SORTED :) Windows After XP Sux big time. [Archive]

StainlessS

23rd October 2018, 02:32

All A.O.K now, thanx all :)

Having recently 'upgraded' to W7, I'm trying to get to grips with the W7 weirdness, probably due to permissions and UAC.

I was wondering if there has been some tutorial posted on-site for taming said 7.

Manolito posted this some time ago
Because Windows did indeed improve up to XP (with the exception of the Millennium version which came out after Win98SE). After WinXP everything went downhill. Win8 and Win8.1 was a joke (at least for users without touchscreens), and Win10 is an absolute nightmare for me. Leaves Win7 which is not too bad, but only after tweaking dozens of things to make it resemble XP. This includes turning off this stupid UAC, tame this whole permissions thing, disable Virtual Store (I want to know where my files REALLY are stored). Also getting rid of the built-in ZIP support, installing Classic Startup Menu, make Windows use the DS source filters which I have installed instead of the crappy MS filters, and some more...

After applying all these tweaks I can live with Win7. But MS is actively working to put Win7 into the position WinXP is in now. Just read that their upcoming Office 2019 will need Win10. Once they succeed in making Win7 unusable I will certainly say goodbye to MS. I hope that ReactOS will be ready by then...
https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1832703#post1832703

One weird prob I'm having is when I right click avs file and load into VDub2, on pressing VD2 avs script editor F7 (save and refresh) key, it just stops responding altogether. Also, in MeGUI, it simply hangs before showing the Aspect Ratio preview window.
(above with VD2 and MeGUI x86, have not as yet even tried x64 where I anticipate even more problems).

I currently have Classic Shell installed (which fixes that god awful Windows Explorer jumping about thing when you click on a folder). Unfortunately the explorer is still bloody awful in comparison to the XP edition. It is hard to believe that W7 Windows Explorer has survived so long without its bugs and peculiarities being squashed.

ReactOS is due to be released at v5.0 (end of this month) finally with NTFS read and write (currently read only, but hack in registry to get write to work).
Also, Libre Office is getting quite good now, who needs MS Orifice 2019. (Last for XP v5.4.7.2)

Any advice/suggestions greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Offsite page on disabling Virtual Store:- https://interworks.com/blog/dsmith/2011/09/21/disabling-windows-7-virtual-store/

EDIT: Where Manolito refuses to use any plugs that will not run on a PIII, I will not use plugs that will not run under XP
(as I still use XP on multiple machines, at least P4).

EDIT: I run as an administrator, and would prefer to keep UAC if possible to tame it.

manolito

23rd October 2018, 04:39

For taming Win7 UAC there is a software called TweakUAC. There also is a software called "CacheMan" which has an option to tame UAC. I tried both, but my conclusion was to disable UAC altogether. I do not need to be babysitted and protected from myself, at least not by M$.

For the Win7 start menu I use the older Classic Shell v. 3.5.0. It provides a lot of options to tweak the Explorer appearance, works for me. But basically I try to avoid Win Explorer, I use Total Commander instead.

One essential thing for Win7 is to have a utility available to grab permissions for files and folders by right-clicking a file or folder in Explorer. I use an older REG script (which unfortunately is language dependant so I won't post it here). And since users can screw up their Win7 installation pretty bad by using such a tool it is also essential to have the "acl_repair_utility_for_vista_7.zip" readily available.

To make the DirectShow Filters usable under Win7 there is the Filter Tweaker Tool by CLSID. I chose the more radical approach to disable the Preferred Filters in the Registry altogether. Delete the content of these keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectShow\Preferred
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DirectShow\Preferred (obviously, x64 OS only)
Of course you need to grab the permissions first. After this Win7 will behave exactly like WinXP when it comes to DirectShow Filters. Whatever filter has been installed last will get the highest merit.

For us retro XP users (and even more retro using Non-SSE2 CPUs) I started an ever growing list of the latest software versions which do still work under XP and/or Non-SSE2. This includes Google Chrome, VLC Player, X264, CCleaner, MalwareBytes, LAVFilters, MKVToolnix, FFmpeg, AVIDemux, MakeMKV, MP4Tools and some others...

Cheers
manolito

johnmeyer

23rd October 2018, 06:17

This is very timely for me. My main computer is dual boot, with two separate drives, and the "other" boot drive was Vista, which I upgraded to Win7 about five years ago.

However, like StainlessS, I find Win7's Explorer just plain awful. I keep telling myself that one of these days I'll take the time to fix Win7 so I don't have to work around all the incredibly stupid changes that were made, for no reason, and with no improvement.

Not once have I ever used Win7 and then, when I returned to XP, found myself saying, "I really miss that [name a feature] in Win7."

I've had to fix computers that have Win10 installed and that O/S is so bad that if I am ever forced to use it, I'll either switch to Mac, or simply use Linux.

I look forward to any additional hints people might have for how to make the Win7 UI work as efficiently as XP. I still can't believe how badly they broke the basic file search capability that was in Windows since Win 3.0 was introduce in May of 1990.

StainlessS

23rd October 2018, 06:31

OOOOoooo, already some good stuff posted, plenty for me to explore in the morn (well, its 06:28 now so maybe a bit later today).
Thanx guys :)

I still can't believe how badly they broke the basic file search capability that was in Windows since Win 3.0 was introduce in May of 1990.
So its not just me that thinks search is now totally crap :)
[EDIT: I thought that RaffRiff posted some self written search tool on-site, but maybe was someone else].

EDIT: I'm sure that someone recently posted that Windows 7 was the best ever M$ OS, wonder what he/she/it was smoking.

EDIT: I until recently used the old trusty XOSL boot manager, unfortunately it now fails to work for some reason
(I generalized the W7 install and got rid of the System Partition),
Got it multibooting (with only single OS so far, ie W7 on Partition 2) using Plop! BootManager, would maybe prefer some other
but 1TB boot drive has only 27 sectors per track (rather than eg 63 needed for GAG boot controller).
Got several more boot controllers to try, not looking good so far (I so miss XOSL already, it was lovely).
EDIT: It is important for me that the boot controller be totally independent of any OS, as I like to be able to image
an OS and swap and change whenever I want without any horse poop.

Time for bed said Florence, Boing said Zebedee.

hello_hello

23rd October 2018, 09:54

I currently have Classic Shell installed (which fixes that god awful Windows Explorer jumping about thing when you click on a folder). Unfortunately the explorer is still bloody awful in comparison to the XP edition. It is hard to believe that W7 Windows Explorer has survived so long without its bugs and peculiarities being squashed.

Try an alternative file manager. The free version of xplorer2 is much better.
https://www.freewarefiles.com/Xplorer2-Lite-_program_111070.html

It's dual-pane, each pane can have multiple tabs like a browser, and each pane can have it's columns configured individually. It can be configured to startup in it's previous state, but I prefer to disable that and create several tabs open to often used locations and save the configuration so it always starts up that way.

A file manager without dual panes is soooooo frustrating. It also has a feature which I think might be similar to the breadcumbs annoyance of Explorer, only it works better. Each tab shows the full path and it's clickable. Left click takes you to the location in the path you clicked on. Right click gives you a list of all the subfolders for that location.

Best as I can tell, the free version only comes in a 32 bit flavour, but I think the only limitation there is it can't be configured to replace Explorer on 64 bit Windows. Not that it matters. I've always used it separately and it still incorporates Explorer's context menus.
It also appears the latest version (I haven't used it yet) has a ribbon interface, but you can switch to the classic menu bar.

There's a tree view similar to Explorer's but I don't use it much so I have it hidden as I'm still using a 4:3 monitor.

https://i.postimg.cc/LqBgrHpD/xplorer2.gif (https://postimg.cc/LqBgrHpD)

Atak_Snajpera

23rd October 2018, 12:30

@StainlessS and others
If you hate windows 7 (the best windows version in my opinion so far) then you will love windows 10 aka SpyingService10 ;).
BTW. It is funny that you managed to hibernate yourself so long on that outdated NT5.1 OS.

Your beloved ReactOS still is only a NT5.x clone. You won't be able to run many apps compiled for NT6.x

Seedmanc

23rd October 2018, 12:59

Funny, while I learned to like W7 (after all I switched to it some 5-7 years ago and didn't really reinstall it since), and I'd never go back, I can understand OP because i'm having the same feelings now about W10 and how terrible it is compared to W7. Though mine might be caused by the fact that I have a very old W10 version and it might have gotten better since. But updates are cancer and bring destruction, so I avoid them, fortunately it's not my primary OS.
But that essentially means it's not a matter of a windows version but merely of breaking habits and switching from a well-tuned OS installation, molded after your own usage patterns to a new one that'll require a comparable amount of work to achieve a usable state. Something similar should happen when reinstalling the current OS from scratch as well, hence I'm not doing it at all. Besides there's the proper SSD support and that's important if you want to manage large videofiles.
Can't really comment on React other than it being a meme OS.

Somehow I've never heard of Virtual Store and it never bothered me in all these years. Looking at the folder now, it's empty. Maybe it was disabled in my bundle.
Not sure why'd you use Virtual Dub's editor instead of AvspMod, I dropped VDubMod's editor the moment I learned about the specialized one.

Any particular problems with the default ZIP handler other than it not displaying image thumbs? I use Pismo File Mounter when I need to access archive contents without extraction. I'd also recommend installing the Link Shell Extention (http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/linkshellextension.html) to manage NTFS capabilities from inside the explorer.

lansing

23rd October 2018, 14:43

One weird prob I'm having is when I right click avs file and load into VDub2, on pressing VD2 avs script editor F7 (save and refresh) key, it just stops responding altogether. Also, in MeGUI, it simply hangs before showing the Aspect Ratio preview window.
(above with VD2 and MeGUI x86, have not as yet even tried x64 where I anticipate even more problems).

This looks more like a machine fail rather than a problem with the OS because I couldn't reproduce your issue on my win7 and I doubt that anyone would to able to.

Revan654

23rd October 2018, 18:15

This looks more like a machine fail rather than a problem with the OS because I couldn't reproduce your issue on my win7 and I doubt that anyone would to able to.

^This or the whole meltdown / bytecode fix. On older systems the bytecode has slowed down systems.

StainlessS

23rd October 2018, 19:58

I guess that I should really read up on W7, I hate reading since my eyes got dodgy.
Is one supposed to install everything with "Run As Administrator", even when one is an Administrator ?

Think I'm gonna go back to base image (just generalized [bcd made to run from current drive rather than specific drive], and updated
via WSuS OffLine, and a few basic settings, got my beloved Windows 95 Red Tiles set up as background (I find it restful on the eyes), and also dumped all of that pinned to taskbar stuff and replaced with QuickLaunch bar, switched off taskbar button grouping + other stuff incl Windows Classic [not that awful XP Classic]).

Incidentally, I use netspeedmonitor v2.5.4 by Florian Gilles, there seems to be later versions, dont know why I use the older version, maybe just for XP,
I even use it on Windows 10 Tablet/Laptop, but have to install in compatibility mode, works fine. The thing I like about it is it sits on taskbar and gives a simple
text readout of up and down speed for Mobile Wifi, I dont usually bother tracking other stuff. Also can track volume usage, but I switch that off.

I dont find W10 that bad apart from the horrid update habits, I've learnt that there aint no point in trying to do anything when its busy updating,
but I only have W10 on tablet/laptop and would I think find it totally disagreeable if I had in on desktop.

I'll have to try out Total Commander again, some time since I used that, except on Android. Xplorer2 I already have, and quite liked.
I use Classic Shell v4.3.1, I used it on Vista (which I only booted up about a dozen times after config, XP upgrade @ £160.00 down the toilet, and felt
like a right toolbag having fell for that con trick, M$ is yet to be forgiven).

ReactOS, is looking to include part of the ShortHorn project stuff which implements Vista API's, dont know if will be included in next release in a few days.
Last install was about 100MB, so somewhat smaller that the bloat it is to replace, think I'll install for real the next offering, see if it runs Avisynth OK or not.

EDIT: Linux Cinnamon Mint is a real nice and easy path into Linux, not too disorienting for the Windows user,
but gonna take a look at both LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) and Gentoo as well, which is a source based distro,
everything is optimised for your particular system. (also uses the old system init stuff [forgot what its called] so
is similar to Android which also uses it).

TheFluff

23rd October 2018, 20:45

Windows 7 extended support ends January 14, 2020. You should have gone straight to Windows 10. Also, don't bother trying to turn every OS into Windows XP, it'll just make it worse and you'll never be satisfied because it's not the same. Accept the differences, get used to it and move on.

StainlessS

23rd October 2018, 21:13

Windows 7 extended support ends January 14, 202
Guess I'll have it for the next half dozen years or so, then Linux and ReactOS will be the norm, M$ is destined to come a cropper,
seem to have lost the plot a bit.

I guess the only reason that I dont find W10 too bad is that I only really use it to wander around the internet when in pub.
I'm a lot more forgiving after a dozen or two beers.

TheFluff

23rd October 2018, 21:49

Windows 10 Pro is fine these days. It works. It certainly had no shortage of sorta broken things at launch but you should never be an early adopter of operating systems anyway (but then again you shouldn't refuse to upgrade for over a decade either). Also, the general consensus is that Microsoft has gotten a lot better over the last few years, to the point they've basically swapped places with Google in the public perception. Google is now the giant soulless all-encompassing monopoly full of douchebros, while Microsoft is embracing open source and making their products cross-platform. At least half the developers I know are now using Visual Studio Code on MacOS X. The times they are a-changin'.

StainlessS

23rd October 2018, 22:12

I ain't tried W10 Pro, just got Home Premium (think that's how its described), I preferred 1709 which was the first version I tried,
dont like the way it seems to be exploding in size (I only got 32GB MMC storage, and is currently occupying about 12GB or maybe a bit more,
was considerably smaller when I got the machine). Dont know what takes the space, above size is after deleting all of the old version windows stuff
and also some secret (hidden) folders, I believe its gets quite a bit smaller if doing a clean install (maybe bout 4GB smaller).
Feel sorry for those with 16GB lite systems, which have a bad time where update screws up due to lack of space and leaves m/c in useless condition,
where clean reinstall is only option.

I dont see M$ as any kind of saints but have to agree with the public perception change, Google are scarily omnipotent,
I dont like latest Android versions either, gonna try take my Moto G and Sony Xperia Z2 back to KitKat when I get around to it
(at least the SD card **** up is fixable in KitKat).

johnmeyer

23rd October 2018, 23:36

BTW, StainlessS, I assume you know about the update that forces Win7 to upgrade itself to Win10, without your consent. Several years ago I had two grown men call me, crying, because they could no longer figure out how to get anything done because their computer had upgraded itself to Win10.

Upgrades you do NOT want to install, in order to keep Win7 include:

KB3035583
KB2952664
KB3021917
KB3123862

This may be less of an issue, now that Win10 is not a free upgrade, but a couple of years ago, this was a huge issue.

Emulgator

23rd October 2018, 23:41

I can second all what Manolito, hello_hello and johnmeyer found.
Going the similar route since I was forced to use Win7 because of newer hardware.
After first purchase it took me more than 8 weeks to go from cursing and not believing my eyes
to finally obtaining a more, now beautifully responsive Win7, looking like Win2000,
handling long lost, old, simple and beautiful software together with the recent stuff without locking me out.
And besides, 5 XP systems still perform beautifully here for those tasks that need XP
(e.g. NikonScan, which will never see an update because the scanners are not produced anymore, now worth a fortune.
VCD, SVCD, rarely needed, but hey: never compiled to work on anything past XP,
Refillable Printers, which will never see any update because manufacturer wants to see them dead.
some tailored measurement software which will never be updated beyond XP.)

On one of my used replacement laptops poor previous owner had traded his Vista64 for W10.
He must have been so discouraged then that he sold quickly for very cheap.
For me it came in as a nuisance which lasted 5 days, then I got rid of that.

Classic Shell, Total Commander, getting back Quick Launch and many more tweaks...
It is possible to tailor W7, but definitely wasn't a quick task for me.
In the end I took over almost all ownership, then permissions from "System" until I locked "System" out too much.

So welcome to the club, StainlessS and many thanks for your continued work to make ends meet !

FranceBB

24th October 2018, 03:13

I have Linux as my main OS (Fedora), but I do have virtual machines with Windows.
The first one is a clone-disk of my old Windows XP (I've been using it since 2002 and I moved it from hardware to hardware 'till now).
I use XP for pretty much everything, including Avisynth, and it has all the updates, a modified kernel and it's PAE aware (which means that can use up to 64GB of RAM, even though I have 32GB only and I assigned it 10 GB).
The second VM is a clean Windows Server 2019 install with the "latest and greatest" version of Visual Studio that I use to code.
For all the other things, I just use Linux, which is great... even though it does have some issues popping up every now and then and I report them to Red Hat (but that's the price to pay for not paying for RHEL and using its beta - Fedora -).
I do think that XP can be useful 'till April 2019, when the support will end.

johnmeyer

24th October 2018, 04:02

And besides, 5 XP systems still perform beautifully here for those tasks that need XP
(e.g. NikonScan, which will never see an update because the scanners are not produced anymore, now worth a fortune.
VCD, SVCD, rarely needed, but hey: never compiled to work on anything past XP, ...This is OT, but if you still do a lot of scanning with your Nikon scanner, Ed Hammrick's Vuescan is infinitely better than Nikonscan and, if you have a big project, it will let you batch scan.

I've put about 20,000 slides, color negatives, and B&W negatives through my Nikon film scanners over the past 15 years and couldn't have done it without Vuescan.

BTW, I also got the batch slide loader attachment. This lets me scan 30+ slides at a time, without having to do anything.

manolito

24th October 2018, 05:21

One nasty Win7 64-bit bug I forgot to mention:

If you transfer large files using the native Explorer Copy routines to an external USB3 drive (formatted with NTFS), you may get corrupted files. There will be no error message, you might only notice the corruption much later when the original files are no longer available.

https://superuser.com/questions/685525/files-get-corrupted-frequently-while-copying-to-external-hard-drives

Microsoft knows about this error, but they flatly refused to fix it. The only workaround is to NOT use the native file copy routines. Use TeraCopy or Total Commander or any other file copy software which uses its own copy routines.

Cheers
manolito

StainlessS

24th October 2018, 10:25

Mani, I saw no mention of problems with specifically USB3.0, only USB 2.0 (in a link to MS site via your link), bit scary and seemingly still no resolution.

Anyways, not a surprise that NTSC produces problems, it is after all known as "Never Twice the Same Color", and makes for a lousy file system. :)

From the MS link (longish single page thread):- https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/13a7426e-1a5d-41b0-9e16-19437697f62b/windows-7-64bit-corrupting-altering-large-files-copied-to-external-ntfs-drives?forum=w7itproperf
On TeraCopy
I also experienced the problem with Teracopy, when I enabled an option which is off by default: "use system write cache".
So suggests keep default switched OFF Bolded Teracopy option, otherwise same problem as in native copy.

EDIT: I downed Teracopy v3.2.6 from home site, seems that there is a v3.3 beta knocking about, did not see that on home site, suggest avoid.
I also downed TotalCommander 32 bit, as 64 bit was pinpointed in MS linked thread as more likely source of problems.

I have Linux as my main OS (Fedora), but I do have virtual machines with Windows.
The first one is a clone-disk of my old Windows XP (I've been using it since 2002 and I moved it from hardware to hardware 'till now).
I use XP for pretty much everything, including Avisynth, and it has all the updates, a modified kernel and it's PAE aware (which means that can use up to 64GB of RAM, even though I have 32GB only and I assigned it 10 GB).

Would above suggest that your XP is 32 bit with PAE and also maybe Service pack 2 (or was it 1), I thought XP32 originally supported PAE
but supposedly because of possible bad drivers, M$ revoked PAE support. Perhaps you kept it at SP2(or 1) and just applied updates after that without the specific SP3 service pack (and without whatever quick fix that voided PAE). [Also, if above true, how do you avoid upsetting those programs that demand SP3+, simple reg hack perhaps]

EDIT: Just noticed that W7 is blocking downloaded files, Right click on properties and see
"Security: This files came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer",
will have to stop that,

Run
GPEdit.MSC
User Configuration
Administrative Templates
Windows components
Attachment Manager
Do not Preserve Zone information in file attachments Enabled # Stop file blocking

Atak_Snajpera

24th October 2018, 12:25

Wolfberry

24th October 2018, 13:24

Microsoft released the Windows 10 October 2018 Update to “seekers” on October 2nd during its Surface event, completely skipping the Release Preview ring of the Windows Insiders program. However, that didn’t go quite well, as many problems began arising for users who were updating to the newest version of Windows 10.

Source (https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-10-october-2018-update-build-1776317-heads-to-slow-and-release-preview-rings/)

I agree that Microsoft skips the Release Preview ring is not a good idea and indeed cause many problems.

But I also agree with TheFluff that Windows 10 Pro is fine these days, just not upgrade immediately when a new release is available.

ChaosKing

24th October 2018, 13:37

And it's not like we never had Win7 update problems... I actually install Redstone updates as soon there is an RC available, nerver had problems. And I feel like I will have problems as soon I forget to make a backup before a big update :D

FranceBB

24th October 2018, 22:17

Would above suggest that your XP is 32 bit with PAE and also maybe Service pack 2 (or was it 1), I thought XP32 originally supported PAE
but supposedly because of possible bad drivers, M$ revoked PAE support. Perhaps you kept it at SP2(or 1) and just applied updates after that without the specific SP3 service pack (and without whatever quick fix that voided PAE). [Also, if above true, how do you avoid upsetting those programs that demand SP3+, simple reg hack perhaps]

I just use a modified kernel with PAE unlocked. You can find more on MSFN - Windows XP (http://www.msfn.org/board/forum/34-windows-xp/) section where I usually post.
There are many interesting things like the One Core API (http://www.shorthornproject.com/onecoreapi.html) which is a set of kernel-calls redirected or implemented from scratch to run new programs on Windows XP.

TheFluff

24th October 2018, 22:30

https://www.zdnet.com/article/new-windows-10-1809-bug-zip-data-loss-flaw-is-months-old-but-microsoft-missed-it/

Service10 will NEVER be fine because M$ does not give a s#!t about bug reports from insiders! Since launch end user is a tester.

cool meme bro

spoiler alert: all software is broken as shit (https://danluu.com/everything-is-broken/)*, if you think anything else is better it's only because you don't notice the bugs, either because of habit or because of your particular usage patterns. or it's because of some particular myopia you have, i guess. win10 isn't meaningfully more or less broken than win7, but it'll get updates that fixes some of the broken stuff for longer, so you should use it.

* aerospace is a possible exception. their shit is probably broken too but at least it fails safe

e: i mean you could certainly argue that you don't like certain aesthetic aspects of win10, such as the app store, but you can, like, just not use those parts?

johnmeyer

24th October 2018, 23:04

Win10 is death by a thousand cuts: the UI is totally different, making it impossible to do things that I memorized since May 1990 (Win 3.0 launch date); Explorer operates totally differently, breaking many things beyond the search problems I already mentioned; it has far more "nanny" aspects which Win7 already started introducing, meaning that it stops you from doing things (e.g., requires permission to open some programs) and makes permissions far more intrusive.

I could go on, but since I use both XP and Win7 every day, and after doing this for three years, still can't stand Win7, and since Win10 is 10x worse than Win7, it would make it impossible for me to get anything done.

In a nutshell: I feel like a genius when I use XP; I feel like a complete noob when I use Win7.

TheFluff

24th October 2018, 23:12

manolito

25th October 2018, 03:34

also, uac is good. execution prevention is good. limited permissions are good. don't disable them. the world is a scary place these days. if you're an experienced computer toucher, you probably don't need antivirus, but don't disable uac. you are human. you will fuck up, sooner or later.

All of this only applies if you don't make backups regularly. And if you do not make backups then all of this "Nannying" stuff will not really protect you, it will only give you a false sense of being protected. At the cost of not really being able to control YOUR computer. The M$ philosophy is that the computer really belongs to THEM and not to the user, they decide what users can do with it and what they can't.

johnmeyer

25th October 2018, 06:20

hm, it's almost as if you train yourself on using something, you get better at using that thing??? makes u think....

you acquired a skill for using a tool that is now no longer in widespread use. it's still a useful tool for doing the things you used to do with it, but there are now also new tools that work differently. if you don't want to use them, that's fine, but don't claim the new tools are useless because you refuse to learn how to use themSome software is well-designed; some is not. Win10 is not.

One thing I learned back in the 1980s (when I was in the middle of things): some software is easy to learn, and some software is easy to use. Win10 went overboard trying to make it easy to learn, but in the process, it became hard to use.

Finally, I strongly object to product revisions which change things just for the sake of changing them. We used to call this "putting your scent" on the software, meaning that the programmer wanted to have his/her personality imprinted on the software, but without actually accomplishing anything useful. I'm still looking for even one useful feature in Win7 or Win10, but I haven't found a thing that, when I go back to XP, I find myself missing it.

I did say in my earlier posts that I use Win7 almost daily and have for many years. I know it well enough to dislike it. Win10 I've only used when called upon to fix other people's computers. I've watched over people's shoulders as they use it, and it is indeed a pig when it comes to doing things quickly and efficiently.

TheFluff

25th October 2018, 13:02

All of this only applies if you don't make backups regularly. And if you do not make backups then all of this "Nannying" stuff will not really protect you, it will only give you a false sense of being protected. At the cost of not really being able to control YOUR computer. The M$ philosophy is that the computer really belongs to THEM and not to the user, they decide what users can do with it and what they can't.

my dude, i think you might be slightly overreacting just a little bit to having to press a "yes i'm sure i know what i'm doing" button every once in a while

you can trivially override all of these things i mentioned, they just warn you if you're doing something weird. you can still install whatever kernel mode thing you like, if you insist. no need for the tinfoil hat.

by the way, backups won't save you from a moldavian keylogger stealing your credit card number, and i sure hope you have your backups set up in a way that doesn't expose them to things like cryptolocker. also, restoring backups is a far bigger pain in the ass than having to click "yes" every once in a while.

Some software is well-designed; some is not. Win10 is not.

One thing I learned back in the 1980s (when I was in the middle of things): some software is easy to learn, and some software is easy to use. Win10 went overboard trying to make it easy to learn, but in the process, it became hard to use.

ah, the power user argument. yes, it is true that things like (for example) well-designed keyboard interfaces can make you very fast at navigating computer programs, for the price of having to train yourself on the interface.

that design paradigm is almost completly dead today. certain professional applications still adhere to it, but the vast majority of applications don't, and this thread is a very good illustration of why: the user becomes inflexible. once you've invested the time in learning the interface, switching to another interface is seen as a huge barrier and most people flat out refuse to do it. i have several colleagues who once upon a time learned to use a text-mode editor like vim or emacs, with the result that they (in their own words) are completely unable to switch to any other editor or IDE. using a vim-like keymap for e.g. visual studio code just "feels wrong" and so they accept the inconvenience of (for example) not having an interactive debugger in their editor. sure, they edit text faster than i do, but i don't think they're really any more productive than i am in the long run.

it's similar to learning the dvorak keyboard layout - sure, you (probably) become a bit more efficient at typing, but it's at the expense of never being able to use another person's keyboard. learning an interface is an investment, and investments come with a certain penalty to flexibility.

Finally, I strongly object to product revisions which change things just for the sake of changing them. We used to call this "putting your scent" on the software, meaning that the programmer wanted to have his/her personality imprinted on the software, but without actually accomplishing anything useful. I'm still looking for even one useful feature in Win7 or Win10, but I haven't found a thing that, when I go back to XP, I find myself missing it.

dan luu (whom i linked above) has a fairly nuanced view of the ui compatibility argument (http://danluu.com/ui-compatibility/) that you might possibly be interested in. not saying this to be combative, i genuinely think it's an interesting read and i can see both sides of the argument.

StainlessS

25th October 2018, 13:28

Mani,
does you got this thingy here:- "acl_repair_utility_for_vista_7.zip", seems to have been from deviant art dead link.

[EDIT: When searching online,] I did find the God Mode thing (which I think I once found when I was using Vista for a very short time), is just a folder which if you open it, provides a quick access list of sys config shortcuts all in one place. Tested and works on both W7 and W10, does not work on XP.

ie Create folder on desktop (or wherever) called "admin.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}" (excluding quotes),
thats it, enjoy your new deity status.

I strongly object to product revisions which change things just for the sake of changing them.

M$ probably feels that everything has to change so as to justify charging big bucks for a new OS, if it dont change, then
you would feel as you forked out lots of Wonga, just to get the same thing that you already had.
(What really hurts is when they change things & provide you with something sub par in comparison with pre existing functionality)

EDIT: It also provides them with questions for MCSE type exams (@ ~£100.00 each), eg "What is the new name for xxx in the fresh and exciting Windows zzz Ultimate ?". [MCSE Win2000 consisted of 7 exams @ £90.00 each circa 2004, so probably about £100 or more now].

real.finder

25th October 2018, 14:24

I do agree with TheFluff

I was hate win 10 but after I use it I see it good, I was winxp user and I was like it and then switch to win7 for last years since winxp no longer support several new things but I never like win7, but now I kinda like win10, Especially features in Task Manager and how it get new gpu usage in recent updates

johnmeyer

25th October 2018, 16:42

Thanks Fluff. Great post. I'll take a look at those links.

manolito

26th October 2018, 00:12

Mani,
does you got this thingy here:- "acl_repair_utility_for_vista_7.zip", seems to have been from deviant art dead link.

Hi StainlessS,
this link still works for me:

https://www.deviantart.com/asilaydyingdl/art/ACL-repair-utility-for-Vista-7-182330082

The "Download" button is at the top right of the page. If you still have trouble downloading it, lemme know, I can upload it for you...
Make sure to read the updated Readme file in the archive. Under a 64-bit OS you need to edit the file "Reset.cmd", the same goes for a system locale other than English.

Re Win7 search from one of your previous posts:
The FileSearch Classic tool by RaffRiff is available at SourceForge. Works well, only issue I found is that upon uninstalling the Explorer right-click shortcut is not removed. Plus there is no German translation (and I am too lazy to do it...)
I now use FileSearchEX, it feels much faster to me. But it is not free.

Cheers
manolito

StainlessS

26th October 2018, 00:34

Cheers Mani, Damned if it didn't work this time, no problem at all (have rebooted in between, don't know if relevant).

Thanks for the RaffRiff link (he aint been about in some time, hope he's ok).

NiSoft, SearchMyFiles is pretty reasonable if I remember correctly:- https://www.nirsoft.net,
NOTE, you will probably get Anti-Virus type +ve's on eg NirSoft's Password Recovery type tools, but then you have to expect
that and is quite normal, NirSoft utilities are legend, clean and free of all malware (provided that you get em' from NirSoft).
Nirsoft is the source of the UsbDeview utility, which many (incl M$ I think) bundle in tools kits.
Here some Video/Audio related tools:- https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/index.html#audio_video_utils
InstalledCodec, has I think been posted on-site a number of times.
EDIT: SearchMyFiles has been recently updated, x86 and x64 versions.
Most NirSoft tools available in many Languages.

Here a GUI Util "ResetPermission", which gets 6 hits on VirusTotal.com (although two of them are for ****PUP (potentially Unwanted Program)
and so no real surprise there either. The site (authors site) also provides source for the app, Comodo (my Anti-Virus thingy), produces nothing bad.
lallouslab.net::ResetPermission:- http://lallouslab.net/2009/06/14/resetting-ntfs-files-security-and-permission-in-windows-7/
NOTE, The author provides a Password for unzip, probably to stop false +ve antivirus from immediately deleting zip file.
Password="lallouslab". (just in case you miss it on the download page)
I ran the GUI util on XP (where I have Comodo running) and no alarms (although I did not click any buttons, did not wanna screw up XP
without cause).

From VirusTotal:- https://www.virustotal.com/#/file/297453e02cf08ab2274f3a9e77aeb7e4c1fe4352a2adbeb100d549440485de09/detection
Two Community votes, both give Thumbs Up.
EDIT: Actually 12 +ve hits out of 66 (not 6 out of 33), they are listed in pairs(I just counted lines).

https://i.postimg.cc/m2Dks6PZ/Reset-Permission.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

VoodooFX

26th October 2018, 09:22

There is my personal semi-organized batch script I run after Win7 install:
https://pastebin.com/JJn3t1JU

Removes/disables all crap, and tweaks windows to my needs. Don't run it blindly if you do some fancy stuff on network, tweak it to your needs, there is some comments at more important parts.
To disable activity logging (it logs every key you press...) you will need SetACL exe.
Don't run it on Win10, as it's WIP for Win10...

StainlessS

26th October 2018, 21:58

Nice script Voodoo, I'll give it a bash after checking out what all of the fixes do, I think I noticed one or two that might cause problem for me.
Some of the fixes you do, I sometimes fix via GPEdit.msc, Group Policy settings.

EDIT: Although GPEdit.msc dont work for me in Windows 10 home Premium, I managed to install GPEdit.msc (not usually included
in Home Premium) but settings seem to be simply ignored.

EDIT: This posted elsewhere by a real nice chap [EDIT: Re: Windows 10 Update too big for tablet]:- www.linxtablet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=3042&start=10#p17314
Dont think I've seen this anywhere on-site, so am posting here.
If you switch on display of hidden system files and see directory $GetCurrent, it contains remnants
of a previous update (not removed until 30 days after update [or so it is said, but seems not to be the case, nor is it removed
by disk cleanup]), mine was about 4GB in size, after reading below linked page, I deleted mine and now have 4GB less rubbish
on my C: drive.
How-To Geek: What Are the $GetCurrent and $SysReset Folders, and Can You Delete Them?
https://www.howtogeek.com/308301/what-are-the-getcurrent-and-sysreset-folders-and-can-you-delete-them/

After deletion of $GetCurrent, I currently have 20.1 GB free of 28.5 GB on my 32GB mmc, C:\ drive.
[I recently went back to Macrium reflect backup of 1709, after attempted install of Cinnamon Mint x64 on USB failed].

EDIT: I also disabled Hibernation saving about 1GB (invisible file hiberfil sys will disappear from C:\):-
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/support-software/How-to-disable-Sleep-Mode-or-Hibernation-793/

EDIT: Free up space to install the latest Windows 10 update:-
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4013876/freeing-up-space-to-install-the-latest-windows-10-update

EDIT:
C:\Windows\WinSxS not properley cleaned up by Diskcleanup,
Jan 7 post, http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-3610993/disk-space-update.html
Via Administrator Command Prompt (without quotes):- "Dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup"
Removes some un-used (outdated) files.

I updated from 1709 to current 1803 and now have 15.7 GB free with only a few programs installed.

EDIT: I also wanted to install GpEdit.Msc (Group Policy Editor) to disable Fast User Switching (plus some other stuff), and
found this (posting here so I can find it again):-
Easily Install Group Policy Editor (GPEdit.msc) In Windows 10 Home Edition, See the link GPEdit Enabler for Windows 10 Home Edition
https://www.itechtics.com/easily-enable-group-policy-editor-gpedit-msc-in-windows-10-home-edition/
Above runs a simple batch script which extracts it from an archive already present in Windows 10 Home (works also for W7/8/8.1 apparently).
EDIT: Forget about GpEdit on Windows 10 Home edition, it dont seem to set the policies (leastwise not the ones I've tried).

TheFluff

28th October 2018, 01:00

Yeah, you don't get group policies in Win10 home. There's a reason I specifically said Win10 pro. The home editions are a good deal more locked down.

e: also: https://decentsecurity.com/#/holiday-tasks/

StainlessS

28th October 2018, 01:13

Yeah, but is it just a case of setting something in the registry to switch on policy processing.
I have GpEdit installed from within a W10 Home archive, and it does seem to edit the settings, they just dont do seem to do anything.
It dont really matter anyways, there are I think reg fixes to achieve pretty much anything I'm likely to wanna do with it.

StainlessS

28th October 2018, 03:54

Yo guys, dunno what happened but no problems with either VDub or MeGUI now, all going A.O.K (at last not freezing).

So, thank you all for suggestions etc, me a happy bunny, but still gonna go back to base image and see what happens,
but not just yet.

Thanx. :thanks:

EDIT: It still sux, but at least its not freezing now.

VoodooFX

28th October 2018, 21:07

If you have pre ~2015 hardware I wouldn't install Win7 with Meltdown & Spectre fixes. It can slow down your PC up to ~20%.

StainlessS

28th October 2018, 21:35

Thanks V, yes a little before 2015, an old Dell Optiplex 780 DT, Q9550 2.83GHz, 12MB Cache, 2nd Gen Core 2 Quad, 45nm.
12GB DDR3, 1TB boot drive, 2TB Data, both Sata III, but on Sata II machine.

EDIT: Its a bit limited for expansion cards, I happen to have a Low Profile (needs be this unless some kind of dell expansion
thing) nvidia GeForce GT 210, maybe I'll try it, maybe not, not decided yet.
Also need to get USB 3.0 expansion card, maybe need PCI express for that instead of video card.

If infected by Spectre etc, I would just reinstall a base image and so is no real problem, just a bit of a nuisance.

EDIT: Backup drives connected only on demand, (I also disconnect from internet when not in use).
I never auto update anything, dont like to be alarmed if I see some furious activity on the internet,
I also switch off System Restore (very first thing I do on a virgin setup), and will not tolerate any interference
of OS regarding 'MY DATA' drives, anything stored on my data drives by some software gets deleted immediately
that I see it, even if I have to reinstall the offending (usually M$) software [usually requires temp removal of all drive letters
excl OS drive C:].
Dont really know what 'TimeShift' (or whatever its called) is, but sounded a bit like System Restore to me, so that got
immediately disabled after update to W10 1809.

StainlessS

29th October 2018, 02:56

Well deary me !, damn thing went all cock-eyed again, but we found the problem.

It was an install of Avisynth v2.60 standard that fixed the problem for me, and un-froze stuff.
Re-install of Avs+, brought back the problem, and after trying with "AvsMeter AvsInfo" (which was also Freezing its nadds off),
I narrowed it down to this plugin, "AvsFilterNet.dll" :- http://www.mediafire.com/file/4cf2fmyb603c0mc/ProblemDLL.7z/file
Not sure which thread I got it from, maybe MysteryX thread, or the Avisynth_overlay [EDIT: AutoOverlay] thing (most likely I think, [in devs forum]).

Screws up only avs+, not avs standard. Strangely, I can load an avs in Vdub2, but not refresh (save and reload, freezes),
also slips AvsMeter a Micky Finn under avs+ (but not avs standard).

Here tis under avs standard:
https://i.postimg.cc/bYRB3Hgn/Avs-Filter-Net.jpg (https://postimages.cc/)

EDIT: That was with otherwise empty plugins directory under avs+, the other plugs in image are installed via avs standard.
avs was just installed with avs+ plugins directory remaining in-situ.

EDIT: That is v2.60 avs standard which was ok (not 2.61 alpha, which I have not tried).

EDIT: With avs standard installer, got some kind of "did the program install correctly" type dialog box come up,
(I said yes), and no problems. Dont think same box came up with install of avs+, perhaps related.

EDIT: Just checked, same plugin dll installed on XP and is currently encoding a clip without issue (MeGUI/Avs+).
Perhaps there is some kind permissions problem contributing to the freeze on W7.

StainlessS

10th November 2018, 00:23

As my yesterday post in News Forum seems to have been rejected by the all-knowing-moderators, I post this here as was previously mentioned in this thread.

ReactOS v4.10 released 6 Nov 2018:- https://www.reactos.org/project-news/reactos-0410-released

Applications tested,:- https://reactos.org/wiki/Tests_for_0.4.10

I shall at some point install on M/c and try see if Vdub2, and Avs+, MeGUI et al works, or not.

Katie Boundary

1st December 2018, 13:04

What a coincidence. My World of Warcraft game time expires, so I switch back to my XP x64 partition, come back here for the first time in weeks or months... and you're all talking about XP.:rolleyes:

Back in August, I posted a similar thread to this one on the ReactOS forums. it got quite a bit of attention: www.reactos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17436

The short version is, XP was the last halfway decent version of Windows, Vista/7/8/10 are all trash, and stuff like Classic Shell can't even fix half of what's wrong with them.

The last time I built a computer, I chose older parts specifically because XP drivers existed for them. I don't regret that decision. I've also said on Facebook that as Windows keeps getting worse and worse, and Linux and WINE keep getting better, Linux will eventually be better at running Windows software than Windows itself will be... if it isn't already.

I do agree with TheFluff

I was hate win 10 but after I use it I see it good, I was winxp user and I was like it and then switch to win7 for last years since winxp no longer support several new things but I never like win7, but now I kinda like win10, Especially features in Task Manager and how it get new gpu usage in recent updates

Most of those are definitely words.

StainlessS

11th December 2018, 22:23

Manolito,

Further to your suggestions for file explorer on Win7/10, got me a few here that you may like to try.

Q-Dir (Quad Explorer):- https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/Q-Dir
Tiny size.
Freeware, No source code.
Very Active Development (Dec 2018).
W98 -> Win 10, x86,x64. (install or portable)
Nice Quad window explorer (changeable number and layout at push of button).
Very Good I love it.
##################
Double Commander:- https://doublecmd.sourceforge.io/
Open Source, very active development (Object Pascal).
Cross Platform, Install and Portable, x86,x64.
Compatible to Total Commander plugins. Double Commander Plugins available(some with source):- https://github.com/doublecmd/doublecmd/wiki/Plugins
Dont like default fonts, but easily changeable.
##################
Multi Commander(updated Aug 2018):- http://multicommander.com/
Free Personal, Commercial, Government. Optional donation.
About 7MB,.
Duel panel.
Win XP -> W10, x86 & x64, Install & Portable.
Extensible via scripting/automation and plugins, SDK availble (no source code).
Active Forum.
Seems very good.
##################
Explorer++:- https://explorerplusplus.com/download
No longer supported (source code available, cpp).
Windows x86,x64 Portable only.
Pretty good single pane.
##################
Windows File Manager (WinFile)
The Windows File manager was originally released with Windows 3.0 in the early 1990s.
You can read more about the history at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Manager_(Windows).

WinFile on GitHub:- https://github.com/Microsoft/winfile
Binary:- https://github.com/Microsoft/winfile/releases

Open Sourced by MicroSoft(April 2018) (Updated for Win10/10.1, June 2018).
Changed from original source to compile in recent Visual Studio and run on recent Windows.
Windows W98->W10, Portable, x86,x64.
Requires VS CPP 2017 Runtimes.
Basic and portable, familiar to many.
##################
6 Best Free File Managers Alternatives To File Explorer:- https://fossbytes.com/best-free-file-managers-windows-10-alternatives/

26 best file managers for Windows:- https://www.slant.co/topics/2404/~best-file-managers-for-windows

I love the Q-Dir one, and both Commander's could well be useful.

EDIT: Above the ones I liked out of about 10 of the best.

johnmeyer

12th December 2018, 02:25

Thanks!! Sounds like Q-Dir is your top pic. I'll give that a try.

manolito

12th December 2018, 03:22

+1 :cool:

I used to be a big fan of sophisticated file managers in the old days. Under DOS this was of course Norton Commander, later XTree became my favorite. Then under Windows I used ZTree (XTree for Win), Speed Commander, TNT (The Next Tool) and of course Win Commander (M$ later forced them to change the name to Total Commander). I get a little nostalgic now. None of my friends is comfortable with file managers, they get scared immediately.

Today its just Total Commander and Explorer++ for me. I stopped upgrading Total Commander a few years ago, it is just perfect as it is. And Explorer++ is on all my WinPE (or WinRE) based disaster recovery CDs. But I will sure take the time and test some of the stuff in your compilation...

RE using a different search utility under Win7:

IMO M$ started to cripple searching even under XP. I still have Win98 on my machine, and I soon found out that the Win98 search would find files when I was searching for files containing a certain string while under XP I would not get any results. Turned out that under XP only files with certain known extensions would be searched for content.

Starting with Win7 searching from within Explorer became totally useless, and there are 2 replacements which I recommed:

The first one is FileSearchEX. Looks identical to the old Explorer search, nothing new to get used to. Only drawback that it is not free, and I found that searching for files containg a string is not always all that reliable.

The other one is EffectiveFileSearch, and this is my real favorite. It is free, it is fast (much faster than RaffRiff's tool) and totally reliable. Check it out...

Cheers
manolito

chros

12th December 2018, 11:24

I get a little nostalgic now. None of my friends is comfortable with file managers, they get scared immediately.

:) Same here. I'm not young anymore, and when my younger colleagues (even ones in their 30's, in IT!) say that they don't have the slightest clue what I'm talking about, then I'm freaking out! :D
Probably it's also the influence of Mac OS.
I also always used it on every OS: NC, FAR Manager, TC, MC, Gnome Commander, muCommander, etc :)

Today its just Total Commander
I also only use Total Commander at home, actually never used anything else on Windows at home.

At work I can't use it (obviously), so I found Double Commander 2 years ago as a free/opensource replacement for it (it's meant to have the same functionality as TC).

I only search via these commander apps (ALT+F7).

Honestly, I never understood how other people can live without a commander type file manager :D

Groucho2004

12th December 2018, 12:42

I never understood how other people can live without a commander type file managerI suppose that they simply don't know anything else than Windows Explorer. They are used to using copy/paste and drag 'n drop and most of them would find it difficult to adapt to a 'proper' file manager.

In my job I have to move/copy files all the time and I'd be lost without my beloved Far Manager. I've been using it since the mid 90's and am now on FAR3 which I compile myself with some code customisations.

Before FAR it was Norton Commander for Windows/DOS and before that a MS-DOS 3.3 command prompt. :D

StainlessS

12th December 2018, 17:13

Far Manager, looks a lot like MC [EDIT: mc in linux] (Midnight Commander) on Linux (one of the first progs I D/L on linux install since the 90's).
Have down'ed it and will give a try.
I gave up on Xplorer2, find the [Pro Only] thing all over the menus somewhat irritating.

FreeManager, may have gotten a mention if it were not "x64 version for donators only", many others to try so that was its death knell.

Explorer++ is very good, but dropped down in my rank only because of 'no longer supported', although people seem to keep trying to fork it with
some kind of failed fork/compilation status. (I took copy of cpp source in case I ever wanna play with it).

What Q-DIR looks like:

https://i.postimg.cc/4Hsg0bGF/Q-Dir.jpg (https://postimg.cc/4Hsg0bGF)

EDIT: The many little boxes above top right pane are the "Panel count /Layout" rapid selection buttons, one of its best features I think,
no messing about resizing and that.

