"Ian Betts" <ian.betts******.com> wrote in message
news:09BE91A3-D8AA-4F23-A459-DA24F77096C9@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
>
>
> "Andy" <andy@indigo.ie> wrote in message
> news:f9qk76$19c$1@news.datemas.de...[color=green]
>> Will be getting a new Dell PC soon with Windows Vista preloaded on it
>> (Doubt if it will come with a Vista installation CD). What I want to know
>> is if I can easily install Windows XP and leave the Vista intact and just
>> chose at startup of PC whether to use Vista or XP? - I think they call it
>> dual booting isn't it?
>>
>> But I don't really want to go formatting and partitioning the hard drive
>> if I can avoid it to do this.
>>
>> Many thanks,
>>
>> Andy.
>>[/color]
>
>
> Andy, as usual here you have several answers and lots of the political
> issues attached to any purchase you make but Dell's that I have bought and
> friends have received in the last year have all been OK.
>
> You did not say if you were to buy laptop or desktop but either way you
> will get a full restore CD included. You have the choice at Dell to have
> XP or Vista pre loaded. Because of the price differences I would have
> Vista.
>
> Rather than disrupt in anyway the installation of the original Vista
> system, because of warrantee considerations, I would think about a second
> hard drive for the XP and maybe go for the cheaper option now that XP will
> be available at greatly reduced prices. If you get a laptop a USB hard
> drive would do the job.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Ian
>
> With patience there is always a way.
>
> Please Reply to Newsgroup so all can read.
> Requests for assistance by email can not and will be deleted.[/color]


I really have a feeling the new Dell PC will not have a full restore CD
included. In the US you may very well get a full restore CD included but I
reside in Ireland, and in the UK & Ireland (and the rest of Europe I think)
for the last 2 years anyway no full restore CD are included on the Dell PC's
now (please correct me if I am wrong though) Dell wanting the customer to
either use System Restore to recover their PC or the OS in the hidden
Partition on the Hard drive. There was an option once on the XP ones where
you could pay an extra 6.50 Euro for a WinXP recovery CD (OEM type) at the
time of ordering your new PC from Dell but now that option seems to have
gone now. Pity because for the extra 6.50 and getting the recovery CD with
your system was well worth paying the extra for. I don't like this system
what they have now about it being on the partitions hard drive because what
happens if you want to reinstall windows and the hard drive or its
partitions seems to be corrupt or wont read you are up the swanney river!

Andy.