HP dishonors warranty if you load Linux

snkcube · Post by **snkcube** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 5:59 am

http://enterprise.linux.com/article.pl? ... 4&from=rss

This is by far the dumbest reason why HP needs to void a warranty.

Deathlike2 · Post by **Deathlike2** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:04 am

It is not surprising, but stupid as well.

There are lots of behind-the-scenes issues that factor into this.

Nightcrawler · Post by **Nightcrawler** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 1:20 pm

I agree. That screams of behind the curtain politics going on. Perhaps even a conspiracy with Microsoft, who knows.

I'd tell that company to stick and then parade it around the Internet until they get enough bad press to resolve the issue.

Running Linux will in no way damage your keyboard. That's absurd not to honor a warranty claim based on that.

Jikmo · Post by **Jikmo** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:02 am

What doesn't make sense to me is that HP does this even though they have a fairly large Linux department.

This scares me though because I've installed Linux on my HP laptop and I need to send it in as soon as I get home for the summer because my hardware just seems to be failing in general.

Also, the bias in that article is laid on pretty damn thick.

SquareHead · Post by **SquareHead** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:56 am

Jikmo wrote:This scares me though because I've installed Linux on my HP laptop and I need to send it in as soon as I get home for the summer because my hardware just seems to be failing in general.

Just backup and reload windows on it before sending it in.

Firon · Post by **Firon** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 10:06 pm

that's too much work for something that shouldn't need to be done.

franpa · Post by **franpa** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 12:50 am

i don't think it would be (but then again i find linux too hard for me to master o_O) i think it would just take ages

SquareHead · Post by **SquareHead** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 2:49 am

Firon wrote:that's too much work for something that shouldn't need to be done.

Agreed, but as it stands it could mean a free repair (well not technically free), and costing you hundreds of dollars.

Firon · Post by **Firon** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 3:44 am

Well, yes, I'd do it if I had to, but you shouldn't have to. Maybe if enough people complain to HP they'll stop trying to do stupid things like this.

Doesn't the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act in the US essentially require them to prove that what you did screwed it up? HP seems to be treading dangerous ground here.

JFD62780 · Post by **JFD62780** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:35 am

Me, I just use my BIOS's Boot Menu feature to load Linux if I should ever install it on my other drive, bootmenu and all. Yep, you read right, I especially install the bootmenu on the OTHER drive's MBR, I'm not stupid enough to taint the factory HD!

And ohh, look at that, my PC's an HP! OMG, the irony! {/sarcasm}

EDIT: One week later, quoth HP:

HP is committed to supporting its customers and backs its PCs with a solid hardware warranty regardless of the operating system.

If a customer alters a product and a problem develops as a result of that change, then the problem (which is not a result of a defect in workmanship) would not be covered under the warranty. In the case at hand, if the problem was the physical keys on the notebook beginning to stick, the operating system change would not have been the culprit and, therefore, would be covered under the customer’s warranty.

We are also taking steps to ensure support agents are clear on this policy so this issue does not recur.

Clears things up, don't it?

EDIT DEUX: dang... Just read that the 'product' in question was a notebook, not all that much room for a second HDD...

sweener2001 · Post by **sweener2001** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:46 am

nothing you said was actually relative.

linux won't break a keyboard. the factory HDD is loaded with crap anyway. if i ever bought a "name brand" pc, i'd format it right out of the box.

kevman · Post by **kevman** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 6:21 am

JFD62780 wrote:Me, I just use my BIOS's Boot Menu feature to load Linux if I should ever install it on my other drive, bootmenu and all. Yep, you read right, I especially install the bootmenu on the OTHER drive's MBR, I'm not stupid enough to taint the factory HD!

That's exactly what I did with my PC, but its hand built. It just nice to know its a simple BIOS switch to remove Linux and grub from the boot setup.

I really should have wiped my laptop when I got it; it came formatted in 3 Fat32 partitions (Recovery and 2 for use). Now I think I'm just gonna wipe the recovery partition and make it a seperate drive to through movies and stuff.

Jikmo · Post by **Jikmo** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 3:31 am

thing is, because of some of the stuff i have on the laptop, i have to pretty much wipe the whole damn thing clean before i can send it in, which is why ive been putting it off for about 9 (waiting until the summer). i dont want to have to back up everything, reset the system to the way it was, then reinstall everything...

dissociative · Post by **dissociative** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:09 pm

Linux and GNU/Linux is Free Software and Free Software comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY

creaothceann · Post by **creaothceann** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:54 pm

Well, technically it could.

Kajuru · Post by **Kajuru** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 5:23 am

JFD62780 wrote: I'm not stupid enough to taint the factory HD!

I'm not stupid enough to taint MY DATA in their crappy apps. No offense.

sweener2001 wrote:linux won't break a keyboard. the factory HDD is loaded with crap anyway. if i ever bought a "name brand" pc, i'd format it right out of the box.

True.