The Voice - Dear Consumer's Voice

Dear Consumer’s Voice

My girlfriend bought an HP 6720s laptop computer from HI-FI Corporation in August this year at a cost of P5,169. We installed Microsoft Office since it the laptop only came with a trial version. In September the laptop reset itself somehow. All the information we had stored was lost, including the software we had installed. The Microsoft office software we had installed had disappeared and in its place was the trial version that I had personally uninstalled. Basically the laptop was exactly the same as it was when my girlfriend first got it from the shop.

We then went back to HI-FI with all the accessories including the back up CDs that came with it. That’s when I noticed that one of the CDs was for Windows XP Professional while the operating system on the laptop was Windows Vista Business and the sticker on the laptop says “Vista Basic”. The service attendants could not give a satisfactory answer regarding why this was the case.

Can you help?

Actually this is quite common. Many computer manufacturers offer a “downgrade” from Windows Vista to Windows XP. This is because many consumers have been put off using Windows Vista because of a variety of complaints. Some people say it is too slow on low-powered PCs, others say it is too difficult to support a new PC with Vista if all the other PCs you have use Windows XP. Some people, myself included, just don’t like Windows Vista very much.

In response to this Microsoft still allow PC manufacturers to sell PCs with Vista pre-installed but give the purchaser the XP “downgrade” disc if they want to use Windows XP. That’s what I suspect you have.

We contacted HiFi Corporation about your problem but they haven’t responded yet. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear from them.