Bought display model laptop, no Vista disk...

Penn

Last thursday, I bought a display model laptop. Windows Vista was already installed on it, but there was no disc for it in the box. I want to reinstall Vista as the shop had put a few things on it that I cant get rid of, like users and such.

Am I entitled to go back in and get the disk since it was a display model laptop? I presume I would be since I didnt get a discount for the laptop. And even if I didnt reinstall Vista now, I may have to do so in the future anyway.

I was going to go in today but didnt have my receipt with me.

Any advice?

heggie

there are rarely ever disks given with laptops now, look at your partitions.

Paulw

paddyirishman85 wrote: »

Am I entitled to go back in and get the disk since it was a display model laptop?

They should provide you with the original Vista disk as well as the license key. Go back and stand there until you get it.

GrumPy

Paulw wrote: »

They should provide you with the original Vista disk as well as the license key. Go back and stand there until you get it.

lol, cause that will work. :rolleyes:

As previously mentioned, very few laptops come with the disc. Although I can't understand why you agreed to pay full price for a display model, that had been messed around with.

DenMan

Don't panic yet Paddy, let's see. I bought a new laptop back in November in PC World (Advent). It didn't come with the Vista install OS either. When I booted up I was given a message (TechGuys) to back up my files now. I did and the Vista OS and Drivers were burned to two DVD's. Check is that the case with your machine, look for any messages. If you don't, fair enough go back and ask them. Most laptops come with their Operating Systems fully installed.

Penn

well, I paid full price for the display model cos he gave me discounts on Office and Norton. And it was cheap enough anyway.

Surely putting the Vista OS and drivers on the actual laptop is a bad idea. What if you get a virus or the Blue Screen of Death and need to reinstall it? I guess they want you to burn it to disks yourself. If so, I'll have a root round the laptopbox tonight and see what I can see. If I cant find anything I'll head in tomorrow, receipt in one hand, lumphammer in the other*, and ask for it

Cheers people


*I wont do anything with the lumphammer. I just like carrying it

mhairt

Hi
You do not need the disk to reinstall. Just go to control panel, backup and restore center. You can restore your system from there if you ever get a virus. It is actually quite handy. I always lose those damn disks.

jill_valentine

Paulw wrote: »

Go back and stand there until you get it.

This is a good way to become known as the local cranky weirdo.

Don't do this. It won't get you anything except a notably colder welcome in that store in future.

Flaccus

Restore Centre will allow you to restore to a previous restore point (they get created when you install an application). It also can allow you to restore a previously created Vista backup image (backup feature of Vista Ultimate only, and it's only your last created image it lets you restore). If you want to do a full OS restore as seems to be the case here this will usually require the original media to be reinstalled or that the PC maufacturer has put an image of the original os with all drivers/apps installed on a separate, hidden parition. Dell do this all the time. You usually can recover it by going into Vista repair mode. Usually it's hit F8 on bootup, select Repair My Computer. This boots into a menu and there may be an option there to restore your original OS.

Paulw

They must provide you with the license key (for the software you got), which inclused Vista. They should have also provided you with Vista.

Using a Restore Point will only allow you to go back so far, and may not allow you to go back to the actual installation point. It depends on the configuration. In fact, they may not have even enabled restore points.

Check your documentation. If you don't have the license key/string for Windows Vista, then go back to them. They should have provided this to you.

Penn

Paulw wrote: »

They must provide you with the license key (for the software you got), which inclused Vista. They should have also provided you with Vista.

Using a Restore Point will only allow you to go back so far, and may not allow you to go back to the actual installation point. It depends on the configuration. In fact, they may not have even enabled restore points.

Check your documentation. If you don't have the license key/string for Windows Vista, then go back to them. They should have provided this to you.

I think this seems to be the way to go. When I first started the laptop it asked me to backup and set restore point, so I did. But as I said, they've left some stuff on the laptop which I cant seem to get rid of, and as it was a display model, I'd rather clean the system and start afresh. I'll go in tomorrow. Thanks again guys

Besides, I'm already the local cranky weirdo!

Flaccus

Paulw wrote: »

They must provide you with the license key (for the software you got), which inclused Vista. They should have also provided you with Vista.

Using a Restore Point will only allow you to go back so far, and may not allow you to go back to the actual installation point. It depends on the configuration. In fact, they may not have even enabled restore points.

Check your documentation. If you don't have the license key/string for Windows Vista, then go back to them. They should have provided this to you.

The only legal requirement is for the license key (COA label) to be stamped somewhere on the PC. They don't have to provide you with the original OS media. Some do and some provide it for a small charge. But nearly all PC manufacturers make an image of the hard drive on a separate partition and allow you to restore it using windows repair (e.g. Dell). Or they provide a preinstalled app which allows you to create a bootable recovery disc from an image on the drive (e.g. HP). No activation required as the generic license key is tied to the bios. The OP needs to take a look to see which of these options are available to him if any. And I guess if he has no way of recovering his OS he should ask for a Vista disc with license key from the shop.

Paulw

Flaccus wrote: »

The only legal requirement is for the license key (COA label) to be stamped somewhere on the PC. They don't have to provide you with the original OS media.

That's what I said. They must provide you with the license key, and should provide the Vista CD.

