Computers In Tesco's

[mr_lob]

OK, this may be a silly question - but do the Desktop PC's in Tescos come with XP/Vista already installed?

Anyone bought one recently? The HP packages looks to be great value...

[verydumbubba]

[eek]

No worries Mr.Lob. They will have some kind of OS installed. Most likely Vista or XP but also maybe Linux. Happy shopping!

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verydumbubba - you meanie!

edit: btw..ask the assistant to start any computer up for you if it isnt already booted up and test it out for yourself. Also, the OS should be listed in the specs. Check the info on the side of the computer.

Edited July 18, 2009 by eek

[d0ndela]

I don't know, but I can give a qualified guess: No they do not come with XP and most definitely not Vista.

Tesco uses the same distributors for purchasing computers as most other computer shops in Thailand (Synnex, Ingram Micro, ECS, SiS, etc.) so their products is no different than those of the computer shops, except that Tesco buys loads and loads at a time, so they get completely different prices than the rest. And knowing that I can only guess that they do not come with any OS pre-installed, because pretty much all HP desktops available does not come with OS, only the most expensive ones.

[eek]

I don't know, but I can give a qualified guess: No they do not come with XP and most definitely not Vista.

Tesco uses the same distributors for purchasing computers as most other computer shops in Thailand (Synnex, Ingram Micro, ECS, SiS, etc.) so their products is no different than those of the computer shops, except that Tesco buys loads and loads at a time, so they get completely different prices than the rest. And knowing that I can only guess that they do not come with any OS pre-installed, because pretty much all HP desktops available does not come with OS, only the most expensive ones.

Heck, i didnt realise that. Well, ive been computer hunting lately and have a ton of flyers in front of me. The HPs around 17k and above have vista, otherwise just states free DOS. So..yeh..

[tomyamgoong]

OK, this may be a silly question - but do the Desktop PC's in Tescos come with XP/Vista already installed?

Anyone bought one recently? The HP packages looks to be great value...

I bought my first laptop there. At home i found out there is no pre-installed software. Paid with creditcard, kept the bill and went back to complain. Although I understood perfectly well that they were saying I have to install everything myself, and that there is nothing wrong with the laptop, I managed to come accross as not understanding, and being a very, very dissappointed customer that could not return his broken laptop under warranty. I wrote the service desk people's names on a piece of paper, and threatened that I would contact the central Tesco headoffice and HP about not getting my money back under warranty. Much to my surprise, eventually they gave in.

Then I went to a local computershop accross the street of Tesco, chose approximatly the same model for 500 bath more and asked about what software was pre-installed. They returned my question : What software would i like to have installed?

My quarter dropped immediatly, and I summed up al list of operating systems, programs and even music that I would appreciate to be pre-installed. They said i could pick up the laptop that same afternoon.

These shops also have wizzkids working in the back that can give you immediate service. Dont even try to explain someone at Tesco about a problem with your PC, its an endless conversation with no results. If you buy at Tesco, ask them to send it to HP with a letter you brought that explains your problem.

[d0ndela]

Very true summary. Things might be a little cheaper in Tesco, but service is not a word they have in their dictionary.

[jfchandler]

I bought an HP desktop via Tesco a year or so ago. I also looked at and shopped their stocked computers quite closely...

The unit I bought had no Windows software installed or included. And I don't remember the other HP units I looked at at Tesco having it listed either. Each PC did, however, have a paper card on the shelf showing all the included features/components. Windows was not one of the listed features.

It wasn't a big deal for me, since I already had my own available Windows software disks at home. If you're buying a PC without, just make sure your Windows software is not the upgrade only variety... because you'll be installing it on a blank disk and no pre-existing Windows install to work from.

That said, the HP PC I bought has worked great, and I got it at a very good price on one of Tesco's periodic sale promotions. They always have some desktop PCs and laptops offered below their regular stock prices.

[Crossy]

Yup, HP's bought here come with FreeDOS, really only good to show that it's working.

Way to keep the price down.

[phetaroi]

Yup, HP's bought here come with FreeDOS, really only good to show that it's working.

Way to keep the price down.

What do you mean by "here"? "Here" in Thailand. If so...wrong. I'm getting ready to buy a higher end HP next month, and what I am looking at (no matter which store I go to) has Windows Vista included and installed.

[pkspeaker]

don't by a pc at tesco or bigc; goto pathip plaza and look around, or similar computer place where that have many small shops, like tukcom in pattaya, you will get better stuff for the price and nice knowledgeable technisians if you have questions..

the machine i'm using right now is a benq joybook from tukcom, when i bought it 5 years ago they installed everything i needed perfectly on winxp, and i have never had a service issue with it since, even lugging it around to cambodia and china, cramming it in a suitcase and dragging the weeled suitcase around on the bumpy sidewalk shaking and jarring the computer, it has started right up everytime, i'm wowed by it's reliability, especially since it was the cheapest one they had at the time - the ram upgrade i added to it..

[lopburi3]

Yup, HP's bought here come with FreeDOS, really only good to show that it's working.

Way to keep the price down.

What do you mean by "here"? "Here" in Thailand. If so...wrong. I'm getting ready to buy a higher end HP next month, and what I am looking at (no matter which store I go to) has Windows Vista included and installed.

Actually he is right - if you pay top baht you can get units with a legal operating system but most consumer units are sold without - only selected models have. That is not limited to HP by any means - most computers sold here have no operating system that they expect you to use - you either buy a legal system or have them "install" software. That that is done at the Microsoft certified dealers as well as mom and pop stores.

