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Originally Posted by Slavakion
A little off-topic, but what's with computer companies cheaping out and not giving you a windows installation CD? Two out of the last three computers my family has bought didn't come with one.
If you don't have a CD, and you don't have a sticker on the side of your computer, then you'll have to call. Or turn to other means... *cough*
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They're not cheaping out if you think about it. Companies like Best-Buy, Wal-Mart, etc. do sell prebuilt computer systems with Windows installed. That's it though -- they sell the PCs with Windows installed using a site license. You're not buying Windows with the computer, you're buying a computer that has Windows installed on it legally through a contract that the company has with Microsoft. You can pay $100-$200 extra and get the actual CD. The company lowers the price of the system by selling the system with the OS installed but without the installation CD. If you ask Best Buy or any other place for the OS CD, they'll sell you one that matches your PC but be prepared to pay for it.
In the past, the companies automatically charged the OS price onto the system but gave you the CD. Now it's basically backwards...also one of the main reasons PC prices have dropped from franchises in the past few years.
-Lasereth