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It is time I practice forgiveness in my life, and accept those who have been foes back into my life so that they may now be friends. It is time to leave all of the past behind. It is time for me⌠to install Microsoft Windows.
The first test: Will it let me chuck the Windows 7 ISO (from Microsoft, I'm not being naughty) onto a USB and just install it that way, because I can't be fucked burning a DVD? I mean, it should, but like you never know with this weird operating system.
The reason why I'm using Windows 7 is because of the second and third tests: 2) Can I use that Professional key that I have (it's retail and legitimate, yes) or will it bitch at me that it's installed on a computer I had several years ago and no longer exists? Hopefully.
3) Does that "yeah you can still get the free upgrade to Windows 10 even though the thing's over" thing on the internet actually work? If not, well fuck it I'm sure as hell not paying for Windows 10. I just trust nothing to actually work properly.
Hmmm⌠it has indeed booted, but it sure does want to take a while on that "Starting Windows" screen. So I have to invent some time limit where I eventually say "no, I guess it doesn't let me do that". Do I even have a blank DVD around here?
The internet says that either 1) I have disabled some legacy compatibility bullshit options in my motherboard's setup, which I probably have or 2) it's because the disk is GPT (I disabled everything except the 240GB drive for now, because I don't want it to fuck with Ubuntu).
So it's possible I may have to go back in there and touch something, and then if that doesn't work, reformat the drive (I still have the _old_ Ubuntu installation on there from before copying it over to the 512GB drive, hence why it has a GPT partition table).
Wait⌠GPT partition table. GUID Partition Table partition table. Yes. RAS syndrome. Good. Also yeah that's been going for like 10 minutes so I think I might need to go over there and press that good ol' reset button.
Would you believe some cases don't have reset buttons? I think when I built this computer I made sure to get a case that did. Otherwise you have to hold down the power button and then press it again and that sucks.
Aha! Let's see if this button does something useful. Uh, this combo box.
Uh oh. Looks like I need to touch even more things.
What if one of these do something? These options look like fun. I'm going to change this one to UEFI only and see what happens.
Ah, fuck. That doesn't do it. Guess that'll learn me for pressing buttons.
None of that works. So I guess it's time for plan B, use the Linux live USB to reformat that drive.
Already Windows 7 is more complicated to install than Linux somehow. I'm sure installing Windows 10 from scratch would be simpler but then I'd have to buy it and nah.
Already Windows 7 is more complicated to install than Linux somehow. I'm sure installing Windows 10 from scratch would be simpler but then I'd have to buy it and nah.
Nope, that's not it either.
Upon further googling: Gotta change SATA shit to IDE mode? Are you fucking kidding me? That can't be it.
âŚCan I even do that with an M.2 drive? If not, that'll be a problem.
Upon further googling: Gotta change SATA shit to IDE mode? Are you fucking kidding me? That can't be it.
âŚCan I even do that with an M.2 drive? If not, that'll be a problem.
Oh, so the SATA configuration is done for the whole motherboard, right⌠and this one only does either AHCI or RAID. Right. Okay. Fuck.
The powers that be REALLY do not want me to install this. They really don't want me to do things this way. But I am a stubborn little shit.
The powers that be REALLY do not want me to install this. They really don't want me to do things this way. But I am a stubborn little shit.
Okay, so there is another way: Create the Windows 10 installation media in the first place with a Windows 7 key, apparently. Wish someone would have told me that.
Except⌠nope! Fucking hell. It's always something with this fucking company. There's no need for this bullshit.
Except⌠nope! Fucking hell. It's always something with this fucking company. There's no need for this bullshit.
So it's possible upon further reading that Windows 7 just doesn't have the USB drivers to install from a USB, because it is stupid and sucks. And look, I know it sucks, I'm not really planning on using the thing long-term anyway. Where am I gonna find a blank DVDâŚ
Uh okay, well I dug around in the drawers and I found a DVD+R that has video burned on it but Brasero is offering to burn it anyway. Will that work just because it has free space still? Probably not.