Search Progs,
FileSearchEX, ignored, simply because Win7+ only.

EffectiveFileSearch, down'ed and will give a try. (Watch out, I downloaded it about 20 times before I realized that it had completed successfully every time,
I thought I was having connection problems, but it was downing just so quick-and I was expecting jump to another web page).

SearchMyFiles (From NirSoft, one of their massive collection of utils):- https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/search_my_files.html
Looks like this
https://i.postimg.cc/G9C2QLPL/Search-My-Files.jpg (https://postimg.cc/G9C2QLPL)
Is fast and good, all of his stuff is.

EDIT: I tried out ReactOs latest version, very disappointing, think less stable than previous version.

johnmeyer

12th December 2018, 19:21

<snip>Turned out that under XP only files with certain known extensions would be searched for content.

manolitoYou can get WinXP to search for ALL files. There is a tweak to the registry that will do this. If you are interested, I'll go to my lab notes and post it. It will only take you five seconds to fix it.

Thanks for all the useful ideas for other alternatives to the horrible Win7 (and beyond) Explorer.

manolito

13th December 2018, 00:55

If you are interested, I'll go to my lab notes and post it.

Yes, please... ;)

johnmeyer

13th December 2018, 05:22

Yes, please... ;)To fix XP so it searches through ALL files, change
FilterFilesWithUnknownExtensions in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex. Set it to 1.

StainlessS

13th December 2018, 06:53

SearchUnknownExtensions.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex]
"FilterFilesWithUnknownExtensions"=dword:1

To Switch off, copy and rename to eg
DoNot_SearchUnknownExtensions.reg
and replace with
"FilterFilesWithUnknownExtensions"=dword:0

manolito

13th December 2018, 07:06

Thanks so much, works beautifully... :D

And of course StainlessS beat me with the REG file... :cool:

Cheers
manolito

StainlessS

15th December 2018, 22:07

Some Copier type stuff,

6 Best TeraCopy Alternatives:- https://beebom.com/teracopy-alternatives/
15 Free File Copy Tools Tested for the Fastest Transfer Speeds:- https://www.raymond.cc/blog/12-file-copy-software-tested-for-fastest-transfer-speed/2/
EDIT: above is page 2 of 2.
#################################
TeraCopy:- https://www.codesector.com/teracopy
Wikipedia:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TeraCopy
v3.26 (Oct 2017, x86 x64)
v2.3 (Last for XP)
# According to some, is bugged on Win10 (June 2018).
Replaces system copier.
#################################
ExtremeCopy Free v2.1.0 (pro $20.00)
x86, x64. (portable available)
Replaces system copier.
Pretty good, Pause and Verify (verify on copy only, not move. Slow over network).
#################################
Fast Copy (one of the fastest available - Installer is also Uninstaller).
https://fastcopy.jp/en/
Nov 2018
Deep Paths
Source available (cpp).
XP->W10, x86 x64
DOES NOT Replace system copier. (Special 'Paste' in context menu, system copy still available, eg TeraCopy, ExtremeCopy or Windows Sys Copy)
#################################
Copy Handler (Nov 2016 - Beta 2017 with mem leak fixed(seems better), development stalled)
https://www.copyhandler.com/
https://sourceforge.net/projects/copyhandler/
Forum:- https://forum.copyhandler.com/
Open Source cpp.
XP->W10
DOES NOT Replace system copier. (Special 'Paste' in context menu, system copy still available)
#################################
UltraCopy (Dec 2018)
https://ultracopier.first-world.info/
Cross Platform
XP->W10, x32, x64.
Install in Win Explorer Only (Not Q-Dir)
Forum, seems not to work or maybe have to login.
Crashed on first time use Win7, give it a miss (at least at the moment, in active development).
#################################

OTHER COPIER STUFF
#################################
RichCopy (Discontinued, Microsoft, In-house copy utility with command line support)
Wikipedia:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RichCopy
Guide:- http://www.etcwiki.org/wiki/RichCopy_Guide
2009, v4.0.217.0
https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/keithcombs/2009/03/22/richcopy-bulk-file-copy-tool-released-get-it-here/
Weird name download "HoffmanUtilitySpotlight2009_04.exe", is just a self extracting zip.

Command option update:- https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/ken/2009/05/20/command-option-update/
There are some errors in helpfile installed by RichCopy setup program, such as no description of file and directory filtering.
>RichCopy.exe <source path> <destination> <flags>
<n> numbers
<s> string
<t> date/time
RichCopy has a feature to help you generating necessary command parameters.
Switch Basic to Advanced mode from View menu
Change copy setting in property dialog
Change tab to "Other'
You will find command parameters equivalent to what you have configured.
#################################
RoboCopy (Command line) for Windows XP, (Server 2003 Resource Kit)
https://www.microsoft.com/en-za/download/confirmation.aspx?id=17657
Wikipedia:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robocopy
Builtin for Vista+
#################################
RoboCopy GUI (Microsoft, req Microsoft .NET Framework v2.0[works ok on W7])
XP+, TechRepublic:- https://www.techrepublic.com/article/get-a-gui-for-robocopy-in-windows-xp/
Weird name download:- UtilitySpotlight2006_11.exe, self extracting zip.

Even if you stick with system copier or TeraCopy, FastCopy is a good addition (with pause, verify, shutdown on completion).

I'm guessin' that the RichCopy/RoboCopy stuff could completely replace your backup software.
EDIT: There is Also WinRoboCopy, but I skipped that in favour of the M$ one (latest 2016, Last XP one I found from 2012[cnet]).

manolito

16th December 2018, 06:18

Thanks StainlessS for this compilation,,, :thanks:

Personally I was only concerned about getting corrupted files without any error message, so I pretty much switched to Teracopy or the Total Commander internal copy routine.

For Teracopy I should mention that I still use the older version 2.3. Newer versions caused some problems for me, and they do not work under XP. Even version 2.3 has an issue with 7-zip under XP (but not under Win7 64bit using the same 7-zip version).

Cheers
manolito

manolito

10th January 2019, 17:35

After the recent catastrophic Win10 update experiences Microsoft now turns its attention to Win7 users... :mad:

The current Jan 2019 update contains two bad errors:
1. Network shares can no longer be accessed under certain conditions.
2. For users in corporate environments the KMS activation was killed, workstation computers now report that their Win7 installation is no longer genuine.

So Win7 users beware...

Cheers
manolito

StainlessS

10th January 2019, 17:41

Out of the skillet, & into the pyre :)

StainlessS

11th January 2019, 18:54

Bugged KB4480960 & KB4480970 W7 updates,
There is a fix available for the W7 broken network shares thing here:- https://www.ghacks.net/2019/01/09/windows-7-and-server-2008-r2-updates-kb4480970-and-kb4480960-causing-network-issues/

Bugged KB971033 ,
Google links for KMS No longer Genuine Windows 7 feature:- https://www.google.com/search?biw=1920&bih=920&tbs=qdr%3Am&ei=0804XM-JFvef1fAPrN6ROA&q=%22windows+7%22+update+KMS+activation+genuine&oq=%22windows+7%22+update+KMS+activation+genuine&gs_l=psy-ab.3..33i22i29i30.37299.47557..48032...0.0..0.558.893.0j2j5-1......0....2j1..gws-wiz.3HncGQi-ZRs

johnmeyer

11th January 2019, 19:44

I've got at least a dozen computers. I have no anti-virus software, and I have updates turned off for everything, most especially Windows. When I find I need an update for Windows, I get that specific KB and install it.

The beauty of this system is that if my computer worked yesterday, it will work just the same today, and tomorrow (barring hardware failure).

I have the C: drive partitioned separately, and after eleven years on this XP computer (still my mainstay), with almost 100 programs installed, that partition is only 13.6 GB. I can back that up in under five minutes, so I back up frequently. If I ever were to get a virus or malware (hasn't happened yet), I could restore the partition in under ten minutes. I know this works because while the bad guys have never screwed up my system, and bad updates have never wrecked it, I manage to do this destruction just fine all on my own, and on a regular basis (well, once or twice a year).

So, especially now that all these "mature" programs and O/S are maintained by junior programmers who have no clue about UI, tight code, bugs, etc., I keep on trucking with the stuff that actually works and, by doing this, am actually able to get a lot of work done, instead of spending every waking hour in the care and feeding of the beast.

StainlessS

11th January 2019, 20:22

There are several Kiosk type softwares (every time it boots, is exactly the same as previous time, all modifications rolled back each time [unless made permanent by some means]).
M$ has one called SteadyState [freeware, XP32 amd Vista - Not W7+] ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_SteadyState), I have it but never as yet tried it.
At least one third party alternative Deep Freeze [trialware] ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Freeze_(software) ), I'm sure that there are probably other alternatives.

A decent Firewall is always a pretty good idea, even if you dont use an anti-virus.

EDIT: SteadyState is no longer available, since 2010, but probably available somewhere, (I still got it).

Also, Reboot Restore Rx [freeware]:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reboot_Restore_Rx

and ToolWiz Time Machine :- http://www.toolwiz.com/lead/toolwiz_time_freeze/

manolito

11th January 2019, 22:13

I do agree with johnmeyer, I also got rid of all resident antivirus software (except for Threadfire which is purely based on behavior). My XP partition has never been reinstalled since XP entered the scene, it has lots and lots of software on it, and it's size is still below 10 GB.

Getting security updates even after the MS support ended looked like a good idea, so I installed the POSReady registry hack. It did work until early 2018, after this I got problems with some of my installed software, it was even impossible to reinstall it, so I disabled all updates for WinXP at this point.

As an experiment I attempted a fresh install of WinXP (of course after backing up my old installation). And I was really surprised about how much faster this fresh installation felt. Looks like all these accumulated security updates really slowed down my computer a lot.

For WinXP this case is closed for me, I am not sure how to proceed with Win7. Should I stop updating it even while MS is still providing security updates? The quality of MS updates has certainly deteriorated considerably after the company changed their philosophy and removed a lot of man power and expertise from their OS department. Confused... :confused:

Cheers
manolito

StainlessS

12th January 2019, 12:53

Dear Confused,

I habitually re-install XP every 3 to 6 months, (multiple systems from ghost images), I like to keep a virgin setup image with new admin user config type stuff, eg default Red Tiles Wallpaper (From Windows 95 originally maybe),
disable ThumbNails, Show files extension and details, switch off all fancy animated translucent blue menus (appear immediately instead of allowing you to appreciate their majestic sliding effect), ie get rid
of all of the crap. Disable Admin & guest accounts, install SysAdmin tools from server 2003, maybe setup some stuff in GPEdit.msc (Group Policy, eg switch off System Restore & File Indexing),
delete temp files, defrag registry and hard drive, then make ghost Image.

Stage 2, add all recent drivers, + install current updates via Wsus Offline Update (LigH is a main man for that stuff), add some stuff like 7zip, Acrobat Reader + quite a few imperatives.
delete temp files, Defrag harddrive again, and image.

Stage 3, add all changeable apps eg Avisynth, Visual Studio, codecs, + much more (incl system updates via Wsus Offline). Delete temp files, defrag and image.

I usually then just go back and use the Stage 3 image, and update with eg current Avisynth, etc, and re-image (after maybe Wsus offline updates, defrag).

Every now and again, go back and update Stage 2, and also Stage 3 images with any updated apps, eg 7zip, java etc, delete temp files, defrag and re-image.
Also, keep note of any addition imperative apps that you have added/updated, so they can be re-installed to the various stage images.

Updates are occasionally added even now for XP (usually only for windows global stuff, eg DotNet or VS CPP runtimes, rather than XP specific).

Have currently got similar setup for W7 (with an additional total virgin stage 0, I dont have setup ISO for W7, was pre-installed).

Re-installing one of the images takes only a few minutes (except for final stage with Visual Studio etc, takes maybe 10 to 15 minutes with about 10 or 12GB high compressed size).

Methinks one of the slow down reasons for an old instalation is maybe the many superceded hotfixes leaving crap behind, re-target image every 3 to 6 months always feels pretty good to me.

EDIT: Delete TEMP files, & Defrag of hard drive is good idea pre ghosting image (for NTFS, dont matter for FAT32 as both FAT's are created on the fly on image targetting & result is that of being defragged).

EDIT: For both XP and W7, I like to have WinPatrol installed (I actually use an old version from 2012, 24.6), keeps me informed of rubbish added to the Run on startup registry
and Startup folders, also can disable them, eg Java Update, or Acrobat update + many more that starts up rubbish on boot.
https://i.postimg.cc/XBk4Pvsj/Untitled.jpg (https://postimg.cc/XBk4Pvsj)

EDIT: For W10, I now use Macrium Reflect Free Ed, for imaging, pretty nifty and runs fine from USB. (real good idea to image before W10 major update)

chros

15th January 2019, 11:40

StainlessS

15th January 2019, 13:21

Chros,
I liked 1709 best of the ones since then (1st new updated version since I got it, and where I used Macrium Reflect to do 1st image), is 1607 a better bet, you tried both ?

I believe I can get (download) the original ISO (hopefully is early one and not current).

chros

16th January 2019, 13:54

is 1607 a better bet, you tried both ?
I've only tried 1607.

StainlessS

16th January 2019, 15:51

Thanx for your answer.
Good idea to image 1607, maybe give others a try and revert if you dont like. (I think I preferred 1709 to previous one, but since then gotten somewhat more gigantic in size).

I believe I can get (download) the original ISO (hopefully is early one and not current).
Actually I did download the ISO, but the x64 one, and Ive got an x86 EFI so would not install (x64 processor, Atom Z3735F, Linx 1010B):- https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=IkQ_XIzQLJCdkwW29ITACg&q=linx+1010B&btnK=Google+Search&oq=linx+1010B&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.1120.3373..3698...0.0..0.187.1328.0j10......0....1..gws-wiz.....0..0i131.K2v0Oj2GFsc
Guess I'll havta down the 32 bit one soon (just incase they surplant it with current version W10 image).
.

EDIT: Keep note of all serial number etc if you do go for reinstall, and defo use Macrium Reflect first.
EDIT: Also, I found that trying to resize partitions caused W10 to be Non authorized version, where I reverted via Macrium, maybe could have just tried to authorize again.

chros

17th January 2019, 11:21

Actually I did download the ISO
Do you have a public url for it? Thanks

StainlessS

17th January 2019, 11:58

Do you have a public url for it?

This is easy to remember, google "windows 10 media creation tool":- https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=X19AXL26I6jmsAfVjbXwBw&q=windows+10+media+creation+tool&btnK=Google+Search&oq=windows+10+media+creation+tool&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.1383.6581..6877...0.0..0.300.4543.0j27j2j1......0....1..gws-wiz.....0..0i131.JX8ENiPa0p8

EDIT: I believe I saw somewhere in W7 OS a link for similar Media Creation tool for W7, guess I need to get that too (somehwere in the control panel/programs & features merry-go-round, I think).

wonkey_monkey

17th January 2019, 12:31

If I ever were to get a virus or malware (hasn't happened yet)

That you know of...

StainlessS

17th January 2019, 12:49

About 15 years ago, was talking to a woman who told me that she had been having toubles with her OS [severe slowdown], she got a friend to look at it with Anti-virus s/w, and it showed that she had ~4,500 viruses,
no wonder it had slowed down the OS a tad.

Groucho2004

17th January 2019, 13:39

StainlessS

17th January 2019, 13:56

That's because there's no driver's license required to operate a computer.

Well not required, but there is a driver's license for driving a computer [my mother has one, and I aint no spring chicken] :)

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=F3tAXNykI8-YsAfwz7WYCQ&q=ecdl&btnK=Google+Search&oq=ecdl&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i131l2j0l8.1625.2646..2958...0.0..0.586.1183.0j2j1j5-1......0....1..gws-wiz.....0.VUuphHDjd0o

http://ecdl.org/

And W7 Media Creation thing:- https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=iHpAXPPEOs3kkgX-17SAAg&q=windows+7+media+creation+tool&btnK=Google+Search&oq=windows+7+media+creation+tool&gs_l=psy-ab.3...68.493..843...0.0..0.0.0.......0....1..gws-wiz.

StainlessS

19th May 2019, 18:26

Just came across this link to update Windows 7 for DirectX 11.0 to DirectX 11.1(Installs Platform Update for Windows 7 which was not installed on my system which is only updated via WSus Offline update)
Platform Update for Windows 7:- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36805&irgwc=1&OCID=AID681541_aff_7794_1246483&tduid=(ir__o02izfzej0kfrzjokk0sohz30n2xm699rnfxcs6d00)(7794)(1246483)(%28a419bb37a03c464328ae512131f1bba6%29%28266696%29%281503186%29%2868756X1554900Xcb7c1e898bb983427b9a9dd12bee1a0f%29%28%29)(a419bb37a03c464328ae512131f1bba6)&irclickid=_o02izfzej0kfrzjokk0sohz30n2xm699rnfxcs6d00

How to Download and Install DirectX on LifeWire:- https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-download-install-directx-2624489

Have DirectX 11 won't play games, says I need DirectX 9.0c :- https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_other-gaming/have-directx-11-wont-play-games-says-i-need/300f3c23-d2cb-4750-9566-aad125857c8c?msgId=54c69ea7-91a5-4b9a-9a7c-6f2d4b7fe09c&tab=question&status=AllReplies%2CAllReplies%2CAllReplies&page=1

DirectX 9c (June 2010) [several versions of DirectX 9.c, date IS relevant, June 2010 was latest, x86 & x64 in single package]:- https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=34429

Katie Boundary

10th June 2019, 04:44

Here are some of the workarounds that I've used when forced to put up with Vistaspawn:

1) Install Classic Shell and set as much stuff as possible to the way things worked in Win 9x

2) If you're in Vista or Win7, a "Classic" theme should be available in your list of themes. This has no functional purpose but will enhance the old-school feel. The Classic theme is not available for Win8 or Win10; you'll have to modify the start button, taskbar color, taskbar opacity, etc. manually to make them look normal.

3) Set taskbar icons to small. This will reduce the taskbar size from double-thickness to normal thickness.

4) Whenever installing a program, remove "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)" from the installation path. Alternatively, you can disable UAC, then seize ownership of those two folders according to the instructions presented here: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/forums/windows/en-US/3dd0d2f9-5b2f-46df-950f-36887c98369c/give-full-permission-for-the-users-in-program-files-folder this will allow you to edit any file in either of these folders.

5) If you want a certain program to always appear on the "open with..." menu when right-clicking on a file, and Windows is giving you a hard time, you can force certain file type associations in Control Panel -> Default Programs -> "Associate a file type or protocol with a program". There used to be a way to give these associations custom names, like "OpEn iN dGiNdEx yOu wHoRe" or "I have some Notepadding to do!", back when Folder Options had a File Types tab; if anyone can tell me if this is still possible, I'd be grateful.

6) certain problems require restarts to fix, but Win8 and Win10 have this funny thing where all they really do is log you out and then log you back in when you tell them to reboot. This makes those problems harder to fix. You can disable this in Power Options, or in the Classic Shell settings.

7) There's nothing you can do about the lack of support for using animated gifs as wallpapers. Sorry.

8) Downloading or saving directly to C:\ can be re-enabled by lowering the UAC slider to its lowest level

9) When you go to "Sort By...", your normal options might be replaced with ones that you don't want. For example, if a folder has a lot of WAV files in it, Windows will stupidly assume that the folder is for music, and will replace your normal options with Name, #, Title, Contributing Artists, and Album. To fix this, right-click on the folder, select Properties, go to the Customize tab, and set "Optimize this folder for..." to "General". You can also apply this automatically to all sub-folders.

10) If you want to run a 16-bit Windows program in a 64-bit version of windows, you'll need something like Win3mu.

I wish I had figured this crap out a decade ago. It would have saved me a LOT of headaches, a lot of bitching about how much Vista/7/8/10 suck, and a lot of time invested into figuring out how to keep using XP for as long as possible. I've finally, FINALLY gotten Win7 to a state that's about 80% acceptable (I'm still butthurt about the animated wallpapers) and now we're losing Win7 next year. *gives double middle fingers to Microshaft*

Groucho2004

10th June 2019, 12:35

I've finally, FINALLY gotten Win7 to a state that's about 80% acceptable (I'm still butthurt about the animated wallpapers) and now we're losing Win7 next year. *gives double middle fingers to Microshaft*
Pretty much the same here (80% sounds about right) although I could not care less about the wallpaper thing, I prefer bland, boring backgrounds. They're less distracting.

As for 'losing' W7 - I'll probably keep using it either until I die or switch to a non-M$ OS. The widely spread scare tactics about lack of security of 'expiring' OSs - obviously initiated by M$ so they can sell their new products and echoed by paranoid and dim-witted internet parrots in blogs and forums - don't bother me at all. I have SP1, 4 or 5 post-SP1 security updates and a properly configured firewall. That suits me just fine.

manolito

10th June 2019, 13:06

Amen...

StainlessS

10th June 2019, 14:46

The widely spread scare tactics about lack of security of 'expiring' OSs
And fact is, if is insecure now, then was always insecure.

Asmodian

11th June 2019, 04:41

And fact is, if is insecure now, then was always insecure.

What an odd way to look at it. While it is true, there is theoretically insecure in the past and then there is being actively exploited today. A vulnerability is a bit more problematic once someone is actively exploiting it.

Win98 ran fine for me, with no issues for years, until a widespread exploit was used by malware that could infect a fresh Win98 install that was connected to the internet in under 10 minutes. After that I remember new installs getting infected before they could download updates so we had to keep them offline until we could patch them. :p

The fact that it was insecure in the past without causing any issues does not mean that patching the vulnerability is unimportant in the present.

StainlessS

11th June 2019, 13:38

XP, still does have the very occasional XP update, and updates for CPP runtimes and .NET + other non specific XP stuff. (I occasionally down updates via WSus Offline Updater [v9.24 I think latest XP]),
I however always have problems with the CPP runtimes not installing properley (usually 2010, sometimes 2008 - some kind of conflict), so I update using All-In-One updater, or use the old XP ver$ AIO which deletes
runtimes before install, and then uninstall the updated problematic or updated ones and manual install those. [it is possible that the original AIO updater caused some incomatibility problem which it seems able to reverse].

None of my XP machines now go online, excepting for 1 [INet usually disbabled in Device Manager], which is only a sort of emergency option if need Inet access during machine setup or main machine not working for some reason (look up fixes or whatever), other XP's dont have any access whatever. [Even my main Win7 m/c is disconnected from Inet when not in current use].

The widely spread scare tactics about lack of security of 'expiring' OSs - obviously initiated by M$

Whilst Asmodian is of course correct, I kinda object if M$ is saying that has suddenly become insecure.

EDIT:
My two Win10 Tablet/Laptop thingies [one x86, one x64] seem now both stuck at 1809 with no 1903 update available. Unfortunately, the mouse now on both m/c's takes at least 10 secs
to activate on right click context menu, sometimes more like 30 seconds, and quite often a window flash and instability as it finally does activate, is bloody infuriating that 1809 has screwed
both my m/c's and is being left deliberately as-is. Only solution I see is to get ISO of 1709 (x86 & x64, the least problematic version in my experience) and go back to that less bloated and
more reliable version. Gonna try one last time to see if update to 1903 is available, then go back.
Will also have to permanenlty fix W10 so that it never attempts to down Featured Updates and so stays on 1709.
Registry hack to stop W10 Featured Updates(only):- https://www.kapilarya.com/how-to-block-feature-updates-in-windows-10

I still have a 1709 Macrium Relect image of the x86 W10 m/c and I think 1703 for the x64 m/c.

jones1913

12th June 2019, 14:02

My two Win10 Tablet/Laptop thingies [one x86, one x64] seem now both stuck at 1809 with no 1903 update available. Unfortunately, the mouse now on both m/c's takes at least 10 secs
to activate on right click context menu, sometimes more like 30 seconds, and quite often a window flash and instability as it finally does activate, is bloody infuriating that 1809 has screwed
both my m/c's and is being left deliberately as-is. Only solution I see is to get ISO of 1709 (x86 & x64, the least problematic version in my experience) and go back to that less bloated and
more reliable version. Gonna try one last time to see if update to 1903 is available, then go back.
Will also have to permanenlty fix W10 so that it never attempts to down Featured Updates and so stays on 1709.
Registry hack to stop W10 Featured Updates(only):- https://www.kapilarya.com/how-to-block-feature-updates-in-windows-10

I still have a 1709 Macrium Relect image of the x86 W10 m/c and I think 1703 for the x64 m/c.

What a mess, when I read this I am more than happy that I switched to Linux and never looked back.
All these Windows updates and the need for manual search and installation of software updates were so annoying.

My today update on Manjaro-Linux updated 122 packages (system, kernel and applications), took less than 5 minutes (on a low end pc) and not forced me to reboot the pc afterwards. :cool:

StainlessS

12th June 2019, 15:03

Apparently M$ aint updating machines to 1903 that dont have recent drivers, that would probably include both tablet/laptops (from different manufacturers),
I'm guessin' that they knew that mouse drivers did not work proper from 1809 and decided just to dump them in the crapper. It is possible maybe that I can
roll back to previous version driver, perhaps I'll try. [A mouse is a mouse, what could possibly be so wrong to cause them damn probs].
Mind you, I also read that similar right click delay can be caused by a rogue app store app, I have I think only 1 app store app on both machines,
a bus countdown type thing, maybe I uninstall and see what happens.

On windows 2000 (still my favourite), if you selected a couple of hundred files to delete, click the button and 2 seconds max, all files where gone.
Windows XP same thing, took maybe 30-40 seconds to do same thing.
W7, starts deleting and says calculating how long it will take, and finishes the deletes (30,40,50 seconds) whilst still calculating [???].
W10, not sure, think much the same as W7.

W7, copy to USB drive, uses awful system caching thing, and then tells you its got 5 seconds left till finish, 5 minutes later, still got 5 seconds left till done, Progress eh.

stax76

12th June 2019, 15:21

What a mess, when I read this I am more than happy that I switched to Linux and never looked back.
All these Windows updates and the need for manual search and installation of software updates were so annoying.

My today update on Manjaro-Linux updated 122 packages (system, kernel and applications), took less than 5 minutes (on a low end pc) and not forced me to reboot the pc afterwards. :cool:

I cannot recommend Linux using a 4K/UHD screen because Chrome and Firefox hardware acceleration is not working and very High DPI is broken in all distros except Ubuntu, it's clear to see why Linux is not successful on the desktop.

StainlessS

12th June 2019, 15:31

very High DPI is broken in all distros except Ubuntu
So that would (I presume) include eg "Cinnamon Mint" as OK, as is Ubuntu based. [I like Cinnamon Mint, comfortable for ex Windows users].

stax76

12th June 2019, 15:46

All distros I tried had a broken task bar, I think I've tried Cinnamon Mint too, only default Ubuntu with left side taskbar was fine.

Groucho2004

12th June 2019, 17:21

On windows 2000 (still my favourite), if you selected a couple of hundred files to delete, click the button and 2 seconds max, all files where gone.
Windows XP same thing, took maybe 30-40 seconds to do same thing.
W7, starts deleting and says calculating how long it will take, and finishes the deletes (30,40,50 seconds) whilst still calculating [???].
W10, not sure, think much the same as W7.
The slow deleting has nothing to do with the OS version. Get a proper file manager if you want to get things done quickly. How can anyone (who is aware that there are better alternatives) use that horrid Explorer thing?

StainlessS

12th June 2019, 17:36

Yep, you are right. Still got loads of file managers, but went back to earlier image recently, still setting up stuff.
Recently got Lazarus with Free Pascal (Delphi like) lang, think both TotalCommander and DoubleCommander compiled with it.
from earlier post in this thread.
Double Commander:- https://doublecmd.sourceforge.io/
Open Source, very active development (Object Pascal).
Cross Platform, Install and Portable, x86,x64.
Compatible to Total Commander plugins. Double Commander Plugins available(some with source):- https://github.com/doublecmd/doublecmd/wiki/Plugins
Dont like default fonts, but easily changeable.

Lazarus looks really quite good and capable RAD system, gotta get into that someday. [cross platform]
EDIT: I remember LigH mentioning Lazarus some years ago, maybe he's the Pascal/Delphi expert around here.

Groucho2004

12th June 2019, 17:47

I went through a few FMs over the years. My first one was Norton Commander in the early 90's which made working on DOS a bit more convenient.

Later on Windows NT4 I tried Total Commander but it's still too 'Windozy' for my taste.

In case you're interested, I have been using this (https://farmanager.com/screenshots.php?l=en) for the last 20+ years.

StainlessS

12th June 2019, 17:58

Yep, I grabbed a copy of Far Commander last time you posted on it (a few pages back).
Kinda like Linux Midnight Commander(mc) I think.

stax76

12th June 2019, 21:53

I wonder why you guys still use Windows if you think Microsoft is a bad company? I'm pretty satisfied with most MS products.

Groucho2004

12th June 2019, 22:07

I wonder why you guys still use Windows if you think Microsoft is a bad company?Various reasons.
I need Windows for (just off of the top of my head, there are more):

Work
Programming
Video stuff (Avisynth, ...)
Photoshop & Adobe Camera Raw
SpectraPlus Spectrum analyser

jones1913

12th June 2019, 22:11

I cannot recommend Linux using a 4K/UHD screen because Chrome and Firefox hardware acceleration is not working and very High DPI is broken in all distros except Ubuntu
Yeah HiDPI support might not enabled out of the box for most distros. In Cinnamon its just one setting to enable and almost everything is scaled well.
Exception are some applications based on older gui-toolkits such as GTK2 or QT4. These toolkits have no scaling support integrated because of their age.

it's clear to see why Linux is not successful on the desktop
I wouldn't say that this is THE reason. I think most people are a bit scared when they start a desktop Linux for the first time, because many things are very different compared to windows.
It is quite a bit of work getting used to the Linux workflow and theres much to learn, and not everyone is willing to learn so many new things (or have the time to do so).
Personally I was so annoyed by windows that I just wanted to leave this stuff behind me and switched over to Linux, regardless of its imperfection on desktop.
But I have used Linux already a few years on a low end pc, so I had some experience already.

stax76

12th June 2019, 22:28

Yeah HiDPI support might not enabled out of the box for most distros. In Cinnamon its just one setting to enable and almost everything is scaled well.

I found those settings, enabled them, but they were working only partly, the task bar wasn't scaled.

On Linux you have to like the command line, it took me 15 years to finally like it, there are many reasons why I changed my mind, mpv and powershell are some of them.

ChaosKing

12th June 2019, 23:12

I whish wine for "apps" would be as good as Proton (dxvk -> DirectX to Vulkan translation layer) is now for Windows games on linux. Would probably switch then completely.

wonkey_monkey

13th June 2019, 12:19

I wouldn't say that this is THE reason. I think most people are a bit scared when they start a desktop Linux for the first time, because many things are very different compared to windows.

There's also the fact that, sometimes, things just won't work. I spent god knows how long trying to set up a stable VNC connection to my main desktop on Linux, but it just wouldn't stay up and no-one could tell me why. Then there was (the equivalent of) Cleartype - all the settings were in there, but it just didn't work until I'd followed some arcane set of instructions and installed numerous additional packages.

Linux can be fine under a specific set of requirements, but on Windows you'll never have the frustration of Firefox suddenly failing to load - with no error message - after an update because of a particular Nvidia driver you happen to have installed.

Then there's Dropbox. Google, for their own reasons, recently declared it would no longer work on Linux unless you had an ext4 filesystem, leaving anyone without one to jump through ridiculously complicated hoops if they wanted to keep Dropbox running.

Hardcore Linux users seem to regard these problems as part of the fun, but none of them should be surprised that your average power user is going to stick with Windows.

StainlessS

13th June 2019, 18:33

jones1913

13th June 2019, 18:43

There's also the fact that, sometimes, things just won't work. I spent god knows how long trying to set up a stable VNC connection to my main desktop on Linux, but it just wouldn't stay up and no-one could tell me why. Then there was (the equivalent of) Cleartype - all the settings were in there, but it just didn't work until I'd followed some arcane set of instructions and installed numerous additional packages.

Linux can be fine under a specific set of requirements, but on Windows you'll never have the frustration of Firefox suddenly failing to load - with no error message - after an update because of a particular Nvidia driver you happen to have installed.

Then there's Dropbox. Google, for their own reasons, recently declared it would no longer work on Linux unless you had an ext4 filesystem, leaving anyone without one to jump through ridiculously complicated hoops if they wanted to keep Dropbox running.

Hardcore Linux users seem to regard these problems as part of the fun, but none of them should be surprised that your average power user is going to stick with Windows.
I remember, it can also happen in Windows sometimes, that things just wont work :D. No system is perfect neither Linux nor Windows.
It was not my intention here to pretend Linux is always better than Windows. Everyone can use what works best for him.

stax76

13th June 2019, 20:18

I remember, it can also happen in Windows sometimes, that things just wont work :D. No system is perfect neither Linux nor Windows.
It was not my intention here to pretend Linux is always better than Windows. Everyone can use what works best for him.

This is true but I don't remember something significant in Windows or Android, I've only one issue atm. and that is the file open dialog, for instance in mpv.net I use Open > Open File the file open dialog has a tiny size, I have to enlarge it every time before I can use the navigation side bar, it happens with many apps/circumstances but not all, it's quite annoying but not annoying enough that I really want to investigate it, there are some automation scripting apps I don't remember the name (autoit? auto hotkey?) which might be able to fix it (such apps can cause new issues though), maybe I investigate it next time I'm bored.

Musical inspiration for letting go Win 7 in favor of Win 10 (6,50€ at eBay), MacOS or Linux:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl0YV1SIAEw&list=LLvZIVRqw9aaQgE_3jfrj31Q&index=8&t=0s

What I've started to do is trying not to use or develop anything non portable so in a couple of years I might be able to migrate to Linux or at least use it for some months for educational purpose.

wonkey_monkey

13th June 2019, 20:29

Wonkey [EDIT: quick rename from that which once was] , what did you decide on regarding VNC ?

In the past (I aint got it set up currently), I've used TightVNC on WXP (least problematic that I've found on Wnn, together with dfMirage [some kind of window manager with compression),
and on Linux TigerVNC [apparently by same guys as TightVNC], never had much [if any] in the way of problems with that setup.

Same combination (dfMirage is a mirror driver, which as I understand is an efficient way to copy what's on the screen). TigerVNC as a service is great - I use it to provide multiple desktops to multiple users on a single server. But trying to make my default Linux desktop accessible was a nightmare. It couldn't start automatically, it had to be started from the command line, and then it would - usually, but not always - close itself after disconnecting. It was the main reason I went back to Windows - that, and Foxit Reader, which allows you to select columns of text in a PDF and which is very useful to me.

Oh, and don't get me started on using a network-connected scanner/printer...

StainlessS

13th June 2019, 20:31

Yes, AutoIt and AutoHotKey (forked from AutoIt) both automation apps (AutoIt, with massive collection of libraries for all sorts of tasks - No idea about AutoHotKey, not much used it).
Think AutoIt is Windows only (AutoHotKey might be cross platform, not sure, is still open source, whereas AutoIt went closed source, think original reason for fork of AutoHotKey.
Apparently lots of other progs including commercial were using AutoIt code and devs got a bit miffed and so went closed source).

StainlessS

13th June 2019, 20:40

Cant remember if I had to start TigerVNC manual or not, this the only doc I have saved on using it:- https://www.hiroom2.com/2016/07/08/linuxmint-18-remote-connect-to-cinnamon-with-vnc-xrdp/
Your sys seems might be a bit more complex than mine was.

EDIT: How do I start VNC Server on boot? [have not read it]
https://askubuntu.com/questions/120973/how-do-i-start-vnc-server-on-boot

EDIT: Earlier today after Doom9 server was down (back online about 11:00AM-12:00AM BST),
I was first on-site, spent about 5-10 minutes all alone, was well spooky.
http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/horror/horror-movies-smiley-emoticon.gif (http://www.sherv.net/)

Katie Boundary

14th June 2019, 01:08

[A mouse is a mouse, what could possibly be so wrong to cause them damn probs].

You'd think so, right? But I very recently learned that trying to install Win7 when you have a mouse plugged in can cause a BSOD.

I spent DAYS trying different things - messing with the BIOS settings, downloading different ISOs, formatting different USB sticks, etc - before I finally figured out that it was the goddamn mouse.

StainlessS

14th June 2019, 01:21

You do understand that by mouse, they normally require a plastic thing without much of a tail, and usually dont go "squeak".

EDIT: I do have about 5 or 6 Mouse's from Poundland [where they surprisingly cost £1.00], and they dont work on boot up on some systems, when plugged into specific USB ports.
[on some systems can only boot to USB drive on specific ports, apparently some rodents only work on the motherboard preferred ports (during boot)].

EDIT: Katie, American Pie brings a question to mind, have you ever double clicked your mouse ?

chros

18th June 2019, 10:13

As for 'losing' W7 - I'll probably keep using it either until I die or switch to a non-M$ OS. The widely spread scare tactics about lack of security of 'expiring' OSs - obviously initiated by M$ so they can sell their new products and echoed by paranoid and dim-witted internet parrots in blogs and forums - don't bother me at all. I have SP1, 4 or 5 post-SP1 security updates and a properly configured firewall. That suits me just fine.

:D I completely understand what you mean.

Only solution I see is to get ISO of 1709 (x86 & x64, the least problematic version in my experience) and go back to that less bloated and
more reliable version. Gonna try one last time to see if update to 1903 is available, then go back.
Will also have to permanenlty fix W10 so that it never attempts to down Featured Updates and so stays on 1709.
Registry hack to stop W10 Featured Updates(only):- https://www.kapilarya.com/how-to-block-feature-updates-in-windows-10

I still have a 1709 Macrium Relect image of the x86 W10 m/c and I think 1703 for the x64 m/c.

That's what I think (https://www.avsforum.com/forum/26-home-theater-computers/2364113-guide-building-4k-htpc-madvr-62.html#post57437440).

My today update on Manjaro-Linux updated 122 packages (system, kernel and applications), took less than 5 minutes (on a low end pc) and not forced me to reboot the pc afterwards. :cool:

Literally the only reason I use Win because of mpc*/lav/madvr.

I always had/have a Linux installed beside of Win at home in the last 20 years, one 12 years old laptop of mine is running (https://github.com/chros73/rtorrent-ps-ch) Ubuntu 14.04 20/7 in the last 4 years without any issues. :)

Later on Windows NT4 I tried Total Commander but it's still too 'Windozy' for my taste.

In case you're interested, I have been using this (https://farmanager.com/screenshots.php?l=en) for the last 20+ years.

I didn't like FAR on Win but I adore mc on Linux, I couldn't live without it.
For me TC is the best file manager of all time on Windows. Have you known that there's an opensource rewrite of it called Double Commander (https://doublecmd.sourceforge.io/)?

StainlessS

22nd June 2019, 17:57

https://www.tenforums.com/windows-10-news/133029-how-get-windows-10-may-2019-update-version-1903-a-93.html

Attempted W10 1903 forced update with 18362.30.190401-1528.19h1_release_svc_refresh_CLIENTCONSUMER_RET_x64FRE_en-us.esd
(dont know about the other, never tried to force the update with 32 bit version of above file )

And I get this:
https://i.postimg.cc/vgKvn4fY/Untitled.png (https://postimg.cc/vgKvn4fY)
Seems that at least one of my 2-in-1 tablet laptop thingies may be updated to 1903 after they figure something out.

This old page on W10 'qualities' is an interesting read(dont know if already posted in this thread):- https://itvision.altervista.org/why-windows-10-sucks.html
And suggests Open Shell as replacement for the no longer developed Classic Shell (is fork of classic shell, open source W7-W10 ~6MB):- https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/releases

and some well scary stuff here:- https://windows.gadgethacks.com/how-to/everything-you-need-disable-windows-10-0163552/

I'm still tempted to go back to 1709, but just realized that it is now 'out of support' period, so no security updates ... still tempted though, W10 stuff getting a bit terrifying & too much to take.

Katie Boundary

22nd June 2019, 19:49

EDIT: Katie, American Pie brings a question to mind, have you ever double clicked your mouse ?

If that is a euphemism, I am unfamiliar with it.

StainlessS

23rd June 2019, 11:43

If that is a euphemism, I am unfamiliar with it.

Goodness no, just a general query about your hardware and software practices (and you know what they say, "Practice makes perfect").

Katie Boundary

3rd August 2019, 20:40

Yes, many things that I do on a daily basis require double clicking. What does that have to do with anything?

BetA13

25th August 2019, 18:12

just a quick question, anyone knows a good TOOL that helps backing up all the windows tweaks and configs i did?
Like Services, reg edits, GPEdit´s, modified DLL´s etc.. Cause its a lot of work getting that all setup again..

if anyone knows such tools, Please do tell..

Best Regards..

StainlessS

25th August 2019, 18:25

Just image your drive, suggest Macrium Reflect [free edition] for current systems, or maybe Norton Ghost for XP, pre XP.
(can make boot USB from within Macrium Reflect, and make/restore Image from USB)

BetA13

25th August 2019, 19:00

ill do backups this way, the Thing is i HAVE to install it fresh, i have some error and need a clean install sadly.
Something broke my Update mechanism and using an (image) backup would reintroduce that error also.. So i have to make a tidy and clean install again, but writing down all the tweaks and stuff would take ages..

i found one tool, that can Backup the Services (https://www.thewindowsclub.com/smart-a-utility-for-tweaking-windows-7-vista-xp-services), wich is cool, but not enough, since i also did a lot of tweaks and security settings via regEdit, GPEdit and even modified DLL´s (icons, design´s, etc).

Greetz

StainlessS

25th August 2019, 20:01

Best Group Policy Objects backup might be Windows version dependent, do Google search, also, might find a PowerShell solution.
(there are solutions to backup/restore system drivers via Powershell).

EDIT:
https://www.google.com/search?ei=qdxiXby6DceG1fAPz4KGiA0&q=group+policy+backup+powershell&oq=group+policy+backup+powershell&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i71l8.0.0..10662...0.2..0.0.0.......0......gws-wiz.05xApDU-78Q&ved=0ahUKEwj8spSc3J7kAhVHQxUIHU-BAdEQ4dUDCAo&uact=5

BetA13

25th August 2019, 21:28

thank you, this is also Helpfull :)
Yeah didnt thought of Powershell scripts.. Thanks for the TIP..

Greetings

Edit:

I guess i make a list with the Tools i found so far so People interessted in it dont have to search again... :)

Tools:

1. S.M.A.R.T - (Service Management And RealEasy Tweaking) Utility for Windows 7 | This Tool can BACKUP the SERVICES Settings for Windows 7.. I dont think that works for Windows 10..
--> https://www.thewindowsclub.com/smart-a-utility-for-tweaking-windows-7-vista-xp-services

2. Group Policy backup with a PowerShell script
--> https://4sysops.com/archives/group-policy-backup-with-a-powershell/

The backup script ^ (should work for WIN7 and WIN10)

function Backup-GroupPolicy {
<#
.SYNOPSIS
Backs up all existing Group Policies to a folder

.DESCRIPTION
Backs up all Group Policies to a folder named after the current date. Each group policy is saved in
its own sub folder. The folder name will be the name of the Group Policy.

Folder Name Example:
--------------------
C:\GPBackup\2018-12-21\Default Domain Policy

.PARAMETER Path
Specifies the path where the backups will be saved. The path can be a local folder or a network based folder.
This is a required parameter. Do not end the path with a trailing slash. A slash at the end will cause an error!

Correct format:
c:\backups or \\server\share

Incorrect Format:
c:\Backups\ or \\server\share\

.PARAMETER Domain
Specifies the domain to look for Group Policies. This is auto populated with the domain info from the PC running
the cmdlet.

.PARAMETER Server
Specifies the Domain Controller to query for group Policies to backup

.EXAMPLE
Backup-GroupPolicy -path C:\Backup

Description:
This example creates a backup of the GPO's and saves them to the c:\backup folder.
Since no server was specified, the code will search for the nearest Domain Controller.

.EXAMPLE
Backup-GroupPolicy -path C:\Backup -Domain nwtraders.local -Server DC01

Description:
This example creates a backup of GPO's in the nwtraders.local domain to the C:\Backup folder.
The backups will be pulled from the DC named DC01.

.NOTES
Name : Backup-GroupPolicy.ps1
Author : Mike Kanakos
Version : 1.1.0
DateCreated: 2018-12-19
DateUpdated: 2019-01-25

.LINK
https://github.com/compwiz32/PowerShell
#>

[CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess=$true)]
param (
[Parameter(Mandatory=$True,Position=0)]
[string]
$Path,

[Parameter()]
[string]
$Domain = (Get-WmiObject Win32_ComputerSystem).Domain,

[Parameter()]
[string]
$Server
)

begin {

# Get current GPO information
$GPOInfo = Get-GPO -All -Domain $domain -Server $Server

#Create a date-based folder to save backup of group policies
$Date = Get-Date -UFormat "%Y-%m-%d"
$UpdatedPath = "$path\$date"

New-item $UpdatedPath -ItemType directory | Out-Null

Write-Host "GPO's will be backed up to $UpdatedPath" -backgroundcolor white -foregroundColor red
} #end of begin block

process {

ForEach ($GPO in $GPOInfo) {

Write-Host "Backing up GPO named: " -foregroundColor Green -nonewline
Write-Host $GPO.Displayname -foregroundColor White

#Assign temp variables for various parts of GPO data
$BackupInfo = Backup-GPO -Name $GPO.DisplayName -Domain $Domain -path $UpdatedPath -Server $Server
$GpoBackupID = $BackupInfo.ID.Guid
$GpoGuid = $BackupInfo.GPOID.Guid
$GpoName = $BackupInfo.DisplayName
$CurrentFolderName = $UpdatedPath + "\" + "{"+ $GpoBackupID + "}"
$NewFolderName = $UpdatedPath + "\" + $GPOName + "___" + "{"+ $GpoBackupID + "}"
$ConsoleOutput = $GPOName + "___" + "{"+ $GpoBackupID + "}"

#Rename the newly created GPO backup subfolder from its GPO ID to the GPO Displayname + GUID
rename-item $CurrentFolderName -newname $NewFolderName

} #End ForEach loop

} #End of process block

end {
} #End of End block
} #End of function

And of course the Powershell script to RESTORE GPEdit again.

--> https://4sysops.com/archives/restore-group-policy-with-powershell/

Would be nice to find some more helpsfull stuff...

Greetings...

StainlessS

26th August 2019, 16:31

Above BetA13 post updated with PowerShell GPO backup script.

