I think HP was actually the pioneer of this. Years ago I attempted to replace a failed (IDE) hard drive in an HP desktop. The (HP OEM) Windows installation fa

I think HP was actually the pioneer of this. Years ago I attempted to replace a failed (IDE) hard drive in an HP desktop. The (HP OEM) Windows installation failed because the drive (although comparable and perfectly suitable) was not an HP part. I dealt with their tech support for days, and even obtained a replacement (HP OEM) Windows disc. The troubleshooting folks were off their chart and could not help. (I went with a non-HP drive because I could get it more quickly, and it cost half as much as the HP part, and had a better warranty.) I tried a non-HP Windows installation disc and everything worked just fine. So I was not allowed to install the Licensed and paid-for Windows OS because the hard disk was not recognized as an HP part. I wasted so much time troubleshooting that it would have been cheaper to just buy the overpriced HP disk. Since that day I have never purchased any HP products, and I have recommended other brands to my clients.