Techy Stuff Help!

[Deutsch Wolf]

It's in File -> Word Options -> Advanced Options in Word.

 

[Wolf Hunting]

It's in File -> Word Options -> Advanced Options in Word.

Brilliant!
That's a pint for you Dan my boy!
Never been in there!

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

No problem my man. I'm not sure why Microsoft disabled it by default, it's not as if you can hit Insert by accident.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

My laptop has just pulled a cunt's trick on me.

Sort of slowly locked up on me, first FM was unresponsive, alt+tab to internet then that locks up too. Could still alt+tab between the two for a while then screen just went blank.

Now it gives me the vaio boot screen for a while then a black screen with 'operating system not found'. Guess it's fucked?

 

[machin05]

Hard drive by the sounds of it.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

That's means I'm going to have to fork out for a copy of Windows when I've out a new one in doesn't it? Bastards.

 

[Tredman]

No it doesn't, you can use your existing license, just use the activate via phone option on install.

It does mean that you'll lose all your data more importantly.

Unless your laptop is less than 2 or 3 years old just buy a new one, it'll be easier.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I have no means to install Windows on a new hard drive as it came with Windows pre-installed out the box. Even with buying a new license it works out far cheaper to just change the hard drive than it does to buy a new laptop.

 

[Law's Bus]

I have no means to install Windows on a new hard drive as it came with Windows pre-installed out the box. Even with buying a new license it works out far cheaper to just change the hard drive than it does to buy a new laptop.

OEM licences are great.

 

[machin05]

I have no means to install Windows on a new hard drive as it came with Windows pre-installed out the box. Even with buying a new license it works out far cheaper to just change the hard drive than it does to buy a new laptop.

Did you not get a recovery disc?

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Did you not get a recovery disc?

I'll have to dig the box out when i get home and have a look, thought they were usually just to try and kick things back into life after software failures though rather than allowing a completely fresh start after something like a hard drive failure?

 

[Tredman]

Go here and download the one which is referenced on your license sticker (usually on bottom of laptop):

http://www.techverse.net/download-windows-7-iso-x86-x64-microsofts-official-servers/

Burn the relevant one to DVD (or use the MS tool to make installable USB media). You'll need to buy and fit a 2.5" HDD which aren't cheap and, depending on the age of your laptop, may cost more than the laptop is worth....

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Thanks for the link but my laptop had Windows 8, horrible, so don't think it's going to be of any use for me?

You must be buying some expensive HDDs if they're costing you more than the value of your laptop?!

 

[machin05]

If you are buying a new hdd, get an SSD if you can do without the huge storage capacity. It'd be like a brand new machine.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I was considering SSD until i looked at the prices for a comparable capacity but then i didn't really have much on my laptop anyway, a handful of games but no music and very few pictures or anything either, unfortunately with the old HDD being completely buggered i've no way of knowing how much i was using to know how small i could go.

 

[Tredman]

Thanks for the link but my laptop had Windows 8, horrible, so don't think it's going to be of any use for me?

You must be buying some expensive HDDs if they're costing you more than the value of your laptop?!

You can get a windows 8 iso using this workaround:

http://www.cnet.com/uk/how-to/how-to-download-the-official-microsoft-windows-8-1-iso/

A decent new laptop can be had for £300 these days, whenever I've bought one I've always bought second hand as they take such a massive hit in depreciation. Got a surface pro 3 atm which admittedly did cost slightly more than a HDD..

 

[MARKakaJIM]

My current laptop is only about 18 months old at most so it's not in any real need of being replaced, sub £50 for a new HDD seems a far better solution than £300+ for a whole new system.

So with that work around you've linked above and the product key, which i guess is somewhere on my current laptop or in it's box, i can perform a clean install of Windows 8 onto a new HDD/SSD?

 

[Tredman]

Yep, will work easily. You can use this method to activate after install:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/24636-activate-windows-8-phone.html

Edit - seems like it will activate itself if your laptop came preinstalled with Windows 8, pretty neat!

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Fantastic news! Cheers for the help, now to waste majority of my day searching for a good deal on a HDD/SSD before buggering of to a meeting at 3 o'clock.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

You can get a windows 8 iso using this workaround:

http://www.cnet.com/uk/how-to/how-to-download-the-official-microsoft-windows-8-1-iso/

A decent new laptop can be had for £300 these days, whenever I've bought one I've always bought second hand as they take such a massive hit in depreciation. Got a surface pro 3 atm which admittedly did cost slightly more than a HDD..

Bought myself a new HDD earlier, well went for a SSD instead but anyway...

Just gone on the above link and it says you can't use the ISO file and that method for a clean install, it's just to update Windows 8 to 8.1 but bypassing Microsoft's store.