A first from Dell: giving customers a choice of Windows operating systems

Gary, you may well be correct.

I'm only reporting on the ad I saw, and on my memory (which may well be
mistaken), that since Windows 98 came out I had never seen any Dell
advertisement, either for business or personal (and I receive all their
brochures) offering both the new OS and the former OS for the same machines.

Larry


"Gary S. Terhune" none wrote in message
...
I recall Dell offering a choice of Windows XP or Windows 2000 for a long
time, until relatively recently, in fact. For the same reason, any vendor
that wants to seriously cater to the business market needs to continue
offering XP for a long time to come. Probably until it reaches "end of
support".

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Today in a newspaper advertisement for Dell computers directed at
business
customers, the ad gave customers a choice of Windows Vista or Windows XP
for
each computer being offered. I've never seen anything like this before.
In
the past, once a new version of Windows had come out, Dell sold all its
new
computers with the new version.

What this seems to indicate is that Dell is aware of the problems with
Vista
and the unhappiness many users have expressed about it, so they want to
attract more customers by giving them the option of buying XP.

Never seen an advertisement, I can accept that. But if you actually go into
the process of ordering, OS options are usually offered as an "option". Not
sure that's true for low end "consumer" models, but I seldom if ever buy
them. Usually buying something a bit higher-end when purchasing from Dell.

If they're making a big deal about it in advertising, I can understand that,
too. I'm certainly not in the market for any Vista machines yet. Need a
*lot* more time to work the bugs out and get broad compatibility, never mind
user acceptance.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Gary, you may well be correct.

I'm only reporting on the ad I saw, and on my memory (which may well be
mistaken), that since Windows 98 came out I had never seen any Dell
advertisement, either for business or personal (and I receive all their
brochures) offering both the new OS and the former OS for the same
machines.

Larry


"Gary S. Terhune" none wrote in message
...
I recall Dell offering a choice of Windows XP or Windows 2000 for a long
time, until relatively recently, in fact. For the same reason, any vendor
that wants to seriously cater to the business market needs to continue
offering XP for a long time to come. Probably until it reaches "end of
support".

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Today in a newspaper advertisement for Dell computers directed at
business
customers, the ad gave customers a choice of Windows Vista or Windows
XP
for
each computer being offered. I've never seen anything like this
before.
In
the past, once a new version of Windows had come out, Dell sold all its
new
computers with the new version.

What this seems to indicate is that Dell is aware of the problems with
Vista
and the unhappiness many users have expressed about it, so they want
to
attract more customers by giving them the option of buying XP.

"Richard Urban" wrote:

You're right. I was looking at the home user Pavilion series.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

"Julian" wrote in message
...
"Richard Urban" wrote in message
...
Look at their web site and judge for yourself. I haven't seen any new
computers with other than Vista being supplied.

There's loads with XP, here's a sample....

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en...-12221982.html

To Richard Urban: Thank you for admitting that you gave someone incorrect information concerning available operating systems on HP computers. It takes a man to admit it and you have my respect for doing so. You are a breath of fresh air in the otherwise combative and self-promoting listings I have seen in these forums. I have come to the conclusion that many people posting advice and answers in these forums don't have a clue about what they are saying. These people are easy to spot. In fact, they do more harm than good. I take the advice of only a few forum posters. You are one of them I pay attention to. I trust your judgement. Sometimes you may be incorrect but what is more important is the fact that you are willing to surrender your free time to help those of us in need. I appreciate your efforts and the efforts of others who are qualified to give such advice and I sincerely thank you. I don't need any smart-ass postings from some of you other forum users concerning my
respect for Richard Urban. I am not on my knees before him and I don't worship him. However, give credit where credit is due.

"Richard Urban" wrote in message
...
What about the "fact" that HP is out selling Dell - and HP is offering
only Vista?

Well, wait a minute. Qualify these sales. Business or Home? I would
believe that HP (compaq) sells more business machines, meaning servers,
meaning Windows Server (neither XP or Vista) but I doubt HP sells more
consumer machines.


Dell is just losing it and they are grabbing at a life ring.

Much agreed.

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:45:04 -0400, "john" wrote:
"Nandro" wrote in message

Just out of curiosity what's so bad about HP? I mean at least what's
worse about them than Dell?

One word: Compaq.

Compaq started out as one of the best builders of PCs, when there were
still concerns about "IBM compatibility". Thier high-water mark was
when they scooped IBM to be the first to release a 386-based PC, which
is all the more impressive when you recall that it was the 386 that
laid the foundation for all of today's PC OSs.

That the Compaq name was dropped after the merger with HP, says much
about how that great legacy was squandered, and in the usual "bait and
switch" way; come for the reputation, get served the most ruthlessly
cut-price junk it is possible to make.

Compaq were the kings of brand lock-in, much as Sony are today. Over
the years, I've had Compaqs from various generations to be fixed, and
there's always been some complication or sob-story...
- RAM soldered into the motherboard
- "special" RAM
- "special" slim-line 3.5" laptop HDs, well into age of 2.5" std
- the puniest PSUs possible
- the smallest, most restrictive cases possible
- no ROM-based CMOS setup; need "special" HD partition
- typical large-OEM "no standard Windows disk" scams
- oddball mounting and construction screws
- even "special" diskette and CD drives in desktop systems

How much of this has permeated formally-"HP" PCs, I wonder?



