Computer Hell

We've all been there. The error messages. The blue screen of death.

I've been working with computers since Commodore 64. The most important thing they have taught me is patience. 

I hate patience. It takes way too long to learn. -sigh-

God loves me. He keeps trying to teach me.

This is why I feel bad about all the cussing I've been doing the past few days.

Yes. I bought a new hard drive and I said I'd just clone my old one. I actually said, "Easy peasy." NEVER let me say things like that!! It tempts the fates!

For at least three days I've struggled with this drive. It is a new fast 4096 sector drive. The problem is my old drive is a 512 sector drive, and the new drive is all uppity and the old drive is stubborn and full of itself and they are refusing to play nicely together...much like all my friends and family after the recent presidential election.

Story of my week.

I've tried different software programs. None worked. I reinstalled Windows from disk and Microsoft refused my product key!!! Something to do with the free Windows 10 upgrade I did.

I cloned. Wouldn't boot. I cleaned the disk and migrated. Wouldn't boot. I cleaned and formatted and partitioned and  tried installing Windows 7. Error.  Then I forced a Windows 7 installation to finish via DOS using the msoobe.exe file, but I know the drive really needs another driver that I may end up having to find. -sigh- But the cloning software seems to like the drive now, so cloning again.

Fingers crossed!!

Note: Clone=8 hours time

Patience. Ugh.

To be continued....




UPDATE: Didn't work. Reinstalled Windows 7 Pro from disk again. Got it to accept my Product Key this time, but it still will not reinstall my free Windows 10 Pro. Working on it.

I hate computers right now.


I'll have to reinstall all my software and re-copy all my old hard drive files back to the new drive after all the windows issues are fixed. At least it boots now and I have learned a lot of new things.

I hope I love it by Christmas! I'll let you know.

PS: I will have to break down and buy a new computer someday. Just hopefully not today.

---

9:00 PM Sunday UPDATE: I have a very active and passionate LOVE/HATE relationship with Microsoft. It is leaning more on the HATE side today. UGH!!!!

FINALLY got the stupid thing to reinstall my Windows 10 FREE Upgrade. Just in case this ever happens to you, here is what you have to do:

1. Reinstall the original Windows you had when you upgraded.  You will need the disk and the Product Key.  In my case, I had Windows 7 Professional before the upgrade, and I still had the disk, but....
2. Windows 7 Pro would NOT install on the new large and fast hard drive!  It hung up on the very last step and said it could not install on my hardware.  Here's how to fix that:
   -When you get the error screen, hit SHIFT F10 to open a Command Prompt.
   -Navigate to:
    C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\OOBE
   
   Then type MSOOBE and hit ENTER.
   
   It will let you finish the install. 
   
   Now.  I ask you.  Is that intuitive?  NO!!!!!
3. To finish the install you will have to use your Windows 7 Product Key...NOT the Windows 10 Product Key your old hard drive has installed.  Took me FOREVER to find my stupid Windows 7 Pro Product Key.  Don't ask.  Finally found it and installed and activated Windows 7 Pro.
4. THEN you have to download the Microsoft Media Creation Tool.  Do a Google search for MediaCreationTool.exe. 
   
   NO!  That is also NOT intuitive.
   
5. THEN install and run the Media Creation Tool.  Do NOT do the .iso install.  Do the Install to this machine option and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and finally it will install and re-activate itself!!!
6. Now I still have to reinstall all of my old programs and copy all of my old files to the new hard drive, but at least I have everything and everything is working again.  I really wish it would have just cloned though.  I really do.  I understand about the 512 and 4096 sector problem, but I still wish it would have cloned.

Yes.  I know a clean install to a new hard drive is probably better, but if the clone had worked, it would have been great!  Still...now I have two bootable hard drives, so I have a true backup of everything, and I'm going to buy an external drive as an extra back-up and copy all my files from my old hard drive to the new one using the external drive.  After these past few days of Computer Hell, I sure don't want to end up losing my stuff. 

All is well in Aliceland again.  For now...NEVER let me say things like that!!!!  It tempts The Fates!