Might also have a look at AutoIt forum(maybe see Operating System Deployment):- https://www.autoitscript.com/forum/

AutoIt was initially written for OS deployment type stuff.

StainlessS

29th August 2019, 12:14

Well recently overcame problem I was having with W7 WSUS Offline Updates failing after the actual install and reboot, and during boot-up configuration of updates [fail, and rollback uninstall again].
Was due to configuration stage wanting to change something on the system partition (the initial one that boots to the OS partition), where there was no system partition, I was using Linux GRUB
via Linux partition Boot record as boot controller. Switching to make W7 partition active, solved all my probs and then switched back to Linux boot controller after updates all done.

W10 x64 2-in-1 tablet/laptop thingy, is now tediously slow running 1903 [not a fast machine to begin with], pretty much inevitable that I'm taking it back to W10 1709 via ISO clean install,
same for my 32 bit 2-in-1, sod the updates, I dont care anymore.

Got me a marvelous device that I wish I'de gotten years ago, (Dynamode USB 3.0 Hard drive Drop in One touch backup):- https://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/c/552/Hard-Disks-Enclosures/
£20.00 including p+p [EDIT: actually £19.95 with VAT, + £4.00 delivery] (I've seen the exact same device on ebay at £49.99).
It feels a bit naff and 'plastic-y', and the supplied power supply and USB leads are way too short (PSU lead about 1.5 meters), and the One Touch backup button is a complete waste of time
(with backup program running hit the physical device One Touch button is same as clicking on the backup dialog box button).
Despite above probs, I love it, accepts 2.5 + 3.5 bare SATA hard drives, just drop them in and press the on-off button .
I got 8 external hard drives in caddies, and about a dozen bare hard drives that I sometimes have to temp switch into a caddy (with screws and to remove, lose, etc), or sometimes
temp attach as internal drives, this drop in thing is way way way easier [there is a 'ToolLess' ie screwless caddy at same link above, was gonna get that until I saw the drop in box].
Anyways, can highly recommend this type of device (might want a more classy/pricey one rather than linked one, plenty on Amazon), saves a lot of time not being on hands and knees
lookin' for that damn screw that got away.
EDIT: You can use any backup software, looks just like an ordinary removable USB device.

EDIT: I'm probably gonna do clean install of dell OEM windows 7 Pro, and as time goes by, is getting more difficult to find required ISO's.
Download Windows 7, 8.1 or 10 ISO Images Direct From Microsoft:- https://www.raymond.cc/blog/links-for-windows-7-sp1-iso-from-microsofts-official-distributer/
See Also "[B]Heidoc Windows and Office ISO Download Tool" at above link,
links to direct download of MS and Dell images (direct from MS and DELL servers) which may not be officially available any more. (works great).
https://i.postimg.cc/SxfRQKwJ/Untitled-00.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

huhn

30th August 2019, 12:20

for user on win 10 that want to directly DL an win 10 iso from microsoft.

just enter development mode on your browser and pretend to be a mobile device.
microsoft will gladly now give you a direct download to the iso.

StainlessS

30th August 2019, 17:38

Thanks Huhn, good to know, presumably using W10 Edge browser [rather than firefox, or internet explorer].
Perhaps just using firefox add-on "User Agent Switcher" would work also.

EDIT:
for user on win 10 that want to directly DL an win 10 iso from microsoft.

just enter development mode on your browser and pretend to be a mobile device.
microsoft will gladly now give you a direct download to the iso.
That dont work any more, gives download link for W10 20H1 [latest available ISO, not necessarily the one you wanted].

StainlessS

31st August 2019, 20:09

Am currently updating an earlier image of W7 with MS updates, and had to again figure out how to put back
"Manage pairs of Web Pages and folder" option which is removed in W7.
https://i.postimg.cc/k4j5TwkQ/WebPages.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Real annoying when they just omit an option that was available in previous issues.

See here for the "webpairs.reg" file which works perfectly on my system:- https://www.winhelponline.com/xp/webpairs.htm

Best use run Regedit.Exe and navigate to
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced"
Right click on "Folder" and Export your reg file as it currently exists (give it a name).

The reg file linked above will put back the option, and below saved as eg
"W7_REMOVE_Explorer_Link_HTML&Folders.reg"
will remove the "Thickets" entry added to the registry [removing the option from windows Explorer again],
keep the exported reg file in case of problems to restore as was originally.

W7_REMOVE_Explorer_Link_HTML&Folders.reg [EDIT: The below hyphen '-' in '[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE' is a regedit delete key command for the \Thickets subkey]

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\Thickets]

The linked webpairs.reg file adds these subkeys + other data [which above .reg file deletes]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\Thickets]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\Thickets\AUTO]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\Thickets\NOHIDE]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\Thickets\NONE]

Also, nice that I can come back here if I need to do it again.

StainlessS

1st September 2019, 03:01

This is a little alarming (Disable WPAD now or have your accounts and private data compromised):- https://www.computerworld.com/article/3106070/disable-wpad-now-or-have-your-accounts-and-private-data-
compromised.html
Not new, but I was unaware of it.

Fix [for 7,8,10 - enabled under Windows by default]
Disable WPAD in Windows to Stay Safe on Public Wi-Fi Networks:- https://www.howtogeek.com/298460/disable-wpad-in-windows-to-stay-safe-on-public-wi-fi-networks/

gonca

1st September 2019, 13:14

BetA13

12th September 2019, 01:12

WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be carefull with the SEPTEMBER UPDATE for WIndows 7....

Simplix's opinion about MSFT lately screwing stuff up with Windows 7 updates:

If I have to be nice, people over at Microsoft are lazy, ass-handed idiots, who are unable to perform even simple tests on their updates. It seems that the testing department either was entirely laid off or hired incompetent people. The August update had a serious UEFI loading issue where the update was completely bricking live systems. Instead of properly fixing the issue, the September update has another problem, which leads to the previous one repeating itself, as the update only applies after reboot, which is exactly what was bricking live systems. On top of that, they didn't properly test KB4516655, which was supposed to replace KB4490628, but without it there will be problems when installing new updates.
With each passing month updates are becoming worse and worse, and this only goes for update installation, it's frightening to think how the updates are actually coded.

If i had read Simplix´s quote before, i hadnt even try to install the September Update.. But, i just couldnt whait... silly me..

I did update my System an hour ago, after installing the updates the system will reboot and apply the Updates.
After reboot the Updates are configured and return: Error configuring updates, rolling back.
The next reboot ends in an lost MBR/MFT and no Windows is found...

I am freaking lucky to be not trusting microsoft and so i make Full system Backups before UPDATING Windows.. So for me it was a matter of 2 klicks and i got my Windows back.. But think of teh People not making Backups.. They are SCREWED!!!!

So, just a Friendly WARNING from me... BACKUP before installing the SEPTEMBER UPDATE....

Best Regards..

StainlessS

12th September 2019, 05:53

Appreciate the warning, thanx muchy :), guess I wait a few months before next update.

Taurus

12th September 2019, 08:26

Hmmh, I just updated to the September Update.
Everything went smmoooth.
Except KB4474419, which gave a failure code 80200053.
Yes, and I've made a backup beforehand (I'm so :cool:).
You never know...

manolito

12th September 2019, 14:43

For me the September update worked perfectly... :D

Two different Lenovo Thinkpads with Core i5 CPUs, both Win7-64, HDDs in MBR mode (no GPT partitions), BIOS in Legacy mode, no UEFI or Secure Boot). One of them even with Rollback RX installed (not disabled during the update).

After the trouble with the SHA2 signatures in the August update I did expect trouble, but I was pleasantly surprised.

StainlessS

12th September 2019, 19:16

Dont even get me started on UEFI, tis the product of not just a single, but a whole bunch of disturbed individuals.
[my W7 is MBR thank goodness].

BetA13

15th September 2019, 21:47

kind of a Fix....

WHD-Windows7-Updates-Installer 5.1
https://github.com/abbodi1406/WHD/raw/master/scripts/WHD-W7UI_5.1.zip

WHD-W7UI 5.1

- Readded SSU KB4490628
- SHA2 update KB4474419 will now be installed independently after SSU
- Extended SSU KB4516655 will now be installed independently after SSU & SHA2
- To prevent accidental closing of cmd when finished, it's now required to Press 9 to exit.

I forgot to mention that on clean live OS, KB4474419 needs a reboot to complete installation

in that case, ESSU KB4516655 and Monthly Rollup will be skipped until the reboot
therefore, you would need to run the script afterwards to install them

https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/abbodi1406s-batch-scripts-repo.74197/page-44#post-1547245

Hope that helps some People.

StainlessS

24th September 2019, 02:06

I mentioned NetSpeedMonitor in post #10 of this thread, here it is below, (the text left of red icon).
All it does is show current network speed (I have it only monitoring WiFi internet).

https://i.postimg.cc/y8cF2pV2/Net-Speed-Monitor.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Very basic, but that is why I like/love it (it does monitor total up/down usage stats too, but I turn that off).
I found a guide on installing the utility, only really intended for XP, but installs OK on W7 and W10 if you follow the guide [EDIT: x86/x64].
Guide here:- https://www.guidingtech.com/display-internet-speed-taskbar-windows/

Also, I mentioned OpenShell (apparently now named Open-Shell-Menu) a fork of the old deceased ClassicShell, I've been using it on window 10
for a month or more and I kinda like it, here tis on GitHub:- https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/releases

manolito

24th September 2019, 18:37

Thanks for this link...

I still had an old version of DU Meter from 2002 installed which does pretty much the same thing. But it is much bigger, and it costs money, so I got rid of it and installed NetSpeedMonitor. And I like it very much... :cool:

StainlessS

24th September 2019, 20:23

Yep, defo case of less is more.
I dont know how many utils I've tried, just to find simple text on taskbar thing.
Most of em, are way too big, with dials and such, very pretty but I just wanna ascertain that
network is doing something.

StainlessS

25th September 2019, 11:43

On Android, I use Network Monitor Mini,
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.kfsoft.android.TrafficIndicator&hl=en_GB

But, little problem where have to switch it off for some apps (eg PlayStore), as you cant 'Touch Through' to push some playstore button.
(Or move it somewhere else). [EDIT: No longer any problem]

Still searching for best util for Windows 10 phone, I got one a few weeks back, total bargain at £20.00, from Sunderland Cash Converters,
Lumia 640 XL LTE, quad core 1.2GHz arm, 1GB ram, 8 GB storage, 4G LTE 5.7 inch screen, and flip over cover case <also got Sandisk Ultra 64GB SD card for storage>.
I use android for phone, and have W10 for big screen WiFi internet in pub[although I got a SIM in it too].

EDIT: And on Linux, I think is "Up Down monitor", or something like that, not a normal program, is an "Accessory" or whatever they call them things.

[EDIT: Linux, I refer to it as "Download and Upload Speed Applet" in some text file.]

EDIT: On Linux, "Download and Upload Speed Applet".
https://i.postimg.cc/rFNvr7mJ/Screenshot-from-2019-09-25-13-02-28-00.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

EDIT: And Network Monitor Mini on Android (turquoise at top of image).
https://i.postimg.cc/wB9xNnDc/Screenshot-2019-09-25-13-09-31.png (https://postimg.cc/K1sySqqR)

feisty2

25th September 2019, 18:45

why is there no aero in your win7, it would be the main reason if I refuse to upgrade to win10

StainlessS

26th September 2019, 08:42

why is there no aero in your win7, it would be the main reason if I refuse to upgrade to win10

Kids eh, I usually switch that off, can't beat that W95 taste. [and the Android is JellyBean]

EDIT: And for anyone on Android, "MX Player" is the only player that you will ever need (about Eclair+), nothing else to touch it, can also use as audio player.
[wish it was on Windows too, but aint]

chros

26th September 2019, 10:07

And for anyone on Android, "MX Player" is the only player that you will ever need (about Eclair+), nothing else to touch it, can also use as audio player.
[wish it was on Windows too, but aint]
I like to separate video and audio players (they have different requirements, e.g. playlist, etc).

On Android:
- agreed, MX Player is the best video player (although I don't watch proper video content on my mobile at all :) )
- but for audio I use AIMP

On Windows:
- video: MPC-BE+LAVfilters+madvr (nothing beats it in simplicity and quality)
- audio: AIMP (previously I used Winamp)

StainlessS

26th September 2019, 10:52

Thanks Chros, I'll give AIMP a try.
I have play lists in folders, so just play the folder in MX-Player.

EDIT: Still never found a PC audio player that I liked as much as MusicMatch (About v7.0, before they messed it up).

Atak_Snajpera

26th September 2019, 23:14

Kids eh, I usually switch that off, can't beat that W95 taste. [and the Android is JellyBean]

EDIT: And for anyone on Android, "MX Player" is the only player that you will ever need (about Eclair+), nothing else to touch it, can also use as audio player.
[wish it was on Windows too, but aint]

Did you know that If you disable aero in win7 then whole GUI is being rendered by CPU? If you do not believe me you can check CPU usage when you move very fast for example Explorer window. You will notice spikes on CPU graph as soon as you start shaking selected window.

BetA13

27th September 2019, 00:06

Yep, thats True...
Some Software even needs DWM or AERO enabled, not shure what process it is exactly, to Function correct...

StainlessS

27th September 2019, 00:17

then whole GUI is being rendered by CPU?

Well thats a bit annoying.
Can you have Aero without all that transparency and animations crap ?

EDIT: Seems that any classic mode switches off aero and so switches off GPU, I think I'll just stick with CPU then.

BetA13

27th September 2019, 01:40

Well yes..
Im using an custom Theme for my Windows 7 that is AERO but without all the transparent stuff...
But, to use Custom Themes you would need use a Patcher that patches 3 system files so you can use the 3rd Party themes...

I know security wise, this is a nogo for some people.
The best patcher i can advice to use is this one here:
https://www.syssel.net/hoefs/software_uxtheme.php?lang=en

Its Clean, no ads , nothing. just pure and simple.. It also makes an Backup before..
The Dev is a nice person and also active on the WinFuture Forum.. So id say hes Trustable...

You can also do it manually if you want..

And after the first "hurdle" is taken you can use any custom Theme you like..
Here are 2 examples of my AERO Theme without AERO :P

https://i.imgur.com/l3GTCyh.png
https://i.imgur.com/rwPHipa.png

of course there are hundreds of classical themes out there..
I would say, if your interessted, check out Deviantart.com --> https://www.deviantart.com/customization/skins/windows/windows7/visualstyle/popular-all-time/

BUT, if you do so, READ the comments.. You never know what they Upload..

If you want, i can make an list of the Themes i have on my HDD, wich i know are clean and working perfect..

Best Regards..

feisty2

27th September 2019, 06:04

Well thats a bit annoying.
Can you have Aero without all that transparency and animations crap ?

EDIT: Seems that any classic mode switches off aero and so switches off GPU, I think I'll just stick with CPU then.

go to the "personalise" (thats how u people spell it?) panel, click "window colour" at the bottom and uncheck "enable transparency"
u can turn off aero animation here
https://i.imgur.com/RTAZGIt.png

StainlessS

27th September 2019, 09:25

Groucho2004

27th September 2019, 10:26

yeh, for that box I usually hit Adjust for best performance, and then tick these only.

Show Shadows under mouse
Show Window contents when dragging
Smooth edges of screen fonts
Use drop shadows for icons on the desktop

Exactly the options I use. :D

I do use the Aero thingy w/transparency, firstly because it looks kinda cool (as opposed to the Win8/10 flat look) and secondly because my video adapter can handle it easily.

Atak_Snajpera

27th September 2019, 10:33

Exactly the options I use. :D

I do use the Aero thingy w/transparency, firstly because it looks kinda cool (as opposed to the Win8/10 flat look) and secondly because my video adapter can handle it easily.

Any GPU with Pixel shader 2.0 will handle without issues Aero. I remember using aero on Acer laptop with Radeon x700 128 MB. Super smooth.

Groucho2004

27th September 2019, 10:54

Any GPU with Pixel shader 2.0 will handle without issues Aero.Good to know, thanks.

StainlessS

27th September 2019, 11:45

Any GPU with Pixel shader 2.0 will handle without issues Aero.
Yep but, you being a bit crazy about encoding efficiency [judging by some of your posts], does GPU for aero detract from your encode speed,
or do you have plenty of oomph to spare. [EDIT: Have you compared with/without - EDIT: or is it a stupid question]

EDIT: I've always looked at that chrome or plasticky look with disdain, just like a naff game or some 80's/90's Amiga demo or something.
Flat, squarish, 2D world for me : G2K4, you gained some + points for the first 4 ticks, but losts em all for that last one :)

EDIT: @BetA13,
Thanks for the info, it distracted me for a little bit, but then I decided that I'm happy to stick with CPU and no aero, me is just a luddite stick-in-the-mud.
[maybe I just dont care that much].

Atak_Snajpera

27th September 2019, 12:51

StainlessS

27th September 2019, 13:16

Oh, it is a stupid question then, sorry to waste your time :(

Groucho2004

27th September 2019, 14:24

G2K4, you gained some + points for the first 4 ticks, but losts em all for that last one :)
Did I have any points to begin with? Hard to know my score if there's no point of reference... ;)

Anyway,Flat, squarish, 2D world for meTo each his own.

StainlessS

27th September 2019, 15:56

Did I have any points to begin with? Hard to know my score if there's no point of reference... ;)

Points, well no not really, I woz just throwing you a bone, thats the kinda nice fella that I is.

BetA13

27th September 2019, 18:40

Yep but, you being a bit crazy about encoding efficiency [judging by some of your posts], does GPU for aero detract from your encode speed,
or do you have plenty of oomph to spare. [EDIT: Have you compared with/without - EDIT: or is it a stupid question]

well, there are no stupid questions :P
Sadly i cant answer that 100%, BUT if i do benchmarks and encoding stuff, it tends to be a bit better/faster when using my Perf. Theme. (wich is an greyish dark "classic" Theme without aero..

What i saw is that classic uses less VRAM, wich in return you have more to spare for the workload/bench/game.
But these are amounts that other People would laugh at^^

you save around 100 - 180 MB VRam...

SO, yes, in some heavy workloads or benches/application, a classic theme can give you a tiny little bit more Performance...

At least that is what I experienced trough my years of testing... Just thought to point that out...

Best Regards.

manolito

27th September 2019, 19:05

On my very ancient machine with these specs:

https://i.postimg.cc/nV4zp2Np/specs.png (https://postimages.org/)

I had to be very creative to squeeze out the last little bit of performance.

The tools which really helped were CacheMan and AppBooster. For some memory intensive software this made the difference between unusable and working pretty well. Of course using simple desktop themes (Aero not available under WinXP) may also help a little bit.

A few ywars ago MS told me that the OS installation was not legit and switched the desktop background to black. I thought that this looked very cool, I liked it so much that I kept the black background for several months. Like Groucho said:
Each to his own...

Atak_Snajpera

27th September 2019, 19:31

576 MiB RAM is a lot for win XP.

manolito

27th September 2019, 20:37

It's MB, not GB... :devil:
And no, it is by far too little for some software. Google Chrome is swapping all the time, but my old Opera12 which is much faster refuses to load more and more websites.

I can tell the difference from comparing it to my NetBook Medion Akoya E1210 (the famous Aldi netbook) which also runs WinXP, but has 2 GB of RAM. This makes a major difference...

Atak_Snajpera

27th September 2019, 23:14

. It's MB, not GB...
It's MiB ,not MB. MB is not a binary unit.

manolito

28th September 2019, 00:07

From Wikipedia:

Many operating systems compute file size in mebibytes, but report the number as MB (megabytes). For example, all versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system show a file of 220 bytes as "1.00 MB" or "1,024 KB" in its file properties dialog and show a file of 106 (1000000) bytes as 976 KB.

So please leave me alone with this nitpicking. I am old school, for me 1024 KB has always been 1 MB and 1024 MB are 1 GB. Even these words "Mebibytes" and "Kibibytes" sound ridiculous to my ears.

But you were missing my point completely. You said that 576 MiB RAM is a lot for win XP. This is totally wrong, maybe you were talking about Win95 or Win98.

Groucho2004

28th September 2019, 01:44

You said that 576 MiB RAM is a lot for win XP. This is totally wrong, maybe you were talking about Win95 or Win98.It all depends on what software you plan on running. XP itself will run quite nicely with 576 MiB. Back in the day when this amount of memory was common, most software used a fraction of what programs use nowadays.

StainlessS

28th September 2019, 10:45

I thought that this looked very cool, I liked it so much that I kept the black background for several months.

I always have my two W10 tablet/laptop thingies with black Background, people tend to ask if its Linux [in pub], saves a bit on battery.
[and 50% brightness, 100% tends to be way too bright in darkish pub, nearly blinding]

EDIT: BetA13, thanks for taking the time to respond, not a 100.0% stupid question then. :)

By the way, I took one of my W10 laptops back to 1709, and froze Feature updates so that it will stay forever 1709,
the other one (x64) is in pieces after replacing screen digitizer and did not work after re-assembly, gonena give it another go
in a few days.

feisty2

28th September 2019, 16:53

as someone who always digs the latest stuff, I also hate win10. the flat design metro bullshit looks cheap and stupid. not to even mention inconsistencies all over the place.

feisty2

28th September 2019, 16:54

vista is the best windows operating system ever!

Groucho2004

28th September 2019, 17:12

vista is the best windows operating system ever!NT4 is the best Windows OS ever!

Edit - Wait, changed my mind, W2K is the best. :D

StainlessS

29th September 2019, 00:18

vista is the best windows operating system ever!
Now you are just being provocative, vista was garbage with state of the art artificial stupidity built in.

And yes, W2K was best ever [once you had turned off all of the fancy graphics stuff].

feisty2

29th September 2019, 03:55

lets not forget that the current windows kernel is still based on vista (NT6, tho it's renamed NT10 but u know tomato tomahto)

nevcairiel

29th September 2019, 17:39

lets not forget that the current windows kernel is still based on vista (NT6, tho it's renamed NT10 but u know tomato tomahto)

And the Vista kernel was based on NT5 (XP/Win2k), which was based on NT4 .. its just how the world works, you don't make new kernels, you improve the one you have.

feisty2

29th September 2019, 19:38

And the Vista kernel was based on NT5 (XP/Win2k), which was based on NT4 .. its just how the world works, you don't make new kernels, you improve the one you have.

NT6 is a major update to NT5, vista, 7 and 8 are all NT6, since win10 is not really that different from win8, I assume NT10 is still just NT6 with a new name and no major update (like NT5 to NT6)

StainlessS

16th October 2019, 15:43

Just a heads up for those concerned,
Cinnamon Mint went to v19.2 a couple of months ago, and ReactOS went to 0.4.12 recently.

Gonna try set up ReactOS as Virtualbox guest, see if Avsynth does anything at all.

Katie Boundary

17th November 2019, 16:26

Cinnamon Mint

Cinnamon is just a desktop environment, and it's one of three that Mint can come with. Mint was updated to 19.2; the new version was published in all three DEs simultaneously.

StainlessS

17th November 2019, 17:24

Yip, IIRC,
I tried LMDE version (19.0 or 19.1, maybe), and although the installer ISO saw my Wifi just fine, when actually installed it did not work at all, so I gave up on it.

Katie Boundary

17th November 2019, 22:02

Yip, IIRC,
I tried LMDE version (19.0 or 19.1, maybe), and although the installer ISO saw my Wifi just fine, when actually installed it did not work at all, so I gave up on it.

You have to manually enable the proprietary drivers in the driver center or whatever Mint calls it. A lot of Linux distros are like that. Presumably it's some kind of security measure because Linux devs can't check closed-source drivers for malware.

StainlessS

18th November 2019, 17:34

You have to manually enable the proprietary drivers

Yeh, that was probably the first thing that I did, no joy [first thing I usually do is check for new Drivers/Updates, and it uses a standard builtin (RealTek I think) driver in Cinnamon].
I would have liked to have gotten Gentoo going, but way too much graft involved.

hello_hello

3rd December 2019, 18:24

Seems like maybe the place to ask this question.....

I recently installed 64 bit Win7 on a laptop. I use the free version of xplorer2, which only comes in a 32 bit flavour. As a result, the right click menus added to the registry by most programs don't show up in xplorer2's right click menu (items that are often referred to as shell context menus). After installing 7-zip however, I realised it has an option for adding shortcuts to the context menu for both 64 bit and 32 bit programs, so the 7-zip context menus do show up in xplorer2.

My question is, to save me having to hunt through the registry and risk making a mess by guessing, does anyone know if it's possible to manually create 32 bit context menu registry entries for programs that don't do so when you install them, and/or which registry entries I'd need to copy/create in order to do it?

Cheers.

lvqcl

3rd December 2019, 18:34

IIRC:

64-bit 7-zip has both 64-bit shell extension (7-zip.dll) and 32-bit shell extension (7-zip32.dll).

If a program doesn't have 32-bit shell extensoin then it's not possible to add it to a shell context menu.

BetA13

3rd December 2019, 18:49

whoops, nothing important to see here...
Delete me..^^

i did missunderstod the Question...

clsid

3rd December 2019, 19:02

The things that you can add to the menu with just a registry key already apply to both 32/64-bit.

What you are missing are shell extensions, as lvqcl already mentioned.

StainlessS

4th December 2019, 03:57

Seems to work, what are you missing ?

Lite (free) 32 bit(only) version download(v4.2.0.1, version about April 2019):- https://www.zabkat.com/x2lite.htm

Features Comparison:- https://www.zabkat.com/comparison.htm

Setup
https://i.postimg.cc/xksy6SZW/Setup.jpg (https://postimg.cc/xksy6SZW)

7zip(x64, v19.0, 21st Feb 2019) Options [Untick "Cascade Context Menu", puts options directly in context menu rather than contained in 7Zip sub menu]
https://i.postimg.cc/3WhbS2th/Options.jpg (https://postimg.cc/3WhbS2th)

Standard Windows Explorer context Menu
https://i.postimg.cc/DWZ7btbC/Explorer-Menu.jpg (https://postimg.cc/DWZ7btbC)

xPlorer Lite(x86) context Menu
https://i.postimg.cc/jD3GBCLX/xplorer-Menu.jpg (https://postimg.cc/jD3GBCLX)

EDIT: The missng context menu shortcuts in xPlorer lite, are from Comodo Anti-virus and "Create Checksum file" maybe from Nirsoft "HashMyFiles".
All 7zip shortcuts are present.

feisty2

6th December 2019, 21:05

since ur british Im gonna hijack this thread.
is it common that phd students in the uk don't receive funding and other financial support from the universities instead they gotta find some external scholarships? Im considering going to oxford

StainlessS

6th December 2019, 21:57

No idea !

StainlessS

8th December 2019, 21:30

For those of you on Win7 that are a bit frustrated with Windows Explorer thing switching views all of the time,
eg you want it always on General Items/Details Vew, but the damn thing keeps switching to icons (or some other view) when an image
or video clip or audio file is in a directory, then here is a fix for you.

I usually end up having to go to Folder Properties for each drive and select Customise/General Items, but have to repeat at each boot,
unfortunately does not work as easily on C drive where individual folders have to be configged, and back to square one again on next reboot.

FIX:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-disable-explorers-automatic-folder-view/9f35a46f-147f-47c2-88a2-ac4a4b8bea06

final post by ViaMala

Fix scatty Win Explorer view behaviour to FileType Unspecified

LockFiletypesUnSpecified.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell]
"FolderType"="NotSpecified"

Unfix
LockFiletypesUnSpecified_REMOVE.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell]
"FolderType"=-

I've rebooted and still set at unspecified filetypes :)

EDIT: If you manually set folder to a different view, it will survive a reboot for that folder [I would maybe like all reset to details on reboot, but I can live with that].

EDIT: Above all "Filetypes" should probably read "FolderTypes".

laserfan

10th December 2019, 18:44

For those of you on Win7 that are a bit frustrated with Windows Explorer thing switching views all of the time...

Awesome thanks; that's as deep/obscure a regentry I have seen I think! Wonder how it was ever found!

:scared:

StainlessS

10th December 2019, 20:14

Yep, shame that both my Android and Windows phones refuse to comply (both insist on icons on each folder until change to details),
I really dont understand how/why people put up with the icons things, not like you dont have to read the text/name anyways, go figure.
(I can partly understand children that have not yet mastered reading english, or even non tech savvy peeps using icons, but what the hell
use are they after those issues are no longer a problem ???)

EDIT: Only place that I'm aware where icons are maybe of use is in the likes of Control Panel, where ALL icons are different, a folder of 200
Word docs, icons play no part at all in being user friendly. [EDIT: I always switch to icons in control panel, go figure ?]

EDIT: "Android and Windows phones", when attached via USB to Win7.

hello_hello

16th December 2019, 02:22

Seems to work, what are you missing ?

EDIT: The missng context menu shortcuts in xPlorer lite, are from Comodo Anti-virus and "Create Checksum file" maybe from Nirsoft "HashMyFiles".
All 7zip shortcuts are present.

Whoops. I asked the question then forgot.

That's just it. 7-zip has the option to create 32 bit shell extensions so they appear in xplorer2. Shell extensions for other 64 bit programs don't. I'd like to have them for a couple of 64 bit programs, so I was wondering if I could add them to the registry myself.
lvqcl replied to say it's not possible, and I'll assume that's correct, but I don't really understand why there's a 32/64 bit distinction for shell extensions anyway.

One program that's often handy is Unlocker (http://www.emptyloop.com/unlocker/), as MeGUI has a habit of locking files or folders and neglecting to unlock them. I think Unlocker has a universal installer so I don't know if it's possible to install the 32 bit version on 64 bit Windows, or if it'd work if I could, or if it'll work just a well if I create a shortcut in the SendTo folder to use instead. I haven't got around to trying that yet.

nevcairiel

16th December 2019, 12:01

I don't really understand why there's a 32/64 bit distinction for shell extensions anyway.

Shell Extensions are a DLL, as such they have to match the architecture of the process thats trying to use them. A 32-bit process needs 32-bit shell extensions, and a 64-bit process needs 64-bit extensions.
While you can run a 32-bit process on Windows 64-bit, a single process cannot load a DLL from the wrong architecture.

Ideally, when it comes to the shell, mixing both 32 and 64-bit is always a bit iffy. Why not use the 64-bit version of xplorer2?

hello_hello

16th December 2019, 15:40

Ideally, when it comes to the shell, mixing both 32 and 64-bit is always a bit iffy. Why not use the 64-bit version of xplorer2?

It's not free and I'm a tight-wad. :)
If it annoys me enough I'll probably pay for the 64 bit version eventually.

BetA13

17th January 2020, 07:29

Just a heads up^^

The new Update breaks wallpapers , sound themes and screensavers on some WIndows 10 and WIndows 7 PC´s..

https://www.reddit.com/r/windows/comments/ep070p/end_of_support_means_end_of_wallpapers/

https://www.sevenforums.com/customization/422169-windows-7-after-end-support-screen-no-background.html#post3457666

https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/background-desktop-wallpaper-goes-black-after-january-update.80975/

i do have the same Problem haha.... Strech wallpaper does not work, if set on strech, pictures do not change or apply.. what a mess..

Another Month with the Best Quality Controll there is.. MicroDerp...

KB in Question is --> KB4534310

StainlessS

17th January 2020, 08:32

I have Windows update set to Manual on W7(for some reason its already started today), no problems with my lovely W95 RedTile wallpaper.
Switch to Windows 7 Aero theme, still ok. Back to Redtile, no probs.
I did get the alert for End of service thing.
I guess I'll havta try out the WSusOffline image I made on Wednesday, and see what happens, revert to old image if probs and then apply updates without that KB.

StainlessS

1st March 2020, 11:25

Privazer v3.0.93, (Free PC cleaner & Privacy cleaner tool, XP -> W10):- https://privazer.com/en/

New integrated Shellbags cleaner added (used to be just for donation versions)
v3.0.93 (20 February 2020)
+ Improved cleanup : FAT
+ Fixed issues : FAT entries not cleaned

v3.0.92 (14 February 2020)
+ New cleanup added : Shellbags (when cleaning directories)
+ Fixed issues : Leveldb viewer error
+ Improved cleanup : Firefox (zoom level preserved)
+ Improved cleanup : Firefox (extensions preserved)
+ Improved UI

Standalone Shellbags cleaner:- https://privazer.com/en/download-shellbag-analyzer-shellbag-cleaner.php

(Shellbags, windows tracking of folders visited by user in Windows Explorer, deleted folders and Searches)

Over time, your system accumulates a vast quantity of crud, which does nothing to speed things up.

EDIT: Almost immediately after Shellbags clean [Well, bout 30 mins, I had mostly been using browser so not much to report] (yours will show a whole helluva lot more stuff)
https://i.postimg.cc/gwcwbf1H/Shellbags.jpg (https://postimg.cc/gwcwbf1H)

StainlessS

20th May 2020, 15:30

@Wonkey_Monkey,
I see that Linux Mint currently has some TigerVNC related items in the software installer, just installed, not yet tried.
(I have not actually bothered to set up my [broken] network in about 12 months, constant copying of stuff to/from
external SSD drive). I gotta set up network some time this week.

EDIT: Last time I tried TigerVNC, was only available as an external deb (I think) package.

EDIT: Just search VNC.

StainlessS

24th May 2020, 20:14

I guess that this is as good a place as any to post this, so

XIN.AT:- http://wp.xin.at/x265-for-winxp-and-winxp-x64

x265 & ffmpeg for WinXP / XP x64 / Vista

1. Introduction

This page is a collection of my x265 releases for Windows XP/Vista 32-bit and Windows XP x64 Edition / Vista x64 as well as all newer releases of Microsoft Windows.
The key feature here being the XP and Vista compatibility, which is not the default for compiling x265 on Windows.
For each revision I decide to build you’ll get the 32-bit as well as the 64-bit versions.

Some stuff seems to be as recent as Feb 2020.

BetA13

11th June 2020, 09:52

not shure if this is the right Thread, but i thought this video is interessting and is also about Windows^^

GUI Madness :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AItTqnTsVjA

I feel with him, i have made the exact same experience^^

Best Regards

StainlessS

11th June 2020, 13:09

I like the inital pre-start GUI, neat and un-cluttered, kinda sexy.

stax76

11th June 2020, 13:45

The way that guy talks, couldn't watch longer than 10 minutes but some things I agree, like having no icons on the desktop.

Groucho2004

11th June 2020, 14:05

The way that guy talks, couldn't watch longer than 10 minutesMy thoughts exactly. However, I stopped after 2 minutes.

Groucho2004

11th June 2020, 14:09

like having no icons on the desktop.Agreed, here's my desktop (Just 2 icons for convenience):

https://i.postimg.cc/65S7xVys/Image1.png

stax76

11th June 2020, 16:48

It's somehow similar to mine but I think you need a nice wallpaper, I like bears, watch them everyday on YouTube.

https://postimg.cc/WhbsPzgK

StainlessS

11th June 2020, 17:01

but I think you need a nice wallpaper
Try pure black background, I have on Galaxy Note 4, and two W10 tablet/laptop thingies, is great and extends battery life on mobile device.
(I still like W95 Red Tile on W7).

StainlessS

21st September 2020, 14:49

Just got a [2nd user] Chuwi Hi10 Pro, x64 4GB RAM, 64 GB storage, W10 + Android 5.1, 2-in-1 10.1 inch Tablet/Laptop thingy.
(My old Hi10[non pro] is probably totally dead now, having been in pieces for at least 6 months, and having dowsed it in beer some months ago, might come in handy for spare parts
eg battery and screen).

https://www.windowscentral.com/chuwi-hi10-pro-mini-review-affordable-windows-10-2-1
[EDIT: Updated Z8300 to Z8350 version CPU, Chuwi often improves specs keeping same model name]

https://i.postimg.cc/F7N98thb/Chuwi-Hi10-Pro.jpg (https://postimg.cc/F7N98thb)

Seems that W10 (1909) made some change and having problems imaging with Macrium Reflect, comes up with error code 9 [USB boot version not W10 GUI].
I think its supposed to be fixed in current version Reflect , so am gonna update that and retry.
I note that W10(1909) has now added ability to delay updates for 35 days, bout bloody time they did something about that, think I'll now let my x86
Linx 1010B [tablet/laptop thingy] go from 1709 to 1909, and give it one more chance.

Here, one mans view of the top three worst operating systems that M$ has gifted the world [Vista only comes in as runner up]:- https://www.computerworld.com/article/3575332/the-worst-version-of-windows-ever-released.html

manolito

21st September 2020, 16:09

Just a few days ago I read that current Win10 versions even prohibit users to edit their HOSTS file. Fits in nicely with the M$ philosophy that its not the user who controls the OS, it's M$ who decides what can run under Win10 or what cannot...

So my list of the top three worst operating systems that M$ has gifted the world is certainly topped by Win10.

StainlessS

21st September 2020, 16:53

I kinda half expected Vista to take the title [if not then W10 was a cert]

If hosts file is not for user, then who is it for ?

EDIT: hosts disabled: because people are using hosts to stop general W10
telemetry, and also Visual studio telemetry.
You betcha.

BetA13

21st September 2020, 17:39

well, you could also just use DNSCrypt Proxy and its Blacklist.. wich can block WIn Telemetry even better then using teh Hosts File..
I use both atm, and told defender to ignore the Hosts...

Works like a charm.... (using windows 10 LTSC 2019)

But i agree, MS really makes it hard for us advanced users...

Best Regards

Edit:
DNSCrypt Proxy..
https://github.com/DNSCrypt/dnscrypt-proxy

StainlessS

21st September 2020, 17:39

BetA13

21st September 2020, 17:42

Just tried (several times) to update Linx 1010B W10 1709, and
it will not update. Damn, dont know what I did but seems I accidentally did summick
to screew up W10 updates permanently. (wish I knew what I did, is much sort after secret).
No probs, Ill back up to cleaner 1709 and retry, or reinstall 1909 directly.

did you try update manually? just download teh KB´s you need, enable windows update service, and install em manually...

should work if i remember right..

For windows 10 im using this here for updates:
https://www.carifred.com/wau_manager/

wich works perfect for me.. theres even a setting to make Updates manually and not automaticly... so youre the Boss...

edit, if someone wants to try DNSCrypt Proxy and has questions, just post em, ill try to help as good as i can :)

StainlessS

21st September 2020, 17:48

Woah, thank beta, givin it a go.

EDIT:
This Hobgoblin Ruby is good, not so nice as Hobgoblin standard
but does the job.

BetA13

21st September 2020, 17:53

No problem mate :)
If you dont find updates with this: https://www.carifred.com/wau_manager/
then it could be that you are blocking the update servers of Windows.. So, it might be wise to rename the HOSTS file to hosts.test or somehting to see if youre blocking teh connection with it.. That is, if you got something in the hosts, (some lists etc).

Hope that helps..

StainlessS

21st September 2020, 18:07

No, for me on W10 tablet, I dont block with hosts, dont really care what it does, i only use it in the pub,
I just object to it tryin to update when I wanna use it.

EDIT: any and all of my machnes could be used at any time [24/7],
when not in use, are powered down, M$ makes some major assumptions.

HowardWow1997

24th September 2020, 11:53

https://www.zdnet.com/article/new-windows-10-1809-bug-zip-data-loss-flaw-is-months-old-but-microsoft-missed-it/

https://i.imgur.com/qFcVLYY.jpg

Service10 will NEVER be fine because M$ does not give a s#!t about bug reports from insiders! Since launch end user is a tester.

Ha HA HA hahahah. It's so funny:D Chek this out (https://upjoke.com/windows-10-jokes)

StainlessS

4th October 2020, 13:11

From Wikipedia "Windows 10"
In late-July 2020, Windows Defender began to classify modifications of the hosts file to include Microsoft telemetry servers as being a severe security risk.[398]

Windows 10: HOSTS file blocking telemetry is now flagged as a risk:- https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/windows-10-hosts-file-blocking-telemetry-is-now-flagged-as-a-risk/

I suppose that there is a genuine reason for this hosts file detection, but is maybe prompted by M$ self interest.
Can just disable Windows Defender detection of it, (if you have a deliberately modified hosts).
I guess that hosts could also be used for blocking of Win updates, if you knew address of all update servers.

gonca

4th October 2020, 17:01

From Wikipedia "Windows 10"

Windows 10: HOSTS file blocking telemetry is now flagged as a risk:- https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/windows-10-hosts-file-blocking-telemetry-is-now-flagged-as-a-risk/

I suppose that there is a genuine reason for this hosts file detection, but is maybe prompted by M$ self interest.
Can just disable Windows Defender detection of it, (if you have a deliberately modified hosts).
I guess that hosts could also be used for blocking of Win updates, if you knew address of all update servers.

Or you could try these 2 apps
https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10
and
https://greatis.com/stopupdates10/

StainlessS

4th October 2020, 18:14

Thanks gonca. [think I already have those two]
I got a W10 tower a few days back, is on W10 1551, very early W10 from 2015, Version 1511 (AKA November Update).
I've never wanted W10 on desktop, but difficult to find a W7 issue on recent machine.
Will be staying mostly offline [except for maybe Linux dual boot OS, when I get it going].
Not really sure how we got 1551, CPU and system from 2018 [2nd user, ie used machine, HP Omen 880-112na].
Dont know whether to update to 1709, or current ver$ of W10, or just leave at 1551, think I'll take my time to decide.

gonca

5th October 2020, 01:12

I'm still on 1607
Once you get the forced updates and telemetry under control it's not bad

StainlessS

13th October 2020, 16:53

Dont know whether to update to 1709, or current ver$ of W10, or just leave at 1551, think I'll take my time to decide.
Well, decided that 1551 is un-usable.
I kinda liked [or maybe had least dislike of] 1709, but as my Chuwi Hi10 Pro x64 tablet came with [and currently on] 1909, and my Linx 1010B x86 tablet can go to 1909, and my W10 Tower is currently stuck at 1909, decided to make my min usable base images 1909.

W10 tower seems currently stuck at 1909, says,

Feature Update to windows 10 version 2004
The windows 10 May 2020 update is on its way. Once it's ready for your device, you'll see the update on this page.

I guess that it dont like doin' lots of consecutive feature updates in short time space, so is temp blocked for now.
I've already had it installed with 20H1 (ie May 2020) direct from ISO, but wanted to keep Hewlett Packard recovery +
other stuff that came with system, so have stepwise updated from original 1551.

HP extra stuff contains a lot of crap, but not all crap.

EDIT: I may upgrade to W10 Pro [currently Home], can apparently get Pro licence for about $12.00 via some You Tube
recommended sites.

EDIT: I just tried one of the $12.00 Pro licence links, was 404, I'll post good link if I find one.
Here setup from ISO Windows 10 Setup / The Everything Guide / Step-By-Step
with non working [404, one year old link] $12.00 W10 Pro licence link.

StainlessS

20th October 2020, 11:25

Maybe some will like to follow this, an Ameliorated version of Windows 10.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwkiU6GG-YU

And a counter argument for that Ameliorated version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24szj1NmbVQ

YouTube list of clips matching "Ameliorated".
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ameliorated

Probably not gonna try this myself, but others might wanna do it. [ EDIT: Or maybe just use the lite ver$ in V.M. ]

EDIT:

ameliorate
/əˈmiːlɪəreɪt/
verb formal
past tense: ameliorated; past participle: ameliorated

make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better.
"the reform did much to ameliorate living standards"

Katie Boundary

23rd October 2020, 18:48

Do these "ameliorated" versions restore the Classic skin/theme, or any non-Metro skin/theme for that matter?

StainlessS

24th October 2020, 13:11

Well it says that it gets rid of all metro apps, so I see no reason to think that Metro style skin/theme would still be supported.

StainlessS

24th October 2020, 13:21

NetSpeedMonitor mentioned elsewhere in this thread has ceased to function on my W10 home 20H1 and 20H2 x64 (x86 unknown),
it was still working on 1909 having been installed back on original 1551.
It does install, and would seem to all work except that it shows a double vertical line on taskbar but no Up/Down text metrics.
Hovering the mouse over the taskbar NetSpeedMonitor area does show bitrate/byterate on a tooltip, so it is still working internally,
think must just be some kind of problem rendering to taskbar.

I've gotta have my byterate monitor, maybe I force myself to do a bit of windows progging. (unless someone can point to equivalent prog).

EDIT: How it should look, is the 'U: D:' text.
https://i.postimg.cc/y8cF2pV2/Net-Speed-Monitor.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1885592#post1885592

manolito

24th October 2020, 16:00

You should probably change the title of this thread. It was originally intended for users who were forced to upgrade from XP to Win7 because some software would no longer work under XP.

But now most posts here deal about Win10 problems. This is OT for this thread, please make a new thread with a title like "Win10 Sux big time". I think everybody knows his by now...

StainlessS

24th October 2020, 16:09

Name change, "Windows After XP Sux big time."

filler56789

24th October 2020, 16:26

Name change, "Windows After XP Sux big time."

I :agree: :)
Even though XP itself sucked when compared to Windows 2000 /98/ 95, of course. Remember, before XP there was no fancy desktop theme (read: Luna), no stupid Search Companion animation, and there was a useful distinction between the verbs "open" and "explore" in the default file manager :)

FranceBB

24th October 2020, 17:10

Come to Linux, Stainly, you won't regret it.
I'm personally using:

- Fedora 33 x64 for fun, casual googling, talking with friends, YouTube, itv, BBC iPlayer etc
- Windows XP x86 in a VM from Fedora for old stuff
- Windows 10 Enterprise Dual Boot from the company I work for for everything work-related

Avisynth falls in between XP and 10, with both running the very same copy and the same version of Avisynth x86 (Manolito's approach), but the latter having also Avisynth x64 with my very slow transition towards x64 of all the plugins/filters...

StainlessS

24th October 2020, 19:28

Me had Linux on-and-off since the 90's
Was always a bit disappointing up until recently.

jones1913

25th October 2020, 19:46

Me had Linux on-and-off since the 90's
Was always a bit disappointing up until recently.
I agree with that, had Linux first installed 2008 or so (openSuse 11.something). Hardware driver situation was not good back then, especially for printers, scanners, some soundcards, graphics was working but slow.
And software ecosystem was not at the level where it is today. That has changed in last few years, most hardware has linux drivers, very good open source graphics drivers (Intel and AMD), Vapoursynth, NLE tools, Steam...

I ditched Suse and used Windows 7 for a few years because it was good (after some tweaking, of course). Then MS came up with these Windows 8 garbage, and then they completely lost their mind with this Win 10 :eek:.
Since 2015 I use Manjaro Linux. It is of course a lot of work to get used to the way things work in Linux, but it pays of with the freedom you get. And keeping Windows in a working condition seems also a lot of work (conclusion after reading this thread).

