The operation was a success!

13 hours.  I think that's a new speed record for me.

The new hard drive is installed and my main computer is back on its feet.  No data was lost, everything is humming nicely, and the machine actually run a little smoother now that some fat has been trimmed off.  I should really look into building a slipstream disc, because those Windows updates are ridiculous.

Install this.  Reboot.  Download this.  Reboot.  Oh... the thing you just installed also needs an update.  Download that.  Reboot.  Check for infections because you've been connected to the internet with an unpatched Windows machine for more than five minutes.  Scan.  Reboot.  Repeat for hours.

This stupidity is only compounded by the fact that Windows didn't recognize my network card.  Kind of hard to download a network card driver without a network condition.  It's like driving to the garage to get oil without an engine.