--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -
Tech Support: The guys who follow the
'Parade of New Products' with a shovel.
--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:50:16 -0400, 98 Guy wrote:

I've heard that Macro$haft is offering something called XP-starter
edition in India or China for like $3. Yes, three dollars. But it's
heavily handicapped, and it's not selling well:

Five countries to get cheap Windows XP
Published: August 10, 2004, 8:00 PM PDT
http://www.slashgear.com/customers-t...-xp-194856.php

I've seen one here, and it has this bug:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914906

Note the rather unapolagetic nature of that article, and the drastic
colateral damage involved in fixing this:

editpaste

1. Start the computer in Safe Mode.
2. Back up the data on the computer.
3. Reinstall Windows XP Starter Edition by using the recovery
CD that is provided by the OEM.
4. Apply the hotfix.
5. Restart the computer.

/editpaste

Note (3) doesn't explicitly tell you that the "OEM recovery CD" will
wipe all content off the HD; you have to smell that. Oh, and the XP
Starter PC I have here, crashes the same way at step (1).

So... I don't think there's reason to feel envious ;-)


--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -
Error Messages Are Your Friends
--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -

cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user) wrote:
On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:45:04 -0400, "john" wrote:
"Nandro" wrote in message

Just out of curiosity what's so bad about HP? I mean at least what's
worse about them than Dell?

One word: Compaq.

Compaq started out as one of the best builders of PCs, when there were
still concerns about "IBM compatibility". Thier high-water mark was
when they scooped IBM to be the first to release a 386-based PC, which
is all the more impressive when you recall that it was the 386 that
laid the foundation for all of today's PC OSs.

I remember those days, too. They were a fair bit pricier than the other
clones out there, but were "as close as you could get" to the real thing,
at least as I recall.

That the Compaq name was dropped after the merger with HP, says much
about how that great legacy was squandered, and in the usual "bait and
switch" way; come for the reputation, get served the most ruthlessly
cut-price junk it is possible to make.

I didn't even realize this had happened. :-(
It's really too bad. Well, it's not the first time. Look at what
happened to Norton.

"cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)" wrote in
message ...
Compaq were the kings of brand lock-in, much as Sony are today.

Umm... Apple is the king of brand lock-in. Always has been.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

My step son just got a 2grand HP laptop with VIsta. After about 2 weeks of
jacking around. He installed XP. And he is a PC tech.
Yes... HP might be selling everything with Vista. But how many of those
customers are keeping Vista?

"Richard Urban" wrote:

What about the "fact" that HP is out selling Dell - and HP is offering only
Vista?

Dell is just losing it and they are grabbing at a life ring.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Today in a newspaper advertisement for Dell computers directed at business
customers, the ad gave customers a choice of Windows Vista or Windows XP
for
each computer being offered. I've never seen anything like this before.
In
the past, once a new version of Windows had come out, Dell sold all its
new
computers with the new version.

What this seems to indicate is that Dell is aware of the problems with
Vista
and the unhappiness many users have expressed about it, so they want to
attract more customers by giving them the option of buying XP.

Don't mean to butt in. But Gary...I trust your input.
Could all this,OP, be a result from ,like, a major local university
here(And has a purchase contract with Dell) has anounced it will not use
Vista and that faculty and students use XP machines to connect to their
servers.
Companies that upgraded to Vista are scrambling to get XP back because they
can't afford the lost income from constant problems they are experiencing
with Vista. Plus the costs of hardware and software upgrades to run a Vista
network.
I have not heard of the OS choice by Dell.
But from what I have heard about ,and experienced with, Vista.
I would not doubt it.

"Gary S. Terhune" wrote:

Never seen an advertisement, I can accept that. But if you actually go into
the process of ordering, OS options are usually offered as an "option". Not
sure that's true for low end "consumer" models, but I seldom if ever buy
them. Usually buying something a bit higher-end when purchasing from Dell.

If they're making a big deal about it in advertising, I can understand that,
too. I'm certainly not in the market for any Vista machines yet. Need a
*lot* more time to work the bugs out and get broad compatibility, never mind
user acceptance.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Gary, you may well be correct.

I'm only reporting on the ad I saw, and on my memory (which may well be
mistaken), that since Windows 98 came out I had never seen any Dell
advertisement, either for business or personal (and I receive all their
brochures) offering both the new OS and the former OS for the same
machines.

Larry


"Gary S. Terhune" none wrote in message
...
I recall Dell offering a choice of Windows XP or Windows 2000 for a long
time, until relatively recently, in fact. For the same reason, any vendor
that wants to seriously cater to the business market needs to continue
offering XP for a long time to come. Probably until it reaches "end of
support".

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Today in a newspaper advertisement for Dell computers directed at
business
customers, the ad gave customers a choice of Windows Vista or Windows
XP
for
each computer being offered. I've never seen anything like this
before.
In
the past, once a new version of Windows had come out, Dell sold all its
new
computers with the new version.

What this seems to indicate is that Dell is aware of the problems with
Vista
and the unhappiness many users have expressed about it, so they want
to
attract more customers by giving them the option of buying XP.