Sometimes, I swear, everything goes wrong.

In every possible way.

For me, the forces of nature conspired against my attempt to put the Windows 7 Release Candidate onto my Macbook.

Normally, this process would entail the following steps:

  • Open Boot Camp, select a hard drive partition size.
  • Install the Windows 7 installation from the DVD.
  • Install a few drivers and enjoy.

This should be accomplished easily within an hour. Instead, the process has haunted the entirety of my existence for more than 24 hours. My list of activities is a little more complicated:

  • Boot into old Windows XP installation, find, organize, and backup important data.
  • Boot back into OS X.
  • Open Boot Camp, and try to select a hard drive partition size.
  • Be told that it can’t be done, silly.
  • Run various hard disk verification/repair software, periodic maintenance cycles, etc.
  • Receive more and stranger error messages.
  • Boot in single-user mode and run fsck -fy to check the disk – four times.
  • Delete massive amounts of data in order to make it easier to partition, despite having ample free space.
  • Be told that it can’t be done, silly.
  • Delete even more heaps of data, using utilities to map out hard drive size and what may possibly be taking up space. Delete important system files just to make room.
  • Still be unable to partition.
  • Remove more than half of the data from your hard drive, back it up to an external drive, and still be told that it is impossible.
  • Delete iPhoto picture library, also known as every picture I have ever taken, backing it up.
  • Finally, upon freeing 145GB, be told that while 50 GB just can’t be done, 45GB is possible.
  • Partition the disk, then try to install from the Windows 7 DVD.
  • Find out you get an unusable selection menu from which you simply cannot make a choice.
  • Install alternate EFI software to better emulate BIOS settings.
  • Finally get the Install DVD to start.
  • Get the Install DVD to freeze on the first possible screen.
  • Restart and change settings in order to get the Install DVD to freeze on the second possible screen.

And that’s where I am right now. Just saying.

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