The Northgate computer I purchased was made specially for Staples and it worked fine right out of the box but I was disappointed with the entire 120 GB hard drive being devoted to Windows XP so there was no opportunity to install Linux.
There was no Windows XP CD, only a recovery CD that doesn't provide HD partitioning, The recovery CD defaults the installation to the C: partition. I had to erase the entire hardrive and use a partitioner to create a 12 GB C: partition which accepted the recovery disk installation and now Windows XP works fine and there's plenty of hard drive space for other installations.
I installed KNOPPIX on its own partition and it worked except for the modem. I added an external modem and after configuring it, Linux internet was easy.
The main problem for Linux users is the hardware (video, sound, and modem) is so new that it needs a recent kernel that recognizes the hardware.
All in all, I'd say that this computer is excellent even if a regular Windows XP isn't supplied. The recovery CD seems to do the job quite well.
alex

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