Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

[stj]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

so the bastards are reading your ram configuration eeproms and logging the serial numbers now?
intrusive bastards.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

so the bastards are reading your ram configuration eeproms and logging the serial numbers now?
intrusive bastards.

I believe this has been going on for a while. I remember learning about the point system back in college, before 10 came out. In fact, I want to say we were just playing with XP systems, not even Vista or 7. I don't remember if we knew the actual points that each hardware was worth, but it's something like:

10 points total (I don't know the real number or whatever). When you activate over the telephone / internet, your hardware profile gets stored on the hard drive. In XP, I believe it's something like c:\windows\system32\wpa.dbl. Not sure about 7. I think 8 is something like c:\windows\system32\spp\store. If you change your RAM, you'd lose a point. If you lose enough points, you'll have to reactivate. There's a good chance that the stuff in the wpa.dbl from XP was also stored on the Microsoft servers. I don't know though, but they had to have some way to tell if a product key was being used on more than one machine. I'd imagine that's how they'd tell. With retail copies, I believe you can install it on 3 machines at a time, but I might be wrong. I know for certain though, you're legally allowed to install it on any number of machines so long as it's not installed on more than one machine at a time.

For example, I build a system, I install 7 retail. Later, my motherboard dies. I build another system. The old system is no longer being used. I can legally install 7 on the new system. With OEM, you cannot do that. There is no transferring the license to another machine.

What blows my mind is with the older systems, if you replaced the hard drive and RAM at the same time, I'm almost 100% sure telephone activation would be required but it'd pass. It'd say confirmation number verified. Why in the world it doesn't work now with 10 just blows my mind. Just another reason not to switch to 10 I say! It's bad enough they're trying to force users to upgrade. My friend has a quota because he uses satellite where he's from. It's not much of a quota. That 3GB download of 10 that happened in the background, without his knowledge, put him over that quota. He owed a lot because of that shit. At the time, no one really knew it was happening.

The more I deal with Windows 10, the more I'm starting to hate it. In my opinion, 7 was great. They should have just improved on that. This whole new OS every x amount of years is just stupid. I'm almost certain Microsoft will go to the monthly subscription thing. We should start a movement, trying to get everyone switched to FreeBSD or Linux or something similar!

[kaboom]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

so the bastards are reading your ram configuration eeproms and logging the serial numbers now?
intrusive bastards.

I doubt they're reading the SPD devices. More likely reading the device instance/PCI IDs (in device manager), and hashing that vs the amount of physical RAM, MAC of the net adapter(s), type/class of chipset, and size/model/mfgr of the HDD.


Practice and eXPerience from the xp days.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

I told my wife about the credit info, and she's actually thinking about trying Linux!!!! A live disc, but still, it's a start!!!!

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

So, being a Microsoft "partner", I logged into partner.support.services.microsoft.com, three times now. The first time, they told me download the ISO, boot off the disc, install 10. That didn't work. The second guy said download, install inside Windows 8.1 and do the upgrade. That didn't work. The third lady, I contacted while I was in 10 on the customer's PC. She logged in and tried all kinds of stuff. She ran slui, slmgr, etc. She tried a few different product keys. The one in the BIOS still displayed the key was being used by another machine. What was weird, the

slmgr /dli

Showed Windows 10 RETAIL channel, instead of OEM. She finally used slmgr to remove the key and use the BIOS key. Then she used slui to activate over the telephone. She entered the confirmation key manually and it worked. Now,

slmgr /dli

Shows Windows, Core Edition, OEM_DM channel. However, the partial product key shows up as KBT3Q. This is NOT the key in the BIOS, nor is this one of the free upgrade keys, as far as I can tell. I used Magic Jelly Bean to recover the key. I googled almost all of the key but couldn't find anything on Google. Do you think the lady somehow used an actual OEM key, as if someone went out and bought Windows 10, OEM? Or did the phone verification method change the product key or something?

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

from an elevated command prompt shows the key that's in the BIOS, which is different than what Magic Jelly Bean shows. My wife's Windows 10 product key is the same generic key that other 10 Home users have who went for the free upgrade.

[kaboom]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

Time to nuke the partitions, all of them.

UnRAR the attached archive, then burn the image to a CD.

Use "create disc from image file," or its equivalent.


Boot from the CD. type FDISK at the DOS prompt. If there is a message about large disk support, hit "Y."

Hit "4" then enter, to display partition info. Note whichever there are, then hit "ESC."

Now hit "3" then enter, to delete what you found in the previous step.

Once all partitions have been removed, "ESC" out of FDISK, remove CD, and turn the system off.

Now, turn it back on with windows bootable disc in the drive.

*You may have to change HDD/UEFI settings in the BIOS in order for FDISK to see the HDD, and possibly, the "boot cd" to load at all.

As you've got a bastardized install, complete with multiple versions of windoze installed over others, this will not work til you start from scratch.

