Plans Get Tied in a Knot
The update from when my plans went awry: I went digging through a bunch of boxes and found a USB wireless adapter, which I figured would let me connect the new computer to the network without having to move it next to the old computer and make that space all crowded and stuff.
Oh, wait. You have to be connected to the internet to download the wireless router drivers so that you can connect to the internet.
I went to the old computer, downloaded the Vista drivers for the adapter (most recent version Linksys had on their website,) and put it on the USB drive. Nope, Windows 8 doesn't even recognize that .sys file as being a driver. Hell, it was pretty hard to figure out just how to manually add drivers instead of relying on it checking the non-existent internet.
So I went to the Tom's Hardware website or whatever it's called, downloaded the program that supposedly will install drivers for that wireless adapter... oh, it doesn't actually include the drivers, either; it wants to connect to the internet. Useless piece of shit.
So I caved in and moved the new computer. Downloaded the driver for the wireless and a couple other things I needed to install, let it do its update. At one point, Windows told me it had an update it wanted to install, I told it "I will do it later". Thirty minutes later, Windows says "fuck you, I'm doing it RITE NOW, IYKWIM."
Eventually, I moved the computer back to the less-crowded location, connected it to the wireless network, and now I'm finishing setting it up. I figure I won't actually move it back until (a) I'm sure all the stuff I want on the old computer is copied over, since it's going in storage; and, (2) the cables and thumb drives I ordered arrive, so I can set it up properly and have a recovery thumb drive ready.
Oh, wait. You have to be connected to the internet to download the wireless router drivers so that you can connect to the internet.
I went to the old computer, downloaded the Vista drivers for the adapter (most recent version Linksys had on their website,) and put it on the USB drive. Nope, Windows 8 doesn't even recognize that .sys file as being a driver. Hell, it was pretty hard to figure out just how to manually add drivers instead of relying on it checking the non-existent internet.
So I went to the Tom's Hardware website or whatever it's called, downloaded the program that supposedly will install drivers for that wireless adapter... oh, it doesn't actually include the drivers, either; it wants to connect to the internet. Useless piece of shit.
So I caved in and moved the new computer. Downloaded the driver for the wireless and a couple other things I needed to install, let it do its update. At one point, Windows told me it had an update it wanted to install, I told it "I will do it later". Thirty minutes later, Windows says "fuck you, I'm doing it RITE NOW, IYKWIM."
Eventually, I moved the computer back to the less-crowded location, connected it to the wireless network, and now I'm finishing setting it up. I figure I won't actually move it back until (a) I'm sure all the stuff I want on the old computer is copied over, since it's going in storage; and, (2) the cables and thumb drives I ordered arrive, so I can set it up properly and have a recovery thumb drive ready.