Upgrading PC

1 March 2012

Well, what a week, a few computer crashes (since October), a wee complaint, a wee discussion, and decisions made, it’s been a terrific week.
To top it all, I’m getting a new ‘assistant’ at work, basically – a person to input my data! woop woop – I know it doesn’t sound a lot, but it’s gonna help tenfold!
Second to that – I’m in receipt of a New PC, well, not strictly true, I’ve upgraded the internals, fantastic.

Here’s my story on the build…
Tuesday – decision day – decide the build. Alas no SSD, but that will come (eventually)!

Intel i7 Hex Core Processor….
Asus Sabertooth X79 Motherboard…
16gig Memory…
Liquid Cooler…

Wednesday 10am – The website is called Scan – and bloody ell – they are awesome ‘I Love Scan’
I ordered in a new Hard Drive as well, I can’t afford the SSD drive, as I still think they are a little too expensive, however – it will come soon!
I’ve also had the system overclocked to 4.5GHz!! Woop Woop!
I knew it wasn’t going to be delivered on Thursday as they ‘apparently’ run the system for a full 24 hours before sending to test reliability etc.

Thursday – what happened – our work Server was down, so I wasn’t getting emails – grrr – no emails from scan to say how my ‘order’ was getting on… However – the server was working again on Friday morning – and just as I was reading my emails, ploof, a text came from scan – your order will arrive on the 24th Feb! – exact same time I was reading the email telling me the same thing…

Woop woop – then boom..
BSOD, Blue Screen of Death…
Computer – just because you’re getting replaced – gonna no do this!
Cue some really funny screenshots, from checking disk to being orphaned – how apt – the computer totally knew. totally.

Next – (after 2 reboots – the PC finally calmed down and started working) I received another text from Scan to say that the order would be here between 11.56am and 12.56pm, (I had been tracking it all morning anyhoo)! Finally – I could actually get on with some work, knowing that it would be here soon….
Well – 12.30pm – still no sign of it.. then..

Waaaaa – Blood Boiling, fists a pounding… ran to the door to see if there was a delivery card – nope – nowt, WTF… did they try the wrong street (it’s easily done – I live on West main street and not the ‘East’ one), aarggg, my heart a pounding… back to computer – right – where’s the email – who the F to phone and scream down the phone, start putting in the number 084… KNOCK KNOCK…

Bloody delivery driver!!!
(delivery driver with a lack of sense of humour), ar*e had put in that so he’d meet his ‘time’ target – what a twa*.
So… after I calmed down – the boxes were here, safe and sound…

Now just 4 and a half hours to go until the end of my ‘officialish’ working day to get through staring at the screen thinking all geekish things…!!
It was a surprisingly productive afternoon…! Even after collecting Carmen at School, her explanation of a day trip the Fire Station made it sound brilliant! (and from what she said – her teacher Mrs MacGregor had a good day too – Firemen – do I need to say more?), when I got back from getting Carmen, I decided to have a sneak peek in the box… Sabertooth… nice..

Anyways, 5pm arrived – Cheryl home from work (Friday finish at 4pm), it’s a ‘I don’t need to make tea day’…! Carmen was also insisting on helping, from cleaning, to unwrapping, to popping the bubble wrap (it HAS to be done), a quote I heard from ‘Fiona Robertson‘ “Therapy is expensive…. bubble wrap is cheap. You choose. :)”

First things first… if you’ve ever seen my desk – it ain’t exactly tidy… however – it is an organised mess, and I know where to find everything, honestly, so, needs must – I must tidy desk.. Cue the next 3 hours cleaning, (I even had the Mr Sheen out).. inbetween I had to go and have dinner. Breaded Chicken – it wasn’t the greatest.. but it still filled a hole – oh and a glass of wine, Black Tower White Wine – scrummy!

Anyways – after that – it was dive straight in – take the old bits out – clean the case – and put the new bits in – simple.
Of course not.

Well, I got the old motherboard out, ready to be replaced by the new one…

So yes, no probs, all out, and all in.. New Harddrive in too… 1tb drive (Can’t afford the SSD drive for now).
Here’s me thinking a straight BOOT UP will happen… well – I hoped… – knowing full well that it wouldn’t…
And no, it wouldn’t.. nothing I did, boot sequence, nothing, nada.. zilch, diddly squat..
Had a wee google about on the phone, but couldn’t really see much, other than ‘I needed to buy Window’s again..’ and I’d need a DVD drive to connect to it too..
The reason I’d need a new DVD drive was because the new motherboard didn’t have an IDE connection – who knew?! – I didn’t!
Plus I couldn’t load a new Windows without the drive…

Error caught on video:

I tried so many times pause/play/pause/play/pause/play to try and read the blue screen error message!!

However – BED, sort it in the morning..

Nice kip after all that – I was shattered..!
First thing in the morning… Open up laptop – have a google.. realised very simply that I needed to PREPARE Windows for the new Hardware, and then install all the drivers for the new motherboard!
I thought though – I’m still gonna need a DVD drive, so I trundled out to PC World first thing, got a Bargain DVD drive that was supposed to be £29.99 for £14.99 – it was mis-priced – woop!

So – back home – I found out that I needed to use Sysprep – ON THE OLD MOTHERBOARD.
Cue the unplugging of cables, and hoping that I could fit and run the old motherboard without the need for taking the new one out of the case (with it being liquid cooled, I didn’t want to muck around too much if you know what I mean)!. Anyways, eventually got it all plugged in and together – pressed the start button – this time expecting the thing to crash like no tomorrow, however – I was pleasantly surprised – it booted up into Windows no problem.

So.. Sysprep..
A fatal error occurred while trying to Sysprep the machine.
Joy..
Google again – Sysprep.exe error – FIX BY STOPPING THE WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER SERVICE..
OK, let’s try that – woomph – worked first time.
Sysprep ran and worked first time..

So by this time – I had a wee helper..
Cue Carmen – can I screw something in Daddy..
She wasn’t actually too bad – she screwed in the old covers for the empty bays on the front of the PC – well done Carmen!

I’m starting her early – qwerty typist before she can write!

So.. next up was plugging everything BACK onto the new Motherboard again.
Then the defining moment – pressing the power button.

Tah-da!!

Setup is starting services – WAAAAYYY further than the previous attempt!
Will it work, will it not… well – it did after a frantic hunt for the original Windows 8 CD, which I couldn’t find anywhere, I thought it was in the old Mobo box, however – that was Windows Vista, definitely didn’t want that piece of pish in! Anyways – long story short – I found it. typed in the serial key again – and weeeee all started working again..
YABBA
DABBA
DOOOOOOO

PS – I only have 3 screens, the one on the far right of the image is ‘Gubbed’

Anyways – one immensely powerful PC at the ready – woo hoo!

Tags: Asus, Motherboard, PC, PC Build, Sabertooth, Scan, sysprep