I've actually cried all over a computer. That I think I broke.

[CarpeVinum]

Or maybe windows 8 hates me.

I need a fecking drink.

I'm 46 years old, allegedly not technologically incompetant (I used to repartition and reinstall and everything when I had windows XP, just haven't needed to do it for years) and I've cried all over this virtually new computer and I think I am about to cry again. Like actually plopping tears and everything.

If I can't fix it my son gets two crap Christmasses in a row. ( Mil was dying in hospital last year, so not so grave, but his most wanted xams pressies are totally redundant without his 'puter.

Due to a FURBAR during a.... "go back to factory settings you laggy git faced computer" session ....things went horribly wrong. Mainly cos the computer was speaking in Italian and I was tired. Probably.

So I had amazon UK rush a proper full copy of windows 8.1 in Bloody ENGLISH to Italy. DHL finally found me after a tense 48 hours of increasingly heated phone calls with me yelling "how can I always be "customer out" if you have kept me trapped in the house for TWO DAYS!"

I got into BIOS (whatever that is) I changed the boot thingie to CD-rom drive as first choice (gingerly, never been in BIOS before) All went swimmingly, but then it hung for hours and It couldn't finish the last bit of a clean install.

So a youtubber siad delete partitions.

So I did. Well some of them. 2. ACER and USER

And then I clicked next and the fecking computer complained something was missing so it couldn't run the cd-rom drive. Or something like that.

I have spent 113 euros. And all I have managed to do is kill the computer more.

And christmas is ruined cos the computer shop is not taking any repairs in till he comes back in the New Year.

Dos anybody have any ideas what has gone so horribly wrong and how to put it right ?

And if you don't. Can you please start sticking pins in an effigy of the Windows 8 wholly annoyingly displeasuring start screen of pissingoffness.

Or pass a hanky.

Is this peri menopause making me an emotional wreck due to poxy software ?

Wine. I wish I had wine.

So f10 aint working,try sticking the disc in again and restarting.what happens?

I am sympathetic but this thread is funny
I really hope you can get it fixed.

Shit

same message of doom.

I "press any key"

and ERROR no boot disk has been detected or the dusk has failed.

IT's ok!

I ...errr.. forgot to turn the keyboard back on.

trying again.

Cup of coffee over the hard drive and claim on the insurance?

Have to run downstairs for e-cig. Need nicotine. Cannot give up nicotine today. Just can't.

Ohhhh. Rhe disk worked.

Fucking keyboard not telling me it was off.

Th Barstard

Nealy gave me a heart attack.

Right.

It is asking if ai want to install , and there is the repair link again.

Install ?

No deleting of partitions this time ?

Let's try....

nope, back to the load driver message.

Barstard disc. And bastard amazon for sending bad disk. And bastard DHL for going tomthe wrong addess so I lost a whole day of trying tomfind a fix.

pic of EBIL message

May I resort to kicking the computer now ?

I clicked OK it scanned and then said

No device drivers were found. Make sure the installation media contains the correct drivers,mthen click ok.

Click OK

empty box with no drivers for me to clikc on. where it says drivers to install.

It's like it is taunting me with an empty xmas stocking.

Should I browse ? Not sure where I am browsing ?

Wish it was in a conputer shop for a new desktop. With my magic money tree.

DH is a tech and works with this sort of stuff on a daily basis. He has said you simply need a hard drive controller from the Acer website. Once you have that it should all run smoothly. However, you do need to download it onto a pc, then move it with a USB flash drive. So I think you might need to hassle your neighbours.,this may work,if I was you I would walk away and wait for techy friend of friend if you cant get acess to another pc

Well I just left a message for the techy friend, I will dangle 40 hours of free English lessons at him to tempt him into helping.

Nobody else has responded.

I am feeling sore. You have no idea how many late nights I've pulled and sundays I've given up for people's emergecny English needs. From translations, homework checking, CV prooresding, thesis submission to jounas in English...the lot.

I have never left a single one of them to struggle alone unaided in the name of "me time". Not once.

An now I am all,leaky again.

Thank you so much for trying to help. With any luck this guy can do it. If not... we'll enjoy what we do have. Go to the special mass to remember MIL and make some sort of peace by marking the 1st anniversary of her death. ...and I will start planning next years xams on boxing day. Becuase I am not having three sad or disappointing ones in a row.

