News Flash! No More Windows Discs!
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From: Martin Walker on 5 Mar 2010 21:29 "Daddy" <daddy(a)invalid.invalid> wrote in message news:hmppmt$oce$1(a)news.eternal-september.org... > Attention All: > > Dell was the last of the major OEMs to furnish a genuine Windows install > disc (albeit an OEM version) as well as a Resource DVD. > > Not any more. > > "Dell no longer provides the operating system or resource disks in the box > for Windows 7 Systems. It is important for you to create recovery disks in > case of a hard drive failure. If you do not create the recovery disks, > there may be a charge from Dell for the operating system recovery media." > > https://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/document?c=us&cs=19&docid=62A668E1C399857AE040AE0AB8E12942&l=en&s=dhs > > Now I'll admit that "Dell DataSafe Local Backup 2.0" is an impressive > piece of work. But it's not a Windows disc. > > And for those of you who are concerned about how this will affect my > recent order of a Studio XPS 8100...essentially, no one...I'm negotiating > with Dell. I placed my order just 8 days after this article was first > published. > > Daddy I just received an Inspiron 580 last week from Dell and it came with operating system and driver discs. Maybe it was older stock on hand. It was one of their advertised deals and I didn't make any modifications to the order. It's a pretty nice machine with i5-750 processor, 6G RAM, 1TB HD, AMD Radeon 5450 (1GB), and ST2210 monitor. My only gripe is that they didn't include an HDMI cable with a machine capable of using one.
From: Ben Myers on 6 Mar 2010 01:34 On 3/5/2010 7:09 PM, Tom Scales wrote: > > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: William R. Walsh [mailto:wm_walsh(a)hotmail.com] >> Posted At: Friday, March 05, 2010 10:36 AM >> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell >> Conversation: News Flash! No More Windows Discs! >> Subject: Re: News Flash! No More Windows Discs! >> >> Hi! >> >>> You bought a computer from Best Buy? >> >> Ben said it very well. If you know exactly what you want (and maybe if >> they've got a good deal going), and what you're getting, there's no >> problem buying from there. And that includes computers. >> >> Just ignore the 'Geek Squad', extended warranties (unless there is an >> absolutely screaming good deal on one) and anything else, get what you >> want and get out. >> >> Best Buy and related stores do very well when you need something *now* >> as well. >> >> William > > > I went to Best Buy two days before Christmas to buy their sale laptop. > EVERY SINGLE Dell laptop on the floor had a 'sticker' that said they had > done something extra (virus software, etc), adding to the price. The > sales guy said that was all they had. > > I demanded a manager who magically found one that was 'bare' that was > kept in the back and the sales people weren't allowed in the back. > > Pissed me off. > > They avoided, barely, a BBB complaint. > > That said, it was a good price on what I wanted in a timeframe that > worked. > All emptors should caveat like you did! Beware of the sales on the Ides of March, coming up real soon now. Now with Staples loading up the aisles with computer gear, in response to the demise of Circuit City, and with Staples now advertising "services", one can surmise that Staples will begin playing the same sticker tricks that Best Buy plays. It's almost like going into a used car lot, which is probably where the Best Buy marketing types went to pick up this sort of sticker price inflation... Ben Myers
From: Ben Myers on 6 Mar 2010 01:34 On 3/5/2010 11:46 AM, Daddy wrote: > William R. Walsh wrote: >> Hi! >> >>> You bought a computer from Best Buy? >> >> Ben said it very well. If you know exactly what you want (and maybe if >> they've got a good deal going), and what you're getting, there's no >> problem buying from there. And that includes computers. >> >> Just ignore the 'Geek Squad', extended warranties (unless there is an >> absolutely screaming good deal on one) and anything else, get what you >> want and get out. >> >> Best Buy and related stores do very well when you need something *now* >> as well. >> >> William > > "You pays your money and you takes your choice." > > Daddy Or as the old saying goes, "Caveat Emptor!" ... Ben Myers
