HP can't create recovery disks if OS no longer suported by MS.

I was shocked to find this on the HP site:

NOTE: If the link to order a recovery disc set is not available , a set might not be available for purchase. HP cannot create recovery discs that contain a version of Windows that is no longer supported by Microsoft, such as Windows 95, 98, and Me.

So much for "getting what you paid for."

I can't wait for XP to be "not-supported".

 

I hate to be a wet blanket, but you did get exactly what you paid for - when you took delivery of the system.

Undoubtedly, the terms of the license under which _HP licensed those no-longer-supported OSes from Microsoft permitted _HP to sublicense individual copies to purchasers only so long as Microsoft continued to support those OSes; once the support stopped, so did the license that _HP had, which means that they can no longer make new copies of those old OSes.

 

+1

Same thing with car parts, where cars models are out of production

cheers ...

 

Its not the same with car parts. You are entirely free to reproduce a car part. You want to make a piston for a LS2 Camaro, you can make a replacement and sell it for profit. [How 'bout them apples(!)]

I always thought that publishers that have a copyright on a book that is out of print should lose that copyright because once the product becomes unprofitable to sell, then what is the point of protecting it?

There are terms that can be applied to PC OS licensing agreements: racketeering, fraud, shake down, bait and switch, extortion, etc. - none of them good.

Someone needs to write a Linux book that relates the various Windows understandings/knowledge into Linux expertise.

 

Again, I hate to be a wet blanket, but what you may think is so ain't necessarily so. First off, with respect to your example of a piston for an LS2 Camaro, you can replicate that without fear of retribution from Chevy because there are no enforceable intellectual property rights attached to the design of said piston. If, however, there were, such as a patent, then you would not be able to (legally) replicate that piston.

As a counter-example, take radial tires; when Michelin first invented and patented them, back in 1951 (when the patent was granted), no-one else could replicate a radial tire while that patent was in force, regardless of how easy it was to buy one, examine it, take it apart, and figure out how to reproduce it.

The same applies to intangible assets such as software, although in that case it's a copyright, not a patent - until the copyright expires, the copyright holder is entitled to do as s/he pleases with it, including locking it in a vault so no-one else can use the idea. It's nice that you think such authors should lose their copyrights, but until Congress enacts that into law, that's not reality.

There are also a lot of other words that could be applied to the sort of intellectual property right protections that apply to software, including fair, just, reasonable. The fact of the matter is, the IP holder is entitled to do with his property as he pleases, just as you could take a valuable piece of real estate, buy it, and then refuse to do anything with it. If you don't like the licensing terms on offer, and you don't have the economic oomph to negotiate better terms, then don't buy the license - certainly these days there are other OSes out there that are more than adequate to the task.

 

Well, you brought up auto parts and I'm telling you that all hard parts, pistons, waterpumps, starters, etc are not protected w/patents, etc. so they can be replicated. While probably a quid pro quo, you can make these replacements. Your tire example is what it is but don't suggest that is common among auto parts because it isn't. I'm just responding to your mentioning of auto parts.

An IP holder is entitled to his property as he pleases is not legally true because Anti-Trust laws were enacted for greedy monopolies. There has always been a balance between Copyright and Anti-Trust.

As far as the jamming of Vista in retail outlets goes, it reeks of racketeering.

As far as Recovery Disks go, I'm trying to think of any manufacturer that actually provides a Windows XP disk with their PC. I don't think there are any. Again, I'd say racketeering.

As far as a COA not being sufficient to reinstall an OS... Same thing.

If you believe in the Free Market System, you have to just hate what MS does to control this market - if there was any competition, their practices would fail miserably.

 

just use vista and stop crying about something soon ten years old

if you hate ms, how can you formulate then what you think about apple or google. microsoft is the most open of the three. they don't want to have hp do continue support for an os they don't support anymore themselves, as they don't want to have customers with unsupported os' fiddling around. i don't see that really as a problem.

 

You can most likely make XP work. You can buy that all over the web, ebay, check craigs list etc. Vista can be purchased everywhere.


There are even places you can "find" the 9x operating systems. Not sure you would want them as security is pretty lax compared to new ones.

 

Dave,

I have one Vista PC on an XP Network and I cringe to think what I had to do to provide Cdrive read/write sharing. And then, most people don't need Vista and most companies don't want Vista.

I have to laugh at MS cracking down on websites providing copies of Windows 1.0 for antique computer hobbyists.

That is downright mean spirited.

Passive,

It will be very interesting to see what happens to XP once MS stops support. Now it is possible MS will continue to slip the cutoff date, but if it occurs anytime soon, I think there will be a proliferation of cracks, hacks, and illegal versions of XP simply because there is a market for it. Of course, MS is probably including this reality in their cutoff date decision.

Your mention the 9x systems reminds me of the Windows 1.0 non-sense I mentioned above.

 

Where should I start? There are mis-statements of patent law, copyright law, anti-trust law, RICO law (that covers racketeering), and basic economics. Ahh, it'd be fun, but it'd take us too far off topic, I think.

Bottom line is: _HP is well within its rights to no longer produce recovery disks, and there ain't squat you can do about it. If you can't find a suitable set on sale on the secondary market, then you'll just have to go with passive101's suggestion and purchase a new copy-set, either OEM or retail.

 

So you're arguing that MS is being anti-competitive against its own product?

 

I think the only reason that the OS disc is not included is because each model needs its very own disc with its unique driver/crapware configuration. They are too cheap to burn all those backups to disc. If it were just a raw vista disc it would be easier but thats not what is loaded unfortunately. The car/auto parts is a good example. As I understand it, the manufacturer has to supply parts for 10 years after that model is discontinued. But that is not the case here. Two years ago all windows systems shipped with XP. Yet with systems only 2 years old people may have difficulty getting replacement software etc.. But with current copyright laws as they are, this is what we have to deal with. But I don't want people telling others to run vista because the OS is 10 years old when their PC may only be 2. HP is rotten as well and likes to pull legacy drivers off their website for OS's not supported by MS. I mean whats the harm from archiving older drivers? And yes, they love to tell you to just buy a new printer if you call them on it. Music is also stupid with copyrights lasting for the most part forever. I am not saying I have the right to complain to HP or MS for doing this. But I seriously feel some changes on copyright laws are desperately needed.

 

I agree with just getting the OS independently. You can get a bargain at eBay. The problem is the drivers that goes with your system. Hopefully you saved the 'SWSetup' directory awhile back because it listed all the programs and drivers that was specific for your laptop. Good luck. And if by chance you still have your burned recovery disc the better.

 

Definitely with HP you want to do your own driver archiving. I know Dell is much better about keeping stuff around on their website. But HP looks at it like an opportunity to sell new hardware. I like HP and their products but when it comes to legacy support they are the worst by far. I managed to tweak their scanner drivers to get my 12 year old scsi HP 5P scanner to run under XP.. it felt good! Its still an excellent scanner and the build quality is much better then what they make today. They tried to sell me a new one.. I got the last laugh.

But pulling drivers from the their database is just plain cruel. They don't have to support it they just need to explain to those that download them that they are on their own. Its comes down to they don't want anyone to use a computer more then a few years. They look at this stuff as consumables.