WTF, notebook manufacturers don't give you a CD copy of XP anymore with your new laptop?

[NFS4]

WTF, I just got a Gateway laptop from Best Buy b/c I wanted something larger to use while on the road instead of relying on my Axim X50v. Anyway, the bastards give you about 8 CD-R's to make "recovery" discs for backup, but THEY WON'T GIVE YOU ONE DAMN CD WITH XP ON IT OR ONE DVD FOR A FULL SYSTEM BACKUP WITH WINDOWS XP ON IT!!!???

They've got like 4GB of the hard drive partitioned off for the OS and recovery crap, but you can't access it at all.

How the hell am I supposed to do a clean install w/o all that added sh!t that they install at the factory. Trying the recovery options just seems like ALL or NOTHING.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO:|:|:|:|

Fuggin' cheap bastards!:|

 

[Pepsei]

a man of you position, should be easy to get a copy somewhere.

 

[Heisenberg]

Some do, some don't.

 

[Shawn]

I've owned 3 laptops and I've never gotten a cd. My oldest one did give me the option to make Win95 install disks however. It was something like 30 disks. :|

 

[Pepsei]

now that you mention it, the standard issued company laptop dell latitude d600 only comes with one win xp "recovery cd" , when i used it, it seems to be just xp with dell drivers.

 

[FreshPrince]

you can create the install cd from the utility partition

btw

R

 

[Evadman]

Pull the key out of the registry, get a copy of XP home, pro from just about anywhere, use key from your registry, and you are good to go.

 

[Aves]

The Compaq I just bought came with it.

 

[daniel1113]

Dell does

 

[imported_Mike]

why did you buy a gateway from bestbuy?

 

[Pepsei]

Originally posted by: Evadman
Pull the key out of the registry, get a copy of XP home, pro from just about anywhere, use key from your registry, and you are good to go.

oh yeah, sometimes the key is on a sticker UNDER the laptop, makes it hard to install when the laptop is in the fricking docking station or what do they call it now? port replicator.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: CheapArse
why did you buy a gateway from bestbuy?

Had some GC's and it was advertised as $650 with no rebates for a 5.5 lb unit.

 

[onza]

Originally posted by: CheapArse
why did you buy a gateway from bestbuy?

good question -_-

 

[So]

Originally posted by: Evadman
Pull the key out of the registry, get a copy of XP home, pro from just about anywhere, use key from your registry, and you are good to go.

:thumbsup:, except that you can't get some of their damn drivers for obscure little system devices that laptops have built in.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: FreshPrince
you can create the install cd from the utility partition

btw

R

Nope

Restore Utility Manager from hitting F11 at bootup

Option (1): Full restore DESTRUCTIVE
Option (2): Full restore w/Backup of your My Documents folder

 

[RbSX]

Originally posted by: NFS4
WTF, I just got a Gateway laptop from Best Buy b/c I wanted something larger to use while on the road instead of relying on my Axim X50v. Anyway, the bastards give you about 8 CD-R's to make "recovery" discs for backup, but THEY WON'T GIVE YOU ONE DAMN CD WITH XP ON IT OR ONE DVD FOR A FULL SYSTEM BACKUP WITH WINDOWS XP ON IT!!!???

They've got like 4GB of the hard drive partitioned off for the OS and recovery crap, but you can't access it at all.

How the hell am I supposed to do a clean install w/o all that added sh!t that they install at the factory. Trying the recovery options just seems like ALL or NOTHING.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO:|:|:|:|

Fuggin' cheap bastards!:|

There is a small partition on the harddrive that has Windows XP backed up on it.

 

[Aves]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: Evadman
Pull the key out of the registry, get a copy of XP home, pro from just about anywhere, use key from your registry, and you are good to go.

:thumbsup:, except that you can't get some of their damn drivers for obscure little system devices that laptops have built in.

All the drivers should be online. I bought a Compaq with XP Home then got XP Pro from school and got all the drivers I needed from the website. Saved $50 that way and I didn't have to deal with all the preloaded crap.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: RyanSengara

Originally posted by: NFS4
WTF, I just got a Gateway laptop from Best Buy b/c I wanted something larger to use while on the road instead of relying on my Axim X50v. Anyway, the bastards give you about 8 CD-R's to make "recovery" discs for backup, but THEY WON'T GIVE YOU ONE DAMN CD WITH XP ON IT OR ONE DVD FOR A FULL SYSTEM BACKUP WITH WINDOWS XP ON IT!!!???

They've got like 4GB of the hard drive partitioned off for the OS and recovery crap, but you can't access it at all.

How the hell am I supposed to do a clean install w/o all that added sh!t that they install at the factory. Trying the recovery options just seems like ALL or NOTHING.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO:|:|:|:|

Fuggin' cheap bastards!:|

There is a small partition on the harddrive that has Windows XP backed up on it.

THey won't even let you access it. WHenever you try to, it has some little app called "Angel something" that won't let you access it.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Gateway = suck.

 

[RagingBITCH]

You got a Gateway. I'm sorry.

Dell doesn't include them either, starting pretty recently. My Inspiron 6000 didn't include any. (We have hordes of XP Home/Pro CD's from all the workstations + laptops we've bought from them at work) I just transferred my XP Pro from my previous PC over to this. Installed all programs. Ghost. Booyah

 

[imported_Mike]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: CheapArse
why did you buy a gateway from bestbuy?

Had some GC's and it was advertised as $650 with no rebates for a 5.5 lb unit.

You need it right now? Im still wondering why you paid almost the same price for a celeron in a gateway? Why not a Pentium M Dell?

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
You got a Gateway. I'm sorry.

Dell doesn't include them either, starting pretty recently. My Inspiron 6000 didn't include any. (We have hordes of XP Home/Pro CD's from all the workstations + laptops we've bought from them at work) I just transferred my XP Pro from my previous PC over to this. Installed all programs. Ghost. Booyah

Must be a Dell home thing, since all of our business laptops still come with them.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: CheapArse

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: CheapArse
why did you buy a gateway from bestbuy?

Had some GC's and it was advertised as $650 with no rebates for a 5.5 lb unit.

You need it right now? Im still wondering why you paid almost the same price for a celeron in a gateway? Why not a Pentium M Dell?

If you can get me a Dell Pentium M for $500 (after my GC's and tax), then by all mean tell me where

 

[imported_Mike]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: CheapArse

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: CheapArse
why did you buy a gateway from bestbuy?

Had some GC's and it was advertised as $650 with no rebates for a 5.5 lb unit.

You need it right now? Im still wondering why you paid almost the same price for a celeron in a gateway? Why not a Pentium M Dell?

If you can get me a Dell Pentium M for $500 (after my GC's and tax), then by all mean tell me where

GC = straigt cash pretty much on ebay, also...I dunno if its the same in NC, but in CA stores are required to cash out gift cards. The Dells can be had for $750 which is just a $100 more than your celey and its not a gateway.

Either way, I say :thumbsup: for a new notebook....just trying to understand the method to your madness.

 

[Turkish]

your key should be printed under the laptop. all my past and current laptops had it.