 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
So I told my sister that I'd fix her laptop for her before she moves to take up
a new job. It's a fairly simple problem: Her hard drive is corrupted and
Windows hasn't been able to finish an update for about a year, maybe a bit more.
That doesn't stop it from trying every time you turn the machine on. And then
it needs to revert the changes on the next startup, because it can't finish the
update...
Well, obviously, the solution is to replace the hard drive, but then the laptop
is a brick until I install an OS. She's not savvy enough to use linux, more's
the pity, and a new copy of windows costs an arm and a leg. But hey, I should
be able to call Fujitsu and have them send me a recovery disk (Why this isn't
included with the laptop in the first place is absolutely incomprehensible).
Fujitsu wants $15 per disk (there are two, apparently) and $13 S&H which brings
the total to $44 for two recovery disks...
Naturally, I can only order them over the phone, which means divulging credit
card numbers over the phone. Not a good idea. Never has been. Never will be.
So I figure I'll do the Smart Thing, and I get a burn card (pre-paid VISA gift
card). I use these all the time for shopping online, they work everywhere. Or
so I thought. Fujitsu won't take my perfectly valid VISA gift card because it
doesn't have a name on it. They think that makes it "not a valid credit
card"...?
TL/DR
Unless I can find a way to get Fujitsu to send me a system restore disk, I'm up
Sh(# Creek without a paddle. I suppose I could try making the laptop a
Hackintosh, but my last attempt at that was stellarly unsuccessful.
Regards,
A.D.B.
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Anthony D. Baye wrote:
> So I told my sister that I'd fix her laptop for her before she moves to
> take up
> a new job. It's a fairly simple problem: Her hard drive is corrupted and
> Windows hasn't been able to finish an update for about a year, maybe a bit
> more.
>
> That doesn't stop it from trying every time you turn the machine on. And
> then it needs to revert the changes on the next startup, because it can't
> finish the update...
>
> Well, obviously, the solution is to replace the hard drive,
Seen it more than once that it's not a hardware problem. Windows has managed
to confuse its file system and itself to the point that it can't solve the
shit it created.
> but then the
> laptop
> is a brick until I install an OS. She's not savvy enough to use linux,
Hmmm, lately one doesn't really have to be savvy to use Linux.
In my family, I'm the one with a bit more than average knowledge about Linux,
yet everyone else is running Linux on laptops, tablets or phones and no one
has any problems with it.
> more's
> the pity, and a new copy of windows costs an arm and a leg. But hey, I
> should be able to call Fujitsu and have them send me a recovery disk (Why
> this isn't included with the laptop in the first place is absolutely
> incomprehensible).
>
> Fujitsu wants $15 per disk (there are two, apparently) and $13 S&H which
> brings the total to $44 for two recovery disks...
>
> Naturally, I can only order them over the phone, which means divulging
> credit
> card numbers over the phone. Not a good idea. Never has been. Never will
> be.
>
> So I figure I'll do the Smart Thing, and I get a burn card (pre-paid VISA
> gift
> card). I use these all the time for shopping online, they work everywhere.
> Or
> so I thought. Fujitsu won't take my perfectly valid VISA gift card because
> it
> doesn't have a name on it. They think that makes it "not a valid credit
> card"...?
>
> TL/DR
>
> Unless I can find a way to get Fujitsu to send me a system restore disk,
> I'm up
> Sh(# Creek without a paddle. I suppose I could try making the laptop a
> Hackintosh, but my last attempt at that was stellarly unsuccessful.
>
> Regards,
> A.D.B.
Quite honestly, I don't understand why you're going through all this trouble,
spending all this money, while you could simply download whatever
distribution you're most familiar with and plonk it onto that laptop. If it
doesn't work out you can always get those recovery disks and put Windows on
it.
The only situation where I can see a preference for Windows would be niche
software.
--
Ger
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
> Well, obviously, the solution is to replace the hard drive, but then the laptop
> is a brick until I install an OS. She's not savvy enough to use linux, more's
> the pity, and a new copy of windows costs an arm and a leg. But hey, I should
> be able to call Fujitsu and have them send me a recovery disk (Why this isn't
> included with the laptop in the first place is absolutely incomprehensible).
I'd also vote for it likely being a software issue rather than hardware
- I'd at least run some sort of scandisk type program first (from a live
CD?) before buying a new drive.
And then just use any Windows installation media, you don't need to use
a Fujitsu specific recovery disk do you? It's probably pre-loaded with
all sorts of "free" junk you don't need.
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
scott <sco### [at] scott com> wrote:
> I'd also vote for it likely being a software issue rather than hardware
> - I'd at least run some sort of scandisk type program first (from a live
> CD?) before buying a new drive.
