......those people who only have a recovery CD?
<b>Here is my problem.....</b>
I'm thinking of starting a small, weekend business of optimizing, repairing, and upgrading old PC's, and in many cases, this will require complete reinstallation of software.
But many of my potential customers own big-name computers (eg, IBM, Dell, etc) that only come with a system restore disc, rather than stand-alone CD-ROM's. In other words, the system comes installed with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows, a virus protection suite, and other bundled software, but does not come with the original CD-ROM's. Instead, the user is left with a single CD-ROM (basically a partition replacement program) that can only restore the system to factory defaults.
If I upgrade the computer, this disc will become useless (in many cases). Further, I can't do a lean, custom installation with a system restore disc (again, something my customers are willing to pay extra for). They may want my Windows / Office installtion tweaks, but they sure aren't going to buy the same software again for this benefit.
To my line of thinking, <b>these folks own a license for the software</b>. Aren't they entitled to a copy of the software that isn't compressed into a fixed format?
I'm not asking for a free copy. I would certainly expect to pay for shipping, and perhaps a nominal fee for the discs. And I would likewise expect to provide proof to the software vendor that my customer owns a license.
<b>Does such an exchange program exist, or am I totally pipe dreaming?</b>
In my primary niche (multitrack audio recording), software vendors gladly provide updated CD-ROM's to registered users (for the cost of shipping). And these are not cheap programs. The cheapest software costs a few hundred bucks, and the most expensive can be several thousand.
Any thoughts on this are appreciated. I believe I can run a very small, word-of-mouth business, but without the necessary discs, I'm stuck on the ground.
Thanks in advance,
Wiggum
<b>Here is my problem.....</b>
I'm thinking of starting a small, weekend business of optimizing, repairing, and upgrading old PC's, and in many cases, this will require complete reinstallation of software.
But many of my potential customers own big-name computers (eg, IBM, Dell, etc) that only come with a system restore disc, rather than stand-alone CD-ROM's. In other words, the system comes installed with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows, a virus protection suite, and other bundled software, but does not come with the original CD-ROM's. Instead, the user is left with a single CD-ROM (basically a partition replacement program) that can only restore the system to factory defaults.
If I upgrade the computer, this disc will become useless (in many cases). Further, I can't do a lean, custom installation with a system restore disc (again, something my customers are willing to pay extra for). They may want my Windows / Office installtion tweaks, but they sure aren't going to buy the same software again for this benefit.
To my line of thinking, <b>these folks own a license for the software</b>. Aren't they entitled to a copy of the software that isn't compressed into a fixed format?
I'm not asking for a free copy. I would certainly expect to pay for shipping, and perhaps a nominal fee for the discs. And I would likewise expect to provide proof to the software vendor that my customer owns a license.
<b>Does such an exchange program exist, or am I totally pipe dreaming?</b>
In my primary niche (multitrack audio recording), software vendors gladly provide updated CD-ROM's to registered users (for the cost of shipping). And these are not cheap programs. The cheapest software costs a few hundred bucks, and the most expensive can be several thousand.
Any thoughts on this are appreciated. I believe I can run a very small, word-of-mouth business, but without the necessary discs, I'm stuck on the ground.
Thanks in advance,
Wiggum
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