The windows activation has been upgraded over the years. Yes, not being able
to install security updates is one problem. Not being able to use the OS is
another. It times out after a while and forces the activation unless their
security stops the auto activation. I used to reformat/reimage lab and company
classroom pcs on a daily basis. Norton Ghost was a wonderful tool. Others have
since replaced it. I hated activating stuff since the code would be logged,
then I wouldn't be able to install again after so many installs/activations.
That would be a problem if I couldn't continue the imaging process late at
night. Eventually enterprise level licensing came into play. That made my life
a little easier, but similar issues there. It is absolutely maddening not
being able to complete a process because of the security. It did not help
being in the office for many hours, tired, trying to get things done for the
next day.
The best suggestion is to go back to Best Buy and have the item
exchanged for a FULL install version. They will give you grief because the
package has been opened, but if you make a big enough stink, you will just
have to pay the difference in price. If they still give you grief, that old
saying, where there is a will, there is a way. Another alternative is to
purchase a previous FULL version of OS and then upgrade that. Either way, it
will cost a few more bucks. The eye dee ten tee that sold you the upgrade
version should be educated as to the difference between upgrade and full
versions of windows. It has been that way for years.
Going from a larger to
a smaller drive is not a big deal if everything fits on the smaller drive.
Disks/CD/DVDs are no longer shipped. Many new PCs come with imaging software
and the images on the hard drive preloaded. You provide the blank CD/DVDs with
a write enable device and it does the creating of the media for you.
Regards,
B
>________________________________
> From: Scott
<scott.hall.personal@gmail.com>
>To: Peter Murray <peterwmurray@gmail.com>
>Cc: Shop-Talk List <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
>Sent: Monday, December 3,
2012 4:26 PM
>Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] This is why I don't work in IT, was:
Re: Entirely not shop related, but...
>
>I do not have the discs that came
with the Dell--Dell didn't ship it with discs, and I kept asking Dell for
them, they never sent them, and I finally gave up.
>
>The Dell does have one
of those Windows stickers under the battery with a Windows product key on it
for Vista. I say 'those' stickers like it means something--it's the
2-inch-by-1-inch multicolored one that the I.T. guys seem to care about on our
work laptops. It does in fact say 'Certificate of Authenticity' on it in tiny
print.
>
>Clonezilla and GParted are what I screwed up an old HDD with, but I
was trying to go from a larger HDD to a smaller SSD, and I think that's where
it went south. Everything I Google does seem to indicate going smaller to
larger isn't a big deal.
>
>Having said that, I would love whatever advice and
direction you're willing to impart. I was apprehensive the first time I did
it--now that I've successfully screwed one up I find myself thinking I should
just check out lenovo.com for a new one. That's quite the phobia I've
developed.
>
>I agree about the brands--seems like I've just had good luck
with the Lenovos, but I know people that swear by Dell, or Apple even. I blame
my bias on my old office--we used Dell refurbs exclusively, and they made me
hate Dell and anything refurbished. And I used to seek out refurbs before
that, and I was pc-brand-agnostic (I mean, they're all the same under the
hood, right?). I got this Dell because it was soooo much cheaper than the
Lenovo I wanted and it was the only one besides the Lenovo that had the track
pad mouse/pointing stick.
>
>If I could get it working right I think I could
like it. It's very, very light, which I love when traveling, and I even like
the keyboard better than the Lenovo's.
>
>I'll check out the link, too,
Thanks. I'm liking Win8 so far, too. Clearly I'm in the minority.
>
>Scott
>(snip)
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