StainlessS

3rd November 2020, 15:33

Latest Windows 10 woes.

Windows 10 bug: Certificates lost after feature upgrade? We're working on fix, says Microsoft
Microsoft confirms that upgrading to a newer version of Windows 10 sometimes results in lost certificates.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-bug-certificates-lost-after-feature-upgrade-were-working-on-fix-says-microsoft/

W7 --->>> W10 [ exploits have been seen in the wild - no current fix]
Windows 10 zero-day could allow hackers to seize control of your computer
https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/windows-10-zero-day-could-allow-hackers-to-seize-control-of-your-computer
EDIT: regarding above link zero day exploit:

"We have evidence that the following bug is being used in the wild," researchers said.

Researchers said the newly discovered vulnerability was found within the Windows Kernel Cryptography Driver.

That's because all attacks using the bug have relied on a separate vulnerability in Google Chrome that was fixed on October 20.

Google's Shane Huntley confirmed the bug had been used by hackers for "targeted exploitation".

That means hackers wielded it to target specific people rather than a widespread attack.

It's hoped that a patch could be release as early as November 10 as part of Microsoft's monthly "Patch Tuesday" effort.

If using Chrome browser, then update it NOW.

EDIT: Game hidden in [EDIT: recent] Edge Browser, in address bar type "Edge://Surf"
(might be crap, never tried it)

FranceBB

4th November 2020, 08:01

Oh well... I guess we're gonna wait for the update this time then.
Speaking of updates, on Win10 x64 Enterprise, I use Chrome Canary, so I'm currently on version 88.0.4314.1.
This should at least give me some kind of better protection compared to other, older, version of Chrome.

StainlessS

5th December 2020, 18:01

At last some good news on W10.
Since about June 2019, Windows 10 Home Edition [so probably W10 build 1909], can have Hyper-V installed,
previously only available on Pro+, they wanted to be able to run WSL2 [Windows subsystem for Linux v2]
on W10 Home Edition, which might also suggest that you can run "Windows XP Mode" on current W10 Home.
[Windows XP Mode was a W7 thing, not previously available on W10 Home].
Hyper-V probably not be available on 32 bit versions of Home [or Pro+].
EDIT I think you have to extract some kind of image from the W7 XP mode thing, which is an XP vdi virtual disk image, of XP.

From Wikipedia Hyper-V page Today! [EDIT: Many M$ pro's do not yet know that Home can support Hyper-V]
Windows 10 Home does not support Hyper-V.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyper-V
But,
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/29175/installation-of-hyper-v-on-windows-10-home.html

I have not tried it yet, still busy setting up W10 Home 20H2 desktop.

EDIT:

HankTerrebrood-5600 · Jul 26 at 4:37 AM

Don't you wish people that didn't know what they are talking about would stop answering tech questions?

Irritating as hell, isn't it?

Create a file, anywhere, using a text editor and copy the following into that file:

pushd "%~dp0"
dir /b %SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\*Hyper-V*.mum >hv.txt
for /f %%i in ('findstr /i . hyper-v.txt 2^>nul') do dism /online /norestart /add-package:"%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\%%i"
del hv.txt
Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Hyper-V -All /LimitAccess /ALL
pause

Now save that as hv.bat from your text editor. The desktop or download folder are good destinations for which to save and easily located for the next step.

After exiting the editor, open file manager and right mouse click the file and choose run as administrator.

Once complete it will reboot your machine and you can turn on Hyper-v from programs and features.

EDIT: Above .bat file is pre-prepared for download in this link, which is the source of info for above link.
https://www.itechtics.com/enable-hyper-v-windows-10-home/
Does your system support virtualization?

Before moving forward, we need to check if our system supports virtualization. Hardware virtualization is required for Hyper-V to function correctly. Otherwise, you can use other virtualization platforms like Virtualbox and VMWare.

There are four basic requirements for Hyper-V to be installed on a Windows 10 computer:

VM Monitor Mode Extensions
Virtualization enabled in firmware
Second level address translation
Data execution prevention

You can check all these requirements by opening the Command Prompt (Run –> cmd) and running the systeminfo command. You can check the Hyper-V requirements section.

EDIT: At Last, some great use for W10 :)
Import Windows XP Mode from Windows 7 to Windows 10
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/138739-import-windows-xp-mode-windows-7-windows-10-a.html
EDIT: Wrong link, this one:- https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/135551-hyper-v-add-windows-xp-mode-virtual-machine-windows-10-a.html

EDIT: Acrobatic lorry jack caught on cam in Romania:- https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13391230/gang-raid-moving-lorries-steal-ps5s/

kerry7

8th December 2020, 11:24

I have very strong hopes for the upcoming Windows, to be honest, it seems a very interesting change of direction of Microsoft during the last years by moving closer to the open-source community, like buying Github, or adding a Linux console... that is great and I am pretty sure it will impact positively on the next Windows :)

StainlessS

8th December 2020, 18:25

Not a move towards Open Source, is just wantin' to seem that way, and as Linux can host Windows apps, so M$ is now just mirroring that.
The Github/Open Source thing, is just leaving the door ajar in case they find it of use, and are attempting to tie devs
to M$ via different tactics, like VsCode/VsCodium, just as they have done lately with VS Express/Community.
Visual Studio should have always been free, but they [being money mad] wanted to charge devs for supporting their own OS,
now that there is a viable alternative to windows, they see that devs will quite happily leave the M$ domain.
M$ can see that without some change in direction, there will eventually be no M$ artefacts that are spoken of in the present tense.

feisty2

11th December 2020, 08:54

I would recommend using Windows Server 2019 as a modern desktop OS.

- You're able to run the latest version of any program, it shares the same kernel with Windows 10.
- There is no UWP nonsense, it's fully optimized for desktop experience.
- There is no Microsoft account nonsense, the Administrator account is available to you by default.
- There is no UAC, everything runs with admin privileges.
- Updates are automatically downloaded but NOT automatically installed, and there's certainly no automatic restart.
(In fact you're required to manually specify a reason if you ever want to shutdown or restart the computer, but that could be turned off in group policy.)

EDIT:
plus it looks a lot prettier than win10 with aero enabled.
https://i.imgur.com/OGT6c2R.png

StainlessS

11th December 2020, 19:11

Feisty, what do they charge for server nowadays, cant remember what the two options were, "by-the-seat" and something else.
[and how does it work out for single use licence, ie not a client server.]

I am fed up to the back teeth with W10 [home], 20H2 is real awkward, and dont like some other AV software to replace M$ AV.
It was proably my fault in beng a bit totalitarian, but I ended up not even being able to start up control panel [or much else either], insufficient memory [or similar] despite being 2GB used and 30GB in reserve. I give up on current W10, defo goin' back to 1709, no updates, but hey - that sounds like just what I want [I'm not gonna be using it on-line anyways, gonna be gong Linux only on-line at some point].
[You can Get some M$ thing to stop updates, but damn thing tends to switch back on when you are not lookin'].

Linux-wise, bit pissed off there 2, Mint 20.0 [Ulyana] was not shuttin' down properley [history of same for some years, not just Mint],
and after imaging, does not restore/run at all, [Macrium Reflect].

Just had a skin full of beer [with a substatial meal], no longer suicidal - tomorrow is another day.

feisty2

11th December 2020, 21:45

there's an official way to use windows server for free for 3 years (you need to run an activation command every 6 months, you're allowed to do it 6 times), it should be good enough for personal use because you will want to upgrade to a new version of windows server after 3 years and you can continue using the new version for 3 years and so on.

alternatively, there're some scripts in this github repo: https://github.com/massgravel/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts that allow you to activate windows server 2019 until year 2038, but I'm not sure if it's legal.

StainlessS

12th December 2020, 04:26

Thanks F2, think I'll come back and hava play with WS19 then, after I setup 1709, still got about 650GB left spare on SSD after install of
W10 client and Linux Mint, maybe I also try get Gentoo going too, and leave a bit or room for Reactos or other [Maybe Android x86].
[I dont really use OS drive for data].

feisty2

12th December 2020, 11:45

you might also wanna check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEw25YaEjaI, it lists a bunch of configurations that make server2019 more suitable as a desktop OS

StainlessS

12th December 2020, 16:00

I've DL'ed, will take a look, thanks F2.

Windows 10 getting you down ?
Feel like you're gettin' nowhere fast ?
Sick of feelin' like you're on your knees ?
Could be worse [EDIT: It takes a little while to get started, dont give up]:- https://metro.co.uk/2020/12/12/icy-patch-is-major-struggle-for-sore-bummed-pedestrians-13741555/
[ Funniest thing I've seen all year - you''ll need a handkerchief for the tears :) ]

StainlessS

12th December 2020, 18:09

Thanks again F2, I've watched the clip and it does look like it could be more useful than W10.
Was already aware of about half of the config options in the clip, but a few were non familiar.
I suppose register every 6 months aint too bad.

Looks like even my No2 m/c supports Svr19 [x64, NX & DEP, CMPXCHG16b, LAHF-SAHF, PrefetchW, requirments].
Arh, damn, dont got me no ECC RAM.

RAM

The following are the estimated RAM requirements for this product:

Minimum:

512 MB (2 GB for Server with Desktop Experience installation option)
ECC (Error Correcting Code) type or similar technology, for physical host deployments

Arh well, it was a nice thought, cheers anyways :)

Might be OK for VM though.

EDIT:
Windows Server products & resources

Windows Server 2019
Evaluations | 180 days
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server-2019
D/L options, Azure, ISO, VHD.

Windows Server 2019 System Requirements
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started-19/sys-reqs-19
CoreInfo [for system requirements]:- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/coreinfo

Produces this on my No2 m/c

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9550 @ 2.83GHz
Intel64 Family 6 Model 23 Stepping 7, GenuineIntel
Microcode signature: 0000070B
HTT * Hyperthreading enabled
HYPERVISOR - Hypervisor is present
VMX * Supports Intel hardware-assisted virtualization
SVM - Supports AMD hardware-assisted virtualization
X64 * Supports 64-bit mode

SMX * Supports Intel trusted execution
SKINIT - Supports AMD SKINIT

NX * Supports no-execute page protection
SMEP - Supports Supervisor Mode Execution Prevention
SMAP - Supports Supervisor Mode Access Prevention
PAGE1GB - Supports 1 GB large pages
PAE * Supports > 32-bit physical addresses
PAT * Supports Page Attribute Table
PSE * Supports 4 MB pages
PSE36 * Supports > 32-bit address 4 MB pages
PGE * Supports global bit in page tables
SS * Supports bus snooping for cache operations
VME * Supports Virtual-8086 mode
RDWRFSGSBASE - Supports direct GS/FS base access

FPU * Implements i387 floating point instructions
MMX * Supports MMX instruction set
MMXEXT - Implements AMD MMX extensions
3DNOW - Supports 3DNow! instructions
3DNOWEXT - Supports 3DNow! extension instructions
SSE * Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions
SSE2 * Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 2
SSE3 * Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 3
SSSE3 * Supports Supplemental SIMD Extensions 3
SSE4a - Supports Streaming SIMDR Extensions 4a
SSE4.1 * Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.1
SSE4.2 - Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.2

AES - Supports AES extensions
AVX - Supports AVX instruction extensions
FMA - Supports FMA extensions using YMM state
MSR * Implements RDMSR/WRMSR instructions
MTRR * Supports Memory Type Range Registers
XSAVE - Supports XSAVE/XRSTOR instructions
OSXSAVE - Supports XSETBV/XGETBV instructions
RDRAND - Supports RDRAND instruction
RDSEED - Supports RDSEED instruction

CMOV * Supports CMOVcc instruction
CLFSH * Supports CLFLUSH instruction
CX8 * Supports compare and exchange 8-byte instructions
CX16 * Supports CMPXCHG16B instruction
BMI1 - Supports bit manipulation extensions 1
BMI2 - Supports bit manipulation extensions 2
ADX - Supports ADCX/ADOX instructions
DCA - Supports prefetch from memory-mapped device
F16C - Supports half-precision instruction
FXSR * Supports FXSAVE/FXSTOR instructions
FFXSR - Supports optimized FXSAVE/FSRSTOR instruction
MONITOR * Supports MONITOR and MWAIT instructions
MOVBE - Supports MOVBE instruction
ERMSB - Supports Enhanced REP MOVSB/STOSB
PCLMULDQ - Supports PCLMULDQ instruction
POPCNT - Supports POPCNT instruction
LZCNT - Supports LZCNT instruction
SEP * Supports fast system call instructions
LAHF-SAHF * Supports LAHF/SAHF instructions in 64-bit mode
HLE - Supports Hardware Lock Elision instructions
RTM - Supports Restricted Transactional Memory instructions

DE * Supports I/O breakpoints including CR4.DE
DTES64 * Can write history of 64-bit branch addresses
DS * Implements memory-resident debug buffer
DS-CPL * Supports Debug Store feature with CPL
PCID - Supports PCIDs and settable CR4.PCIDE
INVPCID - Supports INVPCID instruction
PDCM * Supports Performance Capabilities MSR
RDTSCP - Supports RDTSCP instruction
TSC * Supports RDTSC instruction
TSC-DEADLINE - Local APIC supports one-shot deadline timer
TSC-INVARIANT - TSC runs at constant rate
xTPR * Supports disabling task priority messages

EIST * Supports Enhanced Intel Speedstep
ACPI * Implements MSR for power management
TM * Implements thermal monitor circuitry
TM2 * Implements Thermal Monitor 2 control
APIC * Implements software-accessible local APIC
x2APIC - Supports x2APIC

CNXT-ID - L1 data cache mode adaptive or BIOS

MCE * Supports Machine Check, INT18 and CR4.MCE
MCA * Implements Machine Check Architecture
PBE * Supports use of FERR#/PBE# pin

PSN - Implements 96-bit processor serial number

PREFETCHW * Supports PREFETCHW instruction

Maximum implemented CPUID leaves: 0000000A (Basic), 80000008 (Extended).
Maximum implemented address width: 48 bits (virtual), 36 bits (physical).

Processor signature: 00010677

Logical to Physical Processor Map:
*--- Physical Processor 0
-*-- Physical Processor 1
--*- Physical Processor 2
---* Physical Processor 3

Logical Processor to Socket Map:
**** Socket 0

Logical Processor to NUMA Node Map:
**** NUMA Node 0

No NUMA nodes.

Logical Processor to Cache Map:
*--- Data Cache 0, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
*--- Instruction Cache 0, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
-*-- Data Cache 1, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
-*-- Instruction Cache 1, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
**-- Unified Cache 0, Level 2, 6 MB, Assoc 24, LineSize 64
--*- Data Cache 2, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
--*- Instruction Cache 2, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
---* Data Cache 3, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
---* Instruction Cache 3, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
--** Unified Cache 1, Level 2, 6 MB, Assoc 24, LineSize 64

Logical Processor to Group Map:
**** Group 0

EDIT: Dont know if I need HyperVisor for the VHD, I aint got it. Maybe convert to VirtualBox thing.

feisty2

12th December 2020, 18:32

I guess the ECC RAM thing doesn’t really matter if some rare hardware related system crash is tolerable, I don’t have ECC RAM in my desktop computer (I suppose?) and I installed server2019 and it works just fine...

StainlessS

12th December 2020, 18:37

Yeh thanks for that also, I thought it was a bit of an artificial requirement.
Guess I'll get both ISO and VHD.

No1 m/c from CoreInfo

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8700 CPU @ 3.20GHz
Intel64 Family 6 Model 158 Stepping 10, GenuineIntel
Microcode signature: 000000D2
HTT * Hyperthreading enabled
HYPERVISOR - Hypervisor is present
VMX * Supports Intel hardware-assisted virtualization
SVM - Supports AMD hardware-assisted virtualization
X64 * Supports 64-bit mode

SMX * Supports Intel trusted execution
SKINIT - Supports AMD SKINIT

NX * Supports no-execute page protection
SMEP * Supports Supervisor Mode Execution Prevention
SMAP * Supports Supervisor Mode Access Prevention
PAGE1GB * Supports 1 GB large pages
PAE * Supports > 32-bit physical addresses
PAT * Supports Page Attribute Table
PSE * Supports 4 MB pages
PSE36 * Supports > 32-bit address 4 MB pages
PGE * Supports global bit in page tables
SS * Supports bus snooping for cache operations
VME * Supports Virtual-8086 mode
RDWRFSGSBASE * Supports direct GS/FS base access

FPU * Implements i387 floating point instructions
MMX * Supports MMX instruction set
MMXEXT - Implements AMD MMX extensions
3DNOW - Supports 3DNow! instructions
3DNOWEXT - Supports 3DNow! extension instructions
SSE * Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions
SSE2 * Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 2
SSE3 * Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 3
SSSE3 * Supports Supplemental SIMD Extensions 3
SSE4a - Supports Streaming SIMDR Extensions 4a
SSE4.1 * Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.1
SSE4.2 * Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.2

AES * Supports AES extensions
AVX * Supports AVX instruction extensions
FMA * Supports FMA extensions using YMM state
MSR * Implements RDMSR/WRMSR instructions
MTRR * Supports Memory Type Range Registers
XSAVE * Supports XSAVE/XRSTOR instructions
OSXSAVE * Supports XSETBV/XGETBV instructions
RDRAND * Supports RDRAND instruction
RDSEED * Supports RDSEED instruction

CMOV * Supports CMOVcc instruction
CLFSH * Supports CLFLUSH instruction
CX8 * Supports compare and exchange 8-byte instructions
CX16 * Supports CMPXCHG16B instruction
BMI1 * Supports bit manipulation extensions 1
BMI2 * Supports bit manipulation extensions 2
ADX * Supports ADCX/ADOX instructions
DCA - Supports prefetch from memory-mapped device
F16C * Supports half-precision instruction
FXSR * Supports FXSAVE/FXSTOR instructions
FFXSR - Supports optimized FXSAVE/FSRSTOR instruction
MONITOR * Supports MONITOR and MWAIT instructions
MOVBE * Supports MOVBE instruction
ERMSB * Supports Enhanced REP MOVSB/STOSB
PCLMULDQ * Supports PCLMULDQ instruction
POPCNT * Supports POPCNT instruction
LZCNT * Supports LZCNT instruction
SEP * Supports fast system call instructions
LAHF-SAHF * Supports LAHF/SAHF instructions in 64-bit mode
HLE * Supports Hardware Lock Elision instructions
RTM * Supports Restricted Transactional Memory instructions

DE * Supports I/O breakpoints including CR4.DE
DTES64 * Can write history of 64-bit branch addresses
DS * Implements memory-resident debug buffer
DS-CPL * Supports Debug Store feature with CPL
PCID * Supports PCIDs and settable CR4.PCIDE
INVPCID * Supports INVPCID instruction
PDCM * Supports Performance Capabilities MSR
RDTSCP * Supports RDTSCP instruction
TSC * Supports RDTSC instruction
TSC-DEADLINE * Local APIC supports one-shot deadline timer
TSC-INVARIANT * TSC runs at constant rate
xTPR * Supports disabling task priority messages

EIST * Supports Enhanced Intel Speedstep
ACPI * Implements MSR for power management
TM * Implements thermal monitor circuitry
TM2 * Implements Thermal Monitor 2 control
APIC * Implements software-accessible local APIC
x2APIC * Supports x2APIC

CNXT-ID - L1 data cache mode adaptive or BIOS

MCE * Supports Machine Check, INT18 and CR4.MCE
MCA * Implements Machine Check Architecture
PBE * Supports use of FERR#/PBE# pin

PSN - Implements 96-bit processor serial number

PREFETCHW * Supports PREFETCHW instruction

Maximum implemented CPUID leaves: 00000016 (Basic), 80000008 (Extended).
Maximum implemented address width: 48 bits (virtual), 39 bits (physical).

Processor signature: 000906EA

Logical to Physical Processor Map:
**---------- Physical Processor 0 (Hyperthreaded)
--**-------- Physical Processor 1 (Hyperthreaded)
----**------ Physical Processor 2 (Hyperthreaded)
------**---- Physical Processor 3 (Hyperthreaded)
--------**-- Physical Processor 4 (Hyperthreaded)
----------** Physical Processor 5 (Hyperthreaded)

Logical Processor to Socket Map:
************ Socket 0

Logical Processor to NUMA Node Map:
************ NUMA Node 0

No NUMA nodes.

Logical Processor to Cache Map:
**---------- Data Cache 0, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
**---------- Instruction Cache 0, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
**---------- Unified Cache 0, Level 2, 256 KB, Assoc 4, LineSize 64
************ Unified Cache 1, Level 3, 12 MB, Assoc 16, LineSize 64
--**-------- Data Cache 1, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
--**-------- Instruction Cache 1, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
--**-------- Unified Cache 2, Level 2, 256 KB, Assoc 4, LineSize 64
----**------ Data Cache 2, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
----**------ Instruction Cache 2, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
----**------ Unified Cache 3, Level 2, 256 KB, Assoc 4, LineSize 64
------**---- Data Cache 3, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
------**---- Instruction Cache 3, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
------**---- Unified Cache 4, Level 2, 256 KB, Assoc 4, LineSize 64
--------**-- Data Cache 4, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
--------**-- Instruction Cache 4, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
--------**-- Unified Cache 5, Level 2, 256 KB, Assoc 4, LineSize 64
----------** Data Cache 5, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
----------** Instruction Cache 5, Level 1, 32 KB, Assoc 8, LineSize 64
----------** Unified Cache 6, Level 2, 256 KB, Assoc 4, LineSize 64

Logical Processor to Group Map:
************ Group 0

I think I can get Hypervisor installed on No1 m/c with hack as outlined a half dozen post prior to this.

EDIT: I may have got a couple of Processor options turned off in firmware settings.

EDIT: Think I'll go to the pub now and D/L from in there [ISO/VHD].
Maybe London goes into tier 3 lockdown soon :(

EDIT: The Hyperthreading Enabled flag (for No1 [EDIT: No2] m//c) seems a bit wrong as I dont have hyperthreading for that processor. 4 physical cores only.
EDIT:

HYPERVISOR - Hypervisor is present

I take it that the HYPERVISOR flag is OS related rather than Processor abilities, maybe I'm wrong there.
EDIT: Nope, seem to be something in CPU abilities, which I dont got on either No1 or No2 m/cs..

EDIT: ECC ram will have 9 similar chips on each side, whereas non ECC will have 8.

EDIT: Anyways, pub here we comes :)

feisty2

12th December 2020, 19:32

I should probably also mention one small pitfall I encountered while installing server2019 on my surface tablet. THERE IS NO WIFI SUPPORT BY DEFAULT!!! so you should definitely check how to enable wlan on server2019 before installation if your device relies on WiFi for internet access.

StainlessS

12th December 2020, 20:53

Thanks again, think I can get around that.

StainlessS

13th December 2020, 00:41

F2, personal question.
What is you gonna be doin' when you is leavin' yor school work behind,
NASA, or got summick else in mind [Elon Musk stuff maybe] ?
You've always been a bit of a Sheldon Cooper type pain in the rectum, guess thats why we
all love, deplore, and despise you :)

[And how is R.I. workin' out]
EDIT: Is this it, looks very grand:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Rhode_Island_Normal_school_ca_1909.jpg
EDIT:
Enrollment is predominantly from Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
67% of students are female.
Good choice then, always nice to have choice.

Whatever you is gonna be doin, best wishes you irrrtating young pup :)
PS, big hugs for XMAS [such a needy fellow] https://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/liebe/a005.gif

EDIT: Won't be long till Hanz Frunz produces his latest XMAS offering :)
Cum'mon Hanz, give it all you got.

EDIT: I got the ISO [EDIT: ~5GB, I think, VHD ~11GB [EDIT: Actually only 8.4GB]], but mid VHD W10 was doin' updates [unbeknown to me,
had busy hours set for use in the wee small hours]
whilst tryin' to down the VHD, then we got chucked out of pub, so need to doit again.
[think MS currently does links with 24 hour validity, so may nolonger be valid tomorrow [or day after], gotta start again, although if already part downloaded, may not apply].

EDIT: I eventually got the 8.4GB VHD file.

feisty2

13th December 2020, 10:55

oh boy, wish I'd ever be smart as Sheldon

Ghitulescu

13th December 2020, 12:21

Some deserved it (Vista, Millenium/ME etc.) others less.

I think XP was the first to get completely rid of MS-DOS.

And anyway, most people criticise the whole Windows while using the least worthy versions (like Entry, Learning or Home editions). Differences towards corporate or professional are like between W98 and NT4.

For each version there are mayn small toys and tiny impressive tootls that circumvent many troubles and make the living with agreeable.

I learned to work with each version, and did not upgrade unless absolutely needed for.

feisty2

13th December 2020, 12:29

Vista is fine, it's still my favorite version of windows after all these years, it's just too ahead of its time.

StainlessS

13th December 2020, 21:19

With Sinclair ZX81, never had any compulsary auto update nonsense.
[And the Server 2019 VHD turned out to be ~8.4GB, not 11.0GB, lousy memory]

feisty2

15th December 2020, 22:43

any luck with srvr19?

StainlessS

16th December 2020, 00:01

Not had time to try it yet F2, probably some time still before I can get to it.
We will get there eventually.

StainlessS

17th December 2020, 15:01

My problems imaging Linux with Macrium Relfect seem not to be related to the linux non clean shutdown I was experiencing,
looks like its Macrium Relfect v7.2.5107 problems screwing up the linux partition, seems that it restores the image with
size of partition on disk bigger than specified in the MBR [Superblock as termed via linux].

Maybe its already known problem, I know there is at least one newer version, gonna try that.

EDIT:
I suspected that it may be connected to either mint 20 or my use of ext4 file system, so reinstalled
mint 20 on ext2 filesystem, and after booting a few times without any changes/updates, images partition and
the wrote image back to partition, once without MBR update from image, and then with MBR update, both failed.
Macrioum Reflect at fault.
System before imaging was not showing shutdown problems so exonerated Mint 20 as prob.

EDIT: On current Macrium Reflect Release note, no sign of linux partition bugfix unless this is it.

Various minor fixes and changes to improve Macrium Reflect.
But has been a few versions since 7.2 I was using. [My prob using USB boot Macrium Reflect]

http://updates.macrium.com/reflect/v7/v7.3.5365/details7.3.5365.htm
Bug fixes and Improvements v7.3.5365 - 26th November 2020

Macrium Task Scheduler
Scheduling a backup to run as a specific user would sometimes prevent the Power Saving options from working correctly. This has been resolved.
Under certain circumstances, restarting Macrium Service would cause the Macrium Task Scheduler to stop running for around a minute. This has been resolved.
Schedule start dates can no longer be set later than the year 2999.
File and Folder Backup
Deleting a backed up folder and creating a file with the same name as the deleted folder mid backup set could cause a File and Folder backup set to fail to load. This has been resolved.
Changed Block Tracker
We've changed Windows event ID 13 - "IOCTL_MRCBT_QUERY_VOLUME_TRACKING_INFORMATION failed on device" to be Informational.
Exchange backup
Exchange backup was not checking for missing DB files to ensure a DB was available for backup. This has been resolved.
Mixed case database filename extensions could cause databases to not be backed up. This has been resolved.
Various
Various minor fixes and changes to improve Macrium Reflect.

Bug fixes and Improvements v7.3.5321 - 3rd November 2020

Macrium Task Scheduler
If a scheduled backup was missed without the option 'Run the task as soon as possible after a scheduled task is missed' enabled, then the Run Now button would stop working until the PC was restarted. This has been resolved.
Scheduled backups running on startup were starting too quickly, without giving network connections time to initialise. This has been resolved.
The Macrium Task Scheduler now keeps extra copies of its internal configuration files to prevent failure on corruption.
When trying to import a scheduled task with a definition file path that doesn't exist, Reflect will now prompt to Browse for a different definition file.
Rescue Media Builder
The Windows Version of the WinRE kernel could be incorrectly displayed. This has been resolved.
Reflect Monitor
ReflectMonitor.exe could fail to launch at logon and prevent notification of running backups. This has been resolved.
Backup Log
A Consolidation 'Warning' error could override a 'Failure' error for a backup and incorrectly display a Warning icon instead of Error. This has been resolved.
License Key
We've added 'copy' functionality for the license key displayed in the About dialog

Bug fixes and Improvements v7.3.5289 - 16th October 2020

Changed Block Tracker
On some systems, CBT could execute the wrong notification handler in response to a malformed notification. This could result in the following bug checks: MULTIPLE_IRP_COMPLETE_REQUESTS, KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE or ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY. This has now been resolved.
Macrium Task Scheduler
Scheduled VBScript files could fail with error code 0xC1 instead of running. This has been resolved.
The German language UI scheduled backups context menu could cause a program exception. This has been resolved.

Bug fixes and Improvements v7.3.5283 - 15th October 2020

Changed Block Tracker
When removing a USB attached storage device, an APC_INDEX_MISMATCH BSoD could be generated if there was an outstanding kernel lock on the device. This has been resolved.

Initial Macrium Reflect v7.3 Public Release v7.3.5281 - 14th October 2020

We recommend all users upgrade to this release.

Initial v7.3 Release
Please see this KB article for more information on what's included.
Changed Block Tracker
After performing a restore of a non-system volume for which CBT had been enabled, CBT could become disabled on that volume and would not re-enable until the system had been restarted. This has been resolved.
Email Notifications
We've enhanced OpenSSL integration and upgraded to 1.1.1h to address any potential security concerns.

Katie Boundary

1st January 2021, 09:10

StainlessS

7th January 2021, 21:23

Well I finally went back to W10H_x64 1709 and it feels quite nice.
I used NLite:- https://www.nliteos.com/
to remove Windows Defender anti virus whotsit [left firewall alone] and all of the XBOX stuff now gone,
also got rid of CandyCrush (game I think) and maybe Solitaire collection + other stuff.
Also removed Search and the Indexing stuff, and quite a lot more. [EDIT: Actually I left Search alone]

Replaced Win Defender AV with Comodo which I can disable when I want to (when offline which it will usually be).

Config of NLite took quite some time, lots of options to remove/disable the nasties.

Still got some way to go in getting it how I want it but for now a lot less agro than previously.

Also Installed Win Server 2019 [EDIT: 180 day Evaluation, as per Feisty suggestion] (Desktop Experienece - not default Standard with is command line based).
I'll probably delete 2019 at some point as W10 is feelin' pretty tasty, will also want to find best anti-update utility to tame it altogether.
[EDIT: 1709 does not get updates, but does get updates for eg DOT NET or non 1709 stuff. But, need to stop Feature Updates to eg 20H2]

Also gonna strip down ISO for my 2 tablet/laptop thingies, gonna be less of a hog on storage mmc and generally nicer.

EDIT: NLite edits Windows setup ISO and removes/configs features, writes new slimmer ISO.

EDIT: Added Open Shell (Old name Classic Shell) and got back my QuickLaunch bar, much better than that Pinned to Taskbar stuff.

EDIT:
Here showing Open Shell start menu(Classic classic, not XP classic), Standard Win10 StartMenu available at top of classic start menu.
QuickLaunch, NetSpeedMonitor (U/D speed counter for WiFi/LAN, taskBar RHS), clock time with seconds counter,
Operating System Name shown on desktop.
Control Panel, Administrator Tools, and GodMode shown on Top RHS desktop (GodMode, loads of admin config options in single place).
https://i.postimg.cc/nCt7Mm69/W10H.jpg (https://postimg.cc/nCt7Mm69)

EDIT: This is great, laugh-out-aloud funny (Burglar accidentally sits on phone and calls the cops, 3 arrested):- https://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/froehlich/g024.gif
https://metro.co.uk/2021/01/08/burglar-caught-after-dialling-999-by-sitting-on-his-phone-13870850/

StainlessS

17th January 2021, 17:20

W10
Well, M$ utility to Hide some Updates dont work for that long, feature updates switch back on next time you check for updates,
or switch back on all by themselves every so often.

So, I found a registry fix to Freeze at (for me I choose) 1709, is supposed to never update past chosen update.
Have just installed to registry on W10 HOME 1709, reboot, and check for updates, and found updates for
windows defender, and some cumulative security update, BUT NO post 1709 Feature update, so looking good so far.
Did test on my W10 x86 tablet which was trying to install 20H2 last week until I went Airplane mode and deleted all files in
Windows\SoftwareDistribution\ folder and rebooted.

Here is page outlining Reg fix (Also has GpEdit.msc group policy setting for same [Pro+ Only].
https://www.askvg.com/tip-force-windows-10-to-stay-on-existing-installed-feature-update-version/

He is my .REG file for freezing at 1709 [simple edit to freeze at some other Feature Update].

Freeze_FeatureUpdates_At_1709.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"TargetReleaseVersion"=dword:00000001
"TargetReleaseVersionInfo"="1709"

Need to Reboot for above to take effect. NOTE Above "1709" is feature version number to freeze at.

And to Un-Freeze, [removes entries added in above .reg]
UnFreeze_FeatureUpdates.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"TargetReleaseVersion"=-
"TargetReleaseVersionInfo"=-

So above [1st .reg file] should stop Feature updates for me, and not affect other updates.
I'll also get some control over other updates but am now well happy that the major annoyances will (hopefully) be a thing of the past.

EDIT: Only Freeze Feature Updates if you are SURE that its what you want. [I'm real sure]

EDIT: NOTE, 1709 gets no new security updates since some time in 2019 [2 years after 1709, about 1909], does however get new DOT NET + CPP runtimes, Windows Defender and such, ie not 1709 specific updates.
In exceptional cases, if real bad security flaw [eg Spectre malware], may get a security update.

bilditup1

20th January 2021, 04:56

Standard Win10 StartMenu available at top of classic start menu

Is this a feature of Open-Shell or...?

StainlessS

20th January 2021, 09:01

Yes, feature of Open Shell, its the option at the top of the classic menu, see the image [so long as you don't switch it off in settings].
It shows the standard Windows 10 start menu, temporarily [one time].
Open shell has MANY options to control its appearance, I choose to have it close to the old Win 95 as I dont like that
gross plastic/metallic Amiga Demo style look that everybody else seem to think is cool.

OpenShell config settings [one of the settings tabs]:
https://i.postimg.cc/mt9bgnm2/Open-Shell-Settings.jpg (https://postimg.cc/mt9bgnm2)

EDIT:
Clicking on Standard Win10 StartMenu
https://i.postimg.cc/18rx2132/W10Start.jpg (https://postimg.cc/18rx2132)

But how it normally looks [with my settings] without clicking Standard Win10 Start Menu
https://i.postimg.cc/nCt7Mm69/W10H.jpg (https://postimg.cc/nCt7Mm69)
You can set it up like my classic Classic settings, or eg XP Classic, or Win7 classic or some other.

EDIT:
Un-believable, guy stops on M1 [busiest motorway in UK] Fast (overtaking) Lane, to take a leak. :eek:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13790339/viral-video-m1-wee/

EDIT: No milk today. Baby nurse shark just wanted to nurse.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13793570/snorkeler-attacked-nurse-shark-nipple/

StainlessS

20th January 2021, 16:19

I came across this on my travels, maybe of use to some:- https://gist.github.com/AveYo/c74dc774a8fb81a332b5d65613187b15#file-mediacreationtool-bat

On GitHub, is a tool [bat command file] to download pretty much any version of MicroSoft MediaCreationTool for Windows 10.

To get the bat file, scroll down to the Pretty version of MediaCreationTool.bat , and click on RAW button on right hand side of screen,
Select All, and Copy/Paste into file MediaCreationTool.bat.

What it looks like when run
https://i.postimg.cc/hz8YcVXW/Universal-Media-Creation-Tool.jpg (https://postimg.cc/hz8YcVXW)

If choosing eg 1709, then can from inside the downloaded MediaCreationTool.Exe [all downloaded versions are named similarly]
choose the version of 1709, ie x86, x64, language, maybe Home/Pro etc, and whether want ISO or USB result.

Best to maybe edit name give version info eg MediaCreationTool_1709.Exe or whatever.

EDIT:
And here HeiDoc.Net which has a utility to reveal a valid for 24 hours Microsoft Direct link to ISO,
and some direct links for Office, and some Dell ISO's + other stuff.
Latest release date Jan 2021, v8.46.
(Gives you the links, so you can see they are direct from M$, before copy and download link)

https://i.postimg.cc/qhTNNcyk/Hei-Doc-00.jpg (https://postimg.cc/qhTNNcyk)

https://i.postimg.cc/pp4X9YMg/link-00.jpg (https://postimg.cc/pp4X9YMg)

EDIT: The reason why you should never use a 'Stock Cube' that you find in the Australian desert:- https://metro.co.uk/2021/01/29/wombats-are-the-only-animals-that-poo-cubes-now-we-know-why-13986635/

StainlessS

5th March 2021, 00:26

I did a setup ISO for W10H 1709 (x86 & x64), but because of recent 'snow blindness' eye probs, I decided
to switch to something after 1809 {think that was version where Dark Mode for W10 was partially implemented - Control Panel and *.msc stuff, still Light mode]
Here are settings I used for 1909 [these settings for DeskTop, I may remove additional for Tablet/Laptop ISO using this edited ISO as starting point - May also make machine specific ISO using this ISO and adding target machine drivers]

1909 also still gets updates for a further 6 months [not sure if that is a plus or minus].

Here my NtLite settings, [If in doubt, dont remove component or use the setting - I am removing Win defender and SmartScreen - Comodo Antivirus for me].
NOTE, MY SYSTEM is gonna be mostly OffLine, you may NOT want same setup as me.

EDIT: CODE BLOCK REMOVED [some edits to the ISO caused problems]

EDIT: Most of above in Settings: could be skipped, as can change inside live Windows settings, but might still want to skip installion
of various Apps [although some options are hidden deep in settings [seems almost disguised so you cant find them - Privacy apps later in post can easy config some of above]. Most/all of the stuff in Settings: Privacy: are sent to M$ if not disabled. Comodo has its own version of SmartScreen which is easy on/off-able. Window Defender (especially after 1909) is designed to inhibit your ability to stop M$ spyware,
Comodo has no such problem - Apps later in post for Privacy and Window Update taming might be enough for you (esp if 1909 or earlier).

Above just a few options used, there are gazillions more. [Suggest avoid selecting any from the Features section, which may request a disk with the feature]
Above Pre-Installed Apps Disabled, is probably the one that disables OneDrive + other MS apps, Word etc (I use Libre Office).
EDIT: Or maybe its this one: Automatically Install suggested Apps (I dont want them whatever they are [EDIT: this one probably apps download from MS Store]). I dont use OneDrive, dont need no optional spyware- I should really disable MS store, but I do use one (bus/tube) app from there when mobile.
Many of the settings have hints/brief descriptions in NtLite

NtLite [Win setup ISO editor, W7+ Version of NLite for XP]:- https://www.ntlite.com/
NtLite, High level Docs (brief docs):- https://www.ntlite.com/documentation/
NtLite Guides:- https://www.ntlite.com/support/
NtLite Forums:- https://www.ntlite.com/community/index.php

Can Add Drivers to your NtLite ISO for easy setup every time
[after first backup of drivers on existing W10 installation for your LIVE target machine]
(Point it at the Driver backup Folder you create using this link)
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/export-and-backup-device-drivers-in-windows-10-using-powershell
See NtLite guides for adding drivers, if necessary.
EDIT: The Pay-For version of NtLite can (apparently) config & remove components from a live installation - I aint ever tried that.
NtLite, Also has section for Sys Admin Unattended setup stuff.

Optional FREE stuff ::::::

Comodo Internet Security download[AV and/or Firewall, Default both]:- https://forums.comodo.com/news-announcements-feedback-cis/comodo-internet-security-2020-v12227098-released-t126694.0.html
I use the OffLine Installer [a real good idea if you dont got no firewall/anti virus - Above config keeps FireWall, I disable it after Comodo setup].
Comodo, forum root:- https://forums.comodo.com/
Comodo CIS (Comodo Internet Security) forum:- https://forums.comodo.com/comodo-internet-security-cis-b125.0/
Comodo Offline malware signature DataBase:- https://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/updates/vdp/database.php
[Can import full Offline Database, via Comodo About dilog box]
[Can make backup of current DataBase by copying eg "C:\ProgramData\Comodo\Cis\signatures\b0033315.cav" where "b0033315" is verson]
Current *.cav file size is about 550MB.
Cav DBase is updated several times per day[internet server version, you can set your update frequency yourself], update takes about 90 seconds including re-creating current updated DataBase with new version number [old one deleted].
You can submit suspect samples to Comodo suggesting eg "False +ve", and Comodo will examine and whitelist if found safe. M$ only whitelists if author pays them to certify an app [makes for a bigger pay day, no cash reward for good anti-malware].
Can opt to use Comodo Secure DNS during CIS install, instead of ISP dns.
Comodo CIS is free, unless you want 24/7 support.
Comodo, is one of the biggest security certificate issuers in the world.
Comodo CyberSecurity - Wikipedia:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comodo_Cybersecurity
Comodo Internet Security - Wikipedia:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comodo_Internet_Security

Windows AutoUpdate Tamers :::
Windows AutoUpdate Manager [Posted by BetA13]:- https://www.carifred.com/wau_manager/
stopupdates10 [Posted by Gonca]:- https://greatis.com/stopupdates10/
[Maybe checkout both and see which you like]
Freeze Feature Updates at 1709 [Edit the reg file for 1909 : both above can probably do this already]:- https://forum.doom9.org/showpost.php?p=1933666&postcount=247

Privacy/AntiSpy: [Posted by Gonca]
O&O ShutUp10:- https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10
(version OOSU10_(1.8.1414.283.exe Last version which can disable Windows Defender with 1909 - reg Key functionality removed for 20H1, and so removed from OOSU10. This also suggests that Windows Defender CANNOT be totally disabled in 20H1 and later - We removed it altogether in above settings, it may not be possible to remove it cleanly in 20H1+)
Windows Privacy Tweaker:- https://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/System-Tweak/Windows-Privacy-Tweaker.shtml
Have a look at both, and decide which you fancy [I think both above run without install].

Plenty other stuff in this thread.

EDIT: You can download a load of Win10/Win7 etc ISOs direct from MS [or Dell] servers using stuff in previous post,
MS links from HeiDoc are valid for 24 hours only [stop people posting links on webpages - MS limitation not HeiDoc].
EDIT: Here:- https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/technology-science/microsoft/67-microsoft-windows-and-office-iso-download-tool
https://i.postimg.cc/BjKHG6DM/Untitled-00.jpg (https://postimg.cc/BjKHG6DM)
There are more versions available, is limited by displayed box size, earliest is at least 1511.

1909_Dark [Guess I could change Open Shell Menu menus too (Classic Shell update)]
[Security item gone in settings Update & Security, we removed Windows Defender - Firewall settings via Control Panel]
https://i.postimg.cc/5jm8yyFw/1909-Dark.jpg (https://postimg.cc/5jm8yyFw)

Using original Win 10 start menu [Via above image menu top item Start Menu (Windows)]
https://i.postimg.cc/wRxyL5sD/W10Menu.jpg (https://postimg.cc/wRxyL5sD)

StainlessS

3rd April 2021, 18:51

Well, I finally tried out W8.1.
I thought that I must have used it before but, I can say with 100.0% certainty that I had not [had not tried W8 either if its anything like 8.1].
I got a 7 inch tablet with W8.1 on it a few days ago, god what a mess, I keep looking for the back and home style buttons of Android,
but no, nowhere in sight, its a bit bizarre. Still I may keep it on 8.1 for use in pub [nice pocket size "Linx 7"], and also grabbed a nifty
little 5 inch [EDIT: 6 inch] pocket keyboard with touchpad. 2.4GHz dedicated dongle and also Bluetooth connection, and it also uses same battery as my
Zealot headphones, I had a spare so I've replaced the Nokia BL-5B [used in about a dozen Nokia phones] of 700mAH with a 1200mAH, 700mAH is supposed to get 41 hours of use [without backlight] so 1200 should be somewhat better. Only had the keyboard a couple of days but I'm well happy with it so far,
here it is [Rii i4 mini]:- https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=rii+i4&i=electronics&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Nearly got this one instead, with laser pointer [no idea why] Rii X1 mini:- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Bluetooth-Rechargable-Black-UK/dp/B00SSMD0U4/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=rii+mini+x1+laser&qid=1617476258&s=electronics&sr=1-12
Watch out you dont get the laser pointer one on amazon.co.uk that is listed as £199.99 [linked one is same device but as £16.99, bit of a difference].
Anyway, I gonna get to experience the joys of windows 8.1, covid and 8.1, will play havoc with my sanity :)

EDIT: Heres the keyboard thingy [Rii i4], is brill. [click for bigger, the orange bits are mouse buttons, red is scrolly thing, touchpad top middle, cursor keys where "OK" in middle. 6 inch wide, EDIT: UK qwerty layout, lots of Russian layout bluetooth KeyB on amazon.co.uk for some unknown reason]
https://i.postimg.cc/bDP8dd1d/2-1-Z32-P93-R0.jpg (https://postimg.cc/bDP8dd1d)
EDIT: The dedicated dongle makes the keyb work on pretty much all devices that will take a USB keyboard and mouse,
so long as you can plug in a full size standard USB type A male, I have to use a USB type A to microUSB adapter to
get it to work on Link 7 tablet, [only has micro usb] preboot to get into UEFI firmware [because bluetooth aint available outside of OS].
EDIT: I got the £18.99 Rii i4 mini, the 2019 Upgrade one is I think the exact same device at £39.88, but not sure.
EDIT: The Rii K01X1 at bottom of page at £50.99 is [I think] the same device as the Rii X1 mini at £16.99, but the expensive one is WITHOUT the laser pointer [lots of chancers/conmen on amazon and e-bay].
EDIT: Also, think the X1 mini with laser pointer has no dongle so bluetooth only [I'm not sure though, you may have to research that].

EDIT: Youtube
Rii i4 mini:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-tg5FZayXY
Rii X1 mini:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7l-fSS6Z8I
Ths guy in the X1 mini video says it only has a dongle and no blue tooth, and no laser pointer, so theres a bit of confusion
somewhere, suggest that you do research it [at least check the description on amazon or wherever].
EDIT: Looks like he may be correct, heres Riitek site anyway:- http://www.riitek.com/product/mini.html
the one I pointed to does have the laser and is bluetooth [whatever model it is].
EDIT: Model:- UK RT-MWK02

EDIT:Another Rii i4 clip [the one I've got], he points out a couple of isses with the device, his is the 2019 update version, I see
no difference to the one that I have, so assume that I have the 2019 ver$ too. [EDIT: not an unboxing, is after having and using it for several weeks]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WXXNclWk4s

EDIT: And the Linx 7 tablet which I paid £30 quid for [not retail boxed but still had plastic film on the display, could not tell it from brand new]
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Linx+7+inch+Windows+tablet+review-+how+good+is+a+%C2%A379+Windows+tablet
[Not amazon].

