilion Slimline personal computers.

A Slimline PC is so small that you can fit it into those areas of your home that previously couldn't accommodate a desktop computer. A standard desktop tower system dwarfs it at about four times the size. I found the Slimline computer hides nicely behind a 17-inch flat panel monitor.

HP has made some interesting design choices to create a powerful system in a small desktop package. The company uses Intel Chipsets and motherboards that you would normally find in a laptop computer. But while it has a laptop at the core, it's ergonomically like a desktop, which makes it a nicer place to work.

To make everything fit, HP designers flipped the Slimline's DVD drive on its side. That drive is a DVD/CD writer with Lightscribe technology, so it can play your favorite videos and songs, record onto writeable discs and even etch the disc faces with appropriate grayscale labels.

The Slimline PC offers convenience on the front panel, including a USB port, a headphone jack and memory card slots for almost any card available. You'll be able to transfer photos, no matter what type of memory card you have in your camera (including SD, XD, Compact Flash, or Memory Stick).

The back of the PC has four more USB ports, a Firewire port, a network adapter to connect to your other PCs and the Internet, and a modem jack.

The weakest point of the system is the HP Organize software, which doesn't do much more than clutter your desktop. It is HP's way to make life easier, but I find it gets in the way. Better to turn it off and go with Windows XP applications.

Among the more important parts of the software bundle are Microsoft Works, which serves as an adequate word processor and spreadsheet for most home users, and a bunch of starter software.

My biggest gripe with the Slimline is not with the system itself; it's with HP's marketing. In the literature, HP says the Slimline "works well in a child's room," a position in conflict with child safety experts who suggest never putting an Internet connection in a child's room. It makes it more difficult to monitor their activities and keep them safe from online predators.

Street prices after rebate range from $430 (not including monitor) through $500.