There's good news and bad news. The good news is that I was able to reinstall VS 2012 so that I could fix some bugs that I wasn't able to do anything about while VS wasn't working at all. The bad news is that even Microsoft's official version of VS 2015 doesn't seem to be able to install offline, so it looks like I'll have to do the reformat after all, which I'll probably do in early January.

Sounds fair.....take some time off THEN when the holidays are over you can yell at your rig all you want or need to. :)

So here's the deal: first of all, I can't find my copy of Windows 7, which doesn't necessarily mean that I don't have one, but frankly I'm not sure whether I do. I thought I did, but maybe not.

However, I have this weird small partition on my computer with a bunch of system stuff. I'm wondering if it's one of those recovery partition things. Maybe that's what I'm supposed to use in lieu of a DVD (which is pretty stupid, because it's not portable in any way).

How would I find out if that's what it is, and if it is then how would I use it? Would I just change the BIOS to boot from that drive and then let it run automatically?

Also, another potential incompatibility has occurred to me. My offline computer doesn't have a wireless network card. It has a non-wireless one, because when I got the computer I didn't want it to have any network card at all, but the person who sold it to me said that all of the available motherboards had network cards built-in! How dumb is that?

Anyway, I've just left the computer physically unplugged from any phone line or anything that would allow an Internet connection, but now I need one, and since the other computers are using a wireless router, I don't know whether I could hook this to the Internet with the available equipment!

Could I just plug the phone line directly into it, or would I need a non-wireless router as well? I might have an old one in a closet, but I don't know whether I do, or whether it would be reliable/compatible.

And if I were to set up a connection like that, could it possibly interfere with my wireless connection on the other computers?

Or alternatively, might I have to buy a wireless network card and install it temporarily, just while I'm connecting that computer to the Internet to download/install Visual Studio?

Many OEM manufacturers and some stores/sellers did that...they made a recovery partition on new PCs in lieu of an actual OS install DVD cuz they're cheap....."nice" of em, huh? :\

I dunno...never needed to use one(I usually used argh matey copies for my backups of legally bought OS installs).

It's not dumb.....most stuff started to get built into motherboards to save time/money/space in the case.....and network stuff was one of the things built in. :)

There are wireless adapters that can be used in some PCs but I think you need to install them via some software(and have an OS running on the PCs using them) to make use of them.....they usually plug into USB ports and look like antennas combined with USB memory sticks.

I think it needs to be an ethernet line(like for cable modems/etc) if the socket is big enough....also there is my suggestion above this bit about USB port wireless adapters. :)

No idea on this bit.

Read above...a USB port wireless adapter is usually cheap and is essentially nearly plug and play.

Well if that is what it is then I'll have to figure out how to use it. Maybe I'll look for an instructional video when I have time.

Except that it is dumb in a way, because what is one to do if one wants to have a computer with no network card at all?

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but do you mean to say that if I have a non-wireless network card then there's a thing radio transmitter/receiver thing that I can plug into the computer which will enable me to make that card emulate a wireless network card? If that's what you mean then that would be very convenient! But is that what you mean, or have I misunderstood you?

But come to think of it, I just looked on the back of this computer, and it looks like there's something like that which may possibly be doing that very thing. It looks similar to a portable hard drive, and it seems to be stuck in a USB port, but it also has a light which is blinking without any specific pattern, as though it's processing stuff.

However, it's possible that it's just a thing that connects to my wireless mouse, because I don't see anything else back there that looks like it could be doing that job (the only other things which are plugged in are the power cord, the monitor, the keyboard and the speakers).

But then I wonder, wouldn't it need at least something like that even for any kind of network connection? I mean, even if it has a wireless network card then wouldn't it need something to plug in to communicate with the router, or does the network card itself do that, like it has a little antenna on it inside of the computer?

I'm a bit hesitant to unplug it just to find out what it does, because it could either stop my mouse from working until I plug it back in, or it could just mess up the Internet and cause further annoyances trying to fix it.

Sure, until you end up with something that you don't know how to disable, or something that can't be disabled. Then what are you supposed to do?

Thanks, I'll look into that stuff. But I think the thing on the back of my computer might actually be one - I just need to find out somehow whether it actually is.

The only reason why I thought it might be for the mouse is because I don't see anything else that seems like it could possibly be for the mouse. There aren't any mice that can connect to a computer without being plugged in at all, are there? Like how a TV remote does I guess.

I suppose that I could check the device manager, but that will only show whether there's one on the computer, but it won't tell me whether it's that thing or something else, maybe internal.

