HP: Warranty void if laptops are formatted..

hello ppl,

It turns out that the warranty for the hardware goes null and void, if you meddle with the Operating system. what I mean is that once, you install any linux distribution or any operating system other than the one, the laptop comes with, any warranty is no longer valid.

I can confirm this after talking to number of HP representatives over the past few days. Wanted to let every owner of a HP laptop know...

regards
north star.

 

I'm relatively certain that those HP reps are pretty dumb...my hunch is that the law would still protect you. I know of at least one law that states that unless HP could prove the 'different' OS were the cause of a malfunction, they still have to honor the warranty.

HP has been known to try and cheaper out of a warranty on a notebook before. They did it with dv8000 and dv5000 owners and the well known keyboard issue in order to get out of having to replace all the notebooks in those series.

But speaking from personal experience, I'm almost 100% certain you'd still be covered. HP knows I have run XP, Vista, and Ubuntu on my nc8430 and they have never voided my warranty. Maybe that is just the business division though, because most of those reps actually know what they are talking about.

 

BUZZ! WRONG!

Do some reading up on the Magnuson-Moss Act.

 

hi night_2004,

Please help me with this issue, when I call the technical support team, they tell me that the hardware warranty is valid if install a new operating system. However, reps from other departments like that of warranty claim that the warranty would go null and void if I do so.. I think what you are saying true.. because no computer manufacturer could expect their consumer to stick with one operating system for whole of its life..especially with OS like vista

 

Why in the world did you contact them and tell them that you are going to run a different OS??? Of course they wont support the any other OS than the one which ships with the system since thats what the service people are 'trained' on/(supposedly)knowledgeable about.

 

i just returned a dv2500t with a formated and reinstalled windows ultimate - whcih actually wasnt even a legal copy

and stil got my full refund, mutiple customer service reps told me beforehand it wouldnt be a problem

 

I've had my lcd replaced even with Linux installed. Wasn't a problem with the tech at all, but this is on a business model where Suse and Red Hat are certified, so they must deal with units as such (but they don't provide the software support, which isn't needed anyway).
As long as you can prove that the problem is hardware-related, they'll fix it.

 

Think about it awhile, kids. The laptop is hardware made by the manufacturer, HP in this case. The OS is software, made by another, and completely different, company. The warranties on each are completely separate.

 

I reformatted my old dv1000 several times before I had it sent in for service, and even told my tech over the phone, and it was no problem what so ever.

 

Even if they say it is a problem, I don't even think they are going to bother with it...

 

Yes the lower-level reps told me the same thing, but I talked to a supervisor and specifically asked him that, repeatedly, and he told me NO.

WTF.

 

@OP: Are you sure the reps didn't mean that HP couldn't be held responsible for any of your apps rather than hardware? Could you have misunderstood them, or could they have . . . misspoken?

 

Personally, I would not be surprised if all vendors train the reps the following way:

Q: "If Customer asks: If I do {insert random thing here}, will that void the warranty?"
A: "Yes."

So often today, TS agents are outsourced, poorly trained, and work for a company that is paid per-call and not per-resolved issue. As a result, their main incentive is to not draw attention to themselves or say something to get themselves into trouble. Its far easier to make up a draconian policy that ismore restrictive than reality than to actually find the real answer and give it. Sucks, but that's the way it is.

In the end, avoid mentioning it so they don't have the easy-out option. Dual boot if possible, and don't be surprised if you call into support that they'll want you to use the rescue CD's.

Isn't being a Linux user fun? Maybe Dell will help lead the way with their Linux based systems causing better vendor support. Not holding my breath just yet though.

 

Actually, I spoke with HP yesterday (after installing my own OS), and he told me the "Software warranty" is void, not the hardware warranty (I specifically asked about this). Thats probably what the tech meant..or should have known. I don't know if you get that software warranty back if you do a recovery. At any rate...I called looking to see how I could download HP total care advisor. Turns out someone on these boards has them available for download - I followed the instructions and everything worked perfectly, in case anybody else is looking for total care advisor:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=114479&highlight=hp+total+care+advisor

 

I have e mailed to them..and this is what I got as reply..

" HP pre-installed the
latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating System (vista) on your
Pavilion PC. The Warranty on your Pavilion system does not apply to
software not provided by HP and does not apply
to defects or errors in hardware resulting from software not provided by
HP with that system. Please review your PC documentation to identify
the supported operating system."

So it means as long ubutu does not burn away my processor, the hardware warranty is valid.....

Have fun..

 

Or if you use NHC... badly. Really badly....

 

Overclocking could be construed to be software that could invalidate a warranty.