# Vista, ubuntu, my new $2000 'puter, and fuck

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [February 22, 2008, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645 "2008-02-22T00:02:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/1 "2008-02-22T00:02:42Z")

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ASUS does not provide real restore dvds.

I’m three days in to tech support, and saqid laptop only boots with a LiveCD, all alse is trashed. They will not sent me a real restore disk, and it’s driving me  
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**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/2 "2008-02-22T00:15:49Z")

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A broken laptop is driving you to fuck?

To each his own.

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**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/3 "2008-02-22T00:18:47Z")

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It would be better to scream and punch the wall, then?

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**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/4 "2008-02-22T00:20:00Z")

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Uh, OK.

When you’re done (and have had a shower…or six), call Microsoft. I’m pretty sure that it’s an obligation of OEM’s to provide OS installable CD’s of Microsoft’s products, but they can tell you for sure (and maybe sell you the disk for $20 or so, since you’ve already got the license).

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/5 "2008-02-22T00:20:18Z")

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[QUOTE=Pullet]  
A broken laptop is driving you to fuck?

To each his own.  
[/QUOTE]

PCMCIA slots just have to be good for _something._

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**Author:** ![DirkGntly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/6 "2008-02-22T00:28:45Z")

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I was a system integrator once upon a time…

Asus manufactures PC parts and laptops for whitebox system integrators. They aren’t Dell or Gateway…the system integrator provides the O/S disc. If he did NOT get an O/S disc, then the system integrator is running a scam. The system integrator should provide the O/S disc, but is not obligated to provide a “restore” disc, since the system will be hand-configured by the system integrator, unlike a Dell or Gateway or HP or whatever…however, the purchaser should have been provided with the driver CD from Asus…a good system integrator would have taken the time to help the purchaser figure out how to build a system restore.

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**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/7 "2008-02-22T00:29:26Z")

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Hmm - it seems like ASUS’ restore CD completely ignores the MBR (or at least assumes it’s been untouched), meaning that if anything else has written to it, you’re essentially fucked. At least one other person appears to be having the [same problem](http://forums.thedailywtf.com/forums/post/131175.aspx). And yes, that’d be fucking annoying, frankly. A pox on “system restore” CDs - give us the fucking installation disc already. We paid for it, didn’t we?

Frankly, this’d be a situation in which I’d have no problem whatsoever with you borrowing someone else’s Vista install disc, because there’s just no excuse for making customers pay for a full licence but blocking them from major functionality, viz. being able to install the fucking thing. I assume you have the relevant product key, so registering an install off a borrowed disc would be possible? (Assuming the versions match, of course.)

Alternatively, and I obviously haven’t tested this, but [here’s](http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=113162) someone with a fix route (presuming you have an XP install disc).

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**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/8 "2008-02-22T00:33:29Z")

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**DirkGntly** , ASUS are actually box-shifters in their own right now, so there’s no blame to be shifted, unfortunately. They’re simply fucking over their own customers.

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**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/9 "2008-02-22T00:45:14Z")

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Ah yes. Ubuntu made your PC a brick? Been there, done that. I used a friends BART PE (bootable) CD to run CHKDSK, which fixed the problem. You should be able to use any Windows boot CD to run CHKDSK.

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**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/10 "2008-02-22T00:51:05Z")

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[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright]  
PCMCIA slots just have to be good for _something._  
[/QUOTE]

Motherboards I would love to fuck

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/11 "2008-02-22T00:56:52Z")

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[QUOTE=TimeWinder]  
(and maybe sell you the disk for $20 or so, since you’ve already got the license).  
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, having paid for it once, I cant wait to paY FOR IT AGAIN! Slapnuts.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/12 "2008-02-22T00:59:54Z")

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[QUOTE=Danalan]  
You should be able to use any Windows boot CD to run CHKDSK.  
[/QUOTE]

Except the ASUS one. Dude, I’ve tried, I’m about to give up and just do the illegal thing.

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**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/13 "2008-02-22T01:20:04Z")

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Rest assured of our discretion, the $2,000 reward notwithstanding.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/14 "2008-02-22T01:28:13Z")

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/15 "2008-02-22T01:57:25Z")

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They will not help fix the MBR unless I mail it back to them.

I now need to download an illegal and unpaid for version of Vista to run the machine I paid for.

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**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/16 "2008-02-22T02:46:30Z")

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[http://www.arsgeek.com/?p=3340](http://www.arsgeek.com/?p=3340)

Try this. It might fix your MBR problem, if I’m guessing right.

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**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/17 "2008-02-22T03:58:54Z")

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Huh, I just caught the last couple of minutes of a segment on some PBS news show about how ASUS is about to try to take over Asia with their computers (whole computers not just mobos). The story mentioned how they are not doing well in America and don’t really have a future here.

Now I know why 😉

They do make some kickass mobos, tho.

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**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/18 "2008-02-22T11:32:04Z")

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[QUOTE=ZipperJJ]  
The story mentioned how they are not doing well in America and don’t really have a future here.

[/QUOTE]

Not to hijack too much, but I scooped up one of those little eeePC jobbies they put out. Not a bad little machine for $399.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/19 "2008-02-22T11:42:15Z")

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[QUOTE=Dead Badger]  
Frankly, this’d be a situation in which I’d have no problem whatsoever with you borrowing someone else’s Vista install disc, because there’s just no excuse for making customers pay for a full licence but blocking them from major functionality, viz. being able to install the fucking thing. I assume you have the relevant product key, so registering an install off a borrowed disc would be possible? (Assuming the versions match, of course.)  
[/QUOTE]  
I’m pretty sure that’s a perfectly legitimate course of action within the EULA - AFAIK, MS licenses are all about one installation per _license key_ - not per installation media.

I’d be inclined to go this route just because it’s a better way to install the OS _the way you want it_, than using the computer manufacturer’s restore disk, which is bound to come complete with some unwanted bloatware.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-ubuntu-my-new-2000-puter-and-fuck/438645/20 "2008-02-22T13:36:42Z")

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[QUOTE=Darth Nader]  
They will not help fix the MBR unless I mail it back to them.

I now need to download an illegal and unpaid for version of Vista to run the machine I paid for.  
[/QUOTE]

Use Darik’s Boot and Nuke to completely eliminate any traces of data on the HDD, and start from scratch. Once the machine is a true brick (instead of one with a borked MBR) you will find it much more responsive to CDs and DVDs.

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