Most of the complaints we've heard about CD-less recovery systems have involved HP, but other PC manufacturers are also increasingly using hard-drive based recovery systems. One reader recently found out to his chagrin that this includes some systems from IBM.
"I purchased a new IBM ThinkPad T41 laptop," the reader wrote. "It arrived configured the way I ordered and booted first time. The problem: there was no hard copy CD for any of the installed software or software operation instructions. There was a thin owners manual that said there was a special hidden 'recovery partition' on the hard disk. You can access the recovery partition during boot to reinstall all of the software, including the Windows XP PRO, to the factory default settings, but all user installed preferences and software will be lost. There was also instructions about how to use a 'snapshot' feature, similar to the 'GOBACK' program."
The reader did not want to get caught without back-up CDs. "I have a fundamental problem, based on very painful past experience, with not being able to perform individual program 'selective' install, especially the operating system," the reader wrote. "Almost universal tech support advise for misbehaving programs is to remove and reinstall, even Microsoft advises to use the repair feature of Windows 2000 and XP. A call to IBM tech support and customer service was no help. 'We do not furnish hard copies of the OS or individual programs. We can send you a CD of the recovery program but it will not allow selective install.' A search of Microsoft.com did not produce an email address that would accept and respond to questions. Saying the OS was installed by IBM just linked to the IBM web site."
System manufacturers should at least make it clear before the purchase that the system does not come with recovery CDs, the reader argued. "I purchased the computer and the software and even received an official Microsoft hologram and product key for the Windows XP Pro. I also expect to receive a hard copy of the software, especially the OS, just the same as if I had purchased the software separately. Windows XP product pirating is not an issue especially with product activation. The IBM/Microsoft policy is just wrong and abusive, in my opinion. Again consumers are not being told, at the time of sale, that the product is not as advertised. That is, yes you can re-install the operating system but you will loose all of your data and user-installed applications. I feel very strongly about the issue but frustrated by the IBM response and lack of being able to contact Microsoft."
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