Arcad said:
Bruce,
No, I'm not asking for a free license.
If you were asking for an English license to replace an already
purchased Czech OEM license, at no additional cost, then you actually
were, in affect, asking for a free license from Microsoft. Perhaps this
isn't your intent, but that's pretty much the way it works out.
Given that I'll be buying a legal license of Windows, all I'm asking for is
that I get a version of Vista that I'm able to use.
Then all you have to do is purchase the laptop from a vendor who is
willing and able to meet your specific needs. Or purchase the laptop
without an operating system and separately purchase and install a retail
license in the language of your choice. (Which would probably cost more,
admittedly.)
In fact, I haven't bought the laptop yet.
Sorry, I misunderstood. Your original post made it sounds as if you had.
I have been shopping around and so far, I have been hitting the wall: no
reseller here has Vista EN pre-installed.
Have you looked at any of the many reputable on-line merchants, rather
than just the local bricks and mortar shops? You do have the whole
Internet at your disposal, after all.
Is it that hard for MS to cancel/destroy the Czech License and give me an
English one?
After you've purchased it, certainly. Remember, when buying OEM, all
of your business is with the vendor, not Microsoft. You'll have
purchased that OEM license from the vendor, not Microsoft.
After all, the cost of the EN and the CZ versions are the same here.
Since you've stated that you cannot get the OEM English license, I'll
assume that you're referring to retail licenses. Unfortunately, retail
pricing, even the wholesale prices offered to retailers for retail
licenses, have little to no relationship to the prices of OEM System
Builder packages sold to computer manufacturers; these are heavily
influenced by volume. Granted, in theory, the cost should be the same,
as the manufacturing processes are identical, but demand has an impact,
as well.
Anyway, paying for a second license, and keeping the Czech one is not
acceptable.
As you've made no purchase yet, I'd agree that to purchase two licenses
for one computer would be somewhat less than wise, shall we say. So
don't purchase the Czech OEM license; find a merchant who'll meet your
needs. I've always found that most merchants, when faced with the fact
that intransigence is about to lose them a sale, come around. Walking
out is a viable bargaining ploy.
--
Bruce Chambers
Help us help you:
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