I just bought an Acer with linux disk - turn on and have no idea what it wanted and unable to install Windows because hard drive was not NTFS and could not find an option to format on the install disk. Had to take back and have compuiter geek do the trick. My mistake for not taking offer to install software.

[Mrjlh]

For what its worth, here my personal experience in buying a computer here in Phuket in the last week. My laptop is "dying" after 9 glorious years so it was time to buy a new one. I went to all the stores looking. Big C, Lotus, independent stores, and even HP directly. Checked on-line with a few sites I have bought computer items from in the past. All with the same results as follows:

1. The "free" OS is bootlegged. In almost every case "not legal". To have a legal version cost an additional 3000-5300B. I did find the "claim" a legal version was installed but I take that with much suspicion.

2. Any additional software other than those in the package was either "bootlegged" or trial versions.

3. Every model I looked at was at least 6 months behind in current technology.

4. Because manufactures sell different models to different countries it’s often difficult to compare, but normally pricing is always higher and over the original retail price. Occasionally you will find bargains but you really need to know what you are buying. Prices are also determined by how weak or strong the baht is, so again it’s difficult to compare.

5. I found going directly to "factory distributor", i.e. HP, you got a better deal, better values, and you could get better service if needed.

6. If you bring a computer in from another country, you might not be able to get it repaired because repair shops can't always get the correct parts. And if they do, the price is so high you might as well buy a new one.

What I actually ended up doing is buying a new laptop computer "on-line" directly from the manufacture from the US. The computer has the most recent features available and not 6 months behind in technology and the cost less than the nearest equivalent model here. So much so, I could afford to have the 11 lb box shipped First Class mail and still save money. But I also went to the extreme on delivery; I'm having my daughter deliver it for free! But the airplane ticket cost 1300 bucks. Computer manufactures are hurting so much, prices have dropped drastically. You need to shop the find these bargains. Plus the software is either pre-installed or provided, but at least it’s legal.

The down side is it might not get repaired if it breaks. You can also buy extra warrantee to have it repaired and they will provide the shipping box. Some companies will not ship to a foreign country but many do. You'll need to wait for arrival and be sure to sit in the post office to make sure you get it.

A legal software version is the best thing you can do for yourself. If there is any problem with it, it can be resolved and fixed without any hassles. I did the bootleg only once and the hassles were not worth it. Why the computer stores here don't provide legal OEM software is beyond me.

[jfchandler]

I think the above comment about getting repairs/parts here in LOS is a bit overstated...

For desktop PCs, most parts are pretty standardized, and you don't usually need to match a particular brand to the original brand of your PC. It's all generic componentized stuff...for the most part.

For laptops, however, that's where the parts variations come into play more often, and you can only replace a Toshiba laptop keyboard with the identical Toshiba keyboard as a replacement if needed, for example. That's where having a locally sourced laptop might prove easier for finding replacement/repair parts.

[msg362]

OK, this may be a silly question - but do the Desktop PC's in Tescos come with XP/Vista already installed?

Anyone bought one recently? The HP packages looks to be great value...

Why don't you try asking in Tesco? seems the obvious solution!

We bought a laptop some years ago, they would install a pirate copy of XP but I bought an official version and got them to install it. don't know the position with Vista

[carlosacao]

OK, this may be a silly question - but do the Desktop PC's in Tescos come with XP/Vista already installed?

Anyone bought one recently? The HP packages looks to be great value...

The best deals in computers at the low end will only have Linux or FreeDos as the os (Windows os does cost some money), but nothing prevent you from installing your desire os later, and sometimes they'll do it for you. Just bought a 6400 baht computer for my office at IT Plaza and as part of the promotion they installed for free Windows XP, Office, Photoshop, etc, etc, so in the end I ended up with a more expensive package with no extra cost.

[jfchandler]

It doesn't have to be only low-end computers...that come without Windows here.

If you've already got your own Windows disks to use, save yourself some money and buy a good, higher-end model here without the Windows OS, and install it from your own disks... Why pay twice (and extra) for something that you already have.

Likewise, I'd rather install my own legal, fully licensed version of Windows than some pirated or trial or copied version from a vendor that's going to give me trouble down the road in terms of being able to install updates and service packs via Windows Update.

Taking that approach also enables you to avoid the vendor-manufacturer loaded bloatware (loads of crap software) that many manufacturers try to pre-install on their machines, software that either uselessly eats up space on your hard disk or that you have to uninstall later anyway.

Edited July 19, 2009 by jfchandler

[lopburi3]

The legal Windows disc sold here is usually OEM and thus tied to the original computer it was installed on.

[lifemagic]

A computer with no OS, imho, is an advantage. I can have Ubunto and not waste money on something I don't want. If you really must have Windows, you could choose the version. It seems weird to me, to buy a product and just accept the OS... as though that is incidental and not part of the buying decision. You wouldn't buy a car where the deal is you don't know if it's a manual or an automatic until it's delivered.

But is tesco really cheaper? I looked at phones and computer memory recently, and they were cheaper in fixed price places in panthip.

[lopburi3]

Not everyone has access to Panthip. And making the trip may well remove any savings there might have been. Tesco is not my choice for anything, especially if it has that name on it. But they often do have some items below the cost of other places due to buying power. And they are clean and open so much more pleasant shopping than many other places.

[parryhandy]

Be careful buying Hp desktops. I bought one which had a hacked version of xp on it that was using 100 % cpu. I installed my own windows XP on it only to find there were NO drivers for the motherboard for XP only vista and the specs of these set-ups are barely enough to handle vista well.