So, yeah, as discussed, my hard drive is toast. Error determined, huzzah!
And, as earlier mentioned, I was a dolt and didn't burn a set of recovery disks, like Asus prompted me to do every time I rebooted the computer.
So I know I need to buy a new hard drive. I can do that.
And I know I need to order my +Backblaze restore drive. I've done that.
But I also know I need to do … something … with the OS … and the new drive … and the booting … and the Windows … and I have the OEM Windows code on the bottom of my computer, so if I had the Windows I could activate it (maybe) … but how do I get the Windows … on the new drive on the computer … with the stuff … and the things …
I am fairly certain there is a straightforward answer here, but my Google-fu just pulls up answers that don't seem to apply to my situation. Short of going out and buying a copy of Windows (which seems like a waste of a bunch of bucks), how do I get an Windows install for my machine without my machine actually being bootable?
(Alternately, since my key is for Win7 Pro, I could take the plunge and buy a Win 8.1 disc set and be all ready to enjoy the Win 10-ness for free(ish-SAAS), but aside from the shiny attracting my magpie nature, I'm not convinced there's much value added there. So let's not debate that one.)
Sigh. I remember when I would know all the answers to this sort of stuff. Of course, in those days it involved floppy discs, juggling extended vs expanded memory, and instructions in Cuneiform on clay tablets …
Armed with your windows key and a working computer, you can download a fresh copy of the OS directly from Microsoft and burn it to a DVD
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-recovery
Appropriate drivers if/as needed can be downloaded from Asus…
Check the Asus site. They may have factory images available to download. Otherwise, you may be able to call them and order (cheaper than buying Windows again) a recovery disk. Unfortunately, the OEM license keys usually won't play nice with a retail copy of Windows, even if its the same version.
Or you could just drop the Windows 10 beta on it now. It really is that stable.
+Lorne Lehrer Okay … I can do that off of +Margie Kleerup's computer … if it's actually that simple.
Or … if to USB, I can use the work laptop …
+Nick McIntosh Not sure, even if stable, I want to go to the Win10 thang yet. But it's a possible path forward.
The biggest downside to going beta is there's no guarantee of an upgrade path to go from beta to final without wiping the drive. So you may end up having to start over again in six months.
and instructions in Cuneiform on clay tablets … very funny
Nick, I'm pretty sure I read someplace that Microsoft has said Win 10 beta users will be able to upgrade to release without reinstalling.
Dave, what Lorne said earlier is where I would start. The Windows key on the bottom of your machine will probably work just fine with the media from Microsoft (Dell tends to be the exception for that rule) and ASUS themselves may offer recovery DVDs if the media from Microsoft doesn't work.
I replaced the HD on a Lenovo computer last week, confident the restore DVDs I faithfully made four years earlier would work. They didn’t. So I borrowed a Win 7 disk from a friend and used the number on the sticker. Then downloaded drivers from Lenovo.
The new drive is a Samsung SSD… computer is MUCH faster now.
ASUS apparently used to offer an iso download, but doesn't any more. It does have an area to download all the specific drivers, so I will take advantage of that.
+Dave Hill It's funny Dave but they still use electric shock therapy on a persons brain, so, why when a computer breaks down don't they shove a couple of high voltage cables into it and switch it on at the wall?
After the initial setup is complete, I suggest using Ninite. You can download several programs as a batch– and skip all dialogues to install toolbars or the like. https://ninite.com
+Lorne Lehrer Interesting approach to an initial installation. I'll think about it, certainly. If nothing else, their list is a decent starting point (as well as old blog posts) for "things I have to be sure to reinstall."
Again, I'm happy that my data's all backed up, as well as that my investment in the Googlesphere makes a lot of restoration automatic.
+Lorne Lehrer Yes, a brilliant idea, except that the MS site said, "Whoops, sorry, that code is for a preinstalled version of Windows, so you need to talk to Asus about it." Rrg.
Yeah, that happens a lot with Dell too.
+Les Jenkins Those are both fallback positions. I do have a ping in to ASUS to see what they will do for me.
So I can actually get a restore disc straight from ASUS for $50. Probably the route I'll go, since it will include all the proper drivers and all.
Yeah, it'll also include all the bloatware too. 🙂
+Les Jenkins Yeah, I'll see what I can avoid of that. 🙂
Dave, I'm glad to hear that you can get a restore disc from Asus. One additional suggestion I have regarding bloat ware from factory installs is the PC decrapifier tool. It does what it says on the tin.
http://www.pcdecrapifier.com