The second guy said download, install inside Windows 8.1

Whoever "suggested" that is a dumbass, plain and simple. That didn't work for upgrading win95 to win98, and sure as hell won't work now. Surprisingly, this didn't occur to you, even while doing so.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

It works now though. All partitions where nuked Kaboom, and I installed Windows 8.1. Whenever the 10 things didn't work, because I had the 8.1 hard drive actually cloned (I think Keeney or Stj suggested this), I just wrote the full image back. In order to do the free upgrade, I do believe you have to do it in 8.1. Once 10 is on, you can nuke it and reinstall 10 from scratch.

I was thinking of doing that. I got the 8.1 image cloned, I'm now cloning the 10 image. That way, if the customer decides he wants to go back to 8.1, if the product key is registered to 10 (I think Stj mentioned this), it shouldn't matter. Because the hard drive image is of a fully activated clean 8.1 installation.

Do you really think I should do a clean 10 install now? I wonder if I should push users to downgrade to 7 instead of upgrading to 10. Do you guys think that'd be wrong, to try and sway a customer one way or another? I'm also going to start providing free Linux live discs for users to check out I think. Not thumb drives, but DVDs (they're cheaper).

[kaboom]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

I wonder if I should push users to upgrade to 7 instead of downgrading to 10

fify x2, and yes.

It never should've gotten beyond Hate.

But they got away with hate, which paved the way for ten. (okay, they got away with a lot more prior, but that's for a whole other forum)

I think the biggest issue I have is how M$ is running over everyone with their TenTrain. Again, they act like it's 1998, office is the only game in town, and you will jump on.

No, M$! GTF outta everyone's daily business, and leave us alone! Our PCs are not your platform to take over and spamvertise with! You learned that lesson, and lost, with xbone.




I don't know about some of these linux distros for everyday use. I haven't touched one after being rather unimpressed with piggy-aka ubuntu years ago. That entire group is questionable. Rather than elaborate, here are some youtube videos:

Apparently, ubunty is even porkier now, and still held together with "bailing wire and duct tape:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAp_mqUMiiw

I also don't go for the "tech-as-religion" espoused by some of the pinhead penquin-lovers. FWIW, the wrong "javascript," for example, will gyrate any browser, on any platform. That, and more, detailed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_lhqg_p21k

However, that's not to say good distros don't exist- just as of now, there is zero benefit into looking into, and custom configuring suck.


Now imagine how bad a "normal" windows user would do "migrating" over.


viva la seven

tbh, all "modern" platforms suck, in one way or another, be they crapple, Oogle, or M$. Did the old OSes have their quirks? Hell yea, but they weren't this Orwellian nightmare, with further-reaching implications. Just think, if M$ ever deems 10 to have been "accepted" at some point, as bad as it is, what the hell do you think they'll try afterwards?

Think about it, especially before ever going to any dogma infested M$ forums. I don't care if they're just "users like us." Anyone actually invested in the prevailing mindset will have been lost long ago with the many lies- no different than antecrep (assholerep) trying to "prove" BCN recappers wrong and admonishing us with crap like "it's perfectly normal for ripple to go outta spec after only three years."

Yes it is, with shitty caps!

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

fify x2, and yes.

It never should've gotten beyond Hate.

But they got away with hate, which paved the way for ten. (okay, they got away with a lot more prior, but that's for a whole other forum)

I think the biggest issue I have is how M$ is running over everyone with their TenTrain. Again, they act like it's 1998, office is the only game in town, and you will jump on.

No, M$! GTF outta everyone's daily business, and leave us alone! Our PCs are not your platform to take over and spamvertise with! You learned that lesson, and lost, with xbone.




I don't know about some of these linux distros for everyday use. I haven't touched one after being rather unimpressed with piggy-aka ubuntu years ago. That entire group is questionable. Rather than elaborate, here are some youtube videos:

Apparently, ubunty is even porkier now, and still held together with "bailing wire and duct tape:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAp_mqUMiiw

I also don't go for the "tech-as-religion" espoused by some of the pinhead penquin-lovers. FWIW, the wrong "javascript," for example, will gyrate any browser, on any platform. That, and more, detailed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_lhqg_p21k

However, that's not to say good distros don't exist- just as of now, there is zero benefit into looking into, and custom configuring suck.


Now imagine how bad a "normal" windows user would do "migrating" over.


viva la seven

tbh, all "modern" platforms suck, in one way or another, be they crapple, Oogle, or M$. Did the old OSes have their quirks? Hell yea, but they weren't this Orwellian nightmare, with further-reaching implications. Just think, if M$ ever deems 10 to have been "accepted" at some point, as bad as it is, what the hell do you think they'll try afterwards?

Think about it, especially before ever going to any dogma infested M$ forums. I don't care if they're just "users like us." Anyone actually invested in the prevailing mindset will have been lost long ago with the many lies- no different than antecrep (assholerep) trying to "prove" BCN recappers wrong and admonishing us with crap like "it's perfectly normal for ripple to go outta spec after only three years."

Yes it is, with shitty caps!

