I suppose it happens to everybody sometimes - and to be fair, I've been stuck in dependency hell with Linux in the past - it's just that I didn't have so much invested in keeping the computer running then.
It all started when I downloaded a free audiobook (Grauniad offer - Down and out in Paris and London) from Audible UK. So it's an .aa file. I stick it into iTunes to record a CD for the car and iTunes won't see my burner. OK. 45 minutes on Google and it's looking like Daemon Tools and its driver are the culprits. Delete the driver, uninstall Daemon Tools. Wowzer! That did something odd because up pops the unlocker app to ask whether I want help deleting a file on a RAM disk in my DVD/RAM writer. No thanks, hit cancel, reboot. Only it hangs on the restart without loading Windows. OK, reboot again. This time NTLDR not found. Oh shit (I think) my drive's stuffed, or else the boot sector is - or both. So, I give the PC a rest and grab some OJ and lemonade. Back to it and this time it reboots OK - sort of. It actually reboots into the Windows Activation Screen. Apparently, I've changed so much hardware that my old copy of XP must be reactivated. Which is odd, as the only 'hardware' change in the last 6 months has been a virtual CD drive.
Been at this nearly 3 hours by now - it's not funny.
Problem is, when I try to follow the activation process, the first screen is just a blank white box without any buttons or anything. Oh yes, and it won't die and it hangs the PC.
So I boot past this, selecting NO for activating. Try to activate from within Windows. Still no dice.
Spend nearly 3 more hours trying every fix, work around, official MS advice I can find. None of it works. Even reinstalled SP3. Possibly a repair install would do it, but then this has been patched up to SP3 so my old XP CD won't cooperate.
On the phone to MS. Of course they're all geared up for a working activation process. Fortunately I remember that if you don't key in any numbers when asked, you eventually get a real person. I explain politely. The real person say exactly this 'I'm sorry I can't help you, thanks for calling Microsoft' and he hangs up on me.
I try again. They still can't help, but refer me to MS support - open in 2 days. Time left to acyivate, 2 days,
OH FOR GOD'S SAKE. |