Oh, I see. That clears it up a bit. If I understand correctly then I guess that means that a wireless adapter plugs into a computer and acts like a network card even if there's no network card in the computer at all. I thought it just converted a wired network card to a wireless one.

Yes, but if it turns out to be a network adapter, which I suspect it might be, then unplugging it will mess up my Internet connection, and I may have to do some troubleshooting or reset the router to fix it.

That's why one should so research on their mobo/hrdware and know how to do such ahead of time. ;

Also(in general) if one uses common sense and a bit of foresight ANY problem or "problem" can be overcome...it's usually best to enjoy life by not worrying about what ifs and deal with stuff as they came up(instead of worrying about things that could/might happen at some point). :)

Is it in the air gapped/disconnected pc or the other one? Also you'd likely be able to tell if you had a wireless adapter or not(it'd likely show up when booting that PC or in the device listings).

There are, and they are called wireless mice...they usually have a battery powering them(in the mouse itself) and a fob/dongle/etc that comes with the mouse plugs into a usb port on one's PC and picks up the signal from said mouse.

If it did show up there it'd likely be listed as a wireless device.

It essentially is/functions as a temporary(as long as it is plugged into the PC) wireless link to one's wireless router or incoming wireless signal.

If there is only one thing plugged into the USB ports and your mouse is wireless than it is 100% the mouse adapter....also even if it were a wireless adapter simply plugging it back in would usually restore the network(after a minute or two).

But if you never plan ahead then you're never prepared, and in my experience, everything that could possibly go wrong always does, so it's best to be prepared, otherwise I won't stand a chance!

It's on the computer that I'm using right now, so of course that can't be air-gapped, and actually, if that one had a wireless adapter then it wouldn't even be air-gapped,which is the reason why I never gave it one, and also, the only reason why I'm willing to give it one temporarily is because it will have been reformatted before then.

Yeah, that's what I have, but what I meant was, are there any mice that can connect to a computer without plugging anything into the computer to allow the connection? Like the way a TV remote can work.

Alright, in the device manager it looks like there's a section called "Network adapters" and there are two things in it:

- 802.11n USB Wireless LAN Card
- Intel(R) 82566DC Gigabit Network Connection

The network connection is kind of vague, because that sounds more like a routing path than an physical object, but the Wireless LAN Card is confusing, because the fact that it's called a card implies that it's internal, but the fact that it says USB implies that it's external.

Right, but what I mean specifically is that it will act as a network card even if the computer has absolutely no network card inside of it. Is that right?

Well that makes me feel a little better about the possibility of unplugging it to verify, but if it's definitely for the mouse then what's the "802.11n USB Wireless LAN Card" that I listed above?

Planning ahead for basic scenarios and even somewhat lesser likely ones is fine, but planning for or even trying to figure out very unlikely scenarios isn't too healthy past a certain point(I am talking very rare, highly unlikely scenarios here, like winning the lottery while being abducted by aliens level of rarity). One should(imo) plan for the common negative scenarios and try to be ready for some others as well, but not fear any and all what ifs of doing something and thus not want to then do things as a result. :)

Hmm, the adapters I know of(like the link I shared before) might need an OS installed BEFORE they can be used(they might need their own software or drivers installed to be used)...they'd likely still work AFTER such is done, though.

Nope.....well not as far as I know......still i'm more than 99% sure the plug in your USB port is the mouse adapter(to pick up the signal from the mouse).

That there USB one is likely(like very likely) the USB adapter that's in your USB port at the moment.

Yes...that is it's function, after all. :)

I am guessing the one that is blinking(in a USB port) is your wireless adapter(usually they have blinking activity lights and are bigger than ones for mice).

The one for your mouse(if it is wireless) is likely is ANOTHER port but you might not be able to see it clearly.....WIRELESS MICE ADAPTERS are VERY SMALL(like as small as a pinky finger nail when plugged in) and hard to spot....check EVERY usb port or filled port for a small tiny piece of plastic sticking out(it'll usually be the smaller than a pinky finger nail and black/grey/etc).

That's a good point, I guess, but it's always been in my nature to over-analyze everything to death (you might possibly have noticed this).

I would have an operating system installed by then. What I'm planning to do is reformat the computer using DBAN (it seems to be a good one, unless you have any information that says otherwise), then install Windows, and then connect it to the Internet to register Windows and to install/register Visual Studio. If I need any drivers or software or whatever to get the adapter to work then I can just download it on this computer.

Actually, it probably isn't. I just realized a dumb mistake: I was looking at everything on the back of the computer but I forgot that on the front there are a few USB ports, and one has a tiny black plug stuck in it which says Logitech... Gee, I wonder what that is (and just to be sure, I'm looking at my mouse right now and it also says Logitech on it).