StainlessS

4th April 2021, 15:10

Further to above,
This guy is not what you could call a fan of the Linx 7, nor windows 8.1,
[The Linx 7 - And The Downfall of Windows 8 Tablets]:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNU7f4vwo1w
In above clip, he implies that Linx 7 screen is plastic, dont think mine is. I've got a plastic screen android device,
it aint nuttin like that, and is colder than the rest of tablet, maybe they upgraded tablet to glass in later version of Linx 7.
And here, a candid insight into a view of new user of windows 8.0 [Love this one]
[ Mum tries out Windows 8 -2012 ]:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ujmDrcKWo8
Think I'm still gonna stick to W8.1 on linx, at least for the moment, will probably make image of 8.1 [with factory reset partition],
and try out W10 on it. W8.1 has one major advantage in that it dont auto update at all, probably most influence on my decision as to final OS
I will use on Linx 7. [EDIT: Although new updates for W8.1 will be extremely rare anyways - certainly has less telemetry]
Despite above clip review, I still kinda like the Linx 7, and cheap enough to chuck it about without worrying whether or not you'll havta buy another.
I do love my Linx 10 10 inch with Windows 10, [updates tamed and other fixes] its built like a tank [when keyboard attached and closed] and has survived multiple drops, one onto ceramic floor in pub toilet, gonna get another one probably for spare when I do demolish current one. My Chuwi 10 inch Hi10 Pro 4GB x64 with W10 and Android 5.0, is lovely, but a bit delicate [screen breaks easily], so for pub use I will mostly use the near indestructible Linx 10 [even though W10 x86 with 2GB ram]. [And Linx 7 for pocket use]

EDIT: And a bit of info for you, the [supposed] most prevalent cause of broken laptop screen is user closing laptop with a pen on keyboard,
it dont quite close so you give it a harder push and SMASH, dead screen. [probably when you are distracted, talking to someone]

Katie Boundary

10th April 2021, 23:53

Okay but is the Classic theme/skin available for Server 2019 or does it force you to suffer with Metro just like Win10 does?

StainlessS

11th April 2021, 19:07

I dont have 2019 installed at the moment, so far as I remember its just a classic style interface, something like
W2K maybe [with most w2k fancy rubbish switched off], no nonsense metro or anything like it on a server install.

Silly GUI stuff is just for the clients. [Server is a non-nonsense serious work horse, not a play thing for kids]

EDIT: 2019 option 1 install is for CLI based server control only. [you probably dont want this, unless you want to use as a server with command line expert remote admin of it]
Option 2 setup, is for install of GUI. Probably more to my taste than W10, W8.0/8.1/ W7 or Vista clients.
EDIT: And so far as I could see, no mosterous telemetry octopus to wrestle with [as there is with W10 client].

StainlessS

16th April 2021, 12:09

Seems that windows 10 File Explorer is getting an update, not a functional update which might have made me think about
moving from 1909, but is only an Icon update, bit of tinkering around the edges instead of fixing the glaring problems with it.
Windows 10 is getting new File Explorer icons as part of a visual overhaul:- https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/24/22348639/microsoft-windows-10-file-explorer-new-icons-system-update

EDIT:
Also, Windows 10 Timeline thingy, is going away [never used it myself].
https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/14/22384316/windows-10-timeline-feature-cortana-sync-ios-android-removed

feisty2

17th April 2021, 18:29

win10 is getting fuglier and fuglier, I can barely stand it
I mean seriously, what the hell is this???
https://www.xda-developers.com/files/2021/03/Pictures-Folder@2x-refresh.jpg
https://www.xda-developers.com/files/2021/03/DriveAndRecycle@2x.jpg

FranceBB

18th April 2021, 13:39

Yeah, the design change annoys me too, but I don't wanna use any third party UI changer 'cause I know dodgy-Windows and I'm 100% sure those things will break spectacularly after an update (sooner or later), so I'm pretty much at default in the sense that I've changed everything and disabled annoyances but only using options available inside Windows 10 and officially supported by Microsoft...

https://i.imgur.com/Drddk2o.png

High res pictures here: Windows 10 Enterprise (https://i.imgur.com/jtclL7O.png) - Windows XP Professional (https://i.imgur.com/CMikymY.png)

feisty2

18th April 2021, 14:20

I just hate whatever cheap paper/plastic look that seems to be the main design language of xp and win10, I WANT ALL THINGS TRANSPARENT AND GLASSY!!!

StainlessS

18th April 2021, 14:33

I know dodgy-Windows and I'm 100% sure those things will break spectacularly after an update (sooner or later)
The way windows and menus and such behave, is pretty well documented, and so much software relies on that so M$ would be
making a huge [suicidal] mistake to change things now. some Open Source utilities have their own way of doing things
[window, listbox, etc] type structures, but that is usually to do with being cross platform [I'm guessin'].
Classic Shell [later Open Shell, now Open-Shell-Menu] is pretty safe and used by Millions [incl me], and in the case of W10, allows
access to both W10 menus and more traditional less exasperating menus.
Open-Shell-Menu:- https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/releases

And some alternatives:- https://alternativeto.net/software/classicshell/

EDIT:
I WANT ALL THINGS TRANSPARENT AND GLASSY!!!
Nuttin' like that good ol' W95 feel [without Plasticy Glassy, naff look].

FranceBB

25th April 2021, 18:00

Upgraded today from Fedora 33 stable to Fedora 34 stable.
Everything looks good and I LOVE GNOME 40.
The most important thing is that I upgraded and everything worked out just fine at the very first boot!!
I got chills, guys, absolute chills...!

Img1 (https://i.imgur.com/Q0fsiv4.png) - Img2 (https://i.imgur.com/uMlx40C.png) - Img3 (https://i.imgur.com/JZ4Ge5R.png)

StainlessS

25th April 2021, 21:21

Have not used Fedora for a long time, I used to like it.
Not sure if I used it before or after Mandrake [which became Mandriva due to some legal dispute over the Mandrake name, I think].

StainlessS

26th April 2021, 03:09

Maybe you tried this one FaBB [ LinuxFX / WindowsFX ]:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPv9oRwV6io

Ghitulescu

26th April 2021, 19:34

With Sinclair ZX81, never had any compulsary auto update nonsense.
Also a full-features text editor (Tasword) took less space than an empty Microsoft Word document :) :) :)

StainlessS

26th April 2021, 20:25

To be fair though, most W10 machines dont suffer from RAM Pack wobble that can be fixed by a great big lump o' Blue Tack.

Katie Boundary

4th May 2021, 00:13

manolito

4th May 2021, 01:53

Do you know where I could... ahem... "try" Server 2019 before deciding whether to buy it or not? :cool:

Feisty can help you out...
https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1930554#post1930554

Katie Boundary

4th May 2021, 08:49

Cool.

Unfortunately, according to Wikipedia, Server 2019 still uses the Metro theme...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Windows_Server_2019_Standard.png

So I guess I'll have to try it to know for sure.

StainlessS

4th May 2021, 11:51

I dont remember seeing anything like that.
Although, I may have installed Open-Shell-Menu [fork of old Classic Shell]:- https://open-shell.github.io/Open-Shell-Menu/
Open-Shell-Menu can make it behave much like you might want.

StainlessS

4th May 2021, 14:56

Katie,
From here:- https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1932771#post1932771
Here is Windows 10 with Open-Shell-Menu, installation on Server 2019 should look pretty good. [click on it]
That is how I like mine [well wallpaper would usually be W95 RedTile or Pure Black] , there are MANY ways to configure the 'look'.
https://i.postimg.cc/nCt7Mm69/W10H.jpg (https://postimg.cc/nCt7Mm69)
EDIT: I've also added back QuickLaunch bar [howto elsewhere in this thread]. OS name on desktop ,
Seconds shown in taskbar clock, and added NetSpeedMeter showing WiFi download/upload speed.
Also "This PC" and Recycle bin on desktop, and Control Panel, Administrator tools and GodMode folder on top RHS.
[GodMode, W7+ secret/special folder type with lots of OS quick config options in one place, see earlier in the thread]

For anybody wantin' Pure Black Wallpaper on Android [I use it all the time, battery saver]:-
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pureblackwallpaper&hl=en_GB
Can apparently uninstall the app and wallparer stays, without ads. It says that it is ad supported, but cant say I've ever noticed any. [I dont uninstall]
EDIT: Maybe it shows a single ad when installing the wallpaer. Is [I think] small app, and easy to click and re-install black very quickly.

Anybody wantin' to kill off ShellBags,
[we mentioned ShellBags Analyzer & Cleaner somewhere in thread:- https://privazer.com/en/download-shellbag-analyzer-shellbag-cleaner.php ]
but once cleaned, will fill up with rubbish again tracking what apps you've run, and folders visited. (why does windows store up all this crap?)].

About ShellBags and removal,
https://ericmathison.com/blog/remove-shellbags-in-windows-for-privacy
https://www.ghacks.net/2014/06/09/remove-old-shellbag-entries-windows-privacy/

For ShellBags removal [permanently empty]

[Win7 and Win10]

x86_Remove_ShellBags.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;;; DELETE KEYS

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

;;; Afterwards = Re-create the following keys

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

;;; Make Single Entry for Shellbags
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:00000001

x64_Remove_ShellBags.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;;; DELETE KEYS

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

; x64 Only, DELETE KEYS
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

;;; Afterwards = Re-create the following keys

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

; x64 Only, Re-Create
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

;;; Make Single Entry for Shellbags
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:00000001

I dont think I've posted above .reg files here before.

Here, for [B]WIN 10 ONLY - Show Seconds on Taskbar Clock [I like this, dont know why]
[EDIT: Below .reg files need Re-Boot afterwards]

ENABLE_ShowSecondsInSystemClock.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"ShowSecondsInSystemClock"=dword:00000001

DISABLE_ShowSecondsInSystemClock.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"ShowSecondsInSystemClock"=dword:00000000

EDIT: And another Android App to show current UK postcode, tiny 21KB in size and NO ADS. [I always install if only because of size].
[EDIT: Does NOTHING else]
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.tevp.postcode&hl=en_GB&gl=US

EDIT: And one of the only 2 android apps I've paid for,
London Bus Checker:-
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fatattitude.buscheckerlite&hl=en_GB&gl=US
If you click on the devs name [Urbanthings at top of page] then there are more bus checkers, one for entire UK,
and for NYC, and a Transantiago Bus Checker, whatever that is [same devs].
[The other paid for app I use is MX Player (Pro), which probably everybody else uses anyway].
EDIT: The bus checker app devs seem to have gone on holiday or something during covid, no updates to this normally
frequently updated app, for about 1 year+.
There are a few reviews saying "used to be good app, times are wrong" or similar, but I think that is more to do with
covid affecting the official bus service data feed rather than the app.

Katie Boundary

5th May 2021, 01:46

Stainless, I'm quite familiar with ClassicShell. I've been using it for years. The Start menu is not the entirety of the theme/skin/GUI. A full Classic theme has title bars that fade from deep blue on the left to sky-blue on the right. A full Classic theme has gray boxes around the minimize, maximize, and close buttons.

StainlessS

5th May 2021, 01:54

[True] Full classic for me would be W95 style. [blue fade thing sounds too fancy nancy to me].

Katie Boundary

18th May 2021, 02:49

[True] Full classic for me would be W95 style. [blue fade thing sounds too fancy nancy to me].

Ummm the fading goes all the way back to...

(looks up screenshots on DuckDuckGo)

...damn, I thought that had always been a thing.

manolito

18th May 2021, 11:51

A full Classic theme has title bars that fade from deep blue on the left to sky-blue on the right.

Under Win XP as well as under Win 7 the user can easily make this adjustment. Use the Win Classic theme and then under advanced you can define 2 colors for the active title bar. No problem to pick a deep blue as the first color and a pale blue as the second color.

Under Win7 there is no need to install the Classic Start Menu to achieve this, it is there out of the box. No idea about Win 10, though...

https://i.postimg.cc/dVNnhLrX/Color-Transition.png (https://postimages.org/)

StainlessS

18th May 2021, 13:26

Actually, here on Win7 I do have the dark blue -> light blue thingy, had not even noticed it,
if I had noticed it and knew how to switch it off, I probably would have.
I dont usually spend more than 5 mins playing with anything like that, if it sticks out, I switch it off.
Worst offender, them horrible blue translucent sliding fading menu, emetics, urhhh.

Katie Boundary

20th May 2021, 06:48

Under Win XP as well as under Win 7 the user can easily make this adjustment.

Ummm wot? There's no adjustment that needs to be made. That's the default setting for the Classic theme in both XP and Win7.

manolito

20th May 2021, 14:48

Sorry, I screwed up...

I thought I had selected the Classic Theme in Win7, but I didn't

StainlessS

25th May 2021, 06:06

Two days ago, W10 was more or less behaving, but yesterday a few things went haywire.

Subtitle Edit, video player used to work just fine, and now nothing, just black with audio.
Changing settings Video Engine, from DirectShow [quartz.dll in system32] to MPC-HC
and it works ok again.

DvdShrink Preview [when DVD loaded and playing a title], used to work fine on default System Default Renderer,
now just get white box with audio. Change settings to
Select DirectX Video Renderer, VMR-9, and Builtin Software Renderer work ok.
VMR-7, and Overlay Mixer, dont work.

I'm sort of aware that W10 has some kind of codec-ish type problem where [I think] Win7DSFilterTweaker might
be the suggested fix [or might not be].
Is this thing that is currently causing me upset, the same as the known W10 codec-ish type problem,
or something more exotic.

And, is there a way to set/change the Default System Renderer ?

Tanks.

wonkey_monkey

25th May 2021, 11:15

Maybe a silly question, but have you done a restart, or you have just shut down and then started again later and still had the same problems?

This has caught me out before. Windows 10 doesn't do a proper shut down when you shut down (it saves the current kernel state, which may be faulty, for faster loading next time you start up), but it does do a proper restart if you tell it to restart.

It's a useful thing to know anyway.

clsid

25th May 2021, 11:24

That is a common issue with the default video renderer. The NVIDIA drivers on Windows 10 no longer supports legacy overlay.

If you open a second instance of one of the affected apps, then you will notice that the second one does show video. That is because only first instance tries to use overlay.

You can change the system default renderer (VMR7) to VMR9 by adjusting the merit of VMR9 to 0x00800002.

gonca

26th May 2021, 01:19

[I think] Win7DSFilterTweaker might
be the suggested fix [or might not be].
It is the fix
You might want to install nevcairiels LAVFilters and then use Win&DSFilter... to make nevs stuff preferred

StainlessS

26th May 2021, 02:57

I'll hav'ta come back to this, a bit busy, and hospital appointment tomorrow [well, today].

but have you done a restart
Yep, probably restart at least 3 or 4 times daily.
I also switch off that Fast Startup thing.

Control Panel/All Control Panel Items/Power Options/System Settings/
Change Settings that Are Currently Unavailable/
Turn On fast startup (recommended) = UNTICKED # dont do it, interferes with Multi-Boot (+ other stuff)

by adjusting the merit of VMR9 to 0x00800002

Was struggling with various filter merit thingies, managed to change VMR9 [32 bit] to 0x00800002,
but it seems that there are two of them, and 64 bit would not budge from 0x00200000, with access denied type errors.
[from Runas Administrator]. Took ownership of the 64 bit quartz.dll, and managed to change it as suggested.
Install lav filters and back to it not working again. [new Lav filters downed from D9 today, "LAVFilters-0.75.exe"]
DvdShrink works now [presumably x86] and is set to System Default Renderer [which is now VMR9, I take it]
Subtitle Edit, always runs 64 bit on 64 bit system, even if I would prefer it to run in 32 bit, so it uses 64 bit avisynth,
and sadly when set to Video Engine = DirectShow [quartz.dll in system32], it dont do video.
It will work if I install MPC+HC and set it to that [which I will], but the same thing did used to work fine for last 6 months
in DirectShow.
I'm wondering if Lav filters installs both x64 and x86 simultaneously [which I would require, as I like to test with eg
PotPlayer, MPC+HC, and VLC, in x86 and x64].

NirSoft InstalledCodec x86 says 0x00800002, and x64 version says 0x00200000, but they only show merit, dont allow
change of merit. So, what tools if any exist that will allow edit of both x86 and x64 merits [need not be exact same executable].

install nevcairiels LAVFilters and then use Win&DSFilter... to make nevs stuff preferred

Dang, I aint had this much fun since back on W2K, hacking registry quartz.dll fourcc type thingies to use non microsoft
YV12 codecs, are, those were the days.

EDIT:
access denied type errors.
x64 Quartz.dll, Everyone, apart from Trusted Installer [full control] had only Read & Execute permissions.

clsid

26th May 2021, 15:06

You should not need to have to mess with file permissions. Merit is set in the registry.

GraphStudioNext is a good tool to change merit.
Menu > Graph > Insert Filter > Change Merit

StainlessS

26th May 2021, 15:20

thanks clsid, I'll give it a go. Off to my hospital appt now.

StainlessS

2nd June 2021, 01:42

As I've said before in this and other threads, I'm not a big fan of fancy Windows GUI stuff,
but having experimented a lil' bit with Classic Shell and the Classic Style, & Smoked Glass skin,
I've changed my mind, I love this look.
[Cap from Window 10, 1709 Linx 7, 7 inch tablet, and Linx 8203g, 8 inch tablets which I also have same skin]
https://i.postimg.cc/tsN5TD8x/Untitled.png (https://postimg.cc/tsN5TD8x)

I find it quite delightful, and battery friendly on a portable. [Plain Black wallpaper]

EDIT: It seems a bit squished, it should be 1280x800 [16:10], seems too narrow,
maybe my web browser or something, dont know, dont really matter I suppose.

EDIT: Actually its Open-Shell-Menu I'm using, the classicShell thing spinoff:- https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/releases

StainlessS

2nd July 2021, 20:53

Despite liking the size and stability of W10 1709, I've decided to use 1909 because of several reasons.
1909 is supposed to be last version where it is possible to stop feature updates. Versions after 1909 mess with hosts file
so as to stop hosts file blocking M$ telemetry. 1909 has better Dark mode than 1709 [well from about 1803 I think].
1909 will soon be unsupported [good]. NetSpeedMonitor dont work after 1909. + maybe more reasons.

But, I noticed today an entry in Programs & Features, "Update Health Tools" and so looked this up [It's only installed on
versions of W10 Home/Core, and it forces Feature Updates by fixing registry update blockers, or other "problems" preventing
update to 20H1/20H2, it is not being forced on Pro or above, it is installed by KB4023057].
This is despicable, M$ promised us that support for 1909 would stop about Sept 2021, I'm greatly perturbed by this broken promise.

Microsoft has now confirmed that KB4023057 is rolling out to Windows 10 version 20H2, version 2004 and older versions.
It is supposed to remove the upgrade blocks, modify Registry, change network and Windows Update settings to enforce feature updates.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.windowslatest.com/2021/03/09/a-windows-10-update-is-installing-microsoft-update-health-tools/amp/
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.ghacks.net/2021/06/13/look-out-for-kb4023057-it-is-being-released-again-for-windows-10-by-microsoft/%3famp

Well I'm going to be blocking all updates after current installs [already removed the "Update Health Tools", and will block via M$ update blocker],
and install a third party updates blocker, and will rely on WSUS Offline Update for all updates [adding a Static exclusion for KB4023057 if not excluded by default].

EDIT: I have several Updates naming Adobe Flash Player, Flash player security updates and Flash player removal,
Flash player used have icon in Control Panel [I THINK], but it aint there now. I presume that I can remove the security updates
and the flash player remover update now. [yes?].

EDIT:

Important notes

Adobe Flash Player is out of support as of December 31, 2020. For more information, see Adobe Flash end of support on December 31, 2020.

Applying this update will remove Adobe Flash Player from your Windows device.

After this update has been applied, this update cannot be uninstalled.

This update only removes Adobe Flash Player that was installed by your version of Windows. If you installed Adobe Flash Player manually from another source, it will not be removed. For more information about how to remove Adobe Flash Player, see the Uninstall Flash Player | Windows topic on the Adobe website.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/kb4577586-update-for-the-removal-of-adobe-flash-player-october-27-2020-931521b9-075a-ce54-b9af-ff3d5da047d5

GMJCZP

3rd July 2021, 01:02

TinMan, why don't you try this program to avoid Wndows spying? Spybot Anti Beacon. (https://www.safer-networking.org/products/spybot-anti-beacon/)

StainlessS

3rd July 2021, 15:23

Thanks GMJCZP, but I got a number of good-ish Spyware and also Update Blockers,
I am making base OS images [without blockers] so that I can restore to a known good state, in the event that
M$ manages to screw me over.
I can then cripple M$ updates, until I decide to do a WSUS Offline Update [with Internet disabled] , and then re-cripple it again.
I'm sick of being an M$ plaything, if I do experience any kind of infection, its not a big deal, I'll just re-install known good image.
And if M$ does manage to slip in a new un-crippler and start to Feature Update, same thing, but will update my Update Blocker.

EDIT: I should also limit Internet access to Linux, or a single M$ OS machine that dont have local network access
[excluding portable machines which will have Internet access, but no local network access.
I never Auto Update anything anyway, I alway download any full update for offline install to multiple machines and for archival].

WSUS Offline Update:- https://download.wsusoffline.net/
Even after 1909 support expires, there will be updates for non 1909 specific stuff eg DOT.NET and CPP runtimes, and the very occasional 1909 update. Even now, there is the occasional update for XP.

EDIT: Although not on the Wsus Offline Update main page, there wouuld seem to be a Linux version [updates for Windows OS] offline updater,
although I've never tried it [Download within Linux, Install within M$ OS].
Wsus offline Update Linux Forum:- https://forums.wsusoffline.net/viewforum.php?f=9&sid=ec7c0a1404ca7afa1655d6ddeb9d54c2
EDIT: I guess I could actually replace W10 with Linux on [some or all of] my portable Windows machines, although I may want to
keep at least one [my CHUWI Hi10 Pro x64 m/c probably] on W10 for downloading Visual Studio Updates.

Not having some machines on local network is not so big a problem, not if you've got multiple hard drive docks, copy stuff
onto hard drive [or SSD HD] in dock, pop hard drive into another dock and copy to other machine.
El cheapo dock, also my favourite least problematic dock [SATA only 2.5 or 3.5 inch, single bay]:- https://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/product_detail/20043/Dynamode-USB3-0-Hard-Drive-Drop-In-One-Touch-Back-Up-Docking-Station/
I also have a 2 bay [1 bay PATA] dock and a 3 bay [1 bay PATA] dock, the 3.5 PATA bays can be a bit awkard in that
there is no standard distance beteen power and data sockets, and you have to fiddle with a slider to adjust distance.
[although same make PATA drives are probably about same distance]. 2.5 PATA are usually no problem.
I only have a few 3.5 PATA/IDE hard drives, and use them for emergency/emergency drives [mostly stored away forever].

Katie Boundary

3rd July 2021, 19:56

The only rational explanation for Microsoft's current behavior is that the company has been taken over by Linux fanboys and they're trying to force us all to migrate to Linux.

StainlessS

4th July 2021, 17:24

Perhaps the only good thing about Windows 8[The advert]:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ2Cv_z5UQw
W98: Lenka, "Everything at once", Album "Two".

And same from Windows 95 [OSR1/OSR2 Setup CD]:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqL1BLzn3qc
W95: Edie Brickell [Paul Simon's missus], "Good times", Album "Picture Perfect Morning".

Were there any more musical Windows intros ?

EDIT: Back about 97/98, I remember [in a drunken session with my next door neighbour], putting that W95 clip from CD on
repeat play, for about 3 or 4 hours, strangely I still dont hate it.
EDIT: Thats Barry White [voice of] near the end of the W95 clip.
EDIT: One of the W95 YouTube comments said,
I was working in a computer store when Windows 95 was released. This video was playing for 8 hours a day! Guess what? I still love this song!
so they beat my 3 or 4 hour session, every day :)

GMJCZP

4th July 2021, 20:37

Thats Barry White near the end of the W95 clip.

I like it your instrumental songs, for example Love's Theme. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPHmsEoLsL0) :)

StainlessS

4th July 2021, 20:58

"Loves Theme", not may favourite Barry White, best are,
"Just the way you are",
"Never never gonna give you up",
"You're the first, the last (my everything)"
"Can't get enough of your love"

M$ actually knew how to pick a song, both Windows clips are very compulsive listening [you wanna hear them again and again],
other compulsives include,
Celine Dion, Titanic song, [played so often you could not escape it, many people loathed it because of that].
Whitney Houston, Bodyguard, [people in the UK were prosecuted for annoying neighbours with it]
Kylie Minogue, "Cant get you out of my head" [and you sure can't].

A person 2 floors below me, played Whitney Houston Bodyguard ["I will always love you"], from about midnight till 07:00AM
about the time it was released. I still did not hate that either.

EDIT: OK, I see you posted link to the Barry White [written] instrumental "Loves theme", I forgot it was instrumental.

EDIT: To below.
Life coulda been so very different for him, think he was a car thief or similar before singing fame.

GMJCZP

5th July 2021, 00:54

OK, I see you posted link to the Barry White [written] instrumental "Loves theme", I forgot it was instrumental.

Sip, your Unlimited Love Orchestra.
Another good theme is Let's the Music Play. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6NVnKFyY24)

GMJCZP

9th July 2021, 18:13

Has anyone tried this tool to modify the appearance of Windows 8 and 10? As I have Windows 7 I cannot test it.

OldNewExplorer (https://www.filehorse.com/es/descargar-oldnewexplorer/)

StainlessS

10th July 2021, 11:09

Same prog from same download site [FileHorse], but in English rather than Spanish:- https://www.filehorse.com/download-oldnewexplorer/
or you can change language via top right hand side option, "ES" -> "EN".

Different diescription from MajorGeeks:- https://m.majorgeeks.com/files/details/oldnewexplorer.html

TIP:
If ever you find that your desktop disappears totally, and you're left with a simple light blue background and nothing else [no wallpaper],
then is probable that 1st instance of Explorer.Exe has crashed [1st instance creates desktop with wallpaper and renders windows and dialogs upon it].

SOLUTION:
Hit CTRL/SHIFT/ESC to bring up Task Manager, switch to Processes TAB, you will probably see that Explorer.exe has disappeared.
[another task has the job of restarting Explorer.Exe, but in this case that too has crashed and so does not repair the situation]
To do manual recover, In Task Manager select "Menu/File/New Task (Run...)", and enter "Explorer" or "Explorer.Exe",
and like magic your desktop together with any open windows etc will reappear.
Save your work and reboot, as machine is/was in an unstable state.

You can also test this if you like, by using Right Click "End Process" on Explorer.Exe via Task Manager/Processes, [The desktop will disappear]
and then re-create using above method.

EDIT: DANG!, just tried manual test on Windows 7, Ending task on Explorer.Exe did not kill display, above must only work for
Windows XP, but if it does happen to you, suggest try above repair just the same.

EDIT: Ahem, actually it did kill the display for most stuff, taskbar and icons gone, but for some reason did not kill display of Wallpaper or FireFox Web browser and Doom9 site, so only a bit different to that which I was expecting.
Maybe they changed something in W7 so that only icons, desktop, and taskbar are drawn by 1st instance of Explorer.exe, but windows and dialogs drawn by something else.
EDIT: Well, looks like it might be FireFox that does something different, File Explorer windows disappear, only wallpaper and Firefox window
remains displayed.

GMJCZP

10th July 2021, 18:03

Same prog from same download site [FileHorse], but in English rather than Spanish:- https://www.filehorse.com/download-oldnewexplorer/
or you can change language via top right hand side option, "ES" -> "EN".

This is a kind of "payback" for sometimes you bombard us with english slangs. ;)
Ups, the truth is that sometimes it is not easy to post with a cell phone.

But to all these I don't even know if someone has used OldNewExplorer.

StainlessS

10th July 2021, 19:39

Guilty as charged, es tut mir leit, ich bin ein jacksie.
however, i is always gonna be a jacksie, sorry bout that.

GMJCZP

10th July 2021, 22:07

Guilty as charged, es tut mir leit, ich bin ein jacksie.
however, i is always gonna be a jacksie, sorry bout that.

Don't worry, be happy!:)

I wonder if with OldNewExplorer you can get a file search like the one in Windows XP, which is the best I've used, I sometimes look for something in Windows 7 and if you don't put the exact beginning of the phrase many times, it seems "that is not ", damn it!

therube

14th July 2021, 20:50

I've not used it, but worth a look, EverythingToolbar - Everything deskband for the taskbar (https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9540).

Dogway

14th July 2021, 21:41

Yep, Everything is a boon, the first thing I install on the OS. I also use FileSearchEX for a more classic searcher embedded in the file explorer.

I'm still on Win7 but need to jump to a current Windows to use an VR I bought. Not sure if jump to Win10 (sigh) or Windows 11 which looks a little bit more exciting.

StainlessS

16th July 2021, 01:03

Perhaps of interest to some [found by trial and error on W10 1909 Home].

To manually disable Windows 10 Auto Updates, [with extreme care]

C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\ [ !!! NOT NOT NOT !!! C:\Windows\SystemResources ]

As an Administrator,
With Internet disabled, Reboot, [reboot to avoid any files in SoftwareDistribution folder being currently in-use by AutoUpdate].
Take ownership of above directory, [Properties/Security/Advanced/ Owner: SYSTEM Change] (where SYSTEM is current owner, click "Change"),

Dialog box "Select User Or Group" will appear.
Click "Advanced",
Click "Find Now",
Find and click your own admins user name in "Search Results", and click "OK", then "OK" again.
And tick "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects",
also tick "Replace All Child Object Permission entries and inheritable permission entries from this object".
Apply, and must Close Properties.

Reopen Properties of C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\
and set all permissions [via Properties/Security/ EDIT button] for CREATOR/OWNER (AND/OR your own admins user name) to "Full Control",
and all permissions for SYSTEM to "Deny", this blocks auto update check and the actual auto updates.
Now also delete all contents of the above folder, BUT NOT the folder itself,
[without the initial reboot, it could fail to delete in-use Windows update files, so you might need to reboot now and retry delete if you forgot to reboot earlier].
Deleting the folder itself would permit system to recreate the folder, and carry on auto updates as per usual.

To allow auto updates, Delete folder C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\ and windows will re-create it, and so re-enable Windows Update.
The C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\ will not be re-created until Windows again tries to Update [perhaps by user click "Check For Updates"
in Settings/Update & Security/Windows Update, OR by trying to update a driver via Device Manager, OR by using WSUS Offline Update]

When auto updates re-enabled as above, looks like you can again Pause updates for 7 days (on W10 1909 Home, Think it may be about 35 days on Pro)
[maybe you just wanna update a driver via Device Manager and not auto update].

When AutoUpdates disabled as above, updates for drivers in Device Manager, and WSUS Offline Updater will also both fail
[perhaps other type updates will fail too, eg Map or Store updates].

How to Take Ownership of a Folder in Windows 10 Using File Explorer:-
https://www.laptopmag.com/uk/articles/take-ownership-folder-windows-10-using-file-explorer

Updated a bit.

EDIT: With Windows Update as it currently is, and with all the stuff M$ has and will add to force updates, update blockers are constantly fighting a changing battle.
I think that above manual method [or some programmed version of it], might actually totally defeat M$ attempts to shove it down your throat, I guess that time will tell.
Intent of above is to be able to Freeze at a specific version of windows 10, and avoid all future FORCED Feature Updates, maybe using WSUS Offline Update to install
non feature updates. [good idea to have a system image of a good stable system, using eg free version Macrium Reflect live USB, to restore equilibrium if M$ does manage to screw you over].

feisty2

25th July 2021, 05:54

stainlesssssssssss might wanna take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5UeSj2F-yc

StainlessS

25th July 2021, 16:04

but woulda looked better with 95 RedTile tiled wallpaper, but having said that,
I don't know if it's art, but I like it. :)

Don't think it would work on Cinnamon Mint (intended for xcfe).
[I've tried quite a few 95/98/W2K/XP themes in the past, one or more were named on variations of "Redmond" I think].

still works OK in W10
Redtile [5 or 6 colors, 1.12KB]:- https://www.mediafire.com/file/sx5rgzun3y4gb4n/TILES.7z/file

EDIT:
The Heidoc W10 ISO download tool mentioned here:- https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1883627#post1883627
looks like the only way to get older W10 ISO images now, current versions of Media Creation Tool will only let you down 20H1 ISO.
(Maybe if you already have old eg 1909 MCT that may work, or maybe not).
NOTE, Heidoc W10 ISO download links are only valid for 24 hours, its an M$ limitation thing [it interrogates M$ servers to get the links].
[the obvious buttons are for download direct, on right of GUI are the copy link x64 / x86 buttons, so you can check that links are actually from M$ (or Dell where selected) servers]

EDIT: Oh yeh, if you want eg English UK/GB, then you need the English International edition ISO, NOT the misleading "English" ISO,
[which is actually the USA version (must be an M$ 'in joke' that I don't get, calling it 'English')].

for user on win 10 that want to directly DL an win 10 iso from microsoft.

just enter development mode on your browser and pretend to be a mobile device.
microsoft will gladly now give you a direct download to the iso.
That dont work any more either, gives download link for W10 20H1 [latest available ISO, not necessarily the one you wanted].

EDIT: What RedTile looks like
https://i.postimg.cc/hz8YcVXW/Universal-Media-Creation-Tool.jpg (https://postimg.cc/hz8YcVXW)
The above stuff running as bat file is the "Universal Media Creation Tool" bat script that lets you select for download, the Media Creation Tool for the ISO you want,
but that too dont work proper now, always downs the latest W10 ISO MCT downloader.
[or rather, all versions of the downloaded MCT down the latest ISO, M$ jiggery-pokery to try stop you crippling updates and builtin spyware]

feisty2

25th July 2021, 20:25

sigh, I want a vista skinpack

StainlessS

26th July 2021, 00:42

I can still see the damn £160.00 XP -> Vista upgrade box [a few yards away] that I felt conned by,
I hated that thing like you would not believe, totally had the wool pulled over my eyes to buy that thing.

Oh yeh, if you want eg English UK/GB, then you need the English International edition ISO, NOT the misleading "English" ISO,
[which is actually the USA version (must be an M$ 'in joke' that I don't get, calling it 'English')].

Maybe this 'in joke' thing is something to do with the US mormons calling the non-mormons "the english".
(at least I think they did that in "The Witness", Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis)
EDIT: Actually Amish, not Mormons.

FranceBB

26th July 2021, 19:42

It might surprise you all, but I don't wanna go through the hassle of keeping some plugins in one place and some plugins in another (i.e work and home), therefore I'm ready to switch permanently to Windows 10 whenever I have to encode something.
This way, I can keep x64 plugins only synced between work and home as they're gonna be literally the same.
About my personal daily life I'm not gonna use Windows 10 Enterprise (that would be wrong as it's the one I use for work and work-related stuff only), so I'm gonna use Fedora Linux (which is the one I've been using since 2016 when I moved XP to a VM).
Of course, I'm not gonna ditch XP entirely.
Just like Windows 98SE (which was my first OS), Windows XP is gonna have a place in my hearth forever and I'm gonna keep the VM on my SSD and turn it on every now and then; I've also made an SMB Share across Windows 98SE, Windows XP and Windows 10 so that I can exchange files between them. :)
Anyway, XP won't be my main OS anymore...

StainlessS

30th July 2021, 10:15

I guess that it will do no harm to bung this here, I'll also be able to find it again.

Been playing a bit with Linux Cinnamon Mint v20.2 [Uma] Themes thingies, and a little disturbed by the available dark themes,
they tend to have light grey text on dark grey background, not exactly vibrant to the eye.
There are some High contrast controls, but tend to be black text on blinding white background, [I hate being snow blind].

I've chosen in Preferences/System Settings/Themes/,
Windows Borders:- "Mint-Y"
Icons:- "Mint-Y Dark Purple"
Controls: - "High Contrast Inverse"
Mouse Pointer:- "DMZ-White"
DeskTop:- "Windows 10 Basic" [looks kinda like Windows 10 Dark theme, with Classic Shell installed].

The Important and default missing one is Controls [controls + background and text colors for general windows].

Anyways, found this file "High Contrast Inverse Kali Linux 1.0/2.0, GTK3/4 Themes":- https://www.cinnamon-look.org/p/1013225/
Click on Files Tab, and down this file, "174962-HighContrastInverse.zip".

Extract the folder contained in zip,
File manager, In your home folder, right click "Show Hidden Files",
Enter .themes folder and copy the extracted HighContrastInverse folder there.
Hide files again.
Go back to Preferences/System Settings/Themes/Controls/ and select "High Contrast Inverse".

The background is not as black as I might like, but text is WHITE and stands out nicely now,
I'm now a happy bunny.

EDIT: No, "DeskTop:- 'Windows 10 Basic'" that was another one, it does look like windows 10 start menu,
the one I wanted to use was perhaps Eleganser-Dark, which looks a bit like Classic Shell.

Anyways, the important one is the Controls HighContrastInverse thingy, I may choose something else for the other options,
but that Controls one is for keeps, unless I find one with total black background.

EDIT: And pure black for my wallpaper, gettin' to really like that on all my machines.
[Feisty would hate that, not 'girly' enough for him, go on, give it a try F, less is more :) ].

FranceBB

28th August 2021, 21:35

Looks like the NHS is still very much based on Windows XP. This was spotted at St George's Hospital in London: https://i.imgur.com/QV5swTq.png - https://i.imgur.com/nwbXyRW.png :)

p.s not my CT Scan, it's the one of an old woman I think

StainlessS

1st September 2021, 16:42

Looks like the NHS is still very much based on Windows XP.
Yep, UK Gov seems to have a lot of [custom probably] XP based systems, many thin client.
I imagine that NHS machines dont have internet access except for other NHS sites.
Thin client:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_client

Windows supported CPUs [W11 link near bottom of list]
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/windows-processor-requirements

Below posted just a few days ago
W11 supported Intel processors:- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-intel-processors
W11 supported AMD processors:- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-amd-processors
W11 supported Qualcomm processors [ARM]:- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-qualcomm-processors

EDIT: Thin client box something like the teeny weeny thing on the right [network connection to mini/mainframe computer]
https://i.postimg.cc/phP3VPQM/800px-Clientron-U700.jpg (https://postimg.cc/phP3VPQM)

FranceBB

2nd September 2021, 13:21

Yeah, I'm kinda pissed at Microsoft 'cause I have an i7 6700 at home, so a Skylake and Windows 11 won't run on it, not for any particular reason other than Microsoft artificially blocking it, given that I have everything 'till AVX2 and it's a 4c/8th 2.60GHz which can go up to 3.50GHz, so it's not so crappy and it shouldn't really be regarded as "too old" to run a modern OS... -.-
I'll stick with Win10 I guess...
Still, this is planned obsolescence at its best... :(

StainlessS

2nd September 2021, 14:47

Yes, a curious decision.
Maybe they just want guys with latest tech, and everybody else can go Linux.
One wonders if stated processors have some hidden secret functionality that adds to the likes of the Intel Management Engine AMT (Active Management Technology) type "spyware"
[I hate that stuff, by the way, AMT can only operate through the motherboard 'builtin' network device, if you want to disable it, disable motherboard network, and use plugin card].
It is not without reason that the NSA refuse to use machines with AMT, and have those with disabled AMT [some kind of electronic fuse on main board, since then all US government
have AMT disabled m/c's]. Some other countries also refuse to use AMT m/c's [not sure, think Israel might be one of them]. My Win7 Dell OptiPlex 780 has AMT disabled, think all 780's have it disabled,
there is a sticker on inside of removable case side cover with a single number on it, which reveals whether AMT or not [think mines a '3']:-
https://www.dell.com/community/Desktops-General-Read-Only/Optiplex-780-AMT/td-p/4593739
EDIT: Above link a bit broken, when at that link, put What does "ME disabled" really mean in search box and you should find it.

Intel Active Management Technology:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Active_Management_Technology
In above link there are people working on finding a reliable means of disabling AMT [I think the Purism link @ above link page is one group invloved in such],
also note the Remote Elevation of Privilege bug in IME/AMT, if hackers ever do gain full control of AMT, then its gotta be like every Christmas since year zero, all rolled into one, for them.

EDIT: The guys involved in searching for means of disabling AMT [Purism @ AMT link above, I think] say its not just an electronic fuse to disable, there is also some kind of IME/AMT ROM
hack required as IME chip is required to cause PC machine to boot. [from memory, read the Purism link].

EDIT: Purism link does not reveal their attempts to disable IME/AMT, but I think it is the same company that I'm thinking of, gotta search for it I guess.

FranceBB

2nd September 2021, 16:43

Ah, I didn't know about Intel Active Management...
Makes sense, thanks for the tip...

gonca

14th September 2021, 22:23

Re Win11 and requirements
hps://www.techadvisor.com/how-to/windows/windows-11-tpm-2-0-requirement-3806413/
hps://www.mpnrc.org/windows-11-tpm-2-0-error-fix-bypass-method/
hps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbc636GnxgA
hps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqimYJ-VakI
hps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWouHwVdUdU
hps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al4cUii411E
might offer a way around

FranceBB

18th September 2021, 15:54

Re Win11 and requirements

might offer a way around

Yep...

Just to make everyone aware, Windows 11 is going to be released in October and they're now enforcing TPM 2.0 even on Virtual Machines, and of course, Virtual Box doesn't have a way to emulate nor pass through TPM 2.0, so installation will fail.
If you're on Windows 10, you won't be able to upgrade to Windows 11 and if you're on Windows 11 preview channel 'cause you have a Windows Insider account, you won't be able to update your installation and you will be left in an unsupported state in which the preview version won't be updated anymore.

this is the screenshot from one of the users on the Virtualbox forum:

https://i.imgur.com/DDXIOu8.png

as you can see, this user already had Windows 11 in Virtualbox but now that they're enforcing the TPM 2.0 check, he can no longer update.
As to what I will be doing myself, I'll stick to Windows 10 until Virtualbox will manage to get TPM 2.0 emulation in place...

Atak_Snajpera

19th September 2021, 15:42

huhn

19th September 2021, 18:53

to be fair is that even a part of win 11?

Atak_Snajpera

19th September 2021, 20:45

Yes! Those are standard buttons.

guest

20th September 2021, 03:09

Win11 has worse UI even than win10. Check how different states of buttons look like now in win11 (pressed/normal/disabled). I'm just speechless...

Win7
https://i.postimg.cc/W4msyTS6/win7.png
Win10
https://i.postimg.cc/mDh2Df8M/win10.png
Win11
https://i.postimg.cc/nrCk0zTz/win11.png

They all look the same now?! Amazing design!

I was trying to explain this to you ages ago, not sure if you can do something with custom buttons, but it's next to useless :(

The last paragraph of this post :-

https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1949093#post1949093

and your reply :-

https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1949100#post1949100

And I have to admit, I don't like W11 much at all, it's actually harder to find & use the basic's....W10 for me.

Katie Boundary

20th September 2021, 06:10

FranceBB

20th September 2021, 09:12

I cannot imagine how much better a place the world would be if more indie developers had the fortitude to write drivers that would allow WinXP to work on new hardware. And better XP-compatible browsers, too. Forking Pale Moon to create Mypal and New Moon was a mistake; people should have just forked Firefox directly and made XP-compatible versions of that.

There's also a Chinese guy who created a fork of Chromium 87 and it works, however it has some Chinese crap in it.
We've tried to reach out to him and we asked him for the source code and he said: "No!".

Any attempt on our side to backport chromium has failed, though...

By the way, a new version of one core api has been released: https://github.com/Skulltrail192/One-Core-API-Binaries/

Katie Boundary

22nd September 2021, 03:26

By the way, a new version of one core api has been released: https://github.com/Skulltrail192/One-Core-API-Binaries/

Remind me again what One Core API does?

FranceBB

22nd September 2021, 08:30

Remind me again what One Core API does?

Provides new kernel functions so that programs that make use of new APIs will run on XP.
So far compatibility is Vista and (almost) 7.

Katie Boundary

23rd September 2021, 00:09

Provides new kernel functions so that programs that make use of new APIs will run on XP.
So far compatibility is Vista and (almost) 7.

Ah, so in this case, we're talking about allowing modern, unforked versions of Firefox and Chrome to run on XP. Excellent suggestion.

I remember losing interest in the project, but couldn't remember exactly why. Now I do: it doesn't allow XP to run on modern hardware and it doesn't allow win7 to run XP programs (like Premiere Pro 2.0). But as more and more programs that need to be updated all the fucking time or they won't work (web browsers, Steam, World of Warcraft etc.) drop XP support, I can see One Core API becoming a lot more useful.

StainlessS

24th November 2021, 09:59

Microsoft makes free Windows 11 Enterprise virtual machine available for download

The 20GB download features an evaluation copy of Windows 11 and much more.

Microsoft has made available a free Windows 11 Enterprise virtual machine for download. Aimed at developers, Microsoft says, "Start building Windows applications quickly by using a virtual machine with the latest versions of Windows, the developer tools, SDKs, and samples ready to go."

There's a lot packed into this download:

Window 11 Enterprise (evaluation)
Windows 10 SDK, version 2004 (10.0.19041.0)
Visual Studio 2019 (latest as of 10/09/21) with the UWP, .NET desktop, and Azure workflows enabled and includes the Windows Template Studio extension.
Visual Studio Code (latest as of 10/09/21)
Windows Subsystem for Linux enabled with Ubuntu installed
Developer mode enabled
Windows Terminal installed

According to Microsoft, these virtual machines will expire on 01/09/22.

Microsoft has made downloads available for VMWare, Hyper-V, VirtualBox and Parallels versions of the virtual machine, and they can all be downloaded directly from Microsoft.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-make-free-windows-11-enterprise-virtual-machine-available-for-download/

20GB a bit big for me, I aint gonna download it.

EDIT:
Attackers don’t bother brute-forcing long passwords, Microsoft engineer says

According to data collected by Microsoft’s network of honeypot servers, most brute-force attackers primarily attempt to guess short passwords, with very few attacks targeting credentials that are either long or contain complex characters.

“I analysed the credentials entered from over >25 million brute force attacks against SSH. This is around 30 days of data in Microsoft’s sensor network,” said Ross Bevington, a security researcher at Microsoft.