System File Checker (sfc) is a preliminary measure MS always recommends:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/system_file_checker.mspx?mfr=true
(http://tinyurl.com/m7x7x)
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
"Anthony D. Baye" <Sha### [at] spamnomorehotmailcom> wrote:
> Well, obviously, the solution is to replace the hard drive, but then the laptop
> is a brick until I install an OS. She's not savvy enough to use linux, more's
> the pity, and a new copy of windows costs an arm and a leg. But hey, I should
> be able to call Fujitsu and have them send me a recovery disk (Why this isn't
> included with the laptop in the first place is absolutely incomprehensible).
I never got a recovery disk with my laptop, but with the newer versions of
Windows you can perform a 'restore' or 'recover', which is like reinstalling
Windows altogether. If you like your files, you can keep your files (except the
ones outside your user folder, and possibly some of the ones inside).
Too bad a user can't just gift Windows to another... Linux is sounding like a
better idea all the time.
On a somewhat related note, would anything bad happen if you run your laptop
without a component? (hard drive, LAN card, etc.)
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
If the system still boots, most pre-installed Windows systems include the
ability to make recovery disks from the system.
Given that you're running "genuine Windows", there certainly should be no
need to re-purchase Windows.
Jim
--
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 9/9/2015 6:03 PM, Anthony D. Baye wrote:
> So I told my sister that I'd fix her laptop for her before she moves to take up
> a new job. It's a fairly simple problem: Her hard drive is corrupted and
> Windows hasn't been able to finish an update for about a year, maybe a bit more.
>
> That doesn't stop it from trying every time you turn the machine on. And then
> it needs to revert the changes on the next startup, because it can't finish the
> update...
>
> Well, obviously, the solution is to replace the hard drive, but then the laptop
> is a brick until I install an OS. She's not savvy enough to use linux, more's
> the pity, and a new copy of windows costs an arm and a leg. But hey, I should
> be able to call Fujitsu and have them send me a recovery disk (Why this isn't
> included with the laptop in the first place is absolutely incomprehensible).
>
> Fujitsu wants $15 per disk (there are two, apparently) and $13 S&H which brings
> the total to $44 for two recovery disks...
>
> Naturally, I can only order them over the phone, which means divulging credit
> card numbers over the phone. Not a good idea. Never has been. Never will be.
>
> So I figure I'll do the Smart Thing, and I get a burn card (pre-paid VISA gift
> card). I use these all the time for shopping online, they work everywhere. Or
> so I thought. Fujitsu won't take my perfectly valid VISA gift card because it
> doesn't have a name on it. They think that makes it "not a valid credit
> card"...?
>
> TL/DR
>
> Unless I can find a way to get Fujitsu to send me a system restore disk, I'm up
> Sh(# Creek without a paddle. I suppose I could try making the laptop a
> Hackintosh, but my last attempt at that was stellarly unsuccessful.
>
> Regards,
> A.D.B.
>
There should be a sticker on the laptop case with your product key. You
should be able to use any Windows installation disk (for your version of
Windows), and then just plug in your product key when you're done
installing.
There's also a good chance the laptop has a recovery partition on the
hard drive. You should be able to boot into it and start the recovery
process.
I've only done this once or twice, so things may be different between
versions of Windows, so watch out.
Michael
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Thu, 10 Sep 2015 23:58:05 -0400, Mike Horvath wrote:
> There should be a sticker on the laptop case with your product key. You
> should be able to use any Windows installation disk (for your version of
> Windows), and then just plug in your product key when you're done
> installing.
That depends - sometimes the key only works with an OEM version of
Windows. IIRC, there also are keys that only work with volume license
versions of Windows.
Jim
--
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 9/11/2015 11:41 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Thu, 10 Sep 2015 23:58:05 -0400, Mike Horvath wrote:
>
>> There should be a sticker on the laptop case with your product key. You
>> should be able to use any Windows installation disk (for your version of
>> Windows), and then just plug in your product key when you're done
>> installing.
>
> That depends - sometimes the key only works with an OEM version of
> Windows. IIRC, there also are keys that only work with volume license
> versions of Windows.
>
> Jim
>
>
>
There is no OEM "version" of Windows. There are OEM licenses and retail
licenses, but the version of Windows remains the same, and installation
media should not matter.
Mike
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Mike Horvath wrote:
>
>
> There is no OEM "version" of Windows. There are OEM licenses and retail
> licenses, but the version of Windows remains the same, and installation
> media should not matter.
>
>
> Mike
Over the years that I have owned a computer store I have sold 1000's upon
1000's of OEM versions of Windows.
So, yes, there are OEM versions. Are they different? Not at the core, the
base is the same, but the added gadgetry varies enormously.
--
Ger
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
