Story: The bare-faced facts behind naked PCs

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Alienware

I'm currently looking to buy a laptop/notebook and have seen a great deal on the Alienware website.

I already own a copy of Vista Ultimate and it's license enables me to install on 3 systems that I own. I therefore want to buy a naked system to save myself paying for Vista twice.

I encounter the same issues as the ZDNet team. No one will sell the laptop OS free. I understand with laptops there is the issue with essential drivers and utilities needing to be pre-installed. However, if someone is savvy enough to want to install their own OS they can probably download a driver or two. Also it wouldn't kill them to provide the drivers on CD if they are that obscure. Ironically, Vista doesn't support some of the features of the laptop I want (dual graphic cards) and so there is a note on the site to explain when I initially use the system one graphics card will be disabled until Nvidia/Microsoft release a vista compatible driver. If the OS doesn't even support the hardware of a new system why is it being pushed ahead of other Operating Systems that DO fully support it such as Windows XP.

I enquired if it would be cheaper to have an older version of windows installed such as XP. Apparently it costs MORE to have an older OS. I was quoted an additional £24 charge having XP Pro instead of Vista Home Premium. Are Microsoft pushing Vista that much that putting an older and possibly soon to be obsolete OS costs more money rather than less?

It looks like I will have to buy my system with Vista home and then use my ultimate edition to upgrade it. My other alternative is to go for a MacBook Pro and install Bootcamp/crossover/parrellels and have Vista on there too. But you get so much less bang for your buck when you compare the specs of the MacBook Pro and an Alienware notebook

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