How to replace a hard drive - the Sunserro method

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How to replace a hard drive - the Sunserro method

Postby Sunserro » Wed Feb 25, 2015 6:30 pm

As some of you already know, a couple of weeks ago I finally decided it was about time to do something about my DJ computer constantly crashing due to a ntfs.sys error and I've been spending that time wisely.
I finally completed the process of swapping out the hard drive I thought was causing the error and I made a detailed list of just 39 simple steps necessary, should anyone ever run into the same problem and need a reference guide.

1)Get an old laptop hard drive that you have laying around to replace your old one on the DJ rig.
2)Remember the motherboard doesn't have any SATA ports.
3)Start cursing in estonian.
4)Order a SATA<>IDE adapter.
5)Connect the new hard drive to the DJ rig using the adapter.
6)Find out the laptop hard drive you intended to use is broken as well.
7)Start cursing in english.
8 )Buy a brand new hard drive. Hook it up. Try installing windows on it.
9)Find out the windows installation disc has become unreadable over the years.
10)Find out your only DVD-RW drive capable of burning a new installation disc has also broken down.
11)Start cursing in finnish.
12)Create a bootable USB key using your gaming rig.
13)Find out the motherboard BIOS on the DJ rig is too old to allow booting from USB devices.
14)Look for a BIOS update. Find out you already have the last BIOS release the company made.
15)Start cursing in german.
16)Buy a new DVD drive. Use it to burn a new windows installation disc on your gaming rig.
17)Find out the second DVD drive on the DJ rig has also broken down and you have no means to read discs on your DJ rig.
18)Start cursing in languages formerly unknown to mankind.
19)Hook the hard drive up to your gaming rig. Install windows onto the hard drive from there.
20)Transfer the hard drive back to the DJ rig.
21)Find out windows installs are tied to the motherboard and won't boot on another computer.
22)Consider turning in your IT systems specialist degree and running away to join the amish.
23)Transfer the hard drive back to the gaming rig and install linux while waiting for the computer store to open, transfer it back to the DJ rig.
24)Find out the linux distribution you picked is too new to properly run on the DJ rig without lagging.
25)Resist urge to punch something.
26)Pick up another SATA<>IDE adapter from the store. Get offered a returning costumer discount while youre there.
27)Use the new adapter to hook up the new DVD drive you bought to the DJ rig.
28)Find out the soldering on the new adapter is faulty.
29)In blind rage, throw the laptop hard drive you originally intended to use out the window.
30)Pick up a soldering kit from the store and redo all the connections yourself.
31)Annoint all the parts on the DJ rig with the blood of a virgin for good luck. (or fun) :twisted:
32)Spend 30 minutes trying to find out why the DJ rig is booting into linux while you have BIOS set to boot from the DVD drive.
33)Realise you still have the linux DVD in the disc drive. Facepalm... hard.
34)Put in the windows disc. Have 10 miniature heart attacks while the disc loads.
35)Finally get into the windows install menu. Praise the almighty Gabe Newell for looking out.
36)Swear never to go near another OS install ever again.
37)Keep experiencing the same crashes to the blue screen of death.
38)Discover it was a motherboard/RAM issue all along.
39)Put the old hard drive back into the DJ rig. Start saving money to replace the entire computer.



So... two and a half weeks later and 78€ poorer, I'm right back to where I started, but at least I have an amusing story. :lol:

I won't have the necessary funds to replace every other component until the end of next month, but on average, it only crashes once a day, usually after the first boot-up, so I'm going to take a chance and keep using that computer for broadcasting.

Needless to say, I'm a little disappointed, but at least I can take some solace in the fact that I already have a new hard drive and DVD drive ready and since the adapters work both ways, I can use my old drive for additional storage space.

And... having to go through all my old CD-s and DVD-s looking for necessary drivers gave me a pretty fun idea about the music for tomorrow night's show. I'll post more about that later tomorrow.


TLDR: Screw legacy systems. :lol:
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Sunserro
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Re: How to replace a hard drive - the Sunserro method.

Postby Kermie » Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:09 pm

1. how did you not know about number 21?
2. oh my god, i have been meaning to write this for quite some time (well outside of the cursing in finnish since i know none) but yeah. This is an awesome HOWTO! been meaning to write it myself, but you have saved me so much time!
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Re: How to replace a hard drive - the Sunserro method.

Postby Sunserro » Wed Feb 25, 2015 10:36 pm

Kermie wrote:1. how did you not know about number 21?
2. oh my god, i have been meaning to write this for quite some time (well outside of the cursing in finnish since i know none) but yeah. This is an awesome HOWTO! been meaning to write it myself, but you have saved me so much time!


In my humble defense, #21 has actually worked a few times. Granted, it was mostly with either linux or PC-s that had similar motherboard and CPU architectures.
I had a few spare hours and still being overly optimistic, it seemed like it was at least worth a shot.

Glad I could at least save you the trouble of writing a guide like this. In my experience, when dealing with legacy systems, this often becomes the standard operating procedure. :crazy:
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Re: How to replace a hard drive - the Sunserro method.

Postby Dharzee » Wed Feb 25, 2015 10:48 pm

*starts writing the reference guide out longhand for easy reference and so it can get lost in the bazillion piles of paper he has scattered throughout the house*

In the past I had successfully swapped windows hard drives between machines... but I think that was back in the day of my win98se machine which technically was probably mostly DOS based still.

Also, wow, bazillion didn't get underlined as a typo?
#BlameDharzee
"I'm in love with my lust, burning angel wings to dust" - Nightwish, Wish I Had An Angel
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