Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/07/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Nathan- I too found myself buying a cheap Acer for a work project the other week (a quarter-century later and I'm still firmly in the Mac camp!). The cheap Acer had Vista pre-installed, and one had to backup to one's own DVD media. I growled, bit my tongue, and did back up to blank DVDs from my stash. It boils down to price point, paying a fraction of the MacBook price. Out goes distribution media and onshore support. I'm not going to bring up the First World-Third World thing other than to mention I haven't received a reply to my tech support email from "Frank" or 'Bob" in Bangalore or Hyderabad. Apparently, one factory in the PRC makes these cheap laptops sold under a few labels. FWIW, MacBooks are also made in the PRC, albeit labeled as 'Designed in California' on the classier packaging, media, and documentation. One of those 'You get what you pay for' things. BTW, anyone have suggestions for which Linux flavor is best for AMD based laptops? I have learned since my last paid Windows 'experience' that Vista has me digging for my well-perforated Bill Gates voodoo doll...now that Ballmer is basically running things in Redmond, anyone know where I can find a bald Ballmer voodoo doll? I am in the saloon trade. My experience with the Acer laptop made it all the more difficult to take the easy route and reach back for the solace of the Grand Marnier bottle. Gaming (like Point-of-Sale applications) is still predominently a Windows thing, I've realized. So are almost all the viruses, malware, spyware....but I digress. Look at the bright side, Nathan. The money left over from your son's Acer means more you can send to Solms, instead of Cupertino. Charlie "Hasta la Vista, Baby." - The Governator of Caalifornia On Jul 11, 2009, at 4:02 AM, Nathan Wajsman wrote: > Since it is now at least 5 years since I bought a Windows laptop, > things may have changed and so I'd better ask. > > Back then, it was normal that when you bought a new PC, whether > laptop or desktop, you got the XP discs along with the computer. Of > course the OS was pre-installed on the machine but the discs were > useful in case one needed to do a total reinstall for whatever reason. > > Now my son is buying a new gaming laptop from acerdirect.co.uk. The > price is good, as are the specs etc.--but no Vista discs are > included. The stuff is preinstalled on the laptop and that's that. > Is that normal nowadays? What does one do if the OS needs to be > reinstalled? > > Sorry for the OT question, but I figure that there must be people > here who have bought a Windows laptop more recently than I. > > Please do NOT turn this into a Mac vs. Windows thread. I am squarely > in the Mac camp for my own computing needs but my son wants Windows, > it is his birthday present and his choice (Apple is not a good > choice for gaming anyway since many of the best games are not > available). > > TIA, > Nathan > > Nathan Wajsman > Alicante, Spain > http://www.frozenlight.eu > http://www.greatpix.eu > http://www.nathanfoto.com > > Books: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/search?search=wajsman&x=0&y=0 > PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws > Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > Charlie Meyer West Virginia Coordinator Basset Rescue of Old Dominion, Inc. (BROOD) Droolassic Park Keyser, WV Basset Hound Rescue: Work With Women. Pick Up Dogs.