Ok, I'm sitting here, it's 11:15PM and I'm annoyed.
I felt that I finally needed to reclaim that 160GB drive. My computer is set up with a 320GB for assorted datas (movies, pics, videos etc.), a 160GB drive holding a XP os with SP3, and an 80GB drive holding XP SP2. The reason for this is I originally planned for 2x80GB in RAID 0, mirrored onto the 160GB, but I never got around to getting the second 80. I didn't use the SP3 drive anymore, because I used a release candidate, which was a bad idea. Slowed everything down.
At this point in time, I also had a friends 40GB drive in the system, which I was going to format and do a fresh install on, as a result of it being SP1, and being in a bad way due to his bad organisational skills.
Seeing as everything was on the 80GB drive anyways (except for steam, more on that later), I just decided to ghost the whole 80GB drive over to the 160 for more space.
When it finished, I then decided to ghost my friends drive onto the 80, as I would then just be able to copy all the needed files and settings over to his drive afterwards.
Some might see what's coming
So I do both ghosts, then go to boot into my XP drive...
Nothing
Oh bugger, I think to myself. So I open the BIOS to make sure that i'm booting from the right disk. I am. So I reboot, and again, nothing. I think that I might be able to recover the boot sector of the disk using the windows disk, so I pop it in. It loads all the drivers fine, then, the dreaded Blue Screen.
I reboot.
It loads all the drivers again, then Blue Screens again.
So I go back into the BIOS to check if I may have accidently ballsed it up, when I realise what has happened. On my motherboard (an Asus P5B Deluxe), every time I go into the BIOS, it sorta just forgets my CPU multiplier setting. It sets it to the highest value it can find, which is far too high in this case. It only forgets the multiplier
Weird, huh?
So I change it back, and finally, it gets into the windows setup. Except my installation isn't there.
I sigh to myself, and strap in for the long haul.
I dig out my old PartMagic live cd, and pop it in. I recover what's on the 160GB drive, but I hit a snag. it recovers the old MBR, as well as the new one. And neither was named, and I never checked the properties of the new one. So I do an "Eenie-meenie-miney-mo" and hope for the best. It recovers the MBR, and I reboot. Again.
And whaddya know? I forgot that PartMagic boot records aren't recognised by Windows, which is why the cd was in the very bottom of my drawer in the first place. I decide to cut my losses and just copy my Documents and Settings folder over to the 320, then reinstall Windows and copy it back.
Just then I realise something awful. My entire steam directory, and all backups thereof, were perhaps somewhat stupidly on the 160GB drive in its original condition. All 17GB of it. And I have a 512kbps link, and a monthly limit of 12GB.
Ah well, nothing I can do now.
So I copy all the files across, then reboot, and setup windows. At last, something is going right. It installs, then boots like a charm. "Whew"
I install all my drivers, then reboot. Except it doesn't.
At this point, I almost put my head through my brand new LCD screen, and I'm sure I fractured a knuckle when I hit the desk. Seriously, typing hurts.
As far as I can make out, Windows put all its data on the 160GB, but put the MBR on the 80. I'm not even sure if it can do that, but the 80 is now C:/, which, of course, has nothing on it because Ghost screwed up the transfer from the 40 to the 80 as well. So I power down, disconnect the 80 and try again.
So, right now as I'm typing on the laptop I forgot we had, it is 12:04AM, i'm reinstalling XP (again), and I just wanna go to bed. And I lost my phone, so I can't call my friend and ask him to bring his HDD along with him when he comes into town tomorrow, because we have the same games on our Steam accounts.
But, i've got to wait for the second install to finish, which is going to take "Approximately 37 Minutes"
I guess the moral of the story is: "Never, ever trust Symantec with your computer"
Ever.
Update: Somehow Windows has buggered up in its drive software, and now the 320 is C:/ and the 160 is D:/
Which is totally not right and I'm fucking well going to bed. I'll sort this crap out in the morning.
Update (2): Okay, installed drivers again the next morning, reboot, and windows is missing again. I have nfi why, but i'm sick of this shit.