From: Daddy on 6 Mar 2010 01:57 Tom Scales wrote: > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: William R. Walsh [mailto:wm_walsh(a)hotmail.com] >> Posted At: Friday, March 05, 2010 10:36 AM >> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell >> Conversation: News Flash! No More Windows Discs! >> Subject: Re: News Flash! No More Windows Discs! >> >> Hi! >> >>> You bought a computer from Best Buy? >> Ben said it very well. If you know exactly what you want (and maybe if >> they've got a good deal going), and what you're getting, there's no >> problem buying from there. And that includes computers. >> >> Just ignore the 'Geek Squad', extended warranties (unless there is an >> absolutely screaming good deal on one) and anything else, get what you >> want and get out. >> >> Best Buy and related stores do very well when you need something *now* >> as well. >> >> William > > > I went to Best Buy two days before Christmas to buy their sale laptop. > EVERY SINGLE Dell laptop on the floor had a 'sticker' that said they had > done something extra (virus software, etc), adding to the price. The > sales guy said that was all they had. > > I demanded a manager who magically found one that was 'bare' that was > kept in the back and the sales people weren't allowed in the back. > > Pissed me off. > > They avoided, barely, a BBB complaint. > > That said, it was a good price on what I wanted in a timeframe that > worked. > Ah yes. From The Consumerist: "Best Buy Optimization is a Big Stupid Annoying Waste of Money http://consumerist.com/2010/01/consumerist-investigation-best-buy-optimization-is-a-big-stupid-annoying-waste-of-money.html I appreciate that the margins on electronics are very thin, so Best Buy (and others) need to find other revenue sources. That's fair...they're allowed to make money. What's not fair is when they do it behind our backs. Daddy
From: Daddy on 6 Mar 2010 02:20
Tom Scales wrote: > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Daddy [mailto:daddy(a)invalid.invalid] >> Posted At: Friday, March 05, 2010 8:43 AM >> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell >> Conversation: News Flash! No More Windows Discs! >> Subject: Re: News Flash! No More Windows Discs! >> >> Tom Scales wrote: >>>> -----Original Message----- >>>> From: Daddy [mailto:daddy(a)invalid.invalid] >>>> Posted At: Thursday, March 04, 2010 8:19 PM >>>> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell >>>> Conversation: News Flash! No More Windows Discs! >>>> Subject: News Flash! No More Windows Discs! >>>> >>>> Attention All: >>>> >>>> Dell was the last of the major OEMs to furnish a genuine Windows >>>> install >>>> disc (albeit an OEM version) as well as a Resource DVD. >>>> >>>> Not any more. >>>> >>>> "Dell no longer provides the operating system or resource disks in >> the >>>> box for Windows 7 Systems. It is important for you to create >> recovery >>>> disks in case of a hard drive failure. If you do not create the >>>> recovery >>>> disks, there may be a charge from Dell for the operating system >>>> recovery >>>> media." >>>> >>>> > https://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/documen >>>> t?c=us&cs=19&docid=62A668E1C399857AE040AE0AB8E12942&l=en&s=dhs >>>> >>>> Now I'll admit that "Dell DataSafe Local Backup 2.0" is an >> impressive >>>> piece of work. But it's not a Windows disc. >>>> >>>> And for those of you who are concerned about how this will affect > my >>>> recent order of a Studio XPS 8100...essentially, no one...I'm >>>> negotiating with Dell. I placed my order just 8 days after this >>> article >>>> was first published. >>>> >>>> Daddy >>> >>> I've purchased three Dell laptops in the last three months from Best >>> Buy, including one about 10 days ago. >>> >>> All came with full Windows CDs. Not sure about the link or what >>> machines they're talking about. >>> >> Best Buy can make its own arrangements with Dell. >> >> You bought a computer from Best Buy? >> >> Daddy > > > Sure. Their sale prices are actually pretty good. > Alright. I wonder: What is the big deal about not including a Windows disk? What made the OEMs stop including one with their PCs? Is it an issue of support? Maybe the OEMs don't want to have to deal with people who mess up their computers by (mis)using their Windows disc? Or maybe they don't want their script-reading support techs to walk people through re-installing Windows -- something neither party really understands? I don't know about that. In the first place, Dell has no warranty obligation if I mess up my computer by playing with Windows. And they can always tell their script-readers that re-installing Windows is not supported so you're not allowed to advise doing so. Or maybe it's big bad Microsoft trying to cut down on the number of Windows discs in circulation, as a way of to combat 'piracy'? Daddy |