dell laptops

[aegan]

I just received my nice, new inspiron 510M.

on booting, i noticed it has a screen about acepting a Dell EULA.
"press any key to continue, you must accept"

I was unable to find anything in the paper documentation about licensing agreements, and I'm not happy accepting something I haven't read.

There is hope, however.
I booted off a debian disc, and checked partitions.
Theres 3 partitions on the disk, including the primary NTFS one.
partition A was marked bootable, and had some Dell stuff on there.
I changed the bootable partition to partition 2, (the windows partition) and it went right past the license acceptance thing.
now i need to see if there is a license agreement on the computer (apart from the MS XP Home one)

in the end, its all moot cause I'll be installing XP Professional, that I already have a license for, but i want to play with it now, at work, and i dont have the xp cd here.

either way, theres a way around it for you.

change the bootable partition.

interestingly, one is labeled as a CP/M partition. Go figure.

[CarlZeiss]

This guy looks like he had the same issue

[Kerpal]

I have a Dell Latitude X300, I believe that the EULA is for the dell software on the build of Windows that is pre-installed (and for Windows itself), I just booted from a cd and wiped it all.

[aegan]

Dell told me "if you don't accept the terms it means you won't be able to use the computer properly"

I said "do you mean the Software, or the computer ?"

"the computer"

[flores741]

dell have fucked me around too long, im never going towards them again

[-=N0N@ME420=-]

Originally Posted by flores741

dell have fucked me around too long, im never going towards them again

dude, take it somewhere else, everybody who's knowledgeable hates dell, but people as with the original poster continue to buy dell, and I just heard that they are the worlds largest and best selling pre-built computer retailer...thats scary...

[OCIT]

dell cater and fill a very good market, and because we know better, doesnt mean they are not good for business who need the support, rather than mr yum cha coming over to fix it, and also just your AVERAGE people whom dont care about performance, overclocking etc etc.

You buy it, set it up, boot it and it works. (supposed too anyway )

No worrying about compability, or anything.

As for me, wouldnt buy anything but and Asus, IBM or powerbook for a lappy. Unless its udget, then Aldi/Targets Medion gets my vote

[Ronza]

Back on the OP, isnt something like that fringing on being illegal?

[elvis]

Originally Posted by aegan

Dell told me "if you don't accept the terms it means you won't be able to use the computer properly"

I said "do you mean the Software, or the computer ?"

"the computer"

HAHAHA that's a corker! "Pressing 'OK' on an electronic EULA makes your hardware perform differently"!

I think companies worldwide need to collectively pull their heads out of their arses and breathe some fresh air. Corporate America is pushing so much bullshit into the world that they're even starting to believe their own tripe.

When will it stop?

[DJ Fusion]

I'm surprised anyone pays attention to those start-up agreements!

Having said that, I love my new Dell 9300 - The screen is brilliant, it runs wicked fast and deadly quiet, it doesn't get hot anywhere around the wrist-rest area (a real problem with my other lappies), the speakers are ace, the media buttons are really handy - abolsutely everything about it is just awesome.

[aegan]

personally, I also hate dell.

I weighed up the options, and looked at equivalent models friends and colleagues had, and spoke to friends and colleagues, and came to the decision that Dell would be the best option to take for this particular purchase.

ronza, it may be, if i am using the software they provided. I'm not.
I'm using software I've already accepted a license agreement for.

[Varuna]

Fusion, can you run powerstrip and tell me what model your panel is? I'm trying to negotiate a replacement screen for mine.

[ruski]

Quote:
Originally Posted by flores741
dell have fucked me around too long, im never going towards them again


dude, take it somewhere else, everybody who's knowledgeable hates dell, but people as with the original poster continue to buy dell, and I just heard that they are the worlds largest and best selling pre-built computer retailer...thats scary...

Dells PC are ripoffs, but their laptops are actually very competitive for what you get. Only reason why i got a Inspiron 8600, it was more powerful than most in the same price range, plus Dell has the WUXGA screens. Not many other companies have them with laptops in the 2.5k~ range!

[Evil Dude]

Dan mentioned something about the Dell EULA in his review of the Inspiron 9200, and provided a link or two, but your workaround seems as good as any.

Interesting point: Apparently, if you reinstall windows with the CD Dell give you, it will automatically put in the little partition with the EULA & some intro video.

Usually, I don't give a damn about EULAs, especially since so many people question the legality of them (especially ones like Dell's).

[DJ Fusion]

Originally Posted by Varuna

Fusion, can you run powerstrip and tell me what model your panel is? I'm trying to negotiate a replacement screen for mine.

LPL000 or something - according to the notebookforums.com there's huge differences between even the same models of screen so just keep returning it until you get a good one I guess.

I've never seen a screen do such rich, black blacks before.