Posted on 04/26/2007 10:44:02 AM PDT by JohnSheppard
When large businesses buy new PCs, they often wipe the hard drives clean and install a fresh copy of Windows, along with the other software they want workers to have.
Some consumers, frustrated with all of the trial software, desktop icons and other stuff that comes loaded on their machines, are doing the same thing.
However, what works for businesses isn't always so easy for individuals. Many computers don't actually come with a clean copy of the operating system. Instead, many ship with a "recovery partition" or a recovery disc that restores the system back to the way it shipped--with all that extra software.
"I'm willing to accept that it comes with junk and I'm willing to clean it up," said Bill Shanner, a self-described "senior-citizen engineer" who has seven laptops and at least a half dozen desktops. "The thing that aggravates me is having to buy a second copy of an operating system. If you pay for something, you ought to get what you pay for."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.com ...
Shoot, do what I did - buy a system with NO operating system and load Ubuntu Linux on it. Hell you can even get an OEM version of XP Home w/SP2 for $89. I LOVE Tigerdirect.com.
Hard with a laptop.
I have been running a Suse partition on mine for several years, but that’s not deployable to the average user, and there really are apps. you need for business that are still sketchy on Linux.
No problem. As long as you have the key number for your OS, you can use any CD of the same OS to reinstall it. You can even use an upgrade CD to install a complete OS. Just make sure you have the install CD from a previous version. The upgrade CD will ask for it when it doesn’t see an existing OS. Clean installs are the way to go. And with XP, you rarely need to manually install the drivers, except for the Ethernet card.
I have been running a Suse partition on mine for several years, but that’s not deployable to the average user, and there really are apps. you need for business that are still sketchy on Linux.
*Nods* I'll give you that. My two main motivations for getting a no OS system were a) I'm avoiding Vista like the plague for as long as I can and b) Linux works for what I need - basic email, net surfing, and to do my business (I sell AVON). But I agree there are some things that don't mix well with Linux. And as much as I like Linux, I know it's not for everyone.
Here is what I did:
And pay attention, because this is complicated.
I threw my old system in the trash, and now I use the one at work.
Seriously. I got sick and tired of putting up firewalls and buying spam/virus protection and the constant monitoring to see what damage has been done or what files or programs that have been deleted. I don’t NEED a computer so I don’t own one anymore.
Of course if I couldn’t FReep at work...
Great advice. I've always been lucky enough to have the key already on the back of the computer or on that MS hologram CD sleeve...which comes with no CD in it.
Vista looks like a big pain for us SOHO types. I agree about avoiding that for as long as possible.
BUMP!
How did you do that?
The only thing I could find on theor web site was $139.99
$50 more.
What you're looking at here is for XP Pro w/SP2.
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