Acer Laptops & Vista - Reinstall Headsup!

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Nickste

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Hi all,
I recently bought an Acer Travelmate 4233WLMi for my personal use. It came with windows Vista business pre-installed, and I planned to format it all, and reinstall vista, but also add Kubuntu Linux. Much to my surprise, the laptop didn't come with any Vista installation cd's :(.

I've just got off the phone with Acer now, and they say that they never give out OEM cd's, and that I must use the backup utility, which will save the current system's state to 4 cd's.

Acer you plonkers! I don't want a bloody data partition, I don't want a 52.6 GB C drive, I don't want your "hidden" 4 GB partition, and most of all, I DON'T WANT YOU TO DECIDE HOW I USE MY LAPTOP!

Apart from using a partitioning tool to resize my data partition, to allow me to install Kubuntu, has anyone got any idea how to get around this?

Cheers, Nick
 
I don't think Acer is the only manufacturer thats doing this. A mate of mine just bought a HP notebook recently which also came pre-installed with vista but no Installation CD.

According to the manual, you have to use the backup utility to make the CDs yourself
 
There should be a Certificate of Authenticty on the laptop with an installation CD Key. Try and get hold of a Vista DVD and use your own CD key.
 
I also bought one, the 5623. Has the little 1.3mp camera in the middle. Reinstalled with XP to get my 4GB partition back and now I can't find the camera driver.... ANYWHERE. Even spoke to Acer. They want R500 for the recovery disks if I remember correctly.
 
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xistenz said:
There should be a Certificate of Authenticty on the laptop with an installation CD Key. Try and get hold of a Vista DVD and use your own CD key.
Click to expand...
I suggested this to the Acer dude, and he said that it wouldn't work, because the key on the sticker on the laptop isn't for the CD, or it wasn't the OEM code, or something along those lines.

Is he talking rubbish?

Cheers, Nick
 
its been like this for a long time, they give you an image and not an actual install disk

it makes it easier for alot of ppl because if you ever have to reload its as easy as loading an image

but for the okes who didnt make an image they stuffed and have to find a disk lol


u have a valid number but no disk which should not be hard to source im sure
 
Nickste said:
I've just got off the phone with Acer now, and they say that they never give out OEM cd's, and that I must use the backup utility, which will save the current system's state to 4 cd's.
Click to expand...
The backup stuff will create a clean installation DVD for you as well. You get the choice of creating a Clean installation DVD, a Driver disk or a system backup.
 
I would complain to Micosoft about this, and CC Acer support. I have only had rubbish service from them recently. A client of mine had a broken ram chip in his Laptop. It was under warranty so I phoned acer and asked them if I can send them the faulty chip.

They refused and said that I would need to send them the ENTIRE NOTEBOOK! So my client would have to be without his notebook for the entire 2 week turnaround time to replace a part that no1, is removable and no2 has a acer warranty sticker on it.

To crown the whole thing, they wanted to void the warranty because I took the ram out of the notebook. My client and I agreed that it would be far better to spend R450 to buy a new chip from a local supplier to replace the one acer should replace under warranty.

I will now at every opportunity announce the shocking after sales service and policies you get from Acer.

I have heard concerning issues with software discs from HP as well, but in the past months they have a very efficient warranty channel.

For me after sales service should be of as high a standard you can make it.

Now we know why Acer notebooks are so cheap!
 
and on that note. Don't know if anyone of you guys experienced LG's notebook after sale service. I know their notebooks is a bit more expensive but you really can't complain about the after sale service. I sold about 12 of them now and had 'n problem with one. They've fixed it in like 3 hours. Still got it back the same day!

Oh and Xistenz is right. Just get hold of a copy of Vista Business or whatever is on there now and do a reinstall with the license key on the back of the notebook. It should work, i've done it quite a couple of times BUT run that backup utility just incase..
 
All laptops are sold without the installation disc, just the serial under the laptop.My HP got 5.43 gig used up because of the backup partition.Thats not fair . I paid for a 60gig HD and I am only getting 50 gig of space.
 
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AFAIK you have a right to ask the manufacturer of a PC for a OS installation Disk if the OS comes pre installed. Tell Acer you want the software you are legally entitled to you paid for it.
 
I agree, Guess I'm going to Java Café to request my installation disc by law.
 
Thanks for all the responses guys. I will definately be following up on it. Thanks for the info on the backup disk abe. I will give that a go first, and report back.

Cheers, Nick
 
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