“77% of attempts used a password between 1 and 7 characters. A password over 10 characters was only seen in 6% of cases,” said Bevington, who works as Head of Deception at Microsoft, a position in which he’s tasked with creating legitimate-looking honeypot systems in order to study attacker trends.
https://therecord.media/attackers-dont-bother-brute-forcing-long-passwords-microsoft-engineer-says/

StainlessS

9th December 2021, 21:19

Windows 11 crippling NVMe SSD speeds according to multiple user reports
https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-11-crippling-nvme-ssd-speeds-according-to-multiple-user-reports/

VoodooFX

9th December 2021, 21:36

Good that I don't plan to abandon Win7 in foreseeable future.
SssS, didn't you converted to Win10 sect?

StainlessS

10th December 2021, 00:06

I got one desktop, two 2-in-1 type laptop/tablet thingies, and two [currently working order - & a couple of knackered ones] tablets on W10.
None on W11, (unless I hear that W11 has abandoned all the W10 spyware stuff - I aint anticipating that happening).
[1 desktop on W7 and another on XP - all desktops with Linux Mint partitions, and 2-in-1's with boot to linux on {thumbnail} USB stick].
Main desktop also with boot to linux mint on 80GB 2.5 inch drive via Hard drive dock
[for emergency fix stuff - other desktops may have same added at some point - they each have an external HD dock].
EDIT: About 4 or 5 spare OS partitions on nvme SSD, one was occupied with Server 2019 for a while but currently vacant.
EDIT: Was [still is at some point] gonna install Android x86 on main machine partition, wanna be able to use some android apps from desktop,
although if it is gonna require loadsa android partitions, I'll probably just install on hard drive via HD dock .

StainlessS

22nd January 2022, 17:38

Heads up, ReactOS goes to v0.4.14, [DEC 2021]
https://reactos.org/
more than a year since last update.

I updated all linux to Mint Uma v20.3,
I was a bit dubious of updating my No1 machine emergency 2.5" harddrive dock boot linux mint,
as I've updated my Hard drive dock, was not sure if would continue to boot OK, but no problems encountered.
Old dock (single bay Dynamode, cheap and cheerfull @ about £16.00 ex VAT, way more more expensive on some sites eg £50.00 on e-bay),
new dock, £31 FIDECO Aluminum Hard Drive Docking Station, USB 3.0 Docking Station for 2.5 and 3.5 inch SATA HDD or SSD, Support Offline Clone and 2x 16TB Hard Drives
https://www.amazon.co.uk/FIDECO-Docking-Station-Aluminum-External/dp/B075TZJMWW/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=FIDECO+Aluminum+Hard+Drive+Docking+Station&qid=1642868368&sr=8-3
Nice dock. My dynamode had problems with [multiple] 3TB Hitatchi hard drives, ok if boot and drive in dock switched on, but
if switch on dock when OS [W10 EDIT: or linux mint] already up and running, then no auto detect of dock drive, if in Drive Management, 'rescan drives' then detect ok, but not automatic.
New dock, says support up to 16TB[I dont have anything that big], so I thought I'de give it a try, and all AOK, no probs at all and auto detect just fine.
So, the Fideco now becomes my favourite dock of 4 [dynamode prev favourite was actually the cheapest of the lot].
The Fideco has a USB 'charge port', I thought it would also work as a USB device port but no, dont work for eg USB flash drive,
maybe I would have gotten the model with SD card interface if I had known the port was charge only, but not really disappointed much by that.
The [2 bay] Fideco dock is actually smaller footprint than the single bay Dynamode, quite dinky really, only real qualm is that you have to look down on it from above to see the active drive LED's, whereas Dynamode [and my other two docks] LED's are visible from anywhere. Maybe I need find some kind of mini lens [EDIT: or diffuser] and glue them over the tiny LED lights.

EDIT: [edit: My Fideco was £31] As well as the other Fideco model [£35] with 2 USB3 ports and an SD card port [+ 1 micro SD port I think], there is also a model [£25] without USB/SD card ports.
EDIT: The model I got was aluminium + some ABS plastic, I think the other 2 Fideco models are ABS plastic only, but do check yourself if interested.

EDIT: The fideco drive I bought has average 4.5 / 5.0 stars Amazon rating from 860 reviews, so I'm not alone in my appraisal,
if LED lamps were a bit more visible I would give it 5 stars. [I probably will give 5 stars when I rate it as 4.5 stars is not an option
and 4 stars is not a fair rating].

StainlessS

2nd February 2022, 22:07

This makes me wanna heave Argh !
Google and Microsoft back new industry initiative to fix open-source vulnerabilities
https://siliconangle.com/2022/02/01/google-microsoft-back-new-industry-initiative-fix-open-source-vulnerabilities/

Warra bout the spyware and other sh1t in M$ offerings, take that nasty stuff outa there first M$.
(and block the Intel spyware too, NSA and USA government will not use it, why the f*** do we havta put up with that shit )

NSA has not been able to successfully [well for very long] been able to infiltrate/pollute linux source,
me is guessin' that this is the next NSA plot to lever its way in.

The reasons for M$ takeover of Github becoming gradually less hazy.
Maybe time for open source shift to new home, in less Orwellian country.

StainlessS

31st May 2022, 03:08

File blocking by windows of downloaded files, has been mentioned before on-site. eg Avisynth dll's blocked from working by OS.

Fix via GPEdit.msc (global policies) on pro versions of windows can stop files being blocked.

Here is pair of registry editing files to do the same on non pro versions of Windows [works on W7 and W10, others unknown].

Prevent OS blocking of downloaded files.
ENABLE_DoNotPreserveZoneInformationInFileAttachments_(FileBlockingIsDisabled).reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments]
"SaveZoneInformation"=dword:00000001

Restore OS blocking of downloaded files.
DISABLE_DoNotPreserveZoneInformationInFileAttachments_(FileBlockingIsReEnabled).reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments]
"SaveZoneInformation"=dword:00000000

Here showing what the problem looks like in file Properties, and how to fix a single or multiple files using NirSoft AlternateStreamsView.
(also shows Global Policy [GpEdit.msc] fix)
https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1872609#post1872609

And a site showing the registry fix for W7.
https://superuser.com/questions/167421/stop-windows-7-from-warning-me-about-opening-a-file

I Also found similar fix for W10 at another site,
https://winaero.com/disable-downloaded-files-from-being-blocked-in-windows-10/

Anyways I hate that stuff, I just found hundreds of files all blocked and possible source of many head scratching problems.
(I think I have it switched off on W7 Pro with GPEdit.msc, but not W10 Home)

EDIT: The values set for SaveZoneInformation seem back-to-front, but that's the way it works.
EDIT: Applies only for current user.
EDIT: From above last link comment, also works for Vista.

EDIT: From last link above,
Phil says:
November 18, 2015 at 1:06 pm

Just a note for some people – it seems that File History will not back up blocked files. This in itself is a good reason to disable blocking. If I download attachments to my Documents folder I expect them to be backed up – that’s why File History is there. I would suggest that everyone using File History should turn off blocking as above.

VoodooFX

31st May 2022, 03:44

That is useful reg, thanks. Added it to my AIO batch fix. Btw, it works in Win7 Ultimate.

Batch version:

REM *** Prevent OS blocking of downloaded files ***
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments" /v "SaveZoneInformation" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f >nul

StainlessS

31st May 2022, 04:09

You can post your current batch reg script here if you like VX. [I still got one you posted lotsa time ago].

VoodooFX

31st May 2022, 04:36

You can post your current batch reg script here if you like VX. [I still got one you posted lotsa time ago].

Dunno if I added there much from the last time, check if there is anything new:
https://pastebin.com/vudsCshN

StainlessS

31st May 2022, 07:59

Damn, that is some script VX, I gotta give it a try [maybe with a few things changed a bit].

StainlessS

26th June 2022, 20:21

Posted in Avisynth Usage,
I quite often have small probs downloading from Google Drive, but usually starts eventually if you give it a minute or so,
works better if you're signed in to your Google account. (I usually stay signed out unless required)

Maybe some kind of punishment for not being signed in,
Hotmail, on signing in using non MS Edge browser, just hangs for about 30 seconds (or is it 60), punishment for not using Edge [EDIT: Zero network activity until punishment ends].
(I usually start it up before I want to use it, and switch back to what I was doing for a couple of minutes so that it will have dished out sufficient punishment.)

EDIT: Above Hotmail Edge punishement thing, is where (my) MS telemetry is disabled/crippled, perhaps Edge also passes telemetry and where not using edge, then
attempts standard MS telemetry spyware stuff until it figures out that it is also blocked.

If someone uses FireFox or other non MS Edge browser, AND, does not disable/cripple telemetry (at all),
and does NOT suffer the Hotmail, "Punishment Thing", then please do say so here.
If so, then it would pretty much verify that Edge is being used as an alternative telemetry/spyware source for W10, which
can be updated fairly easily [when Edge updated] to incorporate pretty much anything that MS wants to add to telemetry crippled machines.

Emulgator

27th June 2022, 07:46

Uh-oh, VoodooFX's pastebin link from #333 is dead

https://pastebin.com/vudsCshN

Can any good soul help me out with a copy ?

StainlessS

27th June 2022, 12:42

Yes of course Gator,
https://www.mediafire.com/file/w6hzkipetsdhtr9/VoodooFX_Script.7z/file

FranceBB

27th June 2022, 13:20

Yes of course Gator

♪ alligator, see you later ♪
♪ Gotta hit the road, gotta hit the road... ♪

Jokes aside, Samuel made a new release of One Core API and he's got Chromium 103 to work on XP:

https://github.com/Skulltrail192/One-Core-API-Binaries/releases

StainlessS

27th June 2022, 14:47

Tanx FaBB,
Me is feelin' beri beri close to dumpin' XP machine, I used to not care too much about how long something took,
but comparison of my XP m/c (Core Duo quad Q600) to i7-8700 sees XP as being power guzzler with little merit other than XP OS.
Also gettin' a bit sick of my No2 W7 m/c with Core 2 quad Q9550.
could maybe dump both and get 2nd m/c maybe i7-4790/i7-4790K Haswell whotsit with W7.

Amazing to see the guys still working on XP One Core API though ... Never say Die :)

EDIT: Also contemplating dumping Atari 1040 STE with 4MB RAM, 500MB HD, and Amiga 1200 MC68020 CPU, 10MB RAM + internal 128MB HD, + Composite/ analog RGB/ SCART monitor, to charity shop.
[could also then get rid of 1/2 ton of books too]

Emulgator

28th June 2022, 02:35

Deepest thanks, gentlemen !

StainlessS

5th July 2022, 14:57

VX, does you do got, or does you dont got, safe link to most recent install_wim_tweak.exe ?
(x86 and x64 versions)

Any particular version of Powershell for the 'ps' whotsit ?
('ps' dont do anything on my machine).

I tried your script, but left my machine in a state that requires me to re-install, too many things
that I do like are removed/disabled. [eg proper Hibernation]
So, I'm gonna pick and choose what I allow and make sure that W7 and W10 scripts are separate.

Re-installing from scratch 6 instances of W10-1909. [2 * x64 {1 * desktop, 1* Tablet Laptop 2-in-1 thingy}, and, 4 * x86 {3 * Tablet, 1 * 2-in-1 Tablet Laptop thingy}]

EDIT: I'm installing updates with WSUS Offline Update, W10-1909 Security updates only, so I think the Powershell package aint installing,
so I'l maybe havta see which package I need for that. [I'de recognise it I think, but cant remember what its called - something 'Desktop Foundation', or similar {EDIT: Maybe Windows Presentation Foundation}]

EDIT: This, just so I dont lose it and can find again.
Stuff Removed from W10-1909 ISO with 'NTLite", NO OTHER changes to ISO except removal of un-used editions of W10.

Components:

Network:
Adobe Flash for IE
Internet Explorer
Work folders Client

Remoting & Privacy:
Remote Assistance

Windows Apps:
Apps:
Feedback Hub
Mobile Plans
Office One Note
Office Hub
People
Skype App
Soliaire Collection
Sticky Notes
Store Purchased App
Wallet Service
Windows Mail
XBox App [all]
Your Phone
Zune Music
Zune Video

System Apps:
Edge
Parental Controls
People Experience Host
XBOX Game Callable

Features:
Internet Explorer 11

I dont remove/config anything else, as effects can be a little unpredicable, non reversable. [Only remove stuff or do configs that you are SURE you will not want to reverse]

EDIT: NTLite[mostly free for ISO only changes (live system changes are pay-for)]:- https://www.ntlite.com/
MSMG ToolKit [Totally Free/Donation ware]:- https://msmgtoolkit.in/

:::YouTube:::
NtLite:- https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ntlite
MSMG ToolKit:- https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=msmg+toolkit

(There is also an NLite for WXP ISO's {not NTLite, W7->W11 - by the same guys})

StainlessS

5th July 2022, 22:53

OK, here the optionals that I've removed in ISO using MSMG_Toolkit, hope I aint screwed it up too much:)

Remove Windows Components

Internet [Remove All]
Adobe Flash for windows
Edge Chromium Browser
Internet Explorer

Multimedia Components
First Logon Animation
Game Explorer [Needed for Microsoft Games]
Lock Screen Background
Screen Savers
Snipping Tool
Sound Themes
Speech Recognition [Needed for: Cortana, Ease Of Access]
Wallpapers
+ Windows Media Player [Needed for some Games - We dont care about games, but include just in case breaks something else]
+ WINDOWS PHOTO VIEWER
+ Windows Themes [We like Black Screen in Dark Mode - dont know if it requires Windows Themes, just in case]
+ WINDOWS TIFF IFILTER (OCR)
+ Windows SYSTEM ASSESSMENT TOOL [KEEP for x64 ONLY]

Network [Remove ALL]
Offline Files
Open SSH
Remote Desktop Client
Remote Differential Compression [RDC[
Simple TCP/IP Services
Telnet Clientxx
TFTP Client [Trivial File Transfer Protocol]
Windows Mail [Needed for: Windows Mail App]

Privacy
Assigned Access
Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP)
Face Recognition
Kernel Debugging [Depends on: Windows Error reporting]
+ Location Services [We want for mobile devices, buses, tubes, maps, but not so bad for Desktop too]
Picture Password
+ Pin SignIn Support [A bit insecure but we are lazy - dont have to have it active]
Unified Telemetry Client (Asimov) [Depends on: Windows error Reporting]
Wifi Network Manager (Wifi Sense) [Your contacts can use YOUR WiFi without a password, eg BAD neightbour that harasses you by email gets free WiFi]
Windows Error Reporting [Needed for: Out Of Box Experience]
Windows Insider Hub

Remoting [Remove ALL]
Home Group
Multipoint connector
OneDrive Desktop Client
Remote Assistance
Remote Desktop Server
Remote Registry
Work Folders Client

System
+ Accessibility Tools [Tablet may need onscreen keyboard, + other uses might arise]
Device Lockdown (Emdedded Experience)
Ease of Access Cursors [Depends on: Accessibility Tools]
Ease of Access Themes [Depends on: Accessibility Tools]
Easy transfer [Move files from old PC to new one - flash drive maybe easier]
File History [Required for Windows Backup]
+ Magnifier [Depends on: Accessibility Tools. Might be useful]
+ Manual Setup (InPlace Upgrade - Upgrade Windows keeping {or scrapping} old apps and files - small tablets may require it)
+ Narrator [Depends on: Accessibility Tools. Might be useful]
+ NotePad.
+ On Screen keyboard [Depends on: Accessibility Tools.]
+ Paint
Projected File System (ProjFS). [Make data appear as if directories and files]
Security Center [Depends on: Windows Defender]
Steps Recorder [Troubleshoot a problem on your device by recording the exact steps you took when the problem occurred]
Storage Spaces [Help protect your data from drive failures. It is conceptually similar to RAID, implemented in software]
System Restore [Depends on: Windows Backup]
Windows Backup. [Required by System Restore - we use non MS backup s/w]
+ Windows Firewall. [We are gonna use some other firewall, but keep it present]
+ Windows Subsystem for Linux
Windows To Go [Its gone]
+ Wordpad

System Apps
AAD Broker Plugin - Credential Handler for Microsoft Azure Logon [Needed for: Microsoft Account, Windows Store]
Accounts Control - App to add MS Acc for MS Apps [Needed for Windows Store]
Add Suggested Folders to Library Dialog
+ App Resolver UX - Modern Open With Dialog.
Async Text Service - Messaging extensions for People and Maps Apps.
Bio Enrollment - Windows Hello Setup.
Calling Shell App - App to host call progress on shell [create a Windows client kiosk, replacing the default shell (explorer.exe)].
Capture Picker - A system picker UI control to select an item on the screen to capture [Needed for: Screen snip]
CBSPreview - App for Camera Barcode Scanner
Content Delivery Manager - Automatic installation of sponsored or promoted apps, suggestions and Ads [Needed for: OOBE & Microsoft Account]
Cortana - Personal assistant, start menu, taskbar & settings search App [Depends on: Speech Recognition]
Credential Dialog Host - Authentication (Sign-in) shell support for Windows Hello
ECApp - Modern UI Dialog App for Eye Movement Control [Depends on: WindowsMixedReality]
Edge Classic Browser
Edge Developer Tools Client - An extension to edge containing tools for web developers [Depends on: Edge]
+ File Explorer - Modern File Explorer App
+ File Picker - Modern File Picker Dialog
Lock App - Container App for Apps and Messages on the Lockscreen
+ Map Control
Narrator Quick Start - QuickStart Guide for Narrator
OOBE Network Captive Portal - Captive Network Portals support during OOBE-Phase of Windows
OOBE Network Connection Flow - Connection Flow Network Portals support during OOBE-Phase of Windows
Parental Controls - App for Parental Controls
People Experience Host - People Bar (People Hub)
Pinning Confirmation Dialog
PPI Projection - App to project the screen to a Wireless Display (Connect App)
+ Print Dialog - Modern Print Dialog | Needed for: Printing
Retail Demo Content
Secure Assessment Browser - Special Windows Mode for Exams (Take Test App)
Setting Sync - Sync settings between your Windows PCs and devices
Skype ORTC
Smart Screen - Windows Defender SmartScreen Functionality for Modern Apps
+ Webcam Experience
Win32 Web View Host - Desktop App Web Viewer
Windows Defender App
Windows Mixed Reality
Windows Reader (PDF) | Depends on: Edge
Windows Store Back-end Client
Xbox Console Companion Back-end Client
Xbox Game Callable UI - Xbox Live
XGpu Eject Dialog - Modern Dialog App for safe removal of external GPUs

Windows Apps
3D Viewer [Depends on: Windows Mixed Reality]
Advertising Xaml
+ Alarms & Clock
+ Calculator App
+ Camera
Desktop App Installer [Install MS Store apps with appx extension, without Powershell]
Feedback Hub
Films & TV
Get Help
+ Google's VP9 WebM Video Codec Plugin
Groove Music
+ High Efficiency Image File (HEIF) Codec Plugin
+ Maps | Depends on: Map Control
Messaging
Microsoft Pay
Mixed Reality Portal | Depends on: Windows Mixed Reality
Mobile Plans
My Office
OneNote
Paint 3D [we use MSPaint.Exe]
People | Depends on: People Bar
Phone Link
Photos
Print 3D
Screen Sketch
Services Store Engagement | Depends on: Windows Store App
Skype
Solitaire Collection | Depends on: Advertising Xaml, Services Store Engagement, Xbox Live
Sticky Notes | Depends on: Services Store Engagement
Store Experience Host | Depends on: Windows Store App
Tips - Windows tips and tutorials App
+ Voice Recorder
Weather | Depends on: Advertising Xaml
+ Web Media Codec Plugin
+ WebP Image Codec Plugin
Windows Mail App | Depends on: Advertising Xaml, Windows Mail
Windows Store App | Depends on: Windows Store Back-end Client, Xbox Identity Provider
Xbox Console Companion | Depends on: Xbox Console Companion Back-end Client
Xbox Game Bar Plugin | Depends on: Xbox Console Companion
Xbox Game Bar | Depends on: Xbox Console Companion
Xbox Identity Provider | Depends on: Xbox Console Companion
Xbox Live In-Game Experience | Depends on: Xbox Console Companion
Xbox UI | Depends on: Xbox Console Companion

#########################################

TWEAKS
===============================================================================
MSMG ToolKit - Apply Tweaks Menu
===============================================================================
# Hash Prefix, do not use the Tweak

Disable Automatic Driver Updates through Windows Update [EDIT: This prevents user change in live system - maybe dont disable next time]
Disable Automatic Download and Install of 3rd Party Apps [EDIT: Seems to try download anyway]
Disable Automatic Windows Upgrade [EDIT: This dont work, still attempts to upgrade]
Disable Cortana App
Disable Microsoft Reserved Storage Space for Windows Updates [EDIT: W10 reserves 7GB of disk space for upgrades - InPlace Upgrade will {I think} allow use USB device instead if not available]
Disable Windows Defender [EDIT: Security center dont work without this - No problems so far but not sure if best to disable {I use other Anti-virus}]
# Disable Windows Firewall [Keep, Just in case {We use other firewall}]
Disable Windows SmartScreen
# Disable Windows Update [We are gonna use WSUS Offline update, dont cripple windows update until after that]
Enable DISM Image Cleanup with Full ResetBase [Clean up WinSxS folder]
Enable Fraunhofer MP3 Professional Codec
Enable Windows Photo Viewer
Force .NET Programs to Use Newest .NET Framework
Hide Taskbar Cortana Icon
Hide Taskbar Meet Now Icon
Hide Taskbar News and Interests
Hide Taskbar Search Bar
Hide Taskbar Task View Icon

EDIT: Above in RED, comments after install]
The items that I'm keeping are preceded with '+' symbol, ALL the rest removed.

Pretty good intro to MSMG_Toolkit [Make A Custom Windows 10 ISO]:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yyiLv0v2BA
EDIT: MSMG_Toolkit is a DOS style app, can right click title bar Menu/Edit/Select All/ Menu/Edit/Copy/ and paste all the text in a txt file,
makes a bit easier to create list of changes.
Above list is from latest June 2022 version, v12.4.7.

EDIT: MSMG_Toolkit, seems quite good, NTLite can do similar, BUT, disables removal of some things in free ver$, maybe to 'encourage' you to pay for full ver$,
MSMG_Toolkit seems a little more reliable as it does not prevent some removals like NTLite.
I experienced a few more 'peculiarities' with NtLite.

StainlessS

7th July 2022, 17:09

With MSMG_ToolKit mods as in prev post, installs W10 1909 Home x64 setup to use about 11GB disk space [after removal of Old Windows remains] {x86 would be smaller}.
Some comments added in RED at end of prev post.

W10 1909 x64 ISO {English International, Multi setup, ie Home, Pro, Student, etc} 5.05GB.
NTLite reduction to only Home version x64 ISO, 4.48GB. {You could do this with MSMG_Toolkit too}
MSMG_Toolkit DeBloat mods as in prev post, x64 ISO 3.7GB.

On x64 2-in-1 tablet/laptop install from bootable USB setup and separate post setup install of exported{via Powershell script} drivers,
I found my mouse/keyboard {Full Sized External wireless mouse/keybrd with single 2.4GHz dongle - ie not the tablets keyboard touchpad}
and also other USB devices had occasional problems and sometimes froze.

Re-install using "Inplace Upgrade", ie within W10 run Setup on Extracted ISO image, or directly run setup from the USB setup drive,
will use drivers from current version windows instead of re-install of saved/exported drivers using Windows Device Manager.
This method of keeping original drivers worked for me with no dodgy keyboard/mouse or USB.
Also, very easy, and on very small memory tablets, it is the only way to do an upgrade with an ISO.
{Some x86 W10 tablets have as little as 1GB RAM and 16GB storage, Forced upgrades must be hell for them - DONT EVER buy one, min 2GB RAM, 32GB storage}

EDIT: It is always a good idea to have an image {at least one} of your working system [Ideally how you originally Received the device],
can use eg Macrium Reflect Toolkit on USB drive, [created from Inside installed MacriumReflect via the tools menu] to make an image.
(I only really use the Macrium Reflect USB tools, and uninstall Macrium after USB creation - Macrium Reflect Free ver$ is enough to make the USB tools)

FoxClone is a USB Linux Based Image Clone / Backup solution, for Linux Ext4/Ext3/Ext2 and FAT/NTFS file systems. {currently no other 'Fancy' Linux file systems}

StainlessS

8th July 2022, 12:23

x64
With MSMG_ToolKit mods as in prev post, installs W10 1909 Home x64 setup to use about 11GB disk space [after removal of Old Windows remains] {x86 would be smaller}.
Some comments added in RED at end of prev post.

W10 1909 x64 ISO {English International, Multi setup, ie Home, Pro, Student, etc} 5.05GB.
NTLite reduction to only Home version x64 ISO, 4.48GB. {You could do this with MSMG_Toolkit too}
MSMG_Toolkit DeBloat mods as in prev post, x64 ISO 3.7GB.

x86
With almost exact same selections for x86 MSMG_Toolkit, install is 5.1GB {after drive C: cleanup to remove remains of Old_Windows, drive C:\ Properties, Disk Cleanup}
W10 1909 x86 ISO {English International, Multi setup, ie Home, Pro, Student, etc} 3.54GB.
NTLite reduction to only Home version x86 ISO, 3.22GB.
MSMG_Toolkit DeBloat mods as in prev post, x86 ISO 2.56GB.

Seems to be big saving for x86 tablet, but has only 2GB RAM [x64 tablet had 4GB RAM], so Pagefile and Hyberfile.Sys are quite a lot smaller.

EDIT: x86 was this one
Win10_1909_EnglishInternational_x32.iso # October2019
MD5 989260c78055cadf4355573c7f1a1685

x64 was
Win10_1909_EnglishInternational_x64.iso # Date uncertain : there was another update issued maybe 2020 or 2021 {I think}
MD5 d1f08aea37586702f6fbe2fe3ea8c3fd

FranceBB

9th July 2022, 11:33

Ah, so in this case, we're talking about allowing modern, unforked versions of Firefox and Chrome to run on XP. Excellent suggestion.

and... we're finally here. :)
Samuel released a new version of One Core API: https://github.com/Skulltrail192/One-Core-API-Binaries and this time we've got many more interesting programs to run on XP:

https://i.imgur.com/b1t7kMz.png
https://i.imgur.com/p3QY6PK.png
https://i.imgur.com/0e9vzmQ.png

StainlessS

10th July 2022, 02:26

Registry hack to show extra status information during both shutdown and startup.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/performance/enable-verbose-startup-shutdown-logon-logoff-status-messages

Above also shows Group Policy setting for those with W10 Pro [also works with W7 I think]
I used to use this long ago, but forgot about it. [An old W10-1803 image had it set up]

Here also for W10 Home.

Enable_StartupShutdown_VerboseStatus.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"VerboseStatus"=dword:00000001

Disable_StartupShutdown_VerboseStatus.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"VerboseStatus"=dword:00000000

Some machines may produce more status messages than others [some messages may be hidden behind some eg vendor image].

StainlessS

11th July 2022, 04:32

Earlier in this thread we mentioned a PowerShell command to backup device drivers, may want to do this before new ISO install,
and then restore drivers in Device Manager from the saved drivers.

EDIT: Alternative to Powershell command using pnputil. From elevated command prompt. (D:\Drivers folder should exist]
pnputil /export-driver * "D:\Drivers"

Well here is a little utility to backup your drivers, CLI style and GUI versions.
Double Driver[x86 or x64, from 2010, but still works {XP+}]:- https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/double_driver.html

<<< Double Driver - Readme >>>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

< Description >

Double Driver is a very simple and useful tool which not only allows you to
view detailed information of all the drivers installed on your system but
also allows you to backup, restore, save and print all chosen drivers.

< Requirement >

Operating system :: Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 (32-bit or 64-bit)

< Main Feature >

- List, save, and print drivers details
- Backup drivers from current Windows
- Backup drivers from non-live/non-booting Windows
- Backup drivers to structured folders, compressed (zipped) folder, and
self-extracting capability
- Restore drivers from previous backup
- Available in GUI and CLI application
- Portable (no installation required)

< License >

Double Driver is FREEWARE. Read license.txt for more infomation about the
license.

< Distribution Files >

- dd.exe :: GUI application
- ddc.exe :: CLI application
- dd.dll :: Application extension
- license.txt :: License information
- readme.txt :: This file
- whatsnew.txt :: Version history

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Copyright © Budy Setiawan Kusumah. All rights reserved. ***

EDIT:
From "DisableWinTracking" App v3.2.3:- https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/windows_10_tracking_disable_tool.html
Or on GitHub:- https://github.com/10se1ucgo/DisableWinTracking
EDIT: Or forked v3.2.6, still maintained:- https://github.com/bitlog2/DisableWinTracking
All Microsoft W10 Tracking IP Addresses [maybe block with your FireWall, DisableWinTracking auto blocks these addresses in Windows Firewall, but maybe you use another firewall]

134.170.30.202 # AS8075 - Microsoft Corporation : Boydton, Virginia, United States
137.116.81.24 # AS8075 - Microsoft Corporation : Boydton, Virginia, United States
157.56.106.189 # AS8075 - Microsoft Corporation : Boydton, Virginia, United States
2.22.61.43 # AS20940 - Akamai International B.V. : Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
2.22.61.66 # AS20940 - Akamai International B.V. : Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
204.79.197.200 # AS8068 - Microsoft Corporation : Redmond, Washington, United States
23.218.212.69 # AS20940 - Akamai International B.V. : Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
64.4.54.254 # AS8075 - Microsoft Corporation : Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States
65.39.117.230 # AS27005 - Pinpoint Communications, Inc. : Gothenburg, Nebraska, United States
65.52.108.33 # AS8075 - Microsoft Corporation : Boydton, Virginia, United States
65.55.108.23/22 # AS8075 · Microsoft Corporation : Redmond, Washington, United States

EDIT: Goddam, whole helluva lot more Tracking addresses:- https://gist.github.com/changeme/a2e6aa686303eb47f3dc9f830fdae703

FranceBB

11th July 2022, 10:08

Earlier in this thread we mentioned a PowerShell command to backup device drivers

Did you know that Jeffrey Snover left Microsoft just a few days ago after years and years there trying to push the adoption of PowerShell? I wonder what's gonna happen to it next given that everyone else at M$ didn't seem to like it (and as a consequence, they didn't like Jeffrey, its creator, either).

StainlessS

11th July 2022, 12:08

Did you know
No, did not.
I dont much use PS, but gotta be better than the awfull convoluted MS CLI stuff.

FranceBB

21st August 2022, 21:19

A bit of Windows98 throwback that might make a tear roll down your face... :')

https://i.imgur.com/T26EWOP.png

StainlessS

1st September 2022, 10:52

Micro$oft's plan for world domination via subterfuge (again)

Visual Studio Code is designed to fracture :- https://ghuntley.com/fracture/

Meanwhile, from a product perspective, people will try out Gitpod and, unfortunately, experience product papercuts
in the expected value of Visual Studio Code and how users expect the product to function because the developer experience
of Gitpod can never match the seamless developer experience of Visual Studio Code or GitHub Codespaces because the
Visual Studio Code open-source source code is a venus fly trap that is designed to fracture and lure people in...

StainlessS

19th September 2022, 15:14

Google, Microsoft can get your passwords via web browser's spellcheck
Extended spellcheck features in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge web browsers transmit form data, including personally identifiable information (PII) and in some cases, passwords, to Google and Microsoft respectively.

While this may be a known and intended feature of these web browsers, it does raise concerns about what happens to the data after transmission and how safe the practice might be, particularly when it comes to password fields.

Both Chrome and Edge ship with basic spellcheckers enabled. But, features like Chrome's Enhanced Spellcheck or Microsoft Editor when manually enabled by the user, exhibit this potential privacy risk.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/google-microsoft-can-get-your-passwords-via-web-browsers-spellcheck/

I use FireFox, but now hate it on Android, If I wanted a Chrome look-a-like, I'de use Chrome.

StainlessS

23rd September 2022, 11:56

Don’t Spy on Employees to Ensure They’re Working, Microsoft Says
Even though new communication tools are putting bosses in closer contact with employees, Microsoft wants execs to know that workplace surveillance is not the answer to boosting productivity.

https://www.itprotoday.com/end-user-platforms/don-t-spy-employees-ensure-they-re-working-microsoft-says

Micro$oft seems to have flexible views, considering that they sell a proxy server whose specific purpose is to spy on employees.
They can see where you go, bank acc passwords and everything else too, it pretends to be the employee machine and so everything gets decrypted for the proxy,
kinda like a man-in-the-middle malware software. (communication between proxy and employee may also be encrypted, so the employee machine thinks its safe).

Employee <== encrypt/decrypt == > Proxy-[EmployerSeesAll] <== encrypt/decrypt ==> Bank

My mate used to work as sys admin for a prestigious UK corporate employer using that proxy, just recently he got 'let go'.
He would never go anywhere he should not on work computers, neither at work, nor at home
[he had a bunch of work computers at home], and would even switch off his work phone when not at work
otherwise he was tracked wherever he went.
[1984 is a long time gone]

EDIT: Man-in-the-middle attack:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-in-the-middle_attack

EDIT: In FireFox, on Doom9 you will see a little padlock to the left of the URL, this is because it is using HTTPS and externally verified secure stuff, [it used to be green but no longer is, by default].
That closed padlock shows that you are not being passed though a spying proxy and that comms are secure.
If you hover over the padlock it will say something like "Verified by Lets Encrypt", meaning 'secure'.
If using FireFox and that little closed padlock is not there, then never access your bank account from there.

Micro$oft Internet Explorer (and presumably Edge) do not have that padlock thing, would be kinda silly of them to let employees know that they are being spied upon when
using a Micro$oft spying proxy. I guess that the dominance of HTTPS now (instead of just HTTP) is maybe part of the reason that M$ has changed its view,
and recognises that its spy proxy is no longer as viable/stealthy as it once was. [of course, an employer could ban installation/use of FireFox on their spying proxy network]

Wikipedia, HTTPS:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTPS
HTTPS creates a secure channel over an insecure network. This ensures reasonable protection from eavesdroppers and man-in-the-middle attacks, provided that adequate cipher suites are used and that the server certificate is verified and trusted.
The FireFox padlock thingy is additional checking of security, over and above HTTPS, and implies secure communication between only two parties [no man-in-the-middle spyware].

EDIT: Apparently Chrome browser also uses the padlock whotsit.
And here, more on FireFox Padlock & other used symbols, from Mozilla:- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-tell-if-my-connection-is-secure

FranceBB

23rd September 2022, 17:29

Micro$oft seems to have flexible views, considering that they sell a proxy server whose specific purpose is to spy on employees.
They can see where you go, bank acc passwords and everything else too, it pretends to be the employee machine and so everything gets decrypted for the proxy,
kinda like a man-in-the-middle malware software. (communication between proxy and employee may also be encrypted, so the employee machine thinks its safe).

Hardly news, but yeah, you're right in mentioning it for those who might not know.

Let me also tell you this: if you use Microsoft Teams, HR will be able to read any message you send, including those sent in private groups and private conversations. There's a tool called eDiscovery which allows HR to search for any conversation made by every employee. For instance, if they go to your account and type "kittens" eDiscovery will show each and every chat (public and private) in which you mentioned the word "kittens" and will show the timestamp etc. Oh and don't think meetings are safe either: there's an option to search on transcripts too, so even if you said the word "kittens" in a meeting, it will be reported (but of course it will be shown as a transcription and HR will know that it might be wrong as it has been automatically transcribed by Microsoft.

Oh and of course they can see all your activities, like how many meetings you had in a day, whether you participated or not, if you turned the camera on (no, they can't see your face or the recording of the meeting, don't worry about that) and Microsoft will tell them IF you were actually looking straight into the camera or not.

I'll disclose something (which I shouldn't, but heck, I don't care). Some of my colleagues used to be called and contacted over and over again.
To avoid to be contacted during their coffee break (10 minutes, really, which is fair if you ask me), they used to put a "fake" meeting called "Coffee Break" so that they would appear all as "Red" so as "In a meeting" on Teams etc and no one would actually bother them for 10 minutes so that they could have coffee together.
Well, long story short, they were all caught and scolded.

Now, on to the proxies.
Almost ANY work-computer will have in its settings something that looks like: http:// something /autoproxy.pac

that "autoproxy.pac" is the auto-proxy.
What it does is basically match your Active Directory account and allow you to visit some websites or deny some others and rest assured, anywhere you go will be tracked as it goes through the company's proxy.
This happens anywhere, like literally in any company in the world.

Of course, depending on how much a company wants to "see" there can be different level of logs.
For instance, some companies install different kind of sentinel software to know if you plugged USB sticks to prevent you from "stealing" work-related documents, some others just disable USBs from the BIOS/UEFI, some others install stuff I won't mention for legal reasons but while they're officially meant to protect you from threats and protect the company's intellectual property, the amount of logs they keep and the number of times they "phone home" on your activities makes them essentially legal trojans. Like, they can keep a list of which programs you have installed, which programs you use most, how much time you spend on each program in a day etc.

As a piece of advice, people, IF it's a company laptop, use it for work-related stuff only and assume that everything you do is being recorded.
Behave like you should, like a good employee and nothing will happen.
DO NOT use it to browse your stuff, even if they're innocent stuff like if you wanna see a certain YouTube video or if you want to check which lineup your favorite sport team is gonna have for the game in the evening, 'cause perhaps nothing will happen, but everything is recorded and if they wanna use it against you, they will!

That's my 2¢

StainlessS

24th September 2022, 00:30

Not just 2c, gotta be at least a good 10c worth.
Scary 5h1t.

Katie Boundary

27th September 2022, 09:28

Long story short, everyone should have switched to Linux when extended support for Win7 ended in 2016.

FranceBB

27th September 2022, 10:43

Long story short, everyone should have switched to Linux when extended support for Win7 ended in 2016.

Yep, which is why I'm happily on Fedora 36 x64 with several VMs if I need Windows, including my beloved XP.

Katie Boundary

28th September 2022, 14:54

FranceBB

29th September 2022, 16:49

Virtual machines need better GPU emulation. Have you ever tried watching low-res videos at fullscreen in a VM? They use nearest-neighbor resizing rather than bilinear! And 3D gaming support is atrocious.

Yeah, I know, it's painful to watch.
The problem is that those features are driven by investors (I mean paying customers in case of VMWare and partners in case of Oracle). Unfortunately, given that they almost exclusively use them to host servers, databases etc, they didn't progress in GPU emulation that much as they don't care.
During the pandemic there's been one notable exception, namely VMware Horizon, which is essentially a special client that allows you to connect to servers running very specific VMs on ESXi that have some kind of NVIDIA passthrough (no, they don't passthrough the GPU directly, but they basically allow the VM to access a virtualized proprietary NVIDIA card with decent 3D acceleration support so much so that software like AVID Media Composer runs).
Anyway, that's unfortunately nothing a normal home user will ever have or use...

As to home user things, 3D support in Virtualbox is outrageous. Things improved slightly when they moved from the old VboxVGA to the new VboxSVGA, but still having an OpenGL wrapper between guest and host translating things back and forth is really really really bad, especially 'cause it's slow and unoptimized.

Well, in a nutshell, virtual GPU support in Virtualbox is appalling and there's nothing we can do about it... :(

p.s if you'll ever switch to Linux, DO NOT use an NVIDIA GPU. Unfortunately NVIDIA doesn't give a *bleep* about open source and all their drivers are closed source. Why is this a bad thing? Easy, it has tons of bugs and may (or may not) behave with newer kernels, so either you stick to the very same kernel NVIDIA built its drivers on OR you update and test your luck (hint: it might not even boot). There's the Nouveau project, but it's not an option 'cause NVIDIA made it impossible for the open source drivers to re-clock, so if you use the Nouveau drivers (although stable, sort of) the GPU will always run at the slowest possible clock rate, hence making everything useless. For this very reason, devs don't invest much time into Nouveau, so even support for things like OpenGL is not so great, let alone Vulkan... So, if you get NVIDIA, you'll end up stuck between a slow, poorly supported, stable open source driver OR a proprietary, potentially bugged, boot-failure-prone closed source driver. I made that mistake in 2016 naively thinking I could use CUDA and all the other fancy NVIDIA things on Linux just like I do on Windows and I regret it to this very day.

Katie Boundary

30th September 2022, 06:48

My desktop uses an nVidia card and it never had issues with Linux... speaking of which, I need to get around to nuking its hard drive and reinstalling everything again because that's apparently the only way to get rid of the Win10 bootloader.

FranceBB

30th September 2022, 08:11

My desktop uses an nVidia card and it never had issues with Linux...

Uhmmm... but it's not a modern card, surely, is it? O_O

Katie Boundary

30th September 2022, 18:14

Well the desktop was specifically designed and built to be compatible with XP, so it's a Geforce 700-series. Does that change anything?

FranceBB

1st October 2022, 11:54

Well the desktop was specifically designed and built to be compatible with XP, so it's a Geforce 700-series. Does that change anything?

It does.
Anything older than 900 series will have the re-clock enabled. In other words, the GPU will run at its maximum possible speed just fine 'cause at the time NVIDIA wasn't being a *beep* (bad word starting with the letter "d") and didn't require everything to be signed to interact with the firmware.

I have a GTX 950, so no luck for me... :(
But yeah, the things I said above luckily don't apply to you.

Katie Boundary

1st October 2022, 17:37

OK cool.

Going back to the subject of virtualization, isn't Virtualbox open-source? Someone should make a fork of it with a halfway decent virtualized GPU. Proper video scaling would also be nice so I'm not playing games in a 640x480 window on a 1600x1200 screen.

FranceBB

1st October 2022, 18:35

Going back to the subject of virtualization, isn't Virtualbox open-source? Someone should make a fork of it with a halfway decent virtualized GPU. Proper video scaling would also be nice so I'm not playing games in a 640x480 window on a 1600x1200 screen.

It is open source, but it's not a matter of making a fork, it's a matter of writing drivers, so it's even easier.
For instance, take Windows 98SE.
It isn't officially supported by Virtualbox, so there aren't any Guest Addition, therefore, it technically shouldn't even run, but it does 'cause people wrote graphic drivers for it to interface with the default VBoxVGA.
In the same way, someone could just write an open source driver for Windows XP to use VBoxSVGA instead of VBoxVGA and it would work just fine.
Why hasn't anyone done it?
Well, 'cause 90% of users are moaners who don't contribute and the remaining 10% is almost entirely made by Linux devs, so... :(

I'd love to contribute, but writing a driver is far beyond my skills, so the only thing I do is testing and bug reporting... :(

Katie Boundary

3rd October 2022, 18:59

Well if we're going to write drivers, then we might as well just write ones that'll allow XP to run on modern bare metal.

StainlessS

5th November 2022, 20:22

Well, I finally did it.
Got the impulse to chuck my last XP machine, 10 minutes later it was in the skip.
Damn, cant test any XP stuff anymore, maybe I shoulda thought of that, too late now :(

FranceBB

5th November 2022, 22:02

Well, I finally did it.
Got the impulse to chuck my last XP machine, 10 minutes later it was in the skip.

Noooooooooooo :scared:

cant test any XP stuff anymore

The XP lovers community just lost one of his most valuable members... :(

StainlessS

6th November 2022, 00:04

I can probably pick up XP laptop for maybe £25.00 or not much more, and takes less space than massive tower case with lotsa drive bays.
Maybe I do dat.

EDIT:
Nope, CEX, Cash Converters, and MorganComputers.co.uk, dont got none :(
Well I've got 3 broken XP laptops, maybe I fix one of them and chuck the others. [Thinkpad].
EDIT: And there is always the car boot sales, I aint been to one since Wimbledon Stadium car boot closed and
they built a housing estate on it [not the tennis place, dog, and motor cycle racing stuff].

Katie Boundary

6th November 2022, 23:32

There's still quite a market for XP-compatible hardware. Never chuck anything. Sell it on eBay or craigslist.

StainlessS

7th November 2022, 02:14

Nah, I dont ever bother selling anything, might dump stuff at charity shop though, but laptops broken.
Guy at end of street fixes computers/laptops, I might dump em on him.
e-bay, nope, never used it, refuse to have any doin's with paypal.
(No idea what craigslist is, please dont tell me :) )

takes less space than massive tower case with lotsa drive bays.
At a car boot, I once saw a server case (I think, with only mother board and ginormous PSU) that I could easily have climbed inside and shut the door.
(mine was not as big a that)

EDIT: "ginormous", a cross between gigantic, and enormous.

Katie Boundary

8th November 2022, 19:40

No idea what craigslist is, please dont tell me

It used to be a site where people would try to find other people to catch STDs from, but 99% of the ads would just be from bots collecting email addresses to sell to spammers. Then FOSTA/SESTA happened and now it's just for finding boring shit like houses and jobs.

manolito

7th December 2022, 11:32

filler56789

7th December 2022, 16:27

Since I have no intention to give up Windows 7 any time soon, this warning message ennoys me quite a bit. I found a REG entry in a German forum which disables this message:

Disable Chrome Win7 Warning.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome]
"SuppressUnsupportedOSWarning"=dword:00000001

Just stop using Gluegow's Chrome, then problem = solved :p

Windows 7 is much greater than Chrome.

If you really need or want a Chromium clone, then I recommend Opera or Vivaldi.

manolito

7th December 2022, 16:54

Not sure if I understand you correctly, but all I want is to keep using Win7 together with Chrome without getting these annoying messages. I have no need for fancy chromium clones.

filler56789

7th December 2022, 18:23

I have no need for fancy chromium clones.

Then you shouldn't need Google Chrome as well. :)
But the registry trick is nice, of course.
Me too uses a similar registry trick to stop an annoying and useless splash message in the olde and goode Adobe Reader 11. :sly:

StainlessS

7th December 2022, 18:26

Tanx mani, might come in useful one day (when I get sick of Firefox).

StainlessS

8th December 2022, 15:28

These poor guys are getting scammed out of millions of dollars,
https://www.wired.com/story/cybercrime-hackers-scams-forums/

There is just no justice in the world.

StainlessS

16th January 2023, 23:23

Windows 10 permanently disable Windows Defender Antivirus.

EDIT: Below assumes that you use some other alternative anti-virus software.

"!!! README - BEFORE USE !!!.txt"

When YOUR antivirus is enabled, M$ Windows Defender antivirus should be disabled.
When you disable YOUR antivirus, then Windows AV will be re-enabled, You may want to disable BOTH.

