Should Windows OS CD/DVD accompany netbook?

djt0607

Hi,

A friend of mine has just purchased a netbook. It came preinstalled with windows 7. However, there is no internal cd/dvd drive with the netbook. The standard warranty on the netbook is 1 year. Lets say for instance, after the warranty has expired, the laptop was dropped on the ground. The laptop turns out to be perfect but the hard disk is damaged. Because no windows installation dvd came with the purchase of the netbook, how is my friend going to reinstall windows on a new hard disk?

My question is that if a netbook is sold to you with a windows OS preinstalled, should the windows OS cd/dvd have to accompany it, regardless of whether there is a cd/dvd drive built into the machine?

Now if the answer is no, can my friend ring up microsoft or the retailer (which one?) and request the windows OS installation disc free of charge? I say free of charge because hasn't my friend already paid for the OS when buying the netbook as it was preinstalled and she was given a windows 7 product key an' all?

Thanks for the replies (in advance)

DJT

Capt'n Midnight

I can remember when preinstalled windows 95 came with a sheet of labels. You had to buy floppy disks and then run the backup program yourself.


In General
Microsoft won't help since it's OEM.

What make / model ?
What retailer ?


But since you have windows 7, you should be able to download it and use the existing key.

djt0607

firstly, thanks for replying.

the computer model in samsung n150.

i understand that i can download the os and use the product key, however, my argument is that it the consumer, who has already paid for the os, should not have to download it, but rather should be given then os on an authentic cd/dvd. What happens if the consumer is living in a remote area and has no access to broadband?

antocann

99% of computers dont come with os discs, just pre installed

unnameduser

I can see your point but it is one of the many ways the manufacturers are trying to keep costs down. Yes I know the cost of a CD/DVD is pittance but every little helps.

I suggest taking an image of the disk for future reinstallation.

Capt'n Midnight

djt0607 wrote: »

however, my argument is that it the consumer, who has already paid for the os, should not have to download it, but rather should be given then os on an authentic cd/dvd. What happens if the consumer is living in a remote area and has no access to broadband?

The consumer has not paid for the OS, only a license to be allowed to use subject to certain conditions.

The reason I quoted windows 95 is to show just how long this had been going on. It's not something they introduced with 7 or Vista or XP or 2000 or ME or 98.

The first windows 95 CD cost $300,000,000 to make. The second one cost 3c. OK I don't have the exact costs but it can't cost more than 30c to ship a recovery disk in a paper cover. Then again it's been fairly common over the years to have five or six driver disks and no OS disk, so you have to assume there are hidden costs somewhere probably with traceability. Some manufacturers used to have an optional charge of a tenner or so if you wanted media. And they've been charging up to thirty for the free windows 7 upgrade cd a while back.

You also have to remember that most Microsoft customers either have decent BB or know someone who does, they aren't on dial up like some people here.

Check out if there is an option to create a recovery disk on your system.

And yes it is a major annoyance.

rOBeRt frETt

they don't come with new machines anymore (or drivers disk) it should be an option when you are buying it though, depending on the seller, but all your buying is the license and a preinstall/recovery partition (sometimes)

gbee

They bought a netbook and they have no broadband is a rather silly scenario ... just think about it.

If they had bought a standard laptop, fair enough and the no broadband would have been a consideration.

Also, anyone buying a netbook is unlikely to be PC literate enough to be able to reinstall anyway ~ generally speaking.

Without a CD/DVD RW it's rather academic anyway, one needs to make or buy a USB installer. Instructions to make a USB installer are in the help sections.

Now, whilst I could go alone with an argument for the supply of disks, in the case of a netbook, it's like asking Apple for install disks for the iPhone.

rOBeRt frETt

unless u got an external dvd drive ;-)

sceptre

The n150 comes with a program called Samsung Recovery Solution. He'll find this in the Samsung menu under All Programs after clicking on the Start button.

He can use this to back up the entire hard drive and restore it later. I recommend copying the file it creates (which will be quite large) to an external drive for backup purposes.

It's not an ideal solution and ideally I'd prefer a USB stick supplied with the backup media on it (given that the n150 doesn't have a optical drive) but unfortunately it's the way most laptop manufacturers have moved. Either way that's the solution in the worst case scenario you've outlined.

djt0607 wrote: »

i understand that i can download the os

Not from Microsoft without paying for a retail copy and not from Samsung. Solution above highly recommended.