It's a bit hard for me to follow you with your abbreviations. I don't mean any disrespect or anything. The technet forum I went too was pretty useless. I've had varying degrees of success with some of the forums. It depends on the problem I guess. I actually found better support over at Toms Hardware for my how do you create a Windows 8.1 master / reference image? question. With the users over on the Microsoft forum, I think maybe I was in the wrong forum. I think maybe the forum I was in was more for people that ask questions like hey, my webcam isn't working, how do I fix it?

Not questions like hey, how do I setup the partition scheme for a UEFI BIOS using MDT and ADK? It's at the point now where I feel I'm getting behind the game a bit. MDT and ADK have been out for a while now but I'm just starting to learn about them. I'd like to get a job, ultimately, working in an enterprise or corporation. The one I used to work at was a hybrid setup. We had Linux, Novel, Windows 98 (eek!), NT, XP and Vista. The 98 was on mistake. I need more money. The faster I can reinstall OSes, the more I make.

You are right though, with 10. It seems Microsoft is pushing it very hard for one reason or another. I have my ideas as to why, but I'll keep them to myself. I think, in the future, we're going to possibly even see subscription Microsoft OSes. You know, always have the latest, for 10$ a month! Isn't that kind of like Azure?

[ChaosLegionnaire]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

no different than antecrep (assholerep) trying to "prove" BCN recappers wrong and admonishing us with crap like "it's perfectly normal for ripple to go outta spec after only three years."

Yes it is, with shitty caps!

lol aye, it is perfectly normal because they designed it to last only 3 years. planned obsolescence? hell yes! that is tantamount to an admission of them engaging in said practice.

if it were me tho, i'd just leave it at that and not sink to their level as my aim of sexposing the manufacturer in a planned obsolescence sex scandal is accomplished. lets see who buys their products now! maybe only rich kid enthusiast who treat computers as disposable and upgrade the whole thing once every 1-2 years. cant imagine that is good for the environment tho...

I think, in the future, we're going to possibly even see subscription Microsoft OSes. You know, always have the latest, for 10$ a month!

we already do in a certain way. the oem versions of windows are tied to the hardware. if u change your entire computer or most of it, the "subscription" to windows on your current pc is terminated and u have to buy/"subscribe" another/again.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

The HDD prices of 2011 and 2012 were insane! At least nearly $ 200 for a 1 TB HDD and at least nearly $ 130 for a 500 GB.

[TechGeek]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

And now I can have myself 2x WD2003FZEX drives for less than $250 from Newegg with 3 years data recovery! Just goes to show the falling prices of HDDs.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

lol aye, it is perfectly normal because they designed it to last only 3 years. planned obsolescence? hell yes! that is tantamount to an admission of them engaging in said practice.

if it were me tho, i'd just leave it at that and not sink to their level as my aim of sexposing the manufacturer in a planned obsolescence sex scandal is accomplished. lets see who buys their products now! maybe only rich kid enthusiast who treat computers as disposable and upgrade the whole thing once every 1-2 years. cant imagine that is good for the environment tho...

we already do in a certain way. the oem versions of windows are tied to the hardware. if u change your entire computer or most of it, the "subscription" to windows on your current pc is terminated and u have to buy/"subscribe" another/again.

Ahh, yes! Like what I experienced with this customer's PC. Also, do you guys remember something about manufacturers trying to prevent users from switching to operating systems that the computer didn't come with? I thought I remembered how some manufacturers were forcing people to use the OS that their PC came with. Linux users had a very big problem with this, because they couldn't install Linux on their PCs. The people took the manufacturers to court, if I remember correctly, and won.

Now, there's manufacturers (Dell and HP I believe, for instance) that are forcing you to use the hardware their PCs / laptops came with. They create some whitelist and store it in the BIOS I believe. If you try upgrading your wireless NIC, if it's not on the list, the PC will refuse to POST and show a message like unsupported hardware or something weird. There are forums dedicated to removing these whitelists by patching the BIOS. I think that's B.S. as well! If you buy the hardware, you should be able to do what you want with it, I think.

[stj]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

wifi whitelists have been going on (and getting hacked) for years.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

wifi whitelists have been going on (and getting hacked) for years.

Yeah, I don't think it's new news. But I think this laptop I have here now (the doctor's one, not the Windows 8.1 one) is the first one I ever had (or at least noticed) that had a white list. Should I remove it for the Doc or leave it, hrmm.

[stj]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

unless you need to upgrade the wifi, i wouldnt bother with it.
if it's got customer data on it then it really shouldnt have wifi installed anyway.

[TechGeek]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

^ +10

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

unless you need to upgrade the wifi, i wouldnt bother with it.
if it's got customer data on it then it really shouldnt have wifi installed anyway.

I'm not snooping or anything, but I need to know what gets backed up and what doesn't. As far as I can tell, there's no actual patient information, but there's a lot of information about various procedures, judging by the names of the files. It just appears to contain a lot of how-to's for doctors. Like how-to do blah surgery and what are the various types of anesthetics for blah.

I talked to the doc, the programs aren't important. Just the files and bookmarks.

[stj]

Re: Useless Microsoft and Windows 8.1 / 10 installation

it may contain his login details for a secure network.

[kaboom]

Re: Useless Microsoft

fixed thread title