normally I have decent Windows karma

[kate_nepveu]

but though I can restore an image of the "recovery partition" to my new hard drive, Windows refuses to actually restore or install from that partition, with many interesting variations on that refusal. (For instance: when it claims to be restoring a factory image, in fact it erases everything on the hard drive and replaces it with nothing. Windows 7 setup boots from a DVD, then refuses to proceed because it needs DVD drivers (and can't find any from the manufacturer's driver install disk or downloaded drivers on a USB thumb drive). Etc.)

I have given up and sent a request to Dell for an actual OS install DVD. For now I have hooked the monitor, keyboard, and trackball up to the netbook, which does work, I have to keep reminding myself, and the inconveniences are very very minor things in the grand scheme.

. . . such as that my iPod now thinks it has no music on it. (It does.) Joy.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Speaking as somebody who uses and does their own fixing on both Apple and PC hardware? Bullshit. PCs are about a thousand times easier to fix and far cheaper. The proprietary, hermetic nature of Apple machines is a fact, and for most people is a positive rather than a drawback - but let's not pretend that ifixit will allow you to solve all of your Mac problems like magic.

Also, seriously, when somebody asks you to refrain from giving unsolicited advice and you won't fucking stop? Major douchecanoe points.

Kate - wrt your actual problem - will it not recognize USB drivers at all? Have you been able to go into the boot menu to see what it's trying to boot from?

[kate_nepveu]

To be fair, the request to refrain from unsolicited advice was not explicit until a response to the above comment.

It'll boot from a USB drive or a DVD, and indeed boot into Windows recovery from both of those. It just won't acknowledge the existence of any files containing drivers anywhere--including x:\windows\system32\drivers (or whatever it is; I'm not booting the damn thing up to look again). Which is a neat trick.

[(Anonymous)]

That's....very strange. It shouldn't need those drivers to *install* Windows given that it's a recovery issue, and I'm wondering if there's more of a hardware problem. Are you able to get into the boot screen? (Usually when you initially boot up the computer it will give you a BIOS screen that says something like hit DEL for boot menu) That will allow you to see what the default boot device is.

[kate_nepveu]

Oh yes, and I needed the boot manager several times when booting from the restored recovery partition didn't work (remember, it's a new hard drive, it's got nothing on it but the recovery partition that I restored from a disk image).

Really, at this point I've given up and will work from actual install disks, assuming Dell aren't jerks and sends them.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, I think that's the only option. And it will become very clear then if it's a hardware issue.

[floatboth]

I stopped after hearing the word "stop". This time, you replied.

[kate_nepveu]

Yes, I appreciate it, and I did just point out that there seemed to have been some timeline confusion there.