!!! (warenty issue, good read)

[earthpigg]

-People with a propensity to install third party operating systems are also more likely to be heavy computer users. How many people in this thread, for example, use their computer less frequently than their non-Linux-using friends?

-Laptop components are only tested for durability to just beyond the 3 year mark with 'typical usage' --- 3 years being the typical warranty, of course.

-Thus, people who install 3rd party operating systems are more likely to come in with a warranty claim in >3 years. Not necessarily because Linux is wearing out the laptop faster, but because the heavy computer user is wearing the laptop out faster.

-The ideal customer purchases a laptop with 3 year warranty, and then proceeds to actually use the laptop 3 or 4 hours per week. After a few years, the customer (satisfied with the 'reliability' of his last laptop) then comes back and purchases a new laptop.


It isn't the operating system Best Buy has a problem with. It is you.


Cars have "X year or 100,000 mile warranties", meaning that heavy drivers get excluded from that warranty before that 3 year mark is hit.

Laptops don't have an odometer, but they do sometimes have non-OEM installs of operating systems.

Only supporting OEM-installed operating systems makes outstanding sense, from Best Buy's point of view.

Novice computer users are better customers than techies, so losing us is no great loss.

Techies purchase a laptop and then never come back except for a warranty claim.

Non-techie customers purchase laptops, then come back to visit the Geek Squad every few months ($60 per diagnostic, $120 per "tune up", etc, good visits from Best Buy's point of view).


EDIT: In fact, I'm surprised that laptops don't have "3 year or X thousand hours" warranties. Do hard drives keep track of how many read/write operations they have done? The small print of the warranty could proclaim that "Y hard drive read operations is assumed to be X hours of use". A ridiculous proclamation regardless of X and Y values, but good enough for the lawyers to work their magic with.

[Lucradia]

Do hard drives keep track of how many read/write operations they have done?

They can, but only software that can access the... cache, I think? Can read that information?

Boot and Nuke can force the computer to "magnetically burn" off all data from the drive, making it "like new" (similar to how a BIOS upgrade works.)

However, some new hard drives do not even support some of Boot and Nuke's methods anymore (especially with SSDs coming out now.)

[OLDMANHOOK]

Another reason to buy Dell,They fixed mine only thing was put Vista on It,and tried to sell me a netbook with Ubuntu on it. Who Buys From BB Any Way $69.00 for a HDMI cable

[Hman242]

I bought my current laptop from there. At the time it was a good deal and the computer was exclusive to Best Buy. Of course soon after I bought it a way better deal that was nonexclusive came out, but I digress.

I was able to fool Best Buy into thinking Windows screwed up somehow when in reality I messed it up. When I tried to make a new partition to install Ubuntu using MS's Disk Manager it made all the partitions except the new one secondary partitions. I was able to uninstall Ubuntu and reinstall MBR so they never knew how the problem arose. This is why Windows computers need to come with an installation disc.

[Elfy]

moved to recurring

[Dustin2128]

This is why Windows computers need to come with an installation disc.

Indeed.

[Lucradia]

Indeed.

companies used to do it actually, every single one... until they started getting bought left and right. eMachines got bought by gateway, which then got bought about by acer.

HP, I believe, wast he last known provider of installation disks? Regardless, computer companies no longer ship them, and Best Buy coaxes you into buying "recovery disks" that you can actually make yourself.

However, recovery disks are NOT install disks, they're just an image of your operating system, and they will NOT restore the recovery partition if you happen to delete it (contrary to what most recovery disks tell you.)

But I guess since making these disks are "too expensive"? The companies no longer ship them out.

You can buy "install disks" usually from the computer manufacturer, but it most often turns out they end up being just recovery disks.

So, to be honest, just buy a computer without an OS, and install whatever you desire.

[ronnielsen1]

Hopefully, the guy in the article can get another laptop. The manager is whacked. Best buy is not very linux friendly. I was going to apply for a job but they insisted on Windows and IE.