And Bingo was his name-o. Well, that solves that mystery. Of course I'm not 100% certain that the adapter will be compatible with the other computer's hardware or with Windows 7, but I don't see why it wouldn't. Maybe I can find the box and manual for it to verify, but I'm not sure that it will mention Windows 7 because I might have gotten it before Windows 7 existed.

Other than that, the only thing to verify is that my extra partition is in fact a recovery partition and figure out how to use it (I'm pretty sure I don't have a CD/DVD for Windows 7 because I've looked all over for it). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I suppose I could just change the boot drive to that other partition and restart, and then it should begin a Windows installation process, which would verify that it's actually a recovery partition. Of course, Windows wouldn't try to actually install anything until I say "yes", that I would like to begin the process, right? So then as long as I don't do that, and just restart again instead, then I can change the drive back and keep using Windows how it's currently installed until I'm actually ready to reformat, right?

You need to fight back against it, then(Like I try to with my own OCD).....also every great thing worth doing takes some effort. :)

If you're going to use that wireless adapter(in your online PC) for th other one you'll need the software/drivers for it.....if there is a model number/brand name on the adapter(plugged into your USB port) i'd look it up and DL drivers/software for it BEFORE unplugging that wireless adapter from your one PC to use on the other.

Then it is likely a wireless adapter(the other thing plugged into the usb port with the light on it).

If you have the original disc that'd help, but if not you likely(as said above) can look it up and DL stuff for it beforehand.

Also it should work on the other PC with the aforementioned drivers/software.

Right....as for Win 7, you could(if you have a valid license) just download a torrented copy of the same version(bits 32 or 64, home or pro) of Win 7 and use your key with that, although that is in a moral grey area for some people.

Where's the fun in that? I say bring on the insanity!

That's a good point. I may have a CD with drivers/software but I'll have to check. Honestly, I'm not even sure what brand it is, and it's hard to see it behind the computer. I'll have to get a flashlight, and if I don't have the drivers then I'll download them (if I don't end up on one of those misc. drivers download websites where it can take an hour to find what you're looking for and try to download it as it just keeps spamming garbage and none of the download links actually work!), but maybe I can get it directly from the manufacturer's website.

Yeah, pretty much like I said above I guess.

Well frankly, I don't see how it's immoral, especially since I own it, but I'm not even sure about a CD key, because it seems like new versions of windows don't even use them, do they? I thought they had some automatic authentication when they connect online to Microsoft. Well anyway, like I said, I think that I have a recovery partition, in which case I wouldn't need a CD/DVD, but I'll have to check to make sure.

Eh, i'd rather be able to do more things in life and have more fun sort of fun than the hectic and stressful sort of "fun". ;)

(Plus I am riddled with so many mental issues it makes going outside much moderately difficult, along with doing some other things some take for granted, that I often wish I was more "normal" o.0)

If in doubt unplug it and read the info then pug it back in....and then look for drivers.software for it online if you can't find the disc for it....and if you still cannot find such and know the model and make I might be able to help you search for them online.

I should've said legally grey area, not moral...my mistake. Also most such keys are on the OS box, the OS manual(that came with the PC or OS discs), OR on a sticker on the PC case(if an OEM OS install/on a partition on said PC).

Doing things in life is overrated. Just get a nice iron lung/sensory deprivation tank, get into it, implant the electrodes into your brain to give you a VR simulation of floating aimlessly through outer space, and that's all you'll ever need!

I'd bet almost anything that I have a lot more mental issue than you, but I don't want to compare them, because a lot of them are private.

I don't think it will be very tough, but I just want to get around to backing up my files first, and I'll probably do the rest in January. But I've been revising a list of steps that I want to take to get everything done, so that when I do it, hopefully everything will go as smoothly as possible.

Hmmm, I hadn't really thought about that... what if I need a CD key and I don't have one? I'll have to look around for it. I'll check the computer, or see if I can find it anywhere else.

EDIT: Actually I just checked my PC and on the side there's a sticker that says "Windows 7 Pro OEM Software Product Key" and then lists the same kinds of numbers and letter which are typically written on a Windows CD or in the paper inside of its case. So I guess that means that I do in fact have a recovery partition, because if I had a Windows CD then the sticker wouldn't be on the side of the computer case, would it?

Also, it occurs to me that if I make an ISO of all the contents on the recovery partition and burn it onto a DVD then I should theoretically be able to boot from that as well, shouldn't I? I mean, it would be nice to have it as a backup just in case anything ever happened to that partition!