Warranty!!?!?!?!?!

So, this weekend I finally got pushed over the edge, and started looking for a high-end laptop for linux.

(Minimum requirements: 17”, 16G RAM, 1TB rotator, 128G SSD (prefer 2TB/512G, but am settling for 2TB/128G), price to be below $2000)

I ended up getting an open box Alienware from Best Buy (which usually doesn’t have the best buy, in my experience)…

Anyway, the whole reason for this email/post is to whine about warranty issues!

When I was at the BB ‘way out east’ (202/Williams Field area) they told me that installing Linux would void my warranty!!!!!!

Really? Can anyone say anti-trust????

Long story short – talked to one of the Geek Squad guys who started doing research and found ONE manufacturer who would void the SOFTWARE warranty if you installed a different OS, but not the hardware.

I then started a chat with Dell, and was initially told that all warranties would be voided if I installed Linux.

When I pushed back, they checked with tech support (instead of sales, who I was talking to), who said that as long as the initially-licensed software (windows) was still on the laptop, and I talked to tech support before installing (even though I was ALSO told they’d never say ‘no’), then my hardware warranty would be fine.

(I should mention that Dell was put on my ‘do not buy ever ever ever’ list for a few minutes during that ‘chat’ session, and obviously removed once it was clarified).

So, what I should probably do is to buy a new 2TB rotator to replace the 1TB windows drive, copy off an image of the SSD to at least 2 backup devices, and then install Linux (only) on the 2TB and SSD. If I ever have a warranty issue, I can put the SSD image back on, re-install the 1TB rotating Windows disk, and get my warranty service done.

However, I feel like someone in the legal department needs to wake up and smell the Anti-Trust junk.

(By the way – does anyone remember the ‘windows refund day’ many years back? System vendors refused to honor the refund clause stated in the EULA (or whatever it was), claiming that Microsoft had to honor it, and Micro$oft claimed that it was the responsibility of the system vendors (which, indeed, it was). But as far as I know, NOBODY got their refund…. Again, where’s the lawyers????)

Oh, well. Duck and cover, I guess.

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