It's uhhh,,, it's doing it. Sure. Sure, why not. It only needed 3.3GB free and it had that much free. Sure. Let's burn this already burned non-rewritable disc. That's a thing. Alrighty then. Will it recognise it as bootable?
It's been so long since I've actually burned optical media that I forgot if it's supposed to just stick at "creating disc checksum" while being silent and having the disc light flash a lot, after the part where it's made lots of whirry noises.
Well if the whirry noises have stopped,,, I'm tempted to think that the actual burning part is complete. Verification schmerification, I'll find out if it worked or not anyway. Dare I press cancel and/or just yank the disc out? Well, it sure beats sitting aroundâŚ
Worst case scenario, The Internet claims I can just kinda clean install Windows 10 from a USB as normal and then when it asks for a key put the Windows 7 key in there. I guess it's understandable why no _official_ source tells me this, because they want me to buy Windows 10âŚ
âŚI should just do it that way. If it works that's great and it's all I need. It looks like the burn didn't work anyway since I can't mount the burned volume. Well then, let's get downloading. Which I would need to do anyway.
Feel like it'd make a whole lot more sense whichever way I look at it if they had a "download 64-bit English Windows 10 ISO" link (or auto-detect the user's browser's language setting) as well as all this, instead of making me select all these options⌠but anyway.
Yeah I think worst case scenario, I just give up and do it unactivated. I'm only ever using it for the games that still don't like Linux in 2020, I don't really care if I can't change my wallpaper or whatever crap it does that apparently isn't much. But we'll see.
It's time for Waiting Part 2: Waiting for the ISO to Actually Write to the USB
Seems it takes just as long. Oh well.
Seems it takes just as long. Oh well.
Ah, might be a problem if I write the USB the wrong way⌠would have been nice if the error message was actually descriptive and not about drivers, but yes. Now I know it's supposed to have two partitions. Clicked the wrong button. That's my bad. That's fine.
Oh, okay, so not quite the wrong button, but it's just the normal Disk Image Writer thingy doesn't work, and supposedly this WoeUSB thingo is how it's supposed to be done these days, and it takes 50 hours to complete, and zzzâŚ
It has been 4 hours since I started this shit but we are finally getting somewhere
We have finally actually booted
We have finally actually booted
Well, popped the Win 7 Pro key in and,, maybe it worked? Or maybe it doesn't actually verify the key until later. I don't know. I've never actually installed Windows 10 before.
Uhhhh why did it restart the computer? Is it meant to do that? I really hope it was meant to do that. Why would it do that? Why does it show my motherboard's Republic of Gamers logo with the progress bar instead of the Windows 10 logo? That's weird.
Oh I guess it is fine we are schmoovin here gamers
My account _requires_ a Windows Hello PIN?
Hoo boy
We have entered the zone of Microsoft being fucking annoying already
Hoo boy
We have entered the zone of Microsoft being fucking annoying already
I mean like if it's just a password maybe stop being a wanker and just call it a password
I was under the impression Windows Hello is where it uses your face or some shit
I was under the impression Windows Hello is where it uses your face or some shit
Hhhhhh the screen flickered when it was asking me for privacy settings
Is it trying to intimidate me or is it just setting up graphics drivers in the background or something
Is it trying to intimidate me or is it just setting up graphics drivers in the background or something
I will install Microsoft 365 up my dead body's arse crack
I will also never let Cortana do anything except fuck off into the gates of hell
Well here we are. Apparently.
Now to uhhhhhh do everything else?
Now to uhhhhhh do everything else?
Welp. It's activated. It's done. It's Windows 10 Pro apparently, which makes sense because I had Windows 7 Pro. Group Policy editor! Yay!
Oh fuck, you know what I gotta do? Install drivers and shit. Gotta do that manually, but at least there are drivers! I can change the colours of lights on things for once!
