the_cur (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} the_cur) wrote,@ 2006-11-10 17:18:00 |
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Hard Drive Hell.
Well, I did it! I resurrected my poor computer from the depths of out-of-dated-ness; I got and installed a new hard drive. The process did not go with out hindrance, in fact, it did not go well at all.
First of all, I was cocky, I mean, teenagers build their own systems all the time right? I can handle installing a new hard drive. HEH! I started by backing up all my documents to an external hard drive, because I was cocky not stupid, then I cracked open the box, the hard drive box not the computer. Inside I found clear instructions and a CD to help me through the process of first installing my new hard drive, getting the BIOS to recognize it as a hard drive, and then swapping it out as the master or main hard drive for my computer. I followed the instructions explicitly, all went well, including the hour or so when the installation software copied the contents of my old hard drive to the new one, then I swapped the master and slave switches – and they say computer guys aren’t kinky – put the hard drives in their appropriate bays, replaced the cover and rebooted the machine.
Then there was nothing; definitively nothing. My bios could not see the new hard drive, nor could it see the old hard drive.
“Uncle” I said, this I might add was now four am on a Saturday with my parents due to arrive Sunday morning. So I had a good two days to ponder my predicament, and pray for blue screen of death because at least I know what to do from there. Then I spent another full day diddling with switches and hard drives, the BIOS and drivers, before I finally decided to do exactly as I would have done if I had never read the freakin’ directions in the first place. I turned off the computer, opened the case, unhooked both hard drives, then booted the computer from the driver CD – which immediately loaded a primer to the BIOS then told me to turn the computer off and hook up the Seagate (new) hard drive. I did so, and poof I had a hard drive again.
*bangs head on desk really, really hard*
Another full day of loading software – and updating it – and I have a working computer that is actually faster than it had been. I discovered in the process that my old drive was 5400rpm and the new one is 7200rpm numbers I never even considered until a nice man (my partner) asked me how fast my old hard drive was, and I had to go hunting for the Dell invoice from four years ago.
So, I have a 120gig hard drive now, a sreamin’ fast (comparatively) 120Seagate Barracuda with 8MBCache, and I’m just a little bit pleased with myself for not taking a sledgehammer to the whole works.
Well, I did it! I resurrected my poor computer from the depths of out-of-dated-ness; I got and installed a new hard drive. The process did not go with out hindrance, in fact, it did not go well at all.
First of all, I was cocky, I mean, teenagers build their own systems all the time right? I can handle installing a new hard drive. HEH! I started by backing up all my documents to an external hard drive, because I was cocky not stupid, then I cracked open the box, the hard drive box not the computer. Inside I found clear instructions and a CD to help me through the process of first installing my new hard drive, getting the BIOS to recognize it as a hard drive, and then swapping it out as the master or main hard drive for my computer. I followed the instructions explicitly, all went well, including the hour or so when the installation software copied the contents of my old hard drive to the new one, then I swapped the master and slave switches – and they say computer guys aren’t kinky – put the hard drives in their appropriate bays, replaced the cover and rebooted the machine.
Then there was nothing; definitively nothing. My bios could not see the new hard drive, nor could it see the old hard drive.
“Uncle” I said, this I might add was now four am on a Saturday with my parents due to arrive Sunday morning. So I had a good two days to ponder my predicament, and pray for blue screen of death because at least I know what to do from there. Then I spent another full day diddling with switches and hard drives, the BIOS and drivers, before I finally decided to do exactly as I would have done if I had never read the freakin’ directions in the first place. I turned off the computer, opened the case, unhooked both hard drives, then booted the computer from the driver CD – which immediately loaded a primer to the BIOS then told me to turn the computer off and hook up the Seagate (new) hard drive. I did so, and poof I had a hard drive again.
*bangs head on desk really, really hard*
Another full day of loading software – and updating it – and I have a working computer that is actually faster than it had been. I discovered in the process that my old drive was 5400rpm and the new one is 7200rpm numbers I never even considered until a nice man (my partner) asked me how fast my old hard drive was, and I had to go hunting for the Dell invoice from four years ago.
So, I have a 120gig hard drive now, a sreamin’ fast (comparatively) 120Seagate Barracuda with 8MBCache, and I’m just a little bit pleased with myself for not taking a sledgehammer to the whole works.
