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DELL EULA
I just unpacked my new Dell Inspiron 710M and powered it up. Immediately a screen appears telling me to read the enclosed DELL EULA (End User License Agreement), and to press any key to proceed if I agree to the terms of the EULA. Problem is, there was no DELL EULA document enclosed.
I have had five chat sessions with Dell Customer Service reps. They all told me the EULA could be found on the "resource cd" that came with my new laptop. But there is also no "resource cd." There is an AOL cd and a WordPerfect cd.
Finally a phone call to Hardware Support (I was getting desperate) and the guy told me to press any key (which means I have read the EULA and accepted the conditions) and that the EULA could be found on my system among the other Important to Read documents.
For obvious reasons I am not going to say that I have read and agreed to a document that I have never seen.
I understand all it says is that I agree to treat the software cds that came with my system as "back ups." I have read around on the internet, and this was apparently intended for the Microsoft Windows XP and other Microsoft software on cds that used to be sent along with new systems. But the new pc's use the new PC Restore Recovery System by Symantec that comes on all the new pcs, so a restore cd for the operating system is no longer necessary.
So the whole non-existent EULA document refers to non-existent software cds.
One Dell rep told me not to worry and just press any key and get on with it. But I just cannot bring myself to do it.
Anyone out there had any experience with this, or any advise to offer?
Thanks.
jb
JRosenfeld
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Posted March 19th, 2006 15:00
On Dell UK site, I've noticed that on many systems they now offer a choice between the restore partition and the installation CD and resource CDs (the latter at small extra charge).MonsterDawg
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Posted March 22nd, 2006 19:00
jb, I'm just curious. Are you going to send back your new computer if you don't agree with what the EULA says? I have to admit that I have too much time on my hands so I read almost every EULA for everything I install. Some of them are downright funny. In some EULA's you even agree not to say anything bad about the product.
Here's the XP home EULA, the others aren't hard to find: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/eula.mspx
For you're dell it would actually be the OEM version of said EULA but they aren't that different.
My personal opinion: just click agree and move on. Microsoft owns us all anyway.
LDB
BTW, I've wondered about the backup issue myself. I got the OS CD with my laptop + PCRestore and I make my own backups regualrly. This would seem to be against the EULA, but that would mean almost everyone violates the agreement. Oh, well.Message Edited by MonsterDawg on 03-22-2006 03:15 PM
Joel.Moore
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Posted March 23rd, 2006 19:00
While I agree that it's kind of pointless to get hung up on the EULA in this way the OP is calling attention to an important point. If companies are going to put so much effort into these things and demand that their customers abide by them, they better make it easier to know exactly what you're agreeing to otherwise they are completely pointeless.
I'm sure Ed Foster would like to hear about this one (if he hasn't already):
http://www.gripe2ed.com
GreyMack
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Posted March 18th, 2006 19:00
I won't comment on the Windows EULA.
GM