Warranty!!?!?!?!?!

[Steve Phariss]

Msi will also void the warranty if you install Linux.  My question is how
would they know, as long as windows was back on the box when you send it in.

I would order with the smallest drive option and buy the drive I want, pull
the system drive as a backup, and install Linux on the new drive... Swap
drive back as needed


The same question is what if you have to reinstall Windows???  Particularly
if it was not the "factory" image.


On Sep 5, 2017 10:21 AM, "Carruth, Rusty" <Rusty.Carruth at smartm.com> wrote:

> 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.
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------
> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
> http://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.phxlinux.org/pipermail/plug-discuss/attachments/20170908/e05fd4e7/attachment.html>