January 22, 1999 Web posted at: 7:42 p.m. EST (0042 GMT) by Jeff Walsh

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INTERACTIVE: Would you like a refund for unused or unwanted copies of Windows that came pre-installed on your PC? Yes No View Results

(IDG) -- An online group is seeking refunds from Microsoft for unused and unwanted copies of Windows that shipped with their PCs. The group, referring to the unwanted operating system as a "Microsoft tax" on all computers, is rallying Linux, BeOS, BSD, OS/2, and NetWare users to demand a refund on Feb. 15 because of wording in Microsoft's end-user license agreement (EULA).

According to the group, Windows users are required to agree to the terms of the EULA, and if they are unwilling to license the software according to the terms Microsoft describes, they are entitled to a refund.

The group's Web site traces the successful case of Australian Linux user Geoffrey Bennett who secured a $110 refund from Toshiba after saying he was unwilling to agree to the terms of his Windows license, although the operating system was pre-loaded on his laptop.

A Toshiba America Information Systems representative said the company does not sell any systems without an operating system, and has no plans to do so. However, customers can choose whether they want Windows NT or Windows 98 pre-loaded.

"There's no money-back agreement if they don't want an operating system. It's a whole package," the representative said.

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The representative, based in the company's Irvine, Calif., office, did not go into details regarding Bennett's rebate, which he obtained in Australia, but did warn other users seeking refunds that it's "not the typical policy and not what other people will run into if they try it."

Jeff Walsh is an InfoWorld senior writer.