Kimbo said:
I just recently bought a new PC that came with Windows XP installed
from the factory. Problem is there is no Windows XP CD if I have any
problems. My neighbor just had a startup problem with her PC and
she has the same problem - No Windows XP CD came with her PC
either. Is this standard practice now? What to do? Apparently
there is no way to make a Windows XP startup disk either since the
CD is bootable. Any suggestions?
Carey said:
Read the User's Guide that came with your new computer. Many PC
manufacturer's use a "hidden partition" to store information to
reinstall the Windows XP operating system or to repair it. If you
want the actual Restore CD, contact your computer manufacturer and
request one.
That is odd. I had always thought when you buy a PC, if there is an OS
installed it is figured into the cost and therefore, if nothing else,
a 'restore CD' like HP uses was included. I am sure Microsoft allows
huge customers like HP to provide something less than a full install
disc, but what about the people who put together machines and sell
the same OS repeatedly, witholding the disc. That would seem
dishonest.. Or, at the least, a bad business practice. I am not
familiar with what Microsofts' rules are, but i would not buy a
machine built by an OEM without the disc. But then, I built the
machine i have now.
Sandman,
As Carey points out, this practice is not unusual. The OEM is only required
to provide the end-user with a method to restore the machine to its state
when they got it originally. They can do this with a image on a CD/DVD, an
image on a partition hidden on the drive, with installation CDs that are
like those you would purchase at a retail store or any other creative thing
that comes to mind that saves them money.
This is why when you purchase a computer from someone, one of your questions
should be "What happens if I have to redo the computer - what method do I
follow - what restoration media do I receive?"
For many it is good business practice, obviously, because people are either
not knowledgeable enough to ask these questions or they never have to use
any restoration methods. Sony laptops, for example, do come with a image on
the drive and an application you run to burn these files to CDs in case of
an emergency.. The problem is that many people never run these applications,
never create the CDs and they end up messing up something then having to pay
Sony $273.76 to fix it (or someone else more or less.) That is a failure on
their part, either to read the manual, do what they read and/or ask the
right questions in my opinion.
Yes - I have always made it my practice to over-inform the customer, but
like most things, people hear what they want, do what they want and if they
let themselves get rolled over - perhaps they deserved it in some way
(especially since in most of the cases, it is because they did not follow
some simple procedure they are supposed to when they get the machine - like
creating the restoration CDs, backing up their private data periodically,
etc.)
In other words - RTFM and Ask Questions before you have a problem.
