What if I don't (want, need) Vista?

I'm stuck...

We build test equipment. For one or our product, each piece of equipment is controlled by a notebook, and we've standardized this product on XP Pro; specifically the Compaq V2000z and the V3000z. I've purchased about 150 V2/3000z so far, and need about 100 more V3000z between now and June (at the rate of one a day). For reasons of support, licensing, standardization, spares, etc..., I can't change notebook model mid project.

Can't get the V3000z with XP pro as of today; Vista only. The folks at hpshopping.com is not much help.

Suggestions?

 

corporate licensing for xp may be worth a look and order the notebooks without os

 

Anybody knows a source for the V3000z without OS?

 

Unlikely HP will sell the laptop without an OS. Only their business versions have that option. The only alternative I can think of is to order the notebooks with Vista Home basic and then installing XP on your own.

 

If you need so many of them, why can't you open a corporate account with HP. I'm sure they'll be happy to customise it to your needs.

 

The question remains about the "licensing", since that authenticity sticker at the bottom will not show XP pro. I am waiting for an "understanding" from the customer's IT group to do just what you mentioned, install XP over Vista. The main idea here is to bypass the need to buy a license of XP; and I would technically be pirating XP.

A few days ago, I can buy the same system with XP and pay less money; and still get the free Vista upgrade if I wanted to. So for less money I had a license of XP and an upgrade license of Vista. Now I have to pay more for less, since Vista is "out".

It just sounds too monopolistic to me, "ought to be a law"... kinda thing.

 

Since I was interested in the V3000z (and the V2000z when this project started), HP was not helpful at all (and far from happy). I can get a corporate account and get as many of the nx6325 as I want. For the V2000z and V3000z, I was sent to hpshopping.com regardless of the interested quantity. After a few tries, we decided to take the hpshopping way.

 

HP's policy truly intrigues me. On this side of the world, we can buy V3000's with FreeDOS. HP is even happy to customise it you are planning to place a huge batch order. Basically, they'll do as long as money is not a problem for you.
In the US, HP allows individual customers to build CTO units for virtually any model, something that they don't usually allow non-corporate customers to do outside the US.

 

You can always get corprate license then reformat and reinstall