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Thread: How to get a computer with no OS

  1. #1
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    How to get a computer with no OS

    Who do I ask? The manufacturer or retailer (a lot of manufacturers don't sell directly)? Will all/most retailers sell them this way? Need some advice on this so I don't request something that gets laughed at.

  2. #2
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    Re: How to get a computer with no OS

    Not sure if many vendors will sell them that way. They typically put OS on so they can do a "burn in" test for stability. They likely don't want to sell computers that haven't been tested for stability.

    I'm not sure how you would request it other than to just call and ask.

  3. #3
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    Re: How to get a computer with no OS

    I bought one at my local 'no brand' shop, make sure if you buy one the components are working with linux

  4. #4
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    Re: How to get a computer with no OS

    Hi Mateo, not sure where you are located, but here in the US, it is usually cheaper to buy a computer with Vista and then reformat the hard drive. It's economy of scale; it would cost more to make 999 Vista computers and 1 with a blank hard drive than to make 1000 Vista computers. Also I have heard that all of the "add on" software that comes pre-installed, especially the trial versions, subsidize part of the software.

    The exception is the cheap Everex computers sold at Walmart. Those come with Linux I believe.

    Edit: For example, if you check out the laptops at Dell.com, the cheapest with Ubuntu is $50 more expensive than the cheapest with Vista, and I think they are basically the same hardware.

    Of course, you can build your own bare-bones computer, that's the best way to have a "blank slate."
    Last edited by snowpine; July 8th, 2008 at 08:14 PM.

  5. #5
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    Re: How to get a computer with no OS

    I've never bought a brand PC. Where I live, there are shops where you can say: I want this GPU, this CPU, this ram, etc.. in this case without operating system. And is cheaper than brand pcs.

  6. #6
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    Re: How to get a computer with no OS

    Once I said "I'm gonna buy this laptop only if you remove the OS" and they didn't even care. They rather don't sell the product then sell it without that "irresistable" OS.
    My blog | Ubuntu Hardware List | Wine Application Database | Jamendo
    (Don't "sudo rm -rf" anything. See this page)
    It's all about fixing BUG #1!

  7. #7
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    Re: How to get a computer with no OS

    The easiest way to get an OS-less pc is to build your own. you can search the net or this forum to find the specs/hardware you need. I just built one and it took about 8 hrs (not including tweaking). Most of the parts come with installation instructions. And most are pretty easy to figure out on your own.

  8. #8
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    Re: How to get a computer with no OS

    I was definitely thinking about building one on my own anyways. I'm leaning towards that.

  9. #9
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    Re: How to get a computer with no OS

    Quote Originally Posted by Mateo View Post
    I was definitely thinking about building one on my own anyways. I'm leaning towards that.

    go for it you wont regret it

  10. #10
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    Re: How to get a computer with no OS

    Quote Originally Posted by Mateo View Post
    I was definitely thinking about building one on my own anyways. I'm leaning towards that.
    That way, with research, you can build a fully-compatible machine, that runs Ubuntu out-of-the-box. I'm on my 3rd self-build, the first running Ubuntu only.

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