If they don't provide Vista on a separate partition, then they very much should provide a Vista disk with the software.

Flaccus

Indeed.

Hopefully there is an option to make a recovery dvd or do a restore from windows repair though. Would be fairly crap for a PC maker not to offer this if they don't provide media.

Penn

Like I said, I'll have a look round the hard drive before I go in all guns blazing. Makes a lot of sense because I always though I lost the OS disc for my last laptop, maybe I just never had one

Would someone be able to tell me how to look for partitions or whatever they're called, or would that be taking the thread off-topic?

Flaccus

First look in the start menu to see if there is something like an OS recovery program e.g. Create OS Disc, Recover my PC etc.. If there is, then run it. It usually creates a bootable recovery image on a blank dvd. Once made, reboot, make sure to change the boot order to boot from the DVD and it should automatically reinstall everything for you or at least the OS if it's an OS DVD it creates. Depends on PC manfuacturer. (The recover image if you are wondering is usually created from a vista image hidden on another partition)

If no option for a program to create a recovery image, that then look to see if there is a hidden vista parition. You can do this by right clicking My Computer, selecting Manage, and click Disk Management under Storage. This will display all your partitions. There may be a hidden one there called Recovery or Restore. It may not even have a drive letter associated with it, which is why it doesn't show up in explorer or my computer. If this is the case,then you need to try and restore from this partition. You can try using Vista repair to do this. Reboot the PC, hit F8. An option should appear called "Repair PC". Select this. This brings up the System Recovery Options menu with various recovery / restore options. Looks for something that says, "Restore my PC to Factory Settings" (this will be there if the manufacture has in fact created a full restore image on the drive) or there may be an option for "Windows Complete PC Restore" which may just restore the OS depending on when the manufacturer ran the backup if at all.

If none of these options work for you, you can try going into System Protection in the control panel, selecting System Restore. This will show all previous restore points. If you can find one early enough before all these extra users were created you may be ok. But it's trial and error.

the_syco

paddyirishman85 wrote: »

well, I paid full price for the display model cos he gave me discounts on Office and Norton. And it was cheap enough anyway.

LOL. Check if they're the full versions, as these often come as trials, or "free" cut-down versions with the laptops.

Antigone05

Since around Feb08 almost 100% of laptops and pc's do not come with recovery disks.

When you first power on your computer you will be prompted to make your own recovery disks. It is advisable to do this! Usually 2 blank dvds.

For partition recovery its always on the boot of the computer

eg

Hp - F11
Acer - Alt F10
Sony - F8

and so forth.

no need to go running back to the retailer screaming abuse because your not sure what your doing (not directed at you op, a generalization)

shakdaytuy

i have a new vaio with vista already installed. a sticker is on the laptop with product key. i looked at my program files and my windows files are there. i wanted to make a back up of the vista on a dvd so if ever laptop bugs down i could reinstall. anybody knows how to do this? thanks in advance.

BostonB

All for the sake of a less than .50c disk. Seriously daft thinking.

Antigone05

as far as i know the Vaio has its own reovery software, but not sure if it includes backup disk creation.

look at vaio or sony on your start/programs listing.

select recovery and see what options it gives you there

Rebel021

It would take at least 8 dvds to back up the os,you are better off with a recovery partition
or a disk image saved to an external drive.

I got a Dell Studio 1737 last week and was shocked to see that they bundled the installation discs. There's about 5 CDs there, the ones I know for sure are Vista, a drivers CD and the Blu-ray software. I assumed I'd get nothing.

BostonB

There almost always an option to get the disks when you buy a machine. On the Dell Outlet I've always got the disks.

foggy_lad

dell always send discs as do samsung and many others, it seems only acer and a few others want people to buy expensive recovery solutions from them in the event of their customers losing or not creating the recovery discs properly. they charge a huge amount for os discs.

Antigone05

yeah but all you need is 2 blank dvds and thats it...

Steo46

Rebel021 wrote: »

It would take at least 8 dvds to back up the os,you are better off with a recovery partition
or a disk image saved to an external drive.

You must be using a different os. Vista can fit on one dvd. All the crap software that gets bundled with most laptops would maybe take up one other dvd at the most.

HungryJoey

I think dell are the only crowd that actually provide a copy of the OS & Drivers on disk in the box these days.

All other makes do provide you with a copy of the OS and Drivers, just not on a disc. As a previous poster posted already, there is several methods for accessing this "Recovery Media" that is stored on a Hiden Partition on your hard drive such as;

HP -F10
Sony-F8
Advent-F8 & Select Repair Computer
Acer - Alt & F10
Toshiba - Usuall provide you with a Recovery CD, some its a F10 or F8 Jobbie.
Etc..

Also, most new machines have some software that should initially prompt you to create some Recovery Discs, usually 2 DVD's. It's important you do this because if you decide to install XP or another operating system yourself, chances are you'll end up formatting the Harddrive which by doing so you will loose your a) Original Operating System b) The recovery Partition.

Don't bother going back to the shop kicking & screaming, your system didn't come with any recovery media. 1) Make your own Copy using software that should be on the system or 2) Tell us what Laptop you bought and I'm sure someone will tell you how to access the Recovery Program.