Sony Says Make Restore Discs Yourself
Sometimes the smallest things can indicate drastic things are taking place.
Sometimes the smallest things can indicate drastic things are taking place.
I accompanied a friend to a Sony Style store because he was interested in buying a Sony ultra-portable. After bruising through several notebooks and asking for my opinion on which Sony he should pick up, we both decided on the TT series based on what he wanted.
After telling the in store sales person what we wanted to buy, we were taken over to a desk and the TT was brought out. As we began to examine the notebook for any signs of possible defects--like hot or stuck pixels on the LCD screen--the sales person told us that the unit doesn't come with recovery discs. In fact, the sales person indicated that Sony no longer ships recovery discs with its notebooks.
We turned our heads at each other with confused looks, simply because retail systems usually come with restore discs. At least that's how it's always been.
The sales person then explained to us that Sony now recommends that as soon as you finish setting up your new system, to go out and buy 4 blank DVD discs and run the create-restore setup.
Apparently, this is one of the new ways that Sony is trying to improve its bottom line and save on costs. As far as I know, discs are cheap, and factory-pressed non-writable discs are even cheaper to manufacture.
Is this an indication of how bad companies have been hit by the economy? Enough to exclude recovery discs with systems? It's simple enough to run the utility for the TT and most people these days have spare blanks, but what if you perform this task a few days later and something had gone wrong at the software level?
If companies are leaving out something as inexpensive as some recover discs, then we wonder what companies are making shortcuts on that aren't so obvious to the customer? Cheaper internal components may be used. Lower quality grade plastics or metal--who knows?
Have you discovered any purchases you've made recently that omitted something you expected to be there?
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they've been doing it since at least 2006.
I'm afraid this has been the norm for over a year now, possibly nearly two years!
I don't know the costs but surely putting the recovery disk creating software (And making it a bootable recovery partition) is cheaper than paying for a company to create the disks for you. It's normally only 2-3 DVDs so it's not like you end up forking out an extra £50 either.
It makes more sense when it includes the recovery partition as these can normally restore a whole computer in under 30 minutes, which is great in my opinion!
M_Taylor40
I am surprised that You are surprised about not getting restore CD's. I have not seen one included for years. That is what manufactures are doing now. Hidden partition on hdd and/or software to create CD's Yourself is pretty much norm these days.
At least in the UK. I haven't been shipped a recovery disk with any of my news PCs for at least 5 years!! Make your own or nothing!! I generally choose not to because if anything goes wrong I generally have another spare copy of windows or off course linux lying about.
theyre helping out the economy!
i mean, my cleints dont know how to backup and install fresh anew, so i do it for them, whiel backing up theyr info, in less than 1 hour, so its good for business ppl like us ;D
If you really know what you are doing you never run with the factory OS install anyway. They are usually a mess.
If you want the best from your new purchase, you wipe the HDD and put on a fresh OS install.
ONE KEY REASON:
a genuine windows disk will install 3 times with its key and the same for office 07 and a lot of other stuff.
a recovery disk made once u have all ur licenced software lets u reload ur OS as many times as u need with out having to ring microsoft for a new Key
and in addition laptops like HP and ACER have a hidden partition, for example hold alt F8 when an acer loads up and u can relaod its whole hard drive from a hidden partition.
it will format the drive relaod windows and then relaod the software that came standard. in around 20 mins
no mattter how good u are at computers u cant do it that fast which is good for ppl who dont know computers that well.
i work at Comet and im so thankful they have the system they do. they could incluse the disks as well but tbh u should make the recovery disk after u have loaded ur licenced software anyway.
All of the laptops I've seen recently tell me to just use the recovery partition.
Though, I immedietely erase both partitions and fresh install the OS with an OEM disk from a different purchase.
I do remember recovery/restore disks some years back, I beleive they came with HP computers however machines these days have a recovery partition and you are asked (mostly) to create recovery disks as soon as you have set up you machine.
I do wish the relevent manufacturer would include a copy of the OS rather than have it in recovery format and just stick a label on the underside of the machine as often the resulting restore carries over much unwanted software, virus apps, trial rubbish and lots of supposed apps that make the machine run better!
I would much rather re-partition and install a fresh,clean OS together with the relevent drivers and apps that I want rather than be stuck with an extra hour or so uninstalling rubbish I neither want nor desire.
o very well if u know what to do but general joe public doesnt, what they are doing is best in terms of normal computer users and not having to worry about licence agrements
re: midliner - my windows cd has resinstalled dozens of times on my computer with no problems at all whatsoever, so where you get three installs from is a mystery to me - unless you're changing hardware about between installs and even then microsoft will activate with you over the phone.
A point to note - if you change the hardware significantly - a backup/restore disc will most likely not work at all.
Another point in agrement with previous posters - sony at least since the f206 (not a new laptop by any means) have been making us in the uk burn our own restore media.
my main point is software like office and other things has licence agrements, if u make a backup of ur PC once these are installed then u restor will have office built into it.
I know with our level of computer use its not the best way.
but trust me from working in retail the average person is not up to the job, they just loose thier disks anyway.
the partition system cant be lost and u can make a disk which can load everything including all the programs u bought in one go its just simple
its not persfect but its simple
try to think in terms of the average computer user who thinks the monitor is the PC.
I brought an NC10 not long after they had been released. I was shocked to find a couple of restore CD's in with the mix! A long while ago, I used to work at PC World in the UK and their Packard Bell line stopped shipping CD/DVD's long before I left. They had a hidden partition on the HDD and a boot floppy, and the option of making your own restore discs.
So I was amazed that my NC10 came with a set, even more for the irony that it is the one computer that can't directly read them out of the box and a hidden partition would have been much better in this case! LOL
Its not the CD that wont install more than 3 times, its the license key (though sometimes you can get more then 3). If installed too many times you have to call into MS and just confirm you only have it installed on one PC and they then refresh the count and give the fresh activation code.
Thats my experience anyway.
This has been going on for years. As far as i know Sony, Acer, HP, Packard Bell all do it. Dell and Toshiba dont and it can be alot of headache as alot of people dont make the disks! They only realise when they have a OS problem, it can be convienent as it means you have a hidden partition so the recovery of your system to factory setting is simple. I used to work for a computerstore and think its also to do with the license they have with Microsoft as some used to include blank disc's so you can create the recovery media!
All I want is a recovery ISO on the manufacturer's website..
What happens when the person getting the new pc still finds it too daunting to make a recovery disk or doesnt even realise he really DOES need to. Its not hard to just provide an actual recovery disk for those who know nothing so when there is a problem they have something to give a technician or a friend to do the job (instead of saying doh! I didnt make a recovery disk!). Secret partitions are maybe used much of the time but there is no consistancy from brand to brand or if its a generic independent shop made pc!