My experience with Dell was a disgrace, too... a fairly elderly laptop had a few problems, and I needed to get into the BIOS. Unfortunately, there was a generic password to protect it, and I rang Dell to ask for the password (which, apparently, applies to all their machines).

They wanted me to prove ownership by quoting a code from the sales invoice...

Whilst theft is a problem, this was somewhat heavy-handed, considering the fact that the password wasn't machine-specific...!

I explained that I was on site, and unable to access the invoice, but I was made to feel like a criminal - and didn't get that vital password in time. Daft, really, because someone who was dishonest would hardly ring the Dell helpline using a traceable mobile phone... would they?

I won't deal with Dell anymore - I've had no such problems with Toshiba, or Sony for that matter.

I bought a second-hand Sony Vaio a couple of years back from an acquaintance. It had a bootleg copy of XP Pro on it, so I was rather wary that it may have been stolen. I contacted Sony, who said they had no report of that machine having been stolen, and they would register it in my name if I provided them with the name and address of the person who sold it to me. It is now registered in my name, and has a legal copy of XP Home plus all the downloads needed to make it work properly.

We've had two instances of a Toshiba laptop going faulty under warranty - they send a courier to collect, and it's back within a week.