So, with yours disabled and M$ AV enabled, do as below:

Before using the W10_PermanentlyDisableWindowsDefenderAntivirus.reg,

In Windows 10
settings/
Update & Security/
Windows Security/
Open Windows Security/
Virus & threat Protection/
Manage Settings/

Turn off Real Time Scan, and Anti Tamper Protection. (and click "dismiss" wherever it appears)

It is now TEMPORARILY disabled, but may switch back on after reboot (or an auto update).

So apply the registry edit & REBOOT, is now permanently disabled.

###########################
To undo,

With YOUR AV DISABLED,
apply the W10_ReEnableWindowsDefenderAntivirus.reg

REBOOT

Go to setting/ ... / Windows Security/
where it will likely show "Virus & threat Protection" is OFF, so Turn it ON.

Go into "Manage Settings", and just check that both Realtime Scan and Tamper Protection are both ON.

(I would also prefer to reboot again at that point)

##############################

You can check current status of Windows Defender AntiVirus in PiriForm's "Speccy", 'Operating System' TAB.
https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy/download
[ Same guys that produce the popular CCleaner software (Crap Cleaner) ]

"W10_PermanentlyDisableWindowsDefenderAntivirus.reg"

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Disable Settings Realtime Antivirus scan, and Tamper protection, then run the registry edit command.

; NEEDS REBOOT AFTERWARDS

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender]
"DisableAntiSpyware"=dword:00000001

"W10_ReEnableWindowsDefenderAntiVirus.reg"

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; NEEDS REBOOT AFTERWARDS, then re-enable Virus & threat Protection.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender]
"DisableAntiSpyware"=-

EDIT: There is also a GPEdit.msc (group policy editor) fix for W10 Pro, but above is perhaps easier and works for home too.
EDIT: I prefer to keep my Firewall and Windows Defender Firewall both active [at least at this minute I do], will maybe switch off later (busy doing loads of new setups).

kalehrl

17th January 2023, 09:36

There seems to a stripped down version of Windows 10 called AtlasOS:
https://atlasos.net/

StainlessS

17th January 2023, 18:39

There seems to a stripped down version of Windows 10 called AtlasOS:
https://atlasos.net/
Interesting,

By downloading, modifying, or utilizing any of these images, you agree to Microsoft's Terms. None of these images are pre-activated, you must use a genuine key.

Anybody actually tried this, I believe M$ owns GitHub, so is likely to be kosher.

EDIT: From on their forum:- https://forum.atlasos.net/d/71-activation-of-windows
Activate using your key

Make sure your key is pro
My main i7 machine is Home :(

EDIT: On GitHub:- https://github.com/Atlas-OS/Atlas

EDIT: Seems to be some kind of NtLite project, take official ISO image and strip bits out of it.
NtLite:- https://www.ntlite.com/

I have sometimes used NtLite (and older NLite for XP), can take lots of testing to do it right, these guys must have spent a long time and a lot of testing on it.

MSMG_ToolKit is a similar-ish thing to NTLite [The GUI aint as pretty as NTLite, text console based]:- https://msmgtoolkit.in/

StainlessS

23rd January 2023, 02:53

Just a little hint here:

One of my pet hates about W10 (and W7) Windows Explorer [renamed/rewritten as File Explorer in Vista+] requires clicking upon folder to reveal contents
and so requires a click even when traversing folders with keyboard.
I've only just discovered that Open Shell Menu (fork of Classic Shell) has separate settings for the file explorer,
is the torquoise shell icon in uppen RHS corner.
Can change "Basic Settings", "Auto Navigate to the selected folder" and set to Always, and no longer has the brain dead W7/W10 behaviour.
[EDIT: Might also want to enable "Disable Breadcrumbs" and enable "Show Status Bar" if not set as such]

Anyways, I guess many already know this, but if I totally missed those settings, I presume that it is always possible that others have too.
Above one of the main reasons I always disliked Vista/W7/W10 file explorer,
I've used Classic Shell/Open Shell Menu since 1st installing Vista, and cannot believe that I've totally missed this bunch of settings until now.

EDIT: Not this link [latest is Beta], see link at bottom of post.
https://open-shell.github.io/Open-Shell-Menu/

Enjoy, I will.

Shell icon @ top RHS
https://i.postimg.cc/sXfvgR8d/Untitled-00.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Ffq9TwND)
It went a bit weird for me after change and until after reboot.

EDIT: Latest STABLE is OpenShellSetup_4_4_170.exe (I was using a recent beta by mistake)

Latest STABLE:- https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/releases/tag/v4.4.170

EDIT: To see that Shell icon, you have to tick Menu/View/Options/Classic Explorer Bar.
[Thats why I've never noticed it before, musta switched it on by accident - I guess there is something to be said for reading the docs]

Katie Boundary

31st January 2023, 22:13

I'd be much more interested in Atlas if it came with OpenShell and other programs to restore the Windows Classic theme.

StainlessS

4th February 2023, 11:57

Oh no!, its started again.
Microsoft reportedly shows full-screen Windows 11 upgrade ads with two 'yes' buttons:- https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-reportedly-shows-full-screen-windows-11-upgrade-ads-with-two-yes-buttons/

hello_hello

15th February 2023, 20:13

There's a few different stripped down versions of Windows 10 and 11 floating around, similar to Atlas. Tiny11 and and Windows X-Lite are a couple that come to mind.

The hard drive in my old Win7 laptop died a few days ago, so after I replaced it I installed Atlas to give it a try and it's been okay so far. I might replace it with one of the stripped down Windows 11 versions at some stage though.

And yesterday I finally pulled my finger out and built a new PC. I've put the full version of Windows 11 on it for the moment at least, but through Atlas I discovered Rufus (https://rufus.ie/en/). It's great for creating a bootable USB flash drive for installing an OS, and for Windows 11 it removes a couple of annoyances such as the Secure Boot requirement and the need to create a Microsoft account.

I'll confess I'm not overly hating Windows 11 so far, although I've only started playing with it today. I expected to hate it, probably even wanted to hate it, so I'm somewhat surprised I'm not hating too much. At least not yet.

hello_hello

5th March 2023, 17:29

I've played with it some more and I'm still not hating Windows 11 as much as I expected to, although the logic behind removing an optional "show desktop" icon for the taskbar eludes me.

I'm pretty sure I've disabled all the security annoyances I need to, except for the firewall nag that pops up after each boot. Anyone know how to disable that notification after disabling the firewall?

There's also an Edge security annoyance I haven't found a fix for... being questioned about the trustworthiness of downloaded files such as exe's.... although that's probably no big deal because I won't be using Edge for browsing anyway.

The Windows 11 taskbar and start menu were close to being deal-breakers. I'm not sure if it's been mentioned here, but ExplorerPatcher (https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher) can return the traditional taskbar buttons along with some other tweaks. I removed most of the crap from the start menu so it just opens up with an alphabetical programs list and none of the "recommended" crap.

I guess the days of opening menu items with a mouse click are behind us (referring to a program's menu bar items) and we'll spend the rest of our days navigating through iphone/android style menus no matter how dumb it is if you're using a mouse and monitor. Now if only there was a home-screen button like the one on my phone.....
Many/most sub-menus seem to ignore mouse clicks now and simply open when the cursor is hovered over them, so one of my favourite tweaks for fixing the menu hovering lunacy now breaks them instead (using a long value for HKEY_USERS\......\Control Panel\Desktop\MenuShowDelay).
Menu lists that expand/collapse by clicking on an arrow still respond to a mouse click, obviously, but so many more of them feels wrong to my brain for a desktop OS, although I'm not quite sure why that is yet.

Switching to Linux for my day-to day OS has been fairly painless so far. I've not used Linux before so I had no idea what the degree of difficulty would be. Obviously there's some learning involved but that's what search engines are for. I went with MX Linux rather than Mint because Mint doesn't include drivers for my MB and CPU/graphics yet, whereas MX Linux does, so that was the easiest way to jump that hurdle. The one program I didn't want to replace is working fine under WINE (aside from MPC-HC which I'll miss), so now I'm ready to tackle the frame serving obstacle.... Avisynth (and/or VapourSynth, which I haven't used before anyway).

The internet seems to be generally of the opinion that Avisynth running on WINE works quite well, but what about the native Linux version? I know nothing about installing or using it, or even if it uses the same plugins as the Windows version, so any advice would be very welcome.

Emulgator

5th March 2023, 23:37

And may i mention WinSetView for useful Explorer settings which are hard to tweak via registry in Win10
Finally getting rid globally of "File Type" column, making room for my preferenced columns: file name, file size, change date.

VoodooFX

6th March 2023, 02:51

The internet seems to be generally of the opinion that Avisynth running on WINE works quite well, but what about the native Linux version? I know nothing about installing or using it, or even if it uses the same plugins as the Windows version, so any advice would be very welcome.
For Linux you would need Linux plugins.

Katie Boundary

6th March 2023, 05:02

flossy_cake

10th March 2023, 05:32

Windows 11 upgrade ads with two 'yes' buttons:- https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-reportedly-shows-full-screen-windows-11-upgrade-ads-with-two-yes-buttons/

It's not just that there are 2 yes buttons

It's that the word yes has been replaced with got it :mad:

kromak

1st April 2023, 14:54

Following this thread with interest. Although I stopped using Windows in 2010, part of it still misses it and someday, when I have time and more free space on HD, I will reinstall it.

I miss RealPlayer, Quick Time player, RealOnePlayer and even Windows Media Player, besides countless games and also hardware and gaming utilities :)

And I also follow this thread not only with interest, but also with sympathy :)
As a user of a very old linux distro, I definitely know how frustrating and annoying can be trying to use an old operating system with contemporary software :mad:

StainlessS

21st April 2023, 13:47

Was getting a
"Some of these settings are hidden or managed by your organization message showing on Privacy Settings page"
message from Windows 10 settings for Location,
I musta done something to disable location, but turning location back on in "OO ShutUp" (windows privacy blocker whotsit)
did not re-enable location stuff in settings.
OO ShutUp:- https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10

So, I found this with search,
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/some-of-these-settings-are-hidden-or-managed-by/0f43eb7c-b01b-4615-8cf7-db047ac044aa

And from it I extracted this registry editor stuff to force re-enable of just Location. (it would re-anable ALL telemetry stuff if following above link instructions).

ForceAllowLocation.reg (works OK on Home/Pro)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\LocationAndSensors]
"DisableLocation"=dword:00000000
"DisableWindowsLocationProvider"=dword:00000000
"DisableLocationScripting"=dword:00000000

And after a reboot, it re-enabled my location again in settings.

Reason for wanting Location available to apps:-
I was trying to download W10 Home/Pro,
English International, 20H2, v2 (October 2020 Update) December 2020, (actual English version rather than the "English" version which is actually USA version).
I was using Heidoc Windows ISO downloader (allows to find Windows 10/11 current and older version ISO files for both x86 and x64, also for Dell ISO's and Office ISO's + more).

HeiDoc Main:-
https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/
Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool :-
https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/technology-science/microsoft/67-microsoft-windows-and-office-iso-download-tool

It provides with either download direct, or copies to clipboard the web address on M$ servers (you can check address is M$).
Anyways, for the said ISO's it was giving me some message from M$ about the ISO not being available in some regions (Russia ???),
and because location was OFF, would not give me the address of ISO. (hence my need to switch location on).

Anyway, perhaps of use to somebody.

EDIT: The ISO addresses provided by M$ are valid only for 24 hours.

EDIT: x86 Heidoc Windows ISO downloader, dont work properley on 32 bit system (Just hangs, long time broken, x86 on x64 system unknown if broken).

EDIT: If you use M$ ISO download site, it will only give you the most recent ver$ of W10 ISO link, you currently cannot download older version W10 ISO's.
The Heidoc utility is the only way I know of to obtain older W10 ISO's.
You should also do google search on the MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, or SHA-512.
Here is one of the many HashCheck utilities:- http://code.kliu.org/hashcheck/
And another:- https://github.com/gurnec/HashCheck
https://i.postimg.cc/LnPp5fHJ/Untitled-00.jpg (https://postimg.cc/LnPp5fHJ)

StainlessS

23rd April 2023, 13:15

Further to previous post,
EDIT: x86 Heidoc Windows ISO downloader, dont work properley on 32 bit system (Just hangs, long time broken, x86 on x64 system unknown if broken).
Just tried Hiedoc ISO downloader on x64 tablet/laptop, same thing, just hangs, but works fine on my x64 desktop machine.

No idea what the problem is.
Anyways, I can just copy the (valid 24 hour Microsoft) links and download lotsa ISO's for free in the pub.

I also had to force enable Location on my tablet/laptop, and it actually did not require a reboot for location to work ok after registry fix.

EDIT:
No idea what the problem is.
The Tablet version of the ISO downloader does seem to attempt to display some kind of an advert,
I think it is quite typical of some mobile devices being lumbered with ads where desktop apps are not,
so perhaps the problem lies in the fact that I have both AdBlock Origin ad blocker, and also have ads blocked via
the hosts file on both x86 and x64 tablets, think that is maybe why it stalls on my tablets.

StainlessS

24th April 2023, 18:01

By the same guys that do OO ShutUp posted 2 posts previous.

O&O AppBuster: Bust Apps you do not want!:- https://www.oo-software.com/en/ooappbuster

Did you notice that Microsoft, along with Windows 10 and 11, also installed a set of apps by default? Some of them make sense and are useful, but some of them are not manufactured by Microsoft, rather by third-party vendors. O&O AppBuster gives you the control back over your Windows again! Now you decide which apps you want on your computer. To make it as easy as possible for you, we’ve divided the apps into categories and give you tips on which apps you can safely remove or reinstall with one click and which ones you should leave.

O&O AppBuster is entirely free and does not have to be installed – it can be simply run directly and immediately on your PC. And it will not install or download retrospectively unwanted or unnecessary software, like so many other programs do these days – no crapware!

Seems to work just fine and maybe easier than using NTLite or MSGM_Toolkit to remove junk apps from a W10 install ISO.

You can uninstall an app (eg games) first for current user, and if nobody else is (no other account) is using it, then can remove entirely from the machine.
Last update about Apr/May 2022. (4/5/2022, which ever way around they post dates)
Removing apps from the computer makes then unavailable, they are deleted from their secret hiding places,
although for some you may be able to re-install via the MS Store.
(I've even managed to remove Cortana without any sign [so far] of problems, and Cortana is supposed to not ever be removeable)

Maybe a good idea to do a system restore point beforehand (although I never have).

https://www.oo-software.com/oocontent/uploads/tour/ooapb-en/04.png

Might be a good idea to run as Administrator, though (IIRC) it seems to work ok without that.

StainlessS

8th May 2023, 22:43

Here an old-ish (circa 2019) tutorial for using previously posted Heidoc Windows ISO downloader tool:-
https://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/downloading-all-mainstream-builds-of-windows-10/

kolamorx

11th May 2023, 18:18

In Windows XP, how can I get rid of the blue borders around a non-maximized window? (Like in Windows 10)
18379

StainlessS

11th May 2023, 19:34

I've no idea what you are talking about, but, for those that may,
best post your image on some image host, I use PostImages.org [no account necessary].
https://postimages.org/

Images can take forever to get admin approval on the D9.

kolamorx

11th May 2023, 19:59

The borders are the frames around the edge of the window. These consist of the top, bottom, right and left sides of the window.
How can I get rid of the borders?
https://i.postimg.cc/k5bdGNP2/s.jpg

StainlessS

11th May 2023, 21:00

(Like in Windows 10)
Just for us stupids, how do you do it in W10 ?

StainlessS

11th May 2023, 21:59

Maybe in Windows 10 you use that Snip And Sketch thing [I aint ever looked it and usually uninstall it during Windows setup].

Not sure if this is using the above Snip And Sketch thingy in W10, [no idea if works in XP]
How to take a screenshot of part of your screen

Here are instructions for taking a screenshot of part of your screen in Windows and on a Mac.
Windows

Press “Windows + Shift + S”. Your screen will appear grayed out and your mouse cursor will change. Click and drag on your screen to select the part of your screen you want to capture. A screenshot of the screen region you selected will be copied to your clipboard. You can paste it in any application by selecting Edit > Paste or pressing Ctrl + V, just as you’d paste a full-screen shortcut taken with the Print Screen key.

https://www.contractsafe.com/support/how-to-take-a-screenshot-of-part-of-your-screen

ALT / PrintScreen key copies to clipboard, the Active Window, but has Window border. [
https://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/how-to-take-partial-screenshots-on-windows/

EDIT:
How can I take screenshots in windows xp or older versions?
https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-take-screenshots-in-windows-xp-or-older-versions

EDIT: Snip & Paste, * Free. Customizable. Portable.
https://www.snipaste.com/index.html#

FranceBB

11th May 2023, 22:55

In Windows XP, how can I get rid of the blue borders around a non-maximized window? (Like in Windows 10)

You can't.
At least not officially.
All themes have them, unfortunately.
You can change the colour of course, but the border will still be there.

The shorthorn project (http://shorthornproject.com/) (same guys who work at One Core API, ReactOS, Wine etc) does have interface packs as well, but I wouldn't honestly recommend to install them.

If any of them pleases you, you can install them as they're free and open source, but again, do it at your own risk as they might be unstable: http://shorthornproject.com/allcategories.html?tab=interfaces&item=item-interfaces

My desktop is personally on the official Windows Embedded Standard theme by Microsoft and that's about it.

kolamorx

12th May 2023, 10:12

You can change the colour of course, but the border will still be there.
Can I change the colour of the borders in "Luna", blue (default) visual style from blue to gray?

FranceBB

12th May 2023, 19:05

Can I change the colour of the borders?

Of course, but only with the classic theme.

So, let's start simple.
Desktop, right click, properties and you can choose one of the official themes:

https://i.imgur.com/LZ55jM5.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/rInjcZY.png
https://i.imgur.com/qRzKbvS.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/ETstCOe.png

Now, if you click "Advanced" you'll get a new menu.
Click on the first drop down menu and choose "Active Title Bar":

https://i.imgur.com/JMtWYKM.png

and you'll get the option to change it from blue to whatever color you like:

https://i.imgur.com/li9613u.png
https://i.imgur.com/eLUsmZp.png

Personally, I'm using the Windows Embedded theme:

https://i.imgur.com/DPiftye.png

StainlessS

21st June 2023, 12:15

What is Windows 11's mysterious 'Emergency restart' feature?
What you need to know

Windows 11 and Windows 10 have a hidden feature that lets you restart your computer in case of an emergency.
The "Emergency restart" option isn't new, but it was highlighted in a recent report by BetaNews.
You can access the feature by pressing CTRL+ALT=DEL and clicking on the power button while holding CTRL.
https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-11/what-is-windows-11s-mysterious-emergency-restart-feature
Did not know that. [but if machine frozen, just holding down power on/off for about 10-15 secs works just fine, as does pulling the plug]

Katie Boundary

28th June 2023, 20:41

In Windows XP, how can I get rid of the blue borders around a non-maximized window? (Like in Windows 10)
18379

Don't. The Win10 theme sucks ass. Borders are good. You'll just have to get used to using an actually good UI.

Can I change the colour of the borders in "Luna", blue (default) visual style from blue to gray?

Yes. Your options (other than blue) are silver and olive green.

Of course, but only with the classic theme.

No, you can do it in Luna too. You just have more options in Classic.

FranceBB

3rd July 2023, 21:45

Good old Windows98SE in 2023, Avisynth 2.6.1, old AVSP (yes, AVSP, no "mod" no "mod mod"), old VirtualDub, old Mediainfo, old VLC but same good Doom9:

https://i.imgur.com/NoqQ2qy.png (https://youtu.be/DHLue4DM0dk)

(if you wanna skip to me visiting Doom9 on Retrozilla, go to minute 04:10)

disclaimer: this was done out of fun and to test the new universal community made video drivers (https://github.com/JHRobotics/vmdisp9x) that allow Win98 to finally gain FULL HD RGB32 support. :)

Emulgator

3rd July 2023, 22:31

Yeeees °!°

StainlessS

11th July 2023, 21:11

Dont know if this of interest to anybody [looking @ you FaBB],
Welcome to Windows Update Restored :- http://windowsupdaterestored.com/

This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft Corporation. This software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind. We don't believe anything should go wrong, but please ensure you have backups of any important data anyway. The Windows Update websites offered here are unofficial. This project is for archival purposes only.

This is a community-based project and is actively updated. This project aims at restoring the legacy Windows Update websites, and allows older operating systems (Windows 95, NT 4.0, 98, Me, 2000, and XP) to obtain updates like they used to.

Ever since 2011 when Microsoft pulled the plug on nearly all the Windows Update websites, the Windows Update feature for older Windows operating systems was no longer functional. The only way to install updates after that point was through external third-party installers which didn't cover all the updates that the operating system would fully support. So, with this project, we can now update operating systems as old as Windows 95 all the way through Windows XP RTM like we used to back in the day.

The Windows Update Website provides users with security updates, optional updates, driver updates, and other types of software for the operating system. This project only restores the Windows Update website, not the Automatic Updates feature. To find out more about the Windows Update Website and what it does, Click Here

The Windows Update website is only compatible with a certain amount of operating systems. To view the compatibility page, Click Here

This website requires a minimum of Internet Explorer 5.0 or above, but we recommend Internet Explorer 5.5. To download Internet Explorer 5.5, Click Here

All of this wouldn't be possible without The Wayback Machine. The Wayback Machine preserves old files, websites, and information that would otherwise be lost forever.

Thank you everyone who has contributed towards this amazing project on MSFN and more! Thank you for all the time spent getting each and every bit of this to work!

Here is the latest news for the website.
Windows Update Restored website has launched!

We are proud to announce the release of the Windows Update Restored website! Now you can update your good old Windows 95 PC like you used to back in the day! With this website, you can relive the Windows Update experience from the late 90s to the early 2010s. This website restores the Windows Update v3.1 website (1997), and in the future, Windows Update v4 (2001), and Windows Update v5 (2004). This website allows you to update your Windows 95 system, Windows 98 First Edition and Second Edition systems, Windows ME System, and in the future Windows 2000 Systems, and Windows XP systems. Server versions are also supported. To view the compatibility page, please read Compatibility. To make sure your older systems stay securer than they were before, please update them so they will have the latest security updates. To learn more about this website and this project, please read our About page.

With the launch of this website, we introduce our very first officially restored Windows Update website, Windows Update v3.1! At the moment, it does work but we are still testing and improving v3.1 day by day. From launch, the following operating systems will be supported on Windows Update Restored v3: Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0 SP3+ Windows 98 First and Second Edition, Windows Millenium Edition. Windows 2000 will be added in the future. Our main goal is to add the complete original inventory system to update to the fullest like you could back in the day!

StainlessS

11th July 2023, 22:08

Also see prev post from about an hour ago.

For those of you with Apple devices,
https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/11/emergency-security-update-released-for-iphone-ipad-and-mac-19104667/?ico=zone-widget_home_tech

Apple users have been alerted to update their devices with an ’emergency’ security update.

The vulnerability affects all versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS from 15.4 to 16.5.1. Attackers can exploit it to execute arbitrary code on a victim’s device by tricking them into visiting a malicious website.

On Monday, Apple released security updates to address the vulnerability and advised users to install the updates as soon as possible.

How to check if your device is affected

Go to Settings > General > About.
Look for the Software Version.
If your device is running iOS 15.4 or later, iPadOS 15.4 or later, macOS Monterey 12.3 or later, or tvOS 15.4 or later, then your device is affected by the vulnerability.

You should be fine if you have automatic updates with ‘Security Responses & System Files’ turned on. Rapid Security Responses are designed to be downloaded automatically onto Apple devices. Still, you might need to restart your device to complete the update.

If not, you should install the latest security updates as soon as possible. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

Which Apple products are affected?

iPhone iPhone 8 and later
iPad All iPad Pro models, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Mac MacBook Air (M1, 2020), MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020), MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021), MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021), Mac mini (M1, 2020), iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021), iMac Pro (2017), Mac Pro (2019)
Apple TV Apple TV 4K (2nd generation)
Safari All versions of Safari up to and including 16.5.2

Above says iPad mini 5th gen and later, but my iPad mini 4 (OS v15.4) is currently downloading the update, so above is wrong
Must be bad bug, v15.4 was supposed to be final OS update for the mini 4.

EDIT: For me, updates iPad Mini 4 v15.4 to OS v15.7.7 [I'll hav'ta check Safari browser as well, also for old iPad 4 <non mini>]

EDIT: https://www.lifewire.com/check-the-version-number-of-safari-446563
Because Safari is part of the iOS operating system, its version is the same as the current version of iOS that you have.

To see the iOS version currently installed on an iPhone or iPad, follow the instructions below.
6, 2022
Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr

Browsers

Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Microsoft

What To Know

Choose Safari from the top menu, and About Safari. The version number will be on the window that pops up.
On iOS, go to Settings > General > Software Update. Your iOS version and Safari version are the same. (Example: iOS 11 = Safari 11)

This article explains how to find the version of Safari that you're running on a Mac and an iOS device.
Find the Safari Version Number on a Mac

To determine which version of Safari is installed on a Mac computer:

Go to the dock and select the Safari icon to open the Safari browser.
Safari icon in macOS Dock

Choose About Safari under the Safari menu.
About Safari menu in macOS

A small window appears with the browser version number.
Safari Version 12.0.3 window in macOS

The first number, located before the parenthesis, is the current version of Safari. The longer second number (located inside the parentheses) is the WebKit/Safari Build version. For example, if the dialog box displays Version 11.0.3 (13604.5.6), the Safari version number is 11.0.3.

How to update Safari on the Mac
Find the Safari Version Number on an IOS Device

Because Safari is part of the iOS operating system, its version is the same as the current version of iOS that you have.

To see the iOS version currently installed on an iPhone or iPad, follow the instructions below.

1) Open Settings.
2) Select General.
3) Select Software Update. The number that appears at the top of the screen next to iOS is the version number. For example, if your iPhone or iPad is running iOS 11.2.6, then it is running Safari 11. If your device is running iOS 12.1.2, it is running Safari 12, and so on.

I guess then that my iPad 4 <non mini> is destined to remain at risk.

FranceBB

11th July 2023, 22:37

looking @ you FaBB

That is so cool!
Microsoft shouldn't have discontinued Windows Update, especially when there were still thousands of machines out there relying on it.
Although I downloaded the updates and I slipstreamed them into the ISO with NLite for future (eventual) use, it's nice to see that the community has taken an initiative to run this website.
I mean, if a few volunteers can spend their money to keep it running on a host, I'm sure Micro$oft - a 2.47 trillion dollars company - could have kept it running on a few spare Azure servers for a few more years...

StainlessS

7th August 2023, 15:50

You'll probably want to turn this off [when is mainstream implemented in Edge 117],
https://www.neowin.net/news/edge-wants-to-take-screenshots-of-every-webpage-you-visit-here-is-why-and-how-to-disable-it/
Edge wants to take screenshots of every webpage you visit, here is why and how to disable it
Recently we covered a feature that could make one think Microsoft can see every picture you view online. Here is another one: an upcoming release will add a toggle enabling Edge to take screenshots of each page you visit. And no, it is not a clickbait-like assumption: Microsoft clearly states it wants to screenshot everything you view online.

Microsoft Edge 117, currently available for testing in the Canary and Dev channels, has a new toggle called "Save screenshots of site for History" with the following description:

Image of settings to turn off
https://cdn.neowin.com/news/images/uploaded/2023/08/1691263550_edge_history.jpg

@ FaBB, maybe you find this thingy of interest [Amazon.co.uk, Search IODD ST400]:-
IODD ST400 2.5 inch Enclosure / USB-C / Bootable Virtual ODD&HDD / AES256 Encryption Max up to 76 Digits / Write Protect / 2541(ST400/USB-C Type/Next Gen Model)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=IODD+ST400&i=electronics
On Youtube:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSywLblIYa0
Mounts ISO files, and virtual hard drives and VHD files mounted and emulated. [EDIT: ODD = Optical Disk Drive (from ISO file).]
Also see similar devices on amazon, some have slightly different capabilty, and maybe via nvme SSD rather than Sata SSD,

EDIT: Currently suffering with a broken/dislocated ankle, after nearly 2 weeks in hospital with what looked
like a BBC2 aerial attached to my leg via a long screwdriver hammered though my ankle, and a couple of 6 inch nails in my shin, [not as nice as it sounds].

FranceBB

7th August 2023, 18:19

Microsoft clearly states it wants to screenshot everything you view online.

and it's opt-out, not opt-in, which means that it will be enabled by default on millions of devices as soon as the update is rolled out.
I mean, just when we thought telemetry couldn't get any worse, they somehow managed to make it worse...
I'm so glad to be using Firefox (and occasionally Chromium) on Windows 10 Enterprise x64. As far as I'm concerned, they (Microsoft) can keep their new spyware ehm I mean glorified chromium fork ehm I mean browser, I don't need it.
I'm just sad for the "average Joe" who won't suspect a thing and will still be using it with the telemetry option on... :(

@ FaBB, maybe you find this thingy of interest

It actually reminds me of the special HDD we use when we deliver DCP to the theatres. They're encrypted, but not with a puny software like Bitlocker (from Microsoft) but rather with a proper hardware encryption.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CyZJKWYMQsxqqemw9

It seems like yesterday but the picture is actually from November 2021. A lot of time has passed.
This means that I haven't been working on a theatrical release for quite some time now and given how things are going I think this is just gonna be the beginning of a long miserable period for me... :(
Nowadays I spend more time writing documentation and creating draw.io graphs on Confluence than actually encoding stuff or creating workflows... it saddens my soul... :(

Currently suffering with a broken/dislocated ankle, after nearly 2 weeks in hospital with what looked
like a BBC2 aerial attached to my leg via a long screwdriver hammered though my ankle, and a couple of 6 inch nails in my shin, [not as nice as it sounds].

Oh, that doesn't sound nice at all, it sounds awful!
I'm so sorry to hear that. I wish you a swift recovery.

StainlessS

7th August 2023, 19:20

Yeh, not nice.
Kinda looked like this [Left Image screwdriver (marked as cancaneal pin, further back) through ankle and right image 6 inch nails in shin] but about 12 inches wide and a bugger to sleep with. [not enough morphine]

https://i.postimg.cc/yYt92vG4/44-P010-i250-00.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

StainlessS

8th August 2023, 13:21

Microsoft drops support for dozens of Intel processors in latest Windows 11 system requirements updatehttps://betanews.com/2023/08/07/microsoft-drops-support-for-dozens-of-intel-processors-in-latest-windows-11-system-requirements-update/

I can hear the despair from here.

Seems to be just Xeon processors that are dropped in this round. [Also, Microsoft is disabling TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 in Windows 11... and it will break some apps].

The processors that have been removed are as follows:

Intel Xeon E-2104G
Intel Xeon E-2124
Intel Xeon E-2124G
Intel Xeon E-2126G
Intel Xeon E-2134
Intel Xeon E-2136
Intel Xeon E-2144G
Intel Xeon E-2146G
Intel Xeon E-2174G
Intel Xeon E-2176G
Intel Xeon E-2176M
Intel Xeon E-2186G
Intel Xeon E-2186M
Intel Xeon E-2224
Intel Xeon E-2224G
Intel Xeon E-2226G
Intel Xeon E-2226GE
Intel Xeon E-2234
Intel Xeon E-2236
Intel Xeon E-2244G
Intel Xeon E-2246G
Intel Xeon E-2254ME
Intel Xeon E-2254ML
Intel Xeon E-2274G
Intel Xeon E-2276G
Intel Xeon E-2276M
Intel Xeon E-2276ME
Intel Xeon E-2276ML
Intel Xeon E-2278G
Intel Xeon E-2278GE
Intel Xeon E-2278GEL
Intel Xeon E-2286G
Intel Xeon E-2286M
Intel Xeon E-2288G
Intel Xeon E-2314
Intel Xeon E-2324G
Intel Xeon E-2334
Intel Xeon E-2336
Intel Xeon E-2356G
Intel Xeon E-2374G
Intel Xeon E-2378
Intel Xeon E-2378G
Intel Xeon E-2386G
Intel Xeon E-2388G

The full list of supported Intel processors can be seen here:- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-22h2-supported-intel-processors

EDIT:
Intel's GPU Drivers Now Collect Telemetry, Including 'How You Use Your Computer'
The data collection feature is enabled by default, but you can disable it during installation.
https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/intels-gpu-drivers-now-collect-telemetry-including-how-you-use-your-computer

When Intel joined the discrete GPU market almost a year ago, everyone wondered when it would catch up with Nvidia and AMD. As of August 2023, it apparently has, at least in one respect; like its competitors, Intel has introduced a telemetry collection service by default in the latest beta driver for its Arc GPUs. You can opt out of it, but we all know most people just click "yes" to everything during a software installation. Intel's release notes for the drivers don't mention this change to how its drivers work, which is a curious omission.

News of Intel adding telemetry collection to its drivers is a significant change to how its GPU drivers work. Intel has even given this new collation routine a cute name—the Intel Computing Improvement Program. Gee, that sounds pretty wonderful. We want to improve our computing, so let's dive into the details briefly. According to TechPowerUp, which discovered the change, Intel has created a landing page for the program that explains what is collected and what isn't. At a high level, it states, "This program uses information about your computer's performance to make product improvements that may benefit you in the future."

Though that sounds innocuous, Intel provides a long list of the types of data it collects, many unrelated to your computer's performance. Those include the types of websites you visit, which Intel says are dumped into 30 categories and logged without URLs or information that identifies you, including how long and how often you visit certain types of sites. It also collects information on "how you use your computer" but offers no details. It will also identify "Other devices in your computing environment." Numerous performance-related data points are also captured, such as your CPU model, display resolution, how much memory you have, and, oddly, your laptop's average battery life.

Though this sounds like an egregious overreach regarding the type of data captured, to be fair to Intel, it allows you to opt out of this program. That is apparently not the case with Nvidia, which doesn't even ask for permission at any point during driver installation, according to TechPowerUp. AMD, on the other hand, does give you a choice to opt out like Intel does, regardless of what other options you choose during installation, and even provides an explainer about what it's collecting.

EDIT: No milk left for coffee due to broken ankle, have reconstituted Ribena [blackcurrent juice thingy] in milk carton in fridge and accidentally
used it instead of milk, + some Coffee Mate, ... Not bad really :)

StainlessS

18th September 2023, 09:24

Microsoft releases update for Edge on Windows 7 and 8:- https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-releases-update-for-edge-on-windows-7-and-8/
It is worth noting that Microsoft will soon stop releasing even those rare security updates. M109 down-level extended support for Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and Server 2012 R2 will end on October 20, 2023.
So you need get the update quite soon if you want it. [EDIT: Or maybe I read that wrong]
old Windows versions still account for about 4.45% of all PC users.

Also,

Behold, the dumbest Windows keyboard shortcut of them all
Ctrl+Win+Alt+Shift+L, a key combination that you probably can't hit with one hand, opens LinkedIn. That's it.
https://www.pcworld.com/article/2070843/behold-the-dumbest-windows-shortcut-of-them-all.html

I could not quite believe that this would work on W10 without any open apps (eg FireFox, Edge), so tried it,
damn, it works! (but just for hardcore LinkedIn fans, not me).

EDIT:
LinkedIn, a career-focused social network where people can share their work history and apply for new jobs, has been owned by Microsoft since 2016.

And,
12 simple, secret Windows shortcuts you probably don’t know
https://www.pcworld.com/article/2043856/12-simple-secret-windows-shortcuts-you-probably-dont-know.html

EDIT: And something sent to me in email from CodeProject, I liked the CodeProject Comment in Blue below so also post here.
DeepMind discovers that AI large language models can optimize their own prompts
Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate.
Source: Venture Beat
https://venturebeat.com/business/deepmind-discovers-that-ai-large-language-models-can-optimize-their-own-prompts/

I get emails from CodeProject (developer type stuff) every day, some of their email comments on articles are really quite amusing [and as above, sometimes terrifying].
https://www.codeproject.com/

EDIT: Also for W11, from CodeProject em,

Microsoft is bringing 'OCR' text recognition to Windows 11's Snipping Tool
HapefuHy 1t w1H bO deHar them sone other 0CKs 0u7 there
Source: Windows Central
https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-11/microsoft-brings-ocr-text-recognition-to-windows-11s-snipping-tool
As mentioned, these new features are rolling out now in preview for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels, and will most likely roll out to everyone in the coming weeks.

StainlessS

19th September 2023, 09:03

In previous post, "12 simple, secret Windows shortcuts you probably don’t know" link, has ad for
Get Windows 11 pro for cheap in pcworld's software store

Windows 11 Pro
Price When Reviewed: 199.99
Best Prices Today: $79.99 at PCWorld Software Store

But, on YouTube Tech Deals channel, [ https://www.youtube.com/@TechDeals ]
they have been doing cheap Windows 10 and Windows 11, and Office, serials for a long time and are still doing them,
and quite a bit cheaper.
I think there is some explanation of where they come from (in one of their MANY videos), IIRC, is
from some Chinese bulk purchaser and sold on to a USA reseller, but they work with GLOBAL [EDIT: International I think] version Win10/Win11 OEM CD too.
Tech Deals just gives link to the USA reseller, and provides a Promo Code to make serial even cheaper, You download the CD ISO from same place as you get the serial.
They've been doing same for years without problems.

From the serials USA reseller that Tech Deals links to, price EXCLUDING Tech Deals Promo Code Discount.
"MS Windows 10 Pro OEM CD-Key GLOBAL-Lifetime = USD 18.47".

"MS Windows 11 Pro OEM CD-Key GLOBAL-Lifetime = USD 26.80".

See a recent video post with details from USA reseller at about 0:40 :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auj-3Y_Byxg
(Above serials intended for custom system builders, without manufacturer [eg HP, Dell] supplied CD/serial)

From the video Description of video linked above, with Tech Deals PROMO CODE making serial even cheaper:::
— Vip-urcdkey Discounted Windows 10 / 11 Keys, and More —
— Use Promo Code TD20 to save 25% off EVERYTHING —
Win 10 Pro - $15 - https://pcdeal.tv/Win10Pro
Win 11 Pro - $21 - https://pcdeal.tv/Win11Pro
MS Office 2019 Pro - $49 - https://pcdeal.tv/MSOffice2019
MS Office 2021 Pro - $60 - https://pcdeal.tv/MSOffice2021

By the way, the Tech Deals guy on-site is a VERY good speaker and tech guy, and tends to do quite long videos with little
in the way of script or prompts, he just knows his stuff.

One of my favourites from 2019 [recommended watch even today],
SSD Review — 8 NVMe M.2 Drives Tested — Which Should You Buy? — 2019 Edition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlGjd1GZWdo

They also have a more recent series of 6 episodes on the history of SSD drives [have not yet watched those].

Episode 1, History of Solid State Drives (SSDs) — 2016 to 2022 — Part 1:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMJdcK9Wlfs
Do youtube search on "Tech Deals SSD" for others in series.

EDIT: There seems to have been a small increase in USA reseller price since Tech Deals video details [Price change for Sept 01 2023], eg
Win11Pro $23.96 instead of $21.00 [including Tech Deals Promo Code discount].

StainlessS

6th October 2023, 09:05

Spyware Exploit bug found in Open Source webp and libvpx libraries,
Microsoft won’t say if its products were exploited by spyware zero-days:- https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/04/microsoft-wont-say-if-its-products-were-exploited-by-spyware-zero-days/

Also (from above),
Apple rolled out security fixes for iPhones, iPads, Macs and Watches, and acknowledged the bug may have been exploited by unknown hackers.
Apple BugFix (previous similar apple fix in post #409),
for my iPad Mini 4, updates to IOS v15.7.9 via Settings/General/Software Update.
(I think my iPad Mini 4 support expires about this month).

Again, no update for my iPad 4 (non mini), remains multi-bugged on v10.3.3.

StainlessS

23rd January 2024, 12:36

This is outrageous,
HP CEO evokes James Bond-style hack via ink cartridges
"Our long-term objective is to make printing a subscription."
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/01/hp-ceo-blocking-third-party-ink-from-printers-fights-viruses/

This is something we announced a few years ago that our goal was to reduce the number of what we call unprofitable customers. Because every time a customer buys a printer, it's an investment for us. We're investing [in] that customer, and if this customer doesn’t print enough or doesn’t use our supplies, it’s a bad investment.

HP expects customers who already gave it money for a printer to continue paying the company for years. HP customers expect their purchase to pay off in the long term without stipulations on ink branding. If HP can't find a way to make printer customers feel like their purchase is a benefit rather than a commitment to giving HP money regularly, people may eventually stop thinking that HP printers are a worthy investment.

I discovered some years ago that HP added some corrosive substance to cartridge ink, to avoid cartridge being re-used via alternative supplier ink.
The gold/copper tracks on cartridge just disappeared after maybe 6 weeks [ceased to function], and cartridge might still be 3/4 (or more) full with original ink.
Dont ever buy HP printers if you print rarely. [One is tempted to call them 'con-men', b'cos that's exactly what they are]

EDIT: Suggest Canon or Brother [although that article's comments suggest that Brother is now playing same games as HP]
(Although that last Epson stylus I had was brilliant, but you need the one with separate bottled ink refills, which is an expensive printer, rather than expensive ink)

FranceBB

23rd January 2024, 13:54

I've always been with Epson and one time with Canon.
I'm actually glad that I never bought an HP printer at this point.

StainlessS

30th January 2024, 11:37

Microsoft Graveyard: a new website for tracking dead and soon-to-be-dead Microsoft products

You probably heard about the Killed by Google project, a website where you can find all the apps, products, services, and other things made by Google that later went six feet under. Microsoft, another tech giant (recently passed a $3 trillion market cap), also has plenty of products it no longer supports. And now, you can track all of them on a new unofficial website called Microsoft Graveyard, which was "inspired and heavily influenced" by the Killed by Google project and its Microsoft counterpart.

Killed by Microsoft:- https://killedbymicrosoft.info/

EDIT: This one did not last long :)
Tay

Killed almost 8 years ago, Tay was a chatbot that was shutdown after only 16 hours since it began to post inflammatory and offensive tweets through its Twitter account. It was 1 day old.

FranceBB

30th January 2024, 11:58

Tay was a chatbot that was shutdown after only 16 hours since it began to post inflammatory and offensive tweets through its Twitter account

Any bot trained on unsupervised user input will eventually end up writing inflammatory sentences, 'cause you know, the internet is a wonderful place. xD

Katie Boundary

3rd February 2024, 21:20

Ever since I finally learned how to get Win10 and Win11 to look more like Win9x, and then Firefox pulled the plug on Win7 support, I've been wondering more and more about what I'll do in the future regarding operating systems. Linux will always be in the picture, but some problems still require Windows in ways that WINE can't fix. Would I run Windows exclusively in virtual machines? Would I eventually cave in and allow Win10/11 to run on bare metal, now that I had gotten them to look decent?

Reading these horror stories has re-convinced me to never daily drive Win10/11.

StainlessS

4th February 2024, 12:37

You can dual boot (I do, on 8 desktops and 1 laptop), I choose Cinnamon Mint as a very familiar Windows like option. [Ubuntu based]
Install windows first (or make disk room on existing Windows drive), and then install mint on remainder.
(Will cause Linux Grub as boot control, to optionally boot Mint or Windows)

FranceBB

4th February 2024, 14:41

I think most of us ended up having Linux as a daily driver for stuff like browsing, chatting etc and Windows either as a VM or (often) as dual boot to do video processing stuff.
It's sad but it's just the way it is.
The major problems I see on doing video stuff on Linux are:

- Lack of filters (only the Avisynth core runs and like 10-15 filters one of with is, thanks god, ffms2 so that we at least have an indexer)
- Lack of IDE (it can get difficult to code without AVSPmod mod after being so used to it unless you're creating a very simple script)
- Lack of proper GPU support (the proprietary NVIDIA drivers - the only ones with CUDA and NVEnc - constantly break and the open source Nouveau ones have the reclocking problem so it's a no go)
- Lack of BT2020, HLG, PQ and any proper color management in Wayland

Once those are solved, then we're gonna be in a good place, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
On that topic, this only takes into account the fact that you're gonna use Avisynth, x262/x264/x265, MP4Box / TSMuxer / MKVToolnix and other open source stuff available 'cause if you're into editing then it's a big fat no.
No Adobe Premiere, no AVID Media Composer, no AVID Protools...
The closest thing we got is Davinci Resolve (which is a pain to make it work and it only really works if you're using the proprietary NVIDIA drivers) and Reaper (which is the best ProTools substitute we have thus far).

StainlessS

4th February 2024, 23:21

Oops, Cinnamon Mint only for x64 (latest ver$), older ver$ only for x86.

FranceBB

5th February 2024, 08:48

Cinnamon Mint

I'm on Fedora which is the upstream version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Basically it's:

Rawhide -> Fedora -> CentOS -> RHEL

where each "arrow" adds 6 months of testing, so by the time it reaches RHEL the packages have been tested for 18 months and all the bug fixes have been deployed, making it rock solid.
Unfortunately, as we all know, RHEL is a paid only thing which means that you gotta pay the license every year to Red Hat and it's definitely costly so not something a home user can afford, realistically. It's not a problem for companies running critical server infrastructure or workstations, but still...
This means that the poor home users are left with either Rawhide (for development) or Fedora (what Torvalds and Stallman themselves use) or CentOS thus being able to use all the features and the whole OS for free but being confined to being beta testers for life... :(
On the other hand, I can't complain 'cause Red Hat has to make a living somehow and I understand that, but ideally the workstation edition (non server) should be affordable for private users too...

For reference:

RHEL server costs $349
RHEL workstation costs $179

every year...
What happens if you don't pay the license?
Well, you can still install RHEL but you can't install nor update any packages, so you can test that it works on your hardware but other than that it's pretty much useless...

StainlessS

5th February 2024, 14:59

(I believe), Cinnamon Mint is about 6 months behind Ubuntu, Ubuntu does all of the more risky development stuff, Mint follows when all considered (a little more) 'rock solid'.
I like the Windows-like [Win7-ish, with Classic-Shell] Cinnamon GUI, Fedora with Cinnamon GUI does not feel quite so good as some apps dont use it, so you are sort of 'half-and-half'.