You don't think MIL is haunting the computer do you ?

Strikes me as the most readonable explanation.

Go I love this place. No matter the crisis mumsnetters to the rescue.

I was about to hide under my bed till the Ny last night. But Look at me. I am up, dressed and everything!

Carpe,I am stuck,it is beyond my knowledge,I have no training only self taught,hopefully lazydog will be back when her time zone reaches daytime,she will be able to advise if you need a new hd or software,let us know how it goes

Hi carpe

This thread is like forrin language to me, but ut is sooo funny!!

I really really hope you do get it sorted soon.

(Sending some homemade limincello cream your way) not too early is it?
Best of luck xx

I am taking that as confirmation that MIL is haunting the computer.

Becuase ... she wpuld you know, if she could. She always did dusapprove of my love of all things techie. A love that stopped just short of hoovers,mand irons. Especially irons.

She is taking her revenge for her son looking crumpled for 18 years because ai failed in the "good Italian wife" stakes.

Well we have just made DS bounce like ball. DH has invited all his freinds over to wath the derby. It is a big treat cos most of them don't have Sky (I have sky so my TV speaks English. Grey's Anatomy dubbed is ... not fun") and sky bought up all the good footie.

So at 20.45 a group of boys will be having a whale of a time,mand I won't feelmlike ai've privdied the second shit xmas in a row. He's so happy and so xcited and so "cos like, I'm a teenager now, and all grown up and everything".

He is such a good kid. He patted mynarm and said "don't feel bad that you broke my computer mum. I'm sure somebody whomis good at computers can fix it"

Up until today he thought ai was techie Goddess. Another scale has fallen from my baby's eyes as he sees my feet of clay.

Oh poo. At least ai don't have the turkey rat race I'd have to face if we lived in England. I have a posh frozen lasagna that is as stressful as a bubnle bath to cook, serve and clean up after.

And then I will start drinking.

Oh sorry, massive xpost there

Lets hope your techy friend will sort it. Let us know! xx

limincello cream

Ohhh!

sassy thankmyou. If it is any consolution you have replaced me as my son's tecchie goddess. You are admired and worshipped from afar.

It is pretty cool that he just assumes women are the ones to go to for tech issues.

When I told him friend A had told somebody who could sort it out, he asked "what time is she coming?" Never occured to him it might be a bloke.

Pray to St Anthony to find the lost thingies on the wotsit.

I,m honoured although I think its lazydog who we should regard as the techy godess.
what stumped us was no access to another pc,if we could have downloaded the software we may have got some where.I hate being beat but there comes a point where you are just trying things for the sake of it.If the pc was in front of me I would have tweaked the bios but am loathe to tell you to do something that I,m not sure of myself.

Possibly a daft question, but have you contacted Acer support? They should be able to advise for your specific system and would be able to send you out any disks you need (probably at a cost though). Their website will have a support number local to you.

Don't worry sassy he is a fickle 13 yo boy. He sure changed his alliegence from me as techie goddess fast enough

I agree. Bastard computer should be battered into submission and then tortured a bit by Freind B. That'll teach it.

Wish you could shove computers up a modem.

It really is about time teleportation was available to the public.

St Anthony...please...where did I put my preinstalled copy of windows and the errant driver ? Is it under your cassock ? Give it back! I need that.

Catholics saints don't usually come through for me. I think it's becuase they are pregudiced against atheists. Evennthenoccsional candle lighting, mass going to kind.

I like the candles a lot. When you feel helpless and thinking you can't do something to help cos you are too far away...at least lighting several hundred candles makes you feel like you can actually do a thing, rather than just feel a thing.

Probably not on to light candles for hard drives though. Just people.

Feeling St Jude is the one I should be trying to contact though. I have a bad feeling about this computer. It's never been "right".

Are you sure those discs that came with the pc are blank,not copies of drivers [wishful thinking smiley]

I haven't called Acer actually. Do I have to call the local one ? Can't I call the one in England ? Please don't make me talk to the Italian one. I am still scarred from DHL call centr yesterday e, and the "phone that works when it feels like it" Italian customer service fiasco of last month.

Do you reckon they'd take my call from outside the country ?