Runes of Magic US / AU

Okay...

Had a computer with Windows XP Pro. It needed a memory upgrade. My housemate was too rough putting the sticks in and somehow damaged my computer. He felt bad. Had his brother-in-law try to fix it. Brother-in-law said it couldn't be fixed. To replace mine, he refurbished a Gateway E 4300 but all he had was Windows Vista.

Fastforward two years...

I hated Vista and was considering getting Windows 7 but kept putting it off. Two weeks ago... My desktop background disappears... goes to black and in the lower corner it says my version of Vista is not genuine. I get this large white box saying I needed to activate Windows Vista. It wanted a code. Called the brother-in-law and got the code. It wouldn't take it. I clicked on "What is activation" provided in this large white box. It more or less said he got too happy with his Vista... put it on too many computers... and now mine was kaput and I wouldn't be able to access some Windows features.

I figured that now was a good a time as any to get Windows 7. I started pricing Windows 7 online and was trying to find information on which version of Windows 7 to get(who knew there were more than one kind???). Also on what I do to upgrade from a "Not Genuine" version of Windows Vista to a "Genuine" version of Windows 7,

I am an admitted technotard and what I read was all in Martian... or might as well have been for all I understood it. One site said to NOT use Windows 7 but to use a Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade. (???)

All I want is a computer that works and that doesn't have Vista. The sticker on the Gateway says it was born with Windows XP... but I have been told that Microsoft no longer supports XP nor do they offer anymore upgrades. I would like regular upgrades please. I also wonder if Windows 7 is too new or too much for this computer.

So... do I have to get Vista again??? If I can get Windows 7... which version do I get? Either way... do I just slip a disc in and cross my fingers or is there something special I have to do with the download?

Oh... and do I need to remove the current version before I load somthing else???

Quoted from "valentinc;561714"

Did you run a virus scan? It seems close to a virus. You could always just run system restore to a time when it had no problems. I use vista as well but I never had what you are experiencing.

I thought of that and tried the System Restore with no luck.

Quoted from "Slaphappy03;561715"

What landed up happening is that the copy of windows used on that computer was pirated and when the computer downloaded the genuine patch it found this out and gave him that message. This is not a virus, but it is a update from windows.

What I don't get was why it took two years to show up. Talking to the housemates other sister... she said her computer that the same brother-in-law worked on has the same big white box asking for activation. My housemate... well, his time is coming... his computer crashed a year after mine and guess who worked on it? He also went from XP to that Vista.

Of course... the brother-in-law blames it on me and my computer. At first he said it was because I... now get this... downloaded THIS game (ironically, it happened about four days after I started playing)... it was obviously a virus I got from here... then he said there was a glitch in the computers regestry. Funny thing is... the explanation in the "What is Activation" is pretty clear about why my computer did what it did and that his program was used too many times. Well... let's count. He has his own computers... his... his wife's and his two boys each... then there is the housemates younger sister... mine and the housemates. Have no idea how many other computers he has fixed for other folks.

I may be a technotard... but I do know that Windows allows the use of a program only so many times and he needs to remember... I'm about twelve years older than him and not all that stupid. In fact... before I clicked on that little activation information, I told the housemate that using his program too many times was probably the reason... Windows just validated my suspicions.

I'm a pretty smart cookie and I catch on fast. Google and I get along well... I ask and it answers. I only get a little confused when it gives a few different answers to one question.

Google has taught me a lot this past week though. The game lagggggggs. Thinking I just might need a whole new computer (yeah, like I can affrord to just go out and buy a new one), I went in to find out what I had to be sure I got something better. I found out I have a pretty darned good processor... nothing wrong there. But Holy Cow... I have 1G Ram. THAT explains a lot. I may not know much about computers... but I do know they need more than that!
So I looked into upgrading the memory. I know I need those "sticks." I look at the front of my computer... it says it's a Gateway... and it says it's an E Series. Okay. I get online and guess what... there's a LOT of different numbers behind that "E." My next question was... well... which one do I have? The outside of the computer tells me nothing more. The only thing my "System" will tell me is that I have Windows Vista. No help there. So I ask Google. It says... go here... do this... if that doesn't work... download this. The first thing didn't work... so I downloaded that. Well... it was kinda creepy. That download told me... EVERYTHING about my computer... right down to the brand of router that is sitting in a different room. It did get one thing wrong though... I don't have a printer. But it told me I have an E 4300. Well... now I know what RAM urgrades to get.

So... like I said... I'm not a complete idiot. I CAN be taught. I have learned more about computers this past week or so that I ever thought I'd need to. That little brother-in-law may be used to women who just take was he says as Gospel... but not this gal. This was HIS F-up... not mine. I just wish I would have had some warning. I had no idea he was using that same program over and over and over. I thought I had gotten a legit copy. It wasn't until after this that I found he had used the disc on my housemates comp AND the little sisters comp.

Well... if ya want something done right... ya gotta do it yourself. Hell... I learned to work on my car and keep the ol' girl on the road... now I get to learn to work on my computer.

Life is full of learning experiences.

Quoted from "Kalvan;561764"

And yes, you would have to format the hard drive before installing Windows 7. After installing Windows 7 you would have to then reinstall all of your games and applications.

Really?!?!?

I got a LOT of neat things on here! Just a few things I picked up here and there but they are neat things. It's gonna wipe everything down to zilch??? I guess I need to start making a list. What about my files? I got pictures of my kids and grandkids on this... and videos from my shooting events (yeah... a gal with guns... gotta love firearms), Fourth of July's and stuff like that there.

The part that's gonna be the worst... is that my computer knows my passwords. Having my PayPal account hacked a few years ago taught me to NOT use the same password for everything. I use about six different ones... this little computer has remembered them all. I guess I'm gonna be doing a lot of, "I Forgot my Password" clicking.

And no... I won't be asking the brother-in-law for help. He's the one that got me into this mess to begin with. He had his chance. I am not a very forgiving soul. His F-up just cost me $200... he touches this computer again I'll break his fingers. I'll do this myself.

Computer:
Gateway 4300-6 4000983

Processor:
3.00 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4
16 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache
Hyper-threaded (2 total)

Main Circuit Board:
Board: Intel Corporation D915GUX AAC85199-202
Bus Clock: 800 megahertz
BIOS: Intel Corp. SE91510J.15A.1990.2004.1116.0948 11/16/2004

Display:
ATI Radeon X300/X550/X1050 Series [Display adapter]
ATI Radeon X300/X550/X1050 Series Secondary [Display adapter]
DELL E773c [Monitor] (15.7"vis, s/n XX-064180-XXXXX-3CM-03AR, December 2003)

I have no idea what half of this means... but this is what I got.

So... I guess my next question is... is there a way to put or compress all my personal crap into a zip file or am I going to have to buy a half million discs and spend the better part of Moses' lifetime downloading to them?

And please tell me that I-tunes remembers what music I have bought.

Ya know... that brother-in-law is slowly creeping to the top of my crap list.