Cinnamon:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon_(desktop_environment)

Cinnamon Mint 21.3 "Virginia":- https://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

Fedora Cinnamon Spin:- https://fedoraproject.org/spins/cinnamon/

EDIT: There is also LMDE distro, Linux Mint Debian Edition, also still available for x86, is Debian based (Ubuntu is based upon Debian),
purpose of LMDE is a sort of fallback, if Ubuntu were ever to disappear, the Cinnamon Mint project would not be left with nowhere to go.
LMDE:- https://linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php

EDIT: According to Wikipedia, CentOS is discontinued [at least officially discontinued EDIT: see next post],
CentOS (/ˈsɛntɒs/, from Community Enterprise Operating System; also known as CentOS Linux)[5][6] is a discontinued Linux distribution that provided a free and open-source community-supported computing platform, functionally compatible with its upstream source, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).[7][8] In January 2014, CentOS announced the official joining with Red Hat while staying independent from RHEL,[9] under a new CentOS governing board.[10][11]
CentOS-Wikipedia:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CentOS

CentOS-distrowatch:- https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=centos

DistroWatch:- https://distrowatch.com/

EDIT: One of my pet hates of Linux, is the plethora of GUI's available for them, you can spend the rest of your life trying them all out to see which you like best.
Cinnamon Mint has one GUI (wndows manager), so that problem aint a problem.
EDIT: There are though a lot of Themes, even a Windows 10 or Windows XP theme.

FranceBB

5th February 2024, 15:29

According to Wikipedia, CentOS is discontinued [at least officially discontinued]

Nah, it just changed name to CentOS Stream but it's still CentOS, it just moved upstream after Fedora in terms of packages. I'm not quite sure why Wikipedia opened a separate page rather than updating the old one...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CentOS_Stream

StainlessS

5th February 2024, 15:35

Thanks, I thought that the Wikipedia thingy was not quite correct, was not aware of name change.

StainlessS

6th February 2024, 11:46

Google will no longer back up the Internet: Cached webpages are dead

Google will no longer be keeping a backup of the entire Internet. Google Search's "cached" links have long been an alternative way to load a website that was down or had changed, but now the company is killing them off. Google "Search Liaison" Danny Sullivan confirmed the feature removal in an X post, saying the feature "was meant for helping people access pages when way back, you often couldn't depend on a page loading. These days, things have greatly improved. So, it was decided to retire it."
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/google-search-kills-off-cached-webpages/

Windows 10 users report broken apps on old computers
A 31-page long thread on Microsoft's official forums shows that some Windows 10 users are not having a good time using their computers. Plenty of customers say they cannot launch applications on different hardware, citing "File System Error (-2147219196)."

It all started with a user claiming they could not open a picture using the stock Photos app, with the latter showing the error mentioned above. Later on, other people chimed in, reporting the same problem with other inbox Windows apps, such as Calculator (how hard could it be to run Calculator), Movies and TV, Feedback Hub (this one is quite ironic), 3D Viewer, etc.

Microsoft usually takes a while to acknowledge a widespread bug or error (assuming this one is such a problem), so we have to wait for the company to say a word about the situation. Meanwhile, users decided to dig deeper into the issue and perform their own investigation.
https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-10-users-report-broken-apps-on-old-computers/

Microsoft again reminds Windows 10 users it’s time to get Windows 11 with renewed pop-ups

Windows 10 users started seeing full-screen pop-ups after installing a cumulative update release in May 2023. Now, the pop-up is back again on our Windows 10 PC after installing the optional update released in January 2024, and it gouges the eyes. No one expects a gigantic multi-slide advert using their PCs (web browsers are a different story).

It’s been more than two years since the release of Windows 11, but a huge chunk of users are still using Windows 10. Microsoft announced that Windows 10 will reach the end of support (EOS) on October 14, 2025, and slowly started urging users to shift to the latest version, i.e., Windows 11.

Despite offering a free upgrade, users prefer to stick to Windows 10, at least until the dreaded EOS date arrives. You can upgrade to Windows 11 or stick to Windows 10 by clicking the “Keep Windows 10” option.

https://www.windowslatest.com/2024/02/05/microsoft-again-reminds-windows-10-users-its-time-to-get-windows-11-with-renewed-pop-ups/

Deepfake scammer walks off with $25 million in first-of-its-kind AI heist
Hong Kong firm tricked by simulation of multiple real people in video chat, including voices.

On Sunday, a report from the South China Morning Post revealed a significant financial loss suffered by a multinational company's Hong Kong office, amounting to HK$200 million (US$25.6 million), due to a sophisticated scam involving deepfake technology. The scam featured a digitally recreated version of the company's chief financial officer, along with other employees, who appeared in a video conference call instructing an employee to transfer funds.
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/02/deepfake-scammer-walks-off-with-25-million-in-first-of-its-kind-ai-heist/

That gives me a few ideas for some free money :)

FranceBB

6th February 2024, 13:23

Renewed scaremongering from Microsoft to push users toward 11, I see...
It's still unclear whether we're gonna see Windows 12 later this year, like after summer or not now that some important people leading the project left Microsoft.
The rumors are that there's gonna be a big 24H2 release for Windows 11 and that's gonna be it with the launch of 12 delayed by about a year.
I guess time will tell...

StainlessS

6th February 2024, 15:33

Here not rumour (but exposed by accidental slipup),

Microsoft document confirms Windows 11 24H2 update
Microsoft is already preparing the next big update for Windows 11 for the end of 2024, codenamed “Hudson Valley”, with a bigger focus on AI. In a new support document first spotted by Windows Latest, Microsoft has confirmed “Windows 11 24H2” is real and coming later this year.

The support document, first discovered by Windows Latest, may have unintentionally confirmed the arrival of Windows 11 24H2. The documentation talks about the EnumDeviceDrivers function, a component used by developers and systems administrators to work with drivers.

Microsoft’s website sheds light on the history of this function, mentioning how it has evolved since Windows 7. The most noteworthy update mentioned in the document is for Windows 11 Version 24H2. It states that Windows 11 24H2 changes how to get specific information from the EnumDeviceDrivers function.

https://www.windowslatest.com/2024/02/02/microsoft-document-confirms-windows-11-24h2-update/

Katie Boundary

8th February 2024, 11:11

You can dual boot

Yeah, I've been doing that for years.

I'm on Fedora which is the upstream version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Basically it's:

Rawhide -> Fedora -> CentOS

Well... it's more like Fedora and CentOS/RHEL are sidestream of each other. Each version of CentOS/RHEL cobbles together some bits and pieces of like 4 different versions of Fedora. You can't say "version X of CentOS Stream is equivalent to/based on version Y of Fedora" in the same way you can say "Mint 21 is based on Ubuntu 22.04".

I like the Windows-like [Win7-ish, with Classic-Shell] Cinnamon GUI...

EDIT: There are though a lot of Themes, even a Windows 10 or Windows XP theme.

Bruh, if there's a desktop environment that re-creates the Windows 9x-style Start Menu, and there's a Windows Classic or WinXP theme for that DE, and it's not fucking Trinity with its fucking bullshit Konqueror file manager... please tell me. I'm currently on XFCE just for the Chicago95 pack (https://github.com/grassmunk/Chicago95), but the Start menu isn't anything like Win9x.

StainlessS

8th February 2024, 14:12

Microsoft BitLocker encryption cracked in just 43 seconds with a $4 Raspberry Pi Pico
{The door is locked, but the key is under the mat}
https://www.techspot.com/news/101792-microsoft-bitlocker-encryption-can-cracked-43-seconds-4.html

Microsoft sneaks ads into the new Outlook for Windows
https://www.ghacks.net/2024/02/02/microsoft-sneaks-ads-into-the-new-outlook-for-windows/

EDIT:
I currently use on Cinnamon Mint Themes,
Mouse Pointer=Bibata-Modern-Classic
Application=HighContrastInverse [White text on Black background, I dont like light gray on dark grey. Non-standard Kali hack from internet. Avoid snow blindness hi-Contrast]
Icons=Mint-X-Red
Desktop=Eleganza-Dark

There are Themes-Desktop, Mint-XP and Windows10-Dark, aint seen any W9x type for some time.

EDIT: Looks a lot like this [ClickMe]
https://i.postimg.cc/5HnwPhBx/Screenshot-from-2024-02-08-14-00-23-00.jpg (https://postimg.cc/5HnwPhBx)
My FireFox [About:config hack] and FileManager Slider bars are super thick [Filemanager bars invisible in screen shot], I hate them 'modern' super skinny sliders that are a mite tricky to hit.

StainlessS

28th February 2024, 15:43

Arrrh!!!,
In hotmail via FireFox, I keep getting "Your request can't be completed right now", "retry".
Had problem deleting emails, went back via Edge, and deletes all ok.
But, then return via FireFox and just looking at inbox get same daft message on empty inbox.
Maybe M$ deliberately f???ed up firefox access.

StainlessS

1st March 2024, 12:21

Watch out guys.

GitHub besieged by millions of malicious repositories in ongoing attack
GitHub keeps removing malware-laced repositories, but thousands remain.

GitHub is struggling to contain an ongoing attack that’s flooding the site with millions of code repositories. These repositories contain obfuscated malware that steals passwords and cryptocurrency from developer devices, researchers said.

The malicious repositories are clones of legitimate ones, making them hard to distinguish to the casual eye. An unknown party has automated a process that forks legitimate repositories, meaning the source code is copied so developers can use it in an independent project that builds on the original one. The result is millions of forks with names identical to the original one that add a payload that’s wrapped under seven layers of obfuscation. To make matters worse, some people, unaware of the malice of these imitators, are forking the forks, which adds to the flood.

https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/02/github-besieged-by-millions-of-malicious-repositories-in-ongoing-attack/

EDIT:
Arrrh!!!,
In hotmail via FireFox, I keep getting "Your request can't be completed right now", "retry".
Had problem deleting emails, went back via Edge, and deletes all ok.
But, then return via FireFox and just looking at inbox get same daft message on empty inbox.
Maybe M$ deliberately f???ed up firefox access.

All AOK now.

StainlessS

6th March 2024, 14:40

Microsoft is killing support for running Android apps on Windows 11
https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-11/microsoft-is-killing-support-for-running-android-apps-on-windows-11

What you need to know

Microsoft has announced that it is deprecating the Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11.
This means support for installing and running Android apps is being removed from the OS.
The feature will be deprecated on March 5, 2025.

It was the only reason that I may have considered swap to W11.

FranceBB

6th March 2024, 16:09

Meh, Microsoft did only one good thing with Windows 11: allowing it to run Android apps.
Removing it is a very bad step backwards.
Now that they have killed Windows Subsystem for Android, it means that they might kill Windows Subsystem for Linux as well someday in the future, which would be another step backwards.
Microsoft, Microsoft, what are you doing...? :(

StainlessS

6th March 2024, 22:40

FaBB,
Do you happen to know if ChromOS-Flex (for x64) installs to single partition,
or is it like Android with about 15 partition requirement.
[If single, then I might multi-boot it with W10/Linux_Mint, but not if its such a messy requirement]

FranceBB

6th March 2024, 23:57

ChromeOS is pretty much Linux based, so yeah, it creates and uses multiple partitions, if I remember correctly they're kernel, root, data and something else.
Chromebooks are great, though, and ever since my relatives use ChromeOS they stopped complaining.
Before that, I used to regularly remote in their Windows via Team Viewer or Anydesk and clean up the mess they built up by quite literally clicking "agree, next, next, install" on every single installation wizard.
The fact that it's synced with the Google account is an added bonus as they retain a similar experience as to what using Android feels like, so they soon become familiar with it.

StainlessS

7th March 2024, 01:41

I only use single partition Linux [well, not counting SWAP partition, which I do also use, current linux Ext4 creates a sort of pretend partition instead of SWAP-FILE at end of real partition if you do not define one].
No-one else but me uses it, and I prefer to save any large data to an alternate drive/partiton of my choosing, whenever/wherever I wish.
Also on Windows I never use My Documents for anything other than temp storage.

I'll havta do a dummy/test install on a machine to see what I can get away with on ChromeOS-Flex.

EDIT: Nah, having watched Linux Tech Tips clip, I'm not ever gonna bother with ChromeOS-Flex.

FranceBB

3rd April 2024, 18:41

New windows net market share stats for March 2024:

Windows 10: 69.04% (+1.81 points)
Windows 11: 26.72% (-1.46 points)
Windows 7: 3.04% (-0.06 points)
Windows 8.1: 0.44% (-0.22 points)
Windows XP: 0.39% (-0.13 points)

FranceBB

22nd April 2024, 08:23

For everyone still using XP, I'd like to point out an amazing project I found on MSFN and GitHub: Supermium https://github.com/win32ss/supermium/releases
It's free and open source and mostly maintained by win32ss, a Canadian guy.
What is it? Well, it's a completely backported version of Chromium 122 that runs on Windows XP x86 and x64.
It's possible to use all the features from syncing the google account and browsing the web etc. It works on modern websites, with modern certificates, it works with YouTube, BBC iPlayer etc. It's amazing.
The only thing that doesn't seem to be working is the passkeys but I guess most people aren't gonna be interested in this.
What's amazing is that this isn't limited to XP of course 'cause modern version of Chromium after 108 dropped support to anything older than Windows 10, which means that you can't run the official version on Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1.
But... of course you can run Supermium 122 'cause anything that works on XP will work on newer OS. :)

https://i.imgur.com/IrVP11H.png
https://i.imgur.com/yqqB5WF.png
https://i.imgur.com/kEuD5Sj.png
https://i.imgur.com/bXhBrvB.png
https://i.imgur.com/KvG8vDn.png

Katie Boundary

25th April 2024, 07:44

Brazil2

26th April 2024, 17:41

R3dfox, a Firefox fork with runs on Windows XP using the One Core API, Windows Vista using the extended kernel and Windows 7 & 8-8.1:
https://eclipse.cx/projects/r3dfox.htm

StainlessS

24th January 2025, 11:28

I dont use W10 Copilot, and had zero intention of doing so, but I saw this YT video,
End-to-End Encryption Now a Historical Footnote. They Won.:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh1pF1zaauc
So anyway, if you dont want W10/W11/Copilot on your machine, can use O&O App Buster to remove normally un-removable apps.
O&O App Buster:- https://www.oo-software.com/en/ooappbuster

Can also remove eg Microsoft Solitaire Collection", etc.
(can remove from installed, or remove from Computer ie total removal)

Not sure if I preferred an older version App Buster, which only showed Preinstalled/Store type Apps, new version shows pretty much everything installed.
Take particular note of the Recommended column.

EDIT:

When setting up Windows 10 and 11, Microsoft not only installs the operating system alone, but also a whole range of additional apps – some useful, some less so. O&O AppBuster allows you to remove the unwanted apps easily and quickly. Or, if you accidentally uninstalled one of these apps, you can also retrieve them with one click.

Over a clear and concise interface, O&O AppBuster shows you which of these Microsoft-supplied apps with Windows are installed on your computer and which you can install on request – even hidden apps are displayed here.

More control over your operating system

Uninstall apps pre-installed by Microsoft (also the hidden Apps!)
Remove pre-installed third-party apps and protect your privacy
Reinstall accidentally deleted apps
Undo changes at any time by creating a system restore point

Further information

Portable Version – no installation required
Free of charge for private users,
companies and educational institutions
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 11 and 10
Supports all Windows 10 and 11 versions

Did you notice that Microsoft, along with Windows 10 and 11, also installed a set of apps by default? Some of them make sense and are useful, but some of them are not manufactured by Microsoft, rather by third-party vendors. O&O AppBuster gives you the control back over your Windows again! Now you decide which apps you want on your computer. To make it as easy as possible for you, we’ve divided the apps into categories and give you tips on which apps you can safely remove or reinstall with one click and which ones you should leave.

O&O AppBuster is entirely free and does not have to be installed – it can be simply run directly and immediately on your PC. And it will not install or download retrospectively unwanted or unnecessary software, like so many other programs do these days – no crapware!

NLite and NTLite allow to edit Windows OS ISO (CD/DVD) images to remove store type apps from the ISO,
O&O App Buster allows to remove same when windows already installed, so dont need to edit ISO before Windows setup.

EDIT:
I do hope that the above removal of Copilot will totally disable the AI scanning and not just remove the Copilot interface.
On Windows 11, you would also have to find a way to cripple Windows Recall which constantly takes snapshots of your screen and logs keystrokes

FranceBB

24th January 2025, 22:52

Copilot and Recall are just one reason more to not use Windows 11.

New windows net market share stats for December 2024:

Windows 10: 62.73%
Windows 11: 34.1%
Windows 7: 2.4%
Windows 8.1: 0.29%
Windows XP: 0.23%

Z2697

4th February 2025, 21:36

I failed to switch from Windows to Linux but you don't have to XD
(don't have to fail, I mean)

I changed the maximum pause update time and paused the update to next century, I'm not sure is it enough, or is it a good choice because I will miss security updates

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings]
"FlightSettingsMaxPauseDays"=dword:00008000

StainlessS

4th February 2025, 22:01

EDIT: I deleted this post as I have added quite a bit and wanted it to show as a new post.
Above Z2697 post has appeared before I reposted this.

Dont know if I've already posted this tool (windows-update-blocker, ie WUB.exe)
https://www.sordum.org/9470/windows-update-blocker-v1-8/

But is best I've come across for disabling Windows Update. (just a click, reboot may be a good idea afterwards, although I usually dont bother).
Been usiing now for a couple of years on W10.
[says x86/x64, WXP -> W11]

EDIT: Quite a lot of other tools on above web page.

EDIT: Also, dont install KB5001716 on W10, is W10 -> W11 Feature Update Forcer.

I also execute this registry cmd file to fix a target release (W10 22H2)
OS_TargetReleaseVersion_22H2.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"TargetReleaseVersion"=dword:00000001
"TargetReleaseVersionInfo"="22H2"

And to remove above
REMOVE_OS_TargetReleaseVersion.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"TargetReleaseVersion"=-
"TargetReleaseVersionInfo"=-

And this one to disable Feature Updates [may or may not defeat KB5001716, W10 -> W11 Feature Update Forcer.]
DisableAutomaticUpgradeToWindows10FeatureUpdate.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;Created by Vishal Gupta for AskVG.com

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"DisableOSUpgrade"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\OSUpgrade]
"AllowOSUpgrade"=dword:00000000
"ReservationsAllowed"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsStore]
"DisableOSUpgrade"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\UpgradeNotification]
"UpgradeAvailable"=dword:00000000

And to remove above.
REMOVE_AutomaticUpgradeToWindows10FeatureUpdate.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;Created by Vishal Gupta for AskVG.com

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"DisableOSUpgrade"=-

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\OSUpgrade]
"AllowOSUpgrade"=-
"ReservationsAllowed"=-

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsStore]
"DisableOSUpgrade"=-

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\UpgradeNotification]
"UpgradeAvailable"=-

EDIT:
Here is previous post by Z2697 registry editor reg file repeated, but with a file name and an undo reg file.
WindowsUpdatePause.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Pause Windows update by 0x8000/32768 days, by Z2697
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings]
"FlightSettingsMaxPauseDays"=dword:00008000

REMOVE_WindowsUpdatePause.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Windows update Pause remove
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings]
"FlightSettingsMaxPauseDays"=-

EDIT:
Here is wushowhide.diagcab, it is an executable.
This was originally a Micro$oft issued tool to prevent a specific Windows Update from being installed.
This tool has since been removed from M$ web pages and no longer available.
https://www.mediafire.com/file/5bb2h2w3acxvua2/Windows10_ShowOrHide_Updates.7z/file [FIXED/REPOSTED]
There are 2 versions of the tool, I use the one in the folder "SHA-2_VERSION", I presume the other SHA-1_VERSION is as doc'ed below.
[I think this tool was withdrawn, perhaps to prevent you from disabling forced updates, eg KB5001716 W10 to W11 Feature Update Forcer]

There is also a Github page where the guy got the tool from WayBack Machine and posted it on GitHub.
https://github.com/thedoggybrad/wushowhide.diagcab
He looks to be a very active developer. He also provides source files.
Suggest VirusTotal Scan if you try this one.

Windows Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter
The "Windows Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter" is a free tool Microsoft Corporation had created to hide or show Windows Updates. This repository is an archive of the troubleshooting file.

It can hide or show a specific update forever or unless you reverse your decision.

Q: Why this repository exists in the first place?
A: Microsoft had shutted down the official link of the file. Luckily, it is archived on the WayBack Machine. Now, I had decided to create a repository for it due to its low popularity.

Q: What is the features of this troubleshooter?
A: You can hide or show Windows Updates (unless you reverse your actions) forever in a easy to use GUI.

Q: In what situation I can use this tool?
A: You can use this tool to hide buggy or problematic Windows Updates, so that the updates will never show or will install again (unless you reverse the hiding).

Q: Is the file really safe? I am worried about the safety of my computer.
A: It is 100% safe because the file is created by Microsoft themselves, it is not modified in anyway. Not convinced? You may check its safety on VirusTotal that is linked right here:
https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/8723b97b8e4ede3b5b7fd0ba129edfbc113a4db329609f0eaffe24e6a37e019e/summary/

Q: What are the minimum system requirements of this troubleshooter?
A: There are no minimum system requirements. The troubleshooter just needs Windows Vista and above, as Vista is the first OS to support the troubleshooters.

Download Link: https://github.com/thedoggybrad/wushowhide.diagcab/raw/main/wushowhide.diagcab
Note: TheDoggyBrad will assume no liabilities in anyway due to use of this troubleshooting software.

If using above tool (or the one I provided), it can be a bit awkward if the machine is trying to scan/download windows updates when you are trying to disable a specific update.
If using the other tool WUB.EXE to (Windows update Blocker) to enable updates, Windows update can immediately attempt to scan/start updating,
but we need to run the wushowhide.diagcab thingy before updates begin, so can be fiddly to try to stop updates via "Pause updates for 7 days" or whatever its
called in the Windows update whotsit. Then try the wushowhide.diagcab thingy to disable a specific update. Then "Resume Updates" again (perhaps after a reboot)
to install all other updates but not to specifically disabled one.
Updates that have already started cannot be stopped with the tool, you must reboot or halt (eg kill network) as soon as you notice it trying to be installed.
It can sometime be a little bit of a fight to get the required result.

StainlessS

4th February 2025, 22:41

Added to previous post,
WindowsUpdatePause.reg by Z2697 (Thanks) and Undo .reg file to remove the setting, ie, REMOVE_WindowsUpdatePause.reg
Also added .reg scripts to undo/restore the other 2 .reg scripts.

StainlessS

4th February 2025, 23:28

Sorry, The previously given link for wushowhide.diagcab executable [disable specific Windows update] was a bit knackered, It was missing one of the executeable versions of the file.
I have reposted and fixed the original link a few posts ahead.
https://www.mediafire.com/file/5bb2h2w3acxvua2/Windows10_ShowOrHide_Updates.7z/file

EDIT: Also,
Here:- https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-do-i-disable-automatic-windows-10-updates/9ee64521-5236-4df4-b31f-1e9457eda600
a M$ moderator post on M$ site that mentions the wushowhide.diagcab executable, this link is CURRENTLY ACTIVE
(just above the bottom graphic) at time of this post, so you can download that one if you like.
(all M$ links are supposed to have been killed)

Also, I downloaded the exe from Github, and found that one and the M$ linked one above, and the one in the SHA-2_VERSION folder of my .7z file are all identical.

StainlessS

16th March 2025, 20:00

I think I mentioned WinRoboCopy app somewhere in this thread.
Here tis:- http://www.upway2late.com/#/projects/winrobocopy

WinRoboCopy is a GUI front end for RoboCopy (RoboCopy builtin for Vista+).
Above is by upway2late, original by Microsoft.
Not sure why I'm using the non microsoft version, maybe its better.

WikiPedia for RoboCopy:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robocopy

Anyways, can select various options in the GUI, and clicking on 'save' it saves the robocopy command to a file.
https://i.postimg.cc/m1QfzL6V/mainwindow.png (https://postimg.cc/m1QfzL6V)

Here a WinRoboCopy created cmd file.
DUPLICATES_E_to_F.cmd

robocopy.exe E:\DUPLICATES F:\DUPLICATES *.* /E /R:1 /W:5 /MT:8 /DCOPY:DAT /COPY:DAT /PURGE
PAUSE

[EDIT: Above option /R:1 = only 1 retry, default is 1 million retries, might wanna change/delete_option. /W:5 = 5 seconds between retries, default 30 secs]
Copies E:\DUPLICATES folder to F:\DUPLICATES, removes any files/folders in F: that do not exist in the E: folder,
and copies new/updated files/folders in E: to F: folders.
Is a sort of Synchronising whatsit. [EDIT: one-way synchronising, F: made a copy of E:]

You must use the cmd file to initially create the F: directory, along with any attributes and time/dates.
Thereafter, copying updated E: folder to F: should be very fast, only changed/added files are updated, or files deleted in E: also deleted in F:

Very handy if only making a few file changes, where source folder maybe tens of gigabytes in size, and F: output folder is on eg SD card or usb drive.
[For what I use it, about 30GB E: with 2500 files and 480 folders and with a couple of files changed {~800MB}, 3 files deleted and 3 files added,
takes about 10 second to complete with dest drive SdCard. Copy entire directory to SD takes about 15 -> 20 minutes, so can save a bit of time.]

You can just make a copy of the above cmd file and change the names on input (E:\DUPLICATES) and output (F:\DUPLICATES) folders.
[You dont need WinRoboCopy if you are just gonna make a copy/mod of the Duplicates thingy command file, robocopy is builtin to windows]

EDIT: Should work on W8+ (Different versions of RoboCopy may not support all options),
I did originally use

"/DCOPY:DATX /COPY:DATX" but W8.1 only supports "/DCOPY:DAT /COPY:DAT"

The X attribute does not copy NTFS alternate data streams. [I can live without that option as I do have at least one W8.1 machine].

W10 RoboCopy usage doc.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROBOCOPY :: Robust File Copy for Windows
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Started : 27 November 2024 15:09:44
Usage :: ROBOCOPY source destination [file [file]...] [options]

source :: Source Directory (drive:\path or \\server\share\path).
destination :: Destination Dir (drive:\path or \\server\share\path).
file :: File(s) to copy (names/wildcards: default is "*.*").

::
:: Copy options :
::
/S :: copy Subdirectories, but not empty ones.
/E :: copy subdirectories, including Empty ones.
/LEV:n :: only copy the top n LEVels of the source directory tree.

/Z :: copy files in restartable mode.
/B :: copy files in Backup mode.
/ZB :: use restartable mode; if access denied use Backup mode.
/J :: copy using unbuffered I/O (recommended for large files).
/EFSRAW :: copy all encrypted files in EFS RAW mode.

/COPY:copyflag[s] :: what to COPY for files (default is /COPY:DAT).
(copyflags : D=Data, A=Attributes, T=Timestamps, X=Skip alt data streams).
(S=Security=NTFS ACLs, O=Owner info, U=aUditing info).

/SEC :: copy files with SECurity (equivalent to /COPY:DATS).
/COPYALL :: COPY ALL file info (equivalent to /COPY:DATSOU).
/NOCOPY :: COPY NO file info (useful with /PURGE).
/SECFIX :: FIX file SECurity on all files, even skipped files.
/TIMFIX :: FIX file TIMes on all files, even skipped files.

/PURGE :: delete dest files/dirs that no longer exist in source.
/MIR :: MIRror a directory tree (equivalent to /E plus /PURGE).

/MOV :: MOVe files (delete from source after copying).
/MOVE :: MOVE files AND dirs (delete from source after copying).

/A+:[RASHCNET] :: add the given Attributes to copied files.
/A-:[RASHCNET] :: remove the given Attributes from copied files.

/CREATE :: CREATE directory tree and zero-length files only.
/FAT :: create destination files using 8.3 FAT file names only.
/256 :: turn off very long path (> 256 characters) support.

/MON:n :: MONitor source; run again when more than n changes seen.
/MOT:m :: MOnitor source; run again in m minutes Time, if changed.

/RH:hhmm-hhmm :: Run Hours - times when new copies may be started.
/PF :: check run hours on a Per File (not per pass) basis.

/IPG:n :: Inter-Packet Gap (ms), to free bandwidth on slow lines.

/SJ :: copy Junctions as junctions instead of as the junction targets.
/SL :: copy Symbolic Links as links instead of as the link targets.

/MT[:n] :: Do multi-threaded copies with n threads (default 8).
n must be at least 1 and not greater than 128.
This option is incompatible with the /IPG and /EFSRAW options.
Redirect output using /LOG option for better performance.

/DCOPY:copyflag[s] :: what to COPY for directories (default is /DCOPY:DA).
(copyflags : D=Data, A=Attributes, T=Timestamps, E=EAs, X=Skip alt data streams).

/NODCOPY :: COPY NO directory info (by default /DCOPY:DA is done).

/NOOFFLOAD :: copy files without using the Windows Copy Offload mechanism.

/COMPRESS :: Request network compression during file transfer, if applicable.

::
:: File Selection Options :
::
/A :: copy only files with the Archive attribute set.
/M :: copy only files with the Archive attribute and reset it.
/IA:[RASHCNETO] :: Include only files with any of the given Attributes set.
/XA:[RASHCNETO] :: eXclude files with any of the given Attributes set.

/XF file [file]... :: eXclude Files matching given names/paths/wildcards.
/XD dirs [dirs]... :: eXclude Directories matching given names/paths.

/XC :: eXclude Changed files.
/XN :: eXclude Newer files.
/XO :: eXclude Older files.
/XX :: eXclude eXtra files and directories.
/XL :: eXclude Lonely files and directories.
/IS :: Include Same files.
/IT :: Include Tweaked files.

/MAX:n :: MAXimum file size - exclude files bigger than n bytes.
/MIN:n :: MINimum file size - exclude files smaller than n bytes.

/MAXAGE:n :: MAXimum file AGE - exclude files older than n days/date.
/MINAGE:n :: MINimum file AGE - exclude files newer than n days/date.
/MAXLAD:n :: MAXimum Last Access Date - exclude files unused since n.
/MINLAD:n :: MINimum Last Access Date - exclude files used since n.
(If n < 1900 then n = n days, else n = YYYYMMDD date).

/FFT :: assume FAT File Times (2-second granularity).
/DST :: compensate for one-hour DST time differences.

/XJ :: eXclude symbolic links (for both files and directories) and Junction points.
/XJD :: eXclude symbolic links for Directories and Junction points.
/XJF :: eXclude symbolic links for Files.

/IM :: Include Modified files (differing change times).
::
:: Retry Options :
::
/R:n :: number of Retries on failed copies: default 1 million.
/W:n :: Wait time between retries: default is 30 seconds.

/REG :: Save /R:n and /W:n in the Registry as default settings.

/TBD :: Wait for sharenames To Be Defined (retry error 67).

/LFSM :: Operate in low free space mode, enabling copy pause and resume (see Remarks).

/LFSM:n[KMG] :: /LFSM, specifying the floor size in n [K:kilo,M:mega,G:giga] bytes.

::
:: Logging Options :
::
/L :: List only - don't copy, timestamp or delete any files.
/X :: report all eXtra files, not just those selected.
/V :: produce Verbose output, showing skipped files.
/TS :: include source file Time Stamps in the output.
/FP :: include Full Pathname of files in the output.
/BYTES :: Print sizes as bytes.

/NS :: No Size - don't log file sizes.
/NC :: No Class - don't log file classes.
/NFL :: No File List - don't log file names.
/NDL :: No Directory List - don't log directory names.

/NP :: No Progress - don't display percentage copied.
/ETA :: show Estimated Time of Arrival of copied files.

/LOG:file :: output status to LOG file (overwrite existing log).
/LOG+:file :: output status to LOG file (append to existing log).

/UNILOG:file :: output status to LOG file as UNICODE (overwrite existing log).
/UNILOG+:file :: output status to LOG file as UNICODE (append to existing log).

/TEE :: output to console window, as well as the log file.

/NJH :: No Job Header.
/NJS :: No Job Summary.

/UNICODE :: output status as UNICODE.

::
:: Job Options :
::
/JOB:jobname :: take parameters from the named JOB file.
/SAVE:jobname :: SAVE parameters to the named job file
/QUIT :: QUIT after processing command line (to view parameters).
/NOSD :: NO Source Directory is specified.
/NODD :: NO Destination Directory is specified.
/IF :: Include the following Files.

::
:: Remarks :
::
Using /PURGE or /MIR on the root directory of the volume formerly caused
robocopy to apply the requested operation on files inside the System
Volume Information directory as well. This is no longer the case; if
either is specified, robocopy will skip any files or directories with that
name in the top-level source and destination directories of the copy session.

The modified files classification applies only when both source
and destination filesystems support change timestamps (e.g., NTFS)
and the source and destination files have different change times but are
otherwise the same. These files are not copied by default; specify /IM
to include them.

The /DCOPY:E flag requests that extended attribute copying should be
attempted for directories. Note that currently robocopy will continue
if a directory's EAs could not be copied. This flag is also not included
in /COPYALL.

Using /LFSM requests robocopy to operate in 'low free space mode'.
In that mode, robocopy will pause whenever a file copy would cause the
destination volume's free space to go below a 'floor' value, which
can be explicitly specified by the LFSM:n[KMG] form of the flag.
If /LFSM is specified with no explicit floor value, the floor is set to
ten percent of the destination volume's size.
Low free space mode is incompatible with /MT, /EFSRAW, /B, and /ZB.

Katie Boundary

17th April 2025, 07:56

Notes to self:

- KNLmeansCL 0.6.11 is the last XP-compatible version of KNLmeansCL
- Nnedi3 0.9.4.31 is the last version of nnedi3 for which XP support actually works as intended
- The Masktools2 "x86_xp" version doesn't work as intended with XP, but "x86_clang" does for some reason.

EDIT (cross-post):

Okay, I think I solved the dll mystery.

MSVC 2019 installs on XP.
MSVC 2022 doesn't install on XP.

This was the criterion that I was using to try to find "XP-compatible" versions of Visual C++. However, it is flawed. There is an EXTREMELY narrow range of MSVC 2019 versions that will install on XP, but not quite work properly with it. After removing MSVC 2019 version 14.29.30129 and replacing it with MSVC 2019 version 14.27.29112, all AVIsynth filters work as intended.

StainlessS

20th April 2025, 04:38

Notes to me myself and I, [EDIT: "Me Myself I", Joan Armatrading, 1980:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kavu_vuD2QM ]

For Win11 install/update, when it demands connect to network and/or provide M$ account, and refuses to allow you to procede without it,

press Shift+F10 to open a command prompt, type
start ms-chx:localonly
and press Enter.
Will continue and allow you to create a local account without internet.

Some older hacks no longer work, but above does at time of posting. [for W11 24H2]

EDIT: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-set-up-microsoft-windows-with-local-account

EDIT: Above code block would seem to be wrong, not start ms-chx:localonly
but should be for 24H2
start ms-cxh:localonly
('xh' chars swapped over)

StainlessS

15th October 2025, 20:29

Note for previous post and W11 24H2, Install with local account was wrong, I copied what the YT video did, he wrote one thing and showed a mixed up version of it.
ie, During install, Hit SHIFT/F10, and in the command window it brings up type "start ms-chx:localonly" which should have read "start ms-cxh:localonly".

Anyway, now for W11 25H2, that fix no longer works, you gotta (on first enter installer) do the SHIFT/F10 thingy to bring up a command window, and type

reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Should show that command succeeded, and then type,

shutdown /r /t 0

and it will reboot.

The NEW Windows 11 25H2 Microsoft Account Bypass - NEW METHODS! :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE1jzBDKFKg

EDIT: I just got a dirt cheap (£75) HP 600 G6 mini with 10th gen Pentium, and I like to make an image of a working "as received" OS, before I jump over to W10.
(I swapped pentium for an i7-10700T from another machine, and the other machine [Dell 7080 Micro] got a spare i5-10500T which I already had, now I got a spare pentium).
EDIT: The HP mini's have better CPU heatsink [copper] than the Dell Micro's [aluminum(USA) / aluminium(everybody else)].

FranceBB

16th October 2025, 00:36

Thanks for the updated command.
Looks like they're trying to make it harder and harder for people... :(

StainlessS

16th October 2025, 01:32

Also, if you dont sign into your online account every (I think) 60 days, you stop getting updates.
[dont as yet know if that also includes those that skip the online acc creation altogether].

StainlessS

29th October 2025, 23:25

This, is as scarey as it gets [Your Windows 11 Computer’s Hidden Spy: The Dark Truth About TPM Chips]:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1eX_vvAlUc

GeoffreyA

30th October 2025, 07:36

Well, I just keep TPM and Secure Boot disabled.

StainlessS

30th October 2025, 09:52

Well, I just keep TPM and Secure Boot disabled.
I usually have Secureboot disabled, but now will always disable TPM too.
I just watched that video again, scared he sh1t out of me again.
I'm not going W11 at all, will setup separate offline network for W10, and use Linux Mint (or I kinda like LMDE, Linux Mint Debian Edition) for online stuff.

EDIT: Some months back, I did a few Windows updates and found that Bitlocker had been enabled on a drive (I've Never ever used bitlocker before),
and it also managed to destroy linux booting too. (I cant remember if it was W11 that I was updating, or W10). Kinda sounded like what the guy in the video was saying.
EDIT: Come to think of it, I think it was W10 updates on my main machine (the one I tend to use all of the time) and is W10 HOME edition, not even professional, and so is
not supposed to even support bitLocker, so I'm not sure how it enabled bitlocker in a sort of reduced capability state for W10 HOME.

EDIT: Think this is the W10 update that caused my problem, the SBAT update. [Secure Boot Advanced Targeting],
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/resolved-issues-windows-10-22h2#3377msgdesc

GeoffreyA

30th October 2025, 10:31

I usually have Secureboot disabled, but now will always disable TPM too.
I just watched that video again, scared he sh1t out of me again.
I'm not going W11 at all, will setup separate offline network for W10, and use Linux Mint (or I kinda like LMDE, Linux Mint Debian Edition) for online stuff.

I haven't watched the video yet. But certainly, TPM having low-level, outside-OS privilege is not a good thing. Some newer games require TPM and Secure Boot: whether through direct use, or indirectly as a requirement, I don't know, but this is surely a negative.

I'm sticking with W10 for now. When the Intel GPU drivers cut off, I'll move.

Z2697

30th October 2025, 13:52

TPM itself is not the problem, nor secure boot.
How they are "used" is the problem, and to be clear I also don't enable them.

But I don't believe the example about disabling secure boot wipes his drive in that video.
The problems and concerns with pre-installed Windows 11 in laptops have bitlocker configured to automatically enable after the OOBE (network connection or login step) definitely holds its place, but if he immediately (without going through W11 OOBE first) installs Ubuntu, that's not happening.
(And if he is cares about privacy like he claims himself, he should not go through that OOBE, heck, he shouldn't even use the pre-installed OS! Listen to him, but don't trust this guy 100%.)

But yeah, enabling bitlocker without telling the user, and warn them about the potential data loss is not a good move.

GeoffreyA

30th October 2025, 21:30

TPM itself is not the problem, nor secure boot.
How they are "used" is the problem, and to be clear I also don't enable them.

Microsoft just can't be trusted to act in good faith any more.

StainlessS

31st October 2025, 04:41

How bout SGX, you guys enable that? [I dont]

GeoffreyA

31st October 2025, 06:00

On AMD, so no. But if I had an Intel CPU, I'd keep it off, and I believe it has been deprecated on newer CPUs.

StainlessS

31st October 2025, 17:25

Tanx G.

Katie Boundary

2nd November 2025, 05:37

Microsoft needs all its patents and copyrights taken away, and all Windows source code made public domain. This is bullshit.

GeoffreyA

2nd November 2025, 06:09

and all Windows source code made public domain

Well, that seems the only way to save Windows. This time, I don't think the bad-Windows-good-Windows pattern will hold; the OS seems to be on a trajectory of decline, as evidenced by the weekly breaking of some feature.

StainlessS

2nd November 2025, 08:08

What is the 'better' (avoiding use of 'best') way to switch off or nullify TPM on W10 ?

I've got a couple of M$ Surface Go 2, 2-in-1 tablet/laptop thingies (1x 4GB RAM, 64GB MMC storage and Pentium CPU, 1x 8GB RAM, 128GB nvme storage, and 8th gen mobile i3, and cellular LTE),
both of these machines have TPM 2.0 enable/disable in UEFI firmware whotsit, so can turn off there.

But,

I also got me a M$ Surface Go 3, 2-in-1 tablet/laptop thingy (8GB RAM, 128GB nvme storage, and 10th gen mobile i3),
this machine has NO TPM 2.0 enable/disable in UEFI firmware whotsit, so cannot turn off there,
(looks like M$ has been planning the W11 TPM 2.0 duplicity stuff for some years).

There seems to be no way to disable the TPM device in windows 10, I could uninstall the driver but not sure that will do the job.
( I seem to remember that uninstall of intel IME driver will result in a windows 'improvised' driver being installed by the device name "HECI").

There is a 'secret' MSC console thingy by the name 'tpm.msc' (type it in command window) which allows you to 'Clear TPM', which seems to make it 'un-available',
shows "The TPM is not ready for use", not sure that this would be permanent.
I could also Disable the "Intel(R) TPM Provisioning service" which is usually Manual Triggering start.

Anybody any thoughts on the better way to screw up my TPM ?

EDIT: By the way, the Go2 and Go3, 2-in-1 tablets are great little machines for wandering the net, I love mine, even the 4GB pentium one is not so bad, good enough for Full HD youtube vidz in the pub.
Avoid the Go 1, smaller screen, same size tablet but thicker bezel, and slower Pentium.
Take care, the Go 2/3 LAPTOP, is NOT the same as the Go 2/3 tablet with keyboard, and reviewers etc often miss out the 'LAPTOP' part of the other machines name.

EDIT: By the way, I was having a helluva time trying to boot some USB tools or eg Linux ISO's on the Go2/3, but if you use Ventoy, they boot no problem at all.
Ventoy:- https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html

What is Ventoy

Ventoy is an open source tool to create bootable USB drive for ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files.
With ventoy, you don't need to format the disk over and over, you just need to copy the ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files to the USB drive and boot them directly.
You can copy many files at a time and ventoy will give you a boot menu to select them (screenshot).
You can also browse ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files in local disks and boot them.
x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI, ARM64 UEFI and MIPS64EL UEFI are supported in the same way.
Most types of OS supported (Windows/WinPE/Linux/ChromeOS/Unix/VMware/Xen...)
I had used Ventoy some years ago, is even better now.
I've just made a 32GB USB Type A + Type C stick with about 10 Linux distros + W10 Setup + Macrium Reflect + System Rescue + other tools, easy peasy.

EDIT:
Features

100% open source (license)
Very simple to use (Get started)
Fast (limited only by the speed of copying iso file)
Can be installed in USB/Local Disk/SSD/NVMe/SD Card
Directly boot from ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files, no extraction needed
Support to browse and boot ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files in local disk Notes
No need to be continuous in disk for ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files
Both MBR and GPT partition styles are supported
x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI, ARM64 UEFI, MIPS64EL UEFI supported
IA32/x86_64 UEFI Secure Boot supported Notes
Linux Persistence supported Notes
Windows auto installation supported Notes
Linux auto installation supported Notes
Variables Expansion supported for Windows/Linux auto installation script Notes
FAT32/exFAT/NTFS/UDF/XFS/Ext2(3)(4) supported for main partition
ISO files larger than 4GB supported

Menu alias, Menu tip message supported
Password protect supported
Native boot menu style for Legacy & UEFI
Most type of OS supported, 1200+ iso files tested
Linux vDisk(vhd/vdi/raw...) boot solution Notes
Not only boot but also complete installation process
Menu dynamically switchable between ListView and TreeView mode Notes
"Ventoy Compatible" concept
Plugin Framework and GUI plugin configurator
Injection files to runtime enviroment
Boot configuration file dynamically replacement
Highly customizable theme and menu style
USB drive write-protected support
USB normal use unaffected
Data nondestructive during version upgrade
No need to update Ventoy when a new distro is released

EDIT: Very easy to add another ISO to the ventoy drive (just copy ISO into USB folder), other IMAGE formats (non ISO) may require additional reading, plugins and config.

GeoffreyA

2nd November 2025, 09:02

I've not needed to try this, having TPM in the BIOS, but apparently, it can be done through tpm.msc.

Clearing the TPM puts it back into the default state but doesn't disable it.

To disable it, open tpm.msc, then select "Turn TPM Off" in the Action pane and follow the instructions.

Of course, be aware about data loss and all that when clearing or disabling this feature.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/hardware-security/tpm/initialize-and-configure-ownership-of-the-tpm

StainlessS

2nd November 2025, 09:16

Thanks G, think I'll just clear the TPM via tpm.msc, and disable the tpm provisioning service.
Sounds like it will do the job.

However, you will need to remove and then re-do any sign in PIN if you have set a Windows Hello PIN. (for use as well as password),
you may find that windows Hello FingerPrint or Hello face needs to be re-done too. (removed and then setup again).

I dont do bitlocker, so that aint no prob for me. :)
But if you do use BitLocker, turn it off BEFORE you clear TPM, and then can maybe try to turn bitlocker on again after reboot.

GeoffreyA

2nd November 2025, 16:24

You're welcome. Yes, it causes keys to be lost and sometimes data. For my motherboard's last BIOS update, because they updated TPM for game compatibility, MSI says, "If you have enabled the BitLocker function, please back up your BitLocker recovery key before performing the BIOS update. Failure to do so may result in permanent inability to log in to the operating system after the update is completed."

Luckily, I don't use any of these features.

Z2697

2nd November 2025, 17:38

The reason why I don't enable "firmware" TPM is exactly that: I don't know what stuff is potentially there and a single BIOS update or some random things can result in disaster.
Plus I don't actually need to use TPM.

Maybe physical TPM module have same problem, I don't know, but I feel like if I need TPM I'll buy a physical one.

Secure boot is "nothing to worry about", a lot of Linux distros support secure boot already... but I decided to just disable it because I stupidly think who knows maybe I'll need boot a random unsigned OS... some day... (that never happened).

GeoffreyA

2nd November 2025, 17:42

I don't know what stuff is potentially there and a single BIOS update or some random things can result in disaster.

Microsoft being involved, it doesn't surprise me any more.

Z2697

2nd November 2025, 17:54

Bro you gotta realize that Microsoft is not a giant ubiquitous devilish entity that has control to everything and anything it sees...
(yeah tech giants are evil, I mean M$ is no particular, nor except of course)

GeoffreyA

2nd November 2025, 19:10

Of course not. But they are an incompetent entity, one that's comfortable acting in bad faith, so any chance we get to criticise them, we ought to take it :)

microchip8

2nd November 2025, 22:37

Microsoft is not giant? Last I