Best to avoid Notebooks with DOS only ?

Hi, I was just wondering the quality of Compaq notebooks that is not bundled with OS (XP/Vista)
and come only with DOS.

Are they of a lower quality ?
I mean, almost all notebooks now come with Vista,
I personally prefer XP, that's why I was looking for a notebook that can be installed with Windows XP, thus the ones that come with DOS instead of Vista.
So I was looking at Compaq CQ40-116TU.

Not to disregard an opinion, and I really appreciate any advice that's given to me,
but someone said :
"Those sold with DOS are usually cheap made barebone based models which I can't advice you to spend your money for, even if their specs look "good for the price".

Is this true that notebooks that comes with DOS only are best avoided ?
I just would like to know if anyone else thinks so.
Will they be less durable ? more problems with parts, etc etc ?
If so, then I'd steer away from purchasing notebooks with DOS only and get the one dat's bundled with OS.

Thank you

PS. based on previous question on "which notebook can be installed with OS Windows XP" and Compaq CQ40-116TU.

 

Compaq Presario CQ40-116TU

Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 (2.0 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache) / Intel GM45 Express Chipset / 14.1" WXGA HD Bright View (1280x800) / Intel GMA 4500MHD / 1GB 667 DDR2 RAM / HDD 250GB 5400RPM / 8X DVD-RW SuperMulti with Double Layer Support / Webcam / 5-in-1 Card Reader / Altec Lancing Speakers / 802.11b/g Wireless / 56K Modem / 10/100 Ethernet LAN / 6 Cell Battery / 65 Watt AC Adaptor / 2.29 kg with battery / DOS

 

Straight up, I wouldn't think there would be any difference in quality, unless stated by the manufacturer. It's up to them to tell you about any known problems or faults.

DOS / Vista / XP - whatever they ship with usually relates only to the software, and not the build of the notebook. I've ordered a few machines without an operating system ('DOS-only') after some research and then installed my own copies of XP. They were identical to models with Vista or XP.

Buying a DOS-only notebook will require a lot more work to set up initially, and a bit of expertise is certainly a benefit - especially because you will need to hunt out drivers.

I've read a bit about the CQ40-116TU - apparently it's a little difficult to install XP, and drivers are a little difficult to find. This situation is rare - it seems people have had a bit of trouble with this model. This is "the exception, not the rule".

All in all, you will save money buying DOS-only. But if you're a bit nervous about quality or difficulty setting it up, just buy the notebook with XP, or give it to a tech specialist to do everything for you.

--Tom

 

Agreed with Tom, hardware quality is not the main objective.
The option of FreeDOS is just one of parameters to reduce the price. For sure, Microsoft will NOT happy with this option.

The difficulty of installing XP for this model is IDT sound driver as in dv4, dv5 and dv7 pavilion models. The rest of drivers can be found at ease. Some of CQ40, CQ45 users utilized devcon utility, some of them managed to solve IDT sound driver by updating their BIOS. Visit HP Forum, I'm sure someone would list down all drivers.

If XP is not essential for your application, buy CQ40-117TU, the same spec as CQ40-116TU however shipped with VISTA.

 

Hi tom_baker and rief
Thanx for the input

I've ask around some computer shop and they said they can install it with XP and will give me a copy of the drivers.
But will the notebook run into problems in the future ?
They said no, but now I'm just wondering,
I mean, if I go to windows update, or plug in hardwares (printer/modem/etc)
Will it cause any problems at all with the drivers ?

Does anyone know the VGA is good enough to use with photoshop / autocad ?
Intel GMA 4500MHD
and on another site, it's
Intel GMA X4500 256MB (shared)
so they're both are probably the same ?

The notebook doesn't have bluetooth.
I have to ask them whether or not bluetooth can be added.

Thanx