Yep, Compaq's suck ass. In fact, so does every copmputer that doesn't come with an OS CD, just a crappy "recovery disc". All these things do is copy a disc image from a hidden partition in your hard drive back to the C partition (whether you use a recovery floppy or CD-ROM, it does the same thing. The only thing on these discs is a few tiny executables to start copying the image over).
In case you haven't guessed, this whole shebang was invented to avoid giving out CD's that people could theoretically install on other machines (which, as we all know, is illegal with Windows). They're even doing it with XP (which can't be run on more than one machine).
Of course, if your hard drive goes belly up, you're fscked. My friend Rachel, despite my protests, insisted on running LookOut Express, and one day caught a hard drive destroying virus. One new HDD later, and they're sans OS, so I had to go along and reinstall and partition the hard drive up. It's just got ME in there at the moment, but it's going to get 2000 in there once I get my hands on my CD.
Shooter, I'm afraid even if he does save and buy a better PC he's probably not going to get his CD's with it. Shipping the OS CD's with windows machines just isn't done any more. Yet another excuse for building your own computer.
Angrist, you may want to read the links about craputers I put in Joeiss' "Advice on Buying a Computer" thread.
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"If you believe in the existence of fairies at the bottom of the garden you are deemed fit for the bin. If you believe in parthenogenesis, ascension, transubstantiation and all the rest of it you are deemed fit to govern the country." - Jonathan Meades
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