When building... Do you buy Windows?

[megido-rev.M]

AFAIK OS coming with laptops are included in the price.

[zherok]

AFAIK OS coming with laptops are included in the price.

Laptops are specialized enough that choosing no OS (or a Linux distro) considerably limits your options. You either have Windows, or you're looking at far fewer laptops.

[Slysoft]

AFAIK OS coming with laptops are included in the price.

Laptops are specialized enough that choosing no OS (or a Linux distro) considerably limits your options. You either have Windows, or you're looking at far fewer laptops.

Considering that the only laptops worth purchasing (clevo) typically have the option of no OS, no harm is done.

[zherok]

Considering that the only laptops worth purchasing (clevo) typically have the option of no OS, no harm is done.

The discount was large enough that cutting out Windows wouldn't have made a similarly equipped Clevo cheaper. I've had no problems with it in any case.

[halfelite]

I used to pirate all my windows versions or get a key from my work. But with the new ways they are checking for illegal copies I got tired of having to re crack versions of windows 7 so I now buy my windows copies when I use it.

[Tiffanys]

What new ways? The boot loader is completely undetectable.

[JoonasTo]

Never pirated a windows.

Never bought one either.
100+ installations of the same Win98/2000/XP upgrades based one that ages old copy Win 95 
My schools/unis/companies provide them.

[Bob2004]

What new ways? The boot loader is completely undetectable.

I actually had it fail the other day. I have no idea how or why, but suddenly I got a popup message telling me I was running a pirate version of windows, the desktop background went black, etc, and every time I logged in I got messages telling me I needed to purchase a license. Standard Windows anti-piracy stuff - so something, somehow, had detected the bootloader, and it then failed validation.

I uninstalled then reinstalled the bootloader, ran Windows validation manually, and it's not happened since. I've no idea what happened, or how, but the bootloader obviously isn't entirely foolproof. It is nearly perfect, though - since that is the one time it's failed me.

[Tiffanys]

Well... I've ran it since 2009 and nothing's came up. Then again, I'm on Vista Ultimate rather than 7. 7 wasn't due out for like 2-3 months when I built this rig and I don't use an OS until its been out 6 months anyways and well, I wasn't about to wait 8 months.

[lololitas]

What new ways? The boot loader is completely undetectable.

I actually had it fail the other day. I have no idea how or why, but suddenly I got a popup message telling me I was running a pirate version of windows, the desktop background went black, etc, and every time I logged in I got messages telling me I needed to purchase a license. Standard Windows anti-piracy stuff - so something, somehow, had detected the bootloader, and it then failed validation.

I uninstalled then reinstalled the bootloader, ran Windows validation manually, and it's not happened since. I've no idea what happened, or how, but the bootloader obviously isn't entirely foolproof. It is nearly perfect, though - since that is the one time it's failed me.

happened to me several times now, but it's easily resolvable. I actually own a legal copy of windows 7 but it kinda was lieing 1300km away at the time I reinstalled my main rig

[Honemi]

Then again, I'm on Vista Ultimate rather than 7.

I'm sorry.

[Gh0st93]

Well... I've ran it since 2009 and nothing's came up. Then again, I'm on Vista Ultimate rather than 7. 7 wasn't due out for like 2-3 months when I built this rig and I don't use an OS until its been out 6 months anyways and well, I wasn't about to wait 8 months.

This 100%, So many bugs and shit to work out plus getting reviews and peoples experiences before deciding. 

[Bob2004]

Well... I've ran it since 2009 and nothing's came up. Then again, I'm on Vista Ultimate rather than 7. 7 wasn't due out for like 2-3 months when I built this rig and I don't use an OS until its been out 6 months anyways and well, I wasn't about to wait 8 months.

Yeah, I built my desktop in 2009, right before 7 came out, and used Vista for about the first 6 months, before switching to 7. But I've used this copy of 7 since then, with the bootloader, and this is the only time I've had that validation problem, so it's hardly a significant risk.

[zherok]

This 100%, So many bugs and shit to work out plus getting reviews and peoples experiences before deciding. 

For what it's worth, 7 has been such a huge improvement over Vista (and right from the get go) that I can't imagine going back. And 8, outside of Metro, more or less improves on that. Haven't had stability or bug problems with either.

[Tiffanys]

Then again, I'm on Vista Ultimate rather than 7.

I'm sorry.

You should be sorry that you're still on the "zomg Vista is terrible" bandwagon from 2008. After a couple big updates to it Vista is just as good as 7 nowadays. I don't know why people are still under that same old trance.

I guess bad first impressions die hard, eh?

[zherok]

The worst of Vista couldn't hold a candle to ME, so meh. Constant memory leaks, stability issues, and essentially no noticeable improvements over Windows 98. The only real plus is it more or less killed off the idea of completely separate home user and corporate operating systems.

The most annoying part of Vista to me was the default nagging ("Did you want to open this program?" "Yes Vista, that's why I fucking double clicked it!")

[Tanis]

I still have a desktop using WinXP.
XD

[halfelite]

What new ways? The boot loader is completely undetectable.

No Idea, I ran a bootlegged copy for a long time then one time after a windows update came with the you are running an illegal version blah blah. I recracked it again and it ran fine for a couple months then happened again shortly after is when they had the windows 8 deal for like 50$ for the upgrade version and I just paid for it and never looked back.

[megido-rev.M]

I still have a desktop using WinXP.
XD

7 > XP

[Tanis]

I still have a desktop using WinXP.
XD

7 > XP

The desktop is from 2001, not really worth installing Win7