Must vent about my computer!!!!

[All Creatures Great And Small]

OK so I decided I needed a much larger hard drive and a clean installation of Windows XP to make things work reasonably well on this beast. I ordered the hard drive online and it came this week while I was on vacation - perfect! I spent, literally, DAYS downloading needed installation files, backing up data, researching exactly how to put this thing in, the whole master/slave/jumper business. So today I finally opened up the case, put the new drive in (surprisingly easy, physically), hooked everything back up, turned her back on and - IT DOESN'T WORK!! First off, it's an 80GB drive but the system info said it only has 65GB available on it. Then, I was unable to install Windows XP on it because I have the upgrade version, and it has to detect an earlier Windows version on your PC. The last time I installed XP directly over ME, it really messed things up, so I don't want to do that. I tried putting in my OEM restore disk of Windows ME as proof that I owned it, but NO DICE according to the Mighty Bill Gates. (Like he needs any more of my money ) So, here I sit with this cavernous new drive and no way to load the OS on it unless I go shell out $300.00 for the non-upgrade version of XP. Then, I called IBM to find out why the drive doesn't show 80GB, and they said I had an outdated BIOS, so I spent 3 HOURS tonight trying to get the update for it to install correctly. It turns out both the website and the tech at Gateway listed the wrong instructions for installing it. It's 1 AM and I'm throwing in the towel. So now I'm sitting here singing........"IF I HAD A HAMMER........."

[jenluckenbach]

all I can say is
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
better luck tomorrow

[Vio&Juni]

I would also sing "If I had a hammer...".
Luckily, my brother is a programmer and he knows almost everything about computers. Well, I know too, but... when there are two heads, it's better.
Also, I am almost a maniac concerning advance information. I always check and check and check. That bothers even me sometimes, but, it works well in most cases. Sometimes, if in the beginning I want to buy something, after I check the info I buy something else.

[Tanya&Fritz]

I'm so glad I married my husband, he's a Network Administrator

[Albea]

I can't offer any help with your current problem, just a suggestion: If you ever decide to get a new computer buy a Mac!

[popcornbird]

I'm glad I have my brother here.

You all know what my computer was doing to me these past two months! It was driving me CRAZY! Then I got a new harddrive and all was well, until I installed Picture It. ACG&S, you were right that Picture It is a problem. The second I installed it, the second my harddrive (brand new) started chocking and jerking and acting wierd again. My brother said he's going to throw my computer away he was so mad at it, but then I told him "WAIT, someone at PT said Picture It is a problem!!!" So I reinstalled Windows, threw my Picture It CD in the trash so I'm never tempted to install it again, and its working great now, thank God. Its working wonderful. Good luck with your beast. My beast learned a big lesson, so I think he'll be calm for a while.

PS. You might be installing the harddrive improperly, or did something in the installation process wrong that it didn't work. Also, with a different harddrive, the recovery CD for Windows won't work. I have a recovery CD that didn't work after getting the new harddrive, so we borrowed a friend's Windows XP CD (since our's was annoying us) and installed it off of that. Then we discovered that Mr. Bill Gates has every computer have a different activiation key and if you use an activiation key already in use by another computer (our friend's) then we will lose Windows after 30 days.................hmmm............. Anything to make people buy more Windows copies to make more money. We already had Windows XP and found no reason to buy it AGAIN just because Bill Gates wanted us too, so my brother started messing around with Windows, and discovered some way to make my computer think it doesn't need an activiation key. I don't know how he tricked my computer, but it worked well. I have not been asked for an activiation key ever since.

[Dixieland Dancer]

Hope things get better after you get a good nights rest. If it were me though I would probably go to bed thinking about the whole mess and waking up *Not refreshed*.

[Randi]

Originally posted by Albea
I can't offer any help with your current problem, just a suggestion: I you ever decide to get a new computer buy a Mac!

I have to agree on this! Ok, I'm on a PC, but the reason is that I got it for free. We do have a Mac in the house.

[anna_66]

btw...what's the difference between a PC and a Mac

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by anna_66
btw...what's the difference between a PC and a Mac

A PC is the normal computer most of us have (IBM, Dell, Sony, Toshiba, etc. etc.....................

A Mac is an Apple Macantosh...............those cute little colorful computers.....lol. They have a different processor and are kinda strange for most PC users. I "think" the monitor and computer are one piece although I'm not sure. That's how my cousin's is. Its cute, but I like PC's better. You just have to get the right company for PC's, a company that uses quality parts. Sony and one of the best, if not the best for PC's. My brother has a Toshiba laptop and its also wonderful. Me? I have some dumb $400 store brand computer that's full of cheap parts, but now it has a new high quality harddrive, so its behaving, thank God.

[All Creatures Great And Small]

Well, I got the BIOS fixed, so it recognizes the new drive as the full 80GB, and I can format it alright, but I still have to come up with a way to install the Windows XP upgrade without installing crummy Windows ME first. Popcornbird, I wish your brother could come over here and "fix" something for me so I don't have to mess with all that product activation BS. (Bill Gates is probably watching me type this right now, from somewhere in my PC, and he's going to mess it up again BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA) Of course, none of my friends have a Windows ME disk to borrow, since just about everyone's PC came with it preinstalled.

So I figured I'd just come to Pet Talk and look at some kitty pictures instead; that's always easy and painless!