We’ve bought a few PCs/laptops new over the past few years, but it’s been over a decade since we got one with an actual Windows installation disc. They’ve all had back up discs for the other bits of software that the manufacturer has provided, system utilities, Office suites etc, but nothing to let me re-install Windows from scratch.
Is there an obligation to not have a Windows installation disc bundled with new PCs? If the HD on my PC happens to be junked beyond repair (as has happened) is the PC supplier under any obligation to provide a new copy?
There have been various flavors of no-CD-included Windows boxes over the years. Some come with a utility that lets you burn a set of “recovery discs” which are not a true Windows installation disc, but are instead some sort of brand-specific recovery utility. There’s also the type which uses a hidden partition on the hard drive to restore from, if the user-visible partition gets corrupted.
You can run into issues with generic Windows installation media. One of the more common problems is missing drivers, particularly on laptops. That’s one of the reasons that some vendors stopped including them. This was particularly true for later Windows XP systems where the BIOS configures the disk controller in AHCI mode, but the XP install disc doesn’t understand that, and you get a STOP 7B (IIRC) after installing.
HP sells recovery discs, even for obsolete systems, as does Sony. Dell doesn’t seem to offer them, but I’ve seen many of them listed on eBay in the past.
The utilities they come with now are ‘Imaging software’ and an ‘image’ of your hard drive’s boot partition as it is new. Sometimes these come on discs, usually they’re on a small, optionally-bootable partition of your hard drive. They don’t allow you to re-install Windows so much as simply overwrite your hard drive’s main partition with the OS and apps it came with new. Saves PC makers the extra expense of including millions of CDs/DVDs (and Microsoft the expense of making them).
And although XP’s product activation mostly put an end to ‘casual copying’ there are still ways around it. Only including re-imaging software makes this even more difficult as the image will (mostly) only work on that exact model of computer (the specific drivers are built into the OS image). And even if someone did have that exact same model you only get one product activation code with each new PC.
I worked in IT and used to ‘borrow’ Windows install disks (floppies!) for home use. When Windows 95 came out our company’s new PCs came with a utility that would let you create actual Windows install disks. But you could only run the application once (it would erase itself after) and since CD burners weren’t around yet it would require, get this, over thirty 3½" floppy disks to create a Win95 install set!
Sometimes it’s worth the trouble to play with the recovery utilities when you first get a new computer. Creating recovery discs for a start is a must, in case your hard drive gets borked, along with having regular backups of your files, of course.
But I’ve discovered that sometimes the recovery utilities will give you the option to do a “clean” image without all of the bloatware included. This was pretty much required for the Toshiba laptop my wife got for $280 (cheap laptop, display model discount, and there was some residue stuck on the lid from the anti-theft device, which lead to another discount). With all the included bloatware, the poor thing would barely run. With the clean re-image, thing ran like a champ.
I read somewhere that that sort of thing is a concern for Microsoft; people complain about how slow their new PC is, or about the number of times it crashes, when a lot of the time, the sluggishness and crashing is caused by the bloatware, and without it, the systems run a lot better.
So, to answer the OP: no, there’s probably no contractual obligation between Microsoft and the manufacturer, but it’s just more convenient for the manufacturer to provide a custom Windows image.
I think Dell still allows ordering physical DVDs with some models, but those still contain a custom image, not an off-the-shelf copy of Windows.
I’m only assuming here, but I’m pretty sure Microsoft still keeps very specific licensing agreements between themselves & PC manufacturers. This is how, 20+ years ago, they achieved a near-monopoly. PC makers had to pay MS a licensing fee *for every PC they sold, *whether it was sold with Windows (or DOS/Windows) or not. Consequently if you wanted to buy a computer DOS/Windows came free, but OS/2 or anything else would cost you extra.
The US Govt eventually deemed this (and some other things MS did) as illegal, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still have specific (though less Draconian) license agreements with PC manufacturers. And because Windows is still the ubiquitous OS the PC makers still go along with it.
Kind of interesting that Apple is finally getting some revenge with iPhones (and iOS) now outselling desktop PCs…
Oh, yes, I agree that there are still contracts whereby they give away their first-born to Microsoft. I was just saying that the contracts probably don’t prevent the OEMs from including a Windows DVD, given that they have other reasons not to include one.
Also, if I remember correctly, it’s possible to simply download a standard Windows DVD directly from Microsoft and use the serial number from the little label on your PC to reinstall. This didn’t work with previous versions of Windows, but they’ve removed some restrictions. Now, don’t bet the whole farm on this, and don’t blame me if it doesn’t work: I haven’t tried it, I just think I read that somewhere.
I think this is why Microsoft is pushing the ability to copy their DVD. They don’t want to just give away the OS and risk piracy, but they also do want to let people use the licenses they have with a clean install.
Your copy of Windows is the metallic sticker with the 25-digit “OEM number” on the case. That’s what you bought when you bought Windows. The disc is kind of secondary to the whole thing. (In fact, Windows 7 expressly allows you to change OEM numbers without re-installing.)
The OEM has to provide your copy of Windows of course, but they’re not obligated to provide a disc or not to. Its their choice.
Personally I buy Dell because Dell (from my experience) always gives me a DVD without being asked, and they always give me a Windows DVD that has just Windows and a separate DVD that has all the crapware you probably don’t want or need. Meaning, you can reinstall de-crap-ified Windows any time you need.
My HP? I had to pay extra for a DVD, and when it came the DVD installed all the crapware along with Windows. (I used the Dell disk with the HP sticker number; worked fine.)