Acer's Stripped-Down Operating System; No Recovery Disks

Acer advertised that its PCs are shipped with the "Genuine Microsoft Windows" operating system. It also promised that the operating system "gives you access to all the latest updates and helps keep your computer performing at its best." This lawsuit alleged that Acer actually installed a stripped-down version of Windows, making it impossible for the customer to access features necessary to troubleshoot, repair and restore the drive. Acer did not include any recovery disks with the computer. While Acer offered to sell recovery disks separately, they didn't work in many scenarios, and they erased all user-installed applications and in some cases some or all the user's data (including documents and photos). If the computer or hard drive crashed, the customer's only solution was to separately buy a retail version of the Windows.

In 2011, a settlement was reached. If you purchased an Acer computer and were misled about the operating system, please see the settlement website for more information.