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that's enough re-installing for now
May. 16th, 2011 03:37 pmI haven't put *everything* back on the Thinkpad, but I've put back everything I need to actually be able to work. Moderately urgent things left to do -- the secondary security programs, Dragon Naturally Speaking (which will involve copying the data files over), the camera software, and getting it to talk to the wireless print server that also acts as a wifi relay point for the desk workstation. The latter is going to have to wait until Other Half returns home, because he has the software disk and current settings. Bad Jules, no biscuit, for forgetting to round up that one before starting, or at least before Other Half went on a business trip.
A good chunk of the time on this was taken up with backing up, and then backing up again, and then backing up a bit more, and then one last copy of vital files to a thumb drive (which I promptly lost, necessitating some urgent Googling later for how to take ownership of backup files when the machine name has changed). Another good chunk was taken up on waiting for the new isntallation to fetch five years' worth of Windows Update. The rest of it was just that fiddling about with medication dosage that affects attention span is not the ideal time to be running a full install of Everything.
The last time I did this I didn't have a Day Jobbe, and it only took me a couple of days. This time it's been mostly done in the evening after work, which really doesn't help even without the meds issue. I've created a checklist as I've gone along, because the last time I did this was some years ago, and I didn't remember to do or how to do some things, which necessitated some Googling.
The thing that actually prompted this outbreak of masochism in the first place was deciding to try Google Chrome, and having the machine fall over crying and complaining within a few minutes when I tried to run it. That was the final straw after some months of the previously stable install getting ever flakier. But just in case it was Chrome in and of itself, that's not going on until I've run another "clone disk" backup.
Autopope reminded me that there is a Lotus fork of Open Office. I hate Word, and I hate the Open Office word processor for exactly the same reasons, but sometimes I have to handle Word files, and Lotus Symphony is probably the least bad option, so I shall install that as my not-SmartSuite word processor. Maybe I will hate the Word mental model less now that I have had a couple of years of compulsory Word use at the Day Jobbe to get used to its horrible ways.
A good chunk of the time on this was taken up with backing up, and then backing up again, and then backing up a bit more, and then one last copy of vital files to a thumb drive (which I promptly lost, necessitating some urgent Googling later for how to take ownership of backup files when the machine name has changed). Another good chunk was taken up on waiting for the new isntallation to fetch five years' worth of Windows Update. The rest of it was just that fiddling about with medication dosage that affects attention span is not the ideal time to be running a full install of Everything.
The last time I did this I didn't have a Day Jobbe, and it only took me a couple of days. This time it's been mostly done in the evening after work, which really doesn't help even without the meds issue. I've created a checklist as I've gone along, because the last time I did this was some years ago, and I didn't remember to do or how to do some things, which necessitated some Googling.
The thing that actually prompted this outbreak of masochism in the first place was deciding to try Google Chrome, and having the machine fall over crying and complaining within a few minutes when I tried to run it. That was the final straw after some months of the previously stable install getting ever flakier. But just in case it was Chrome in and of itself, that's not going on until I've run another "clone disk" backup.
Autopope reminded me that there is a Lotus fork of Open Office. I hate Word, and I hate the Open Office word processor for exactly the same reasons, but sometimes I have to handle Word files, and Lotus Symphony is probably the least bad option, so I shall install that as my not-SmartSuite word processor. Maybe I will hate the Word mental model less now that I have had a couple of years of compulsory Word use at the Day Jobbe to get used to its horrible ways.
