[thaumaturgy]

Dell laptops and desktops are tricky to do this with if you're installing Windows, because -- for some dumb reason -- the Dell hardware is simply crippled without the pack of model-specific drivers installed.

On some units, you even lose ethernet, so you're not only stuck with a horrible screen resolution until you fix it, but you also have to load the drivers on via usb.

And finally: I don't know of a manufacturer right now that provides you with a real actual Windows disk when you buy your computer. You generally get instead an OEM "reinstall" disk which puts all that wonderful crap back on your system.

I really really wish Linux could get a serious hold on the consumer market.

[jrockway]

I really really wish Linux could get a serious hold on the consumer market.

So then Linux machines would ship with a ton of crapware too?

[thaumaturgy]

If they did, the problem could be solved by installing your own free Linux distribution.

This is not the case with Windows, which was the point.