Vista Ultimate > Basic?

[Rob W]

Does anyone know if you can 'choose' what kind of Vista you install? Strange question I know, but I need to re-install Vista on my laptop, as I'm going to send it back as the charger has died. Problem is I formatted it after a few days and put XP on. I've been searching for Vista Basic torrents, and the only one I can seem to find that looks any good apparently only works on Dell's. I've found a few that are Ultimate, but will using my official key install it as Basic, or can I choose which version?

Sorry for such a newbie question, but I have absolutely no experience with Vista installs.

Cheers, .
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[herulach]

You don't need to reinstall vista to send it back for that. It's a hardware fault that can't possibly have been caused by the OS. Just send the charger back.
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YBR 125>FZS600

[Rob W]

Thing is, I've had it less than 6 months, IMO it should have lasted longer than that.

I dont know if the charger or the port on the laptop is shagged, (it charges intermittently, if you wiggle the plug about) either way I want a new one. And just to pre-empt them asking why it's been formatted I just wanted to put it back to how it was when they sent it out.
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'90 TS50 > '04 Senda 125 > '91 ZXR400 > '90 CB-1 > '04 GSX-R1000 > '96 Bandit 600 > '89 ZXR750 H1 > '96 GSX-R750 SRAD > '98 RR-W Fireblade > '98 T595 Daytona > '03 Hornet 900 > '04 Fireblade > '16 GSX-S1000F (x2) > '23 XSR900

[herulach]

[tahrey]

Just secure-blank it and say that you did that to make sure there was no trace of your personal data left. If they haven't provided you with the necessary materials to return it to factory-floor status (IE proper Vista reinstall discs, a setup partition on the HDD that can only be erased with low-level tools, or some way of downloading the image for either), then it's their own stupid fault.

Anyway, I work in an IT office, OS reinstalls on knackered workstations are a stock in trade to some of my deskmates. They mainly use a stock image (one "master" machine of a particular type is fully prepared up to the point where it's about to get a unique network ID, and its hard disk is backed up to a single-block file on one of our servers) which is just dumped en masse onto the disk with very little interaction - typically they do something else for the half hour or so this takes - then there's another 15-20 minutes of doing the final setup tweaks.

As Dell don't supply their home laptops with an intent for them to go on corporate networks, they've probably got some kind of system where that first part is carried out with a load of cloned portable hard disks. Lackey goes round with a stack of them, plugging one into a laptop, hitting the power and making sure it's set up to boot from USB, twenty or more at a time. By the time the last one's plugged in, the first is good to go. Probably don't even check if there's anything on there, just do it as a matter of course when a return is received, in case it's full of shock porn or whatever.

However, if you suspect the charger's at fault, and the machine's under warranty, why aren't they sending you a fresh one straight away? You then plug it in and determine if it was the old charger (e.g. weakness in the cable near to the plug) or the laptop (poorly soldered socket) that's at fault. If the charger, you pack the bad one off to them in the same box. If the laptop, let the service agent know and the same thing can be repeated with the main unit. This is what happened with my HP even right near the end of its warranty, luckily it was a broken charger. Talked to the service chaps thursday afternoon, arranged for it to be sent to my workplace, clocked in the next day to find it on the reception desk. Pack the old one in the box after getting home and testing, change the address, off it goes.

If it proves to be the socket itself, even less worries, because unless they can easily resolder it (I've seen it that the actual PCB can splinter if poorly made), they'll probably just swap out the entire motherboard, which after six months has a good chance of being the same shape but having a number of altered components, that'll need a new disk image anyway.

[Casper]

[el_oso]

i agree with wiping it. that way any personal data cannot be recovered.
also you are allowed to change the software on the pc, you don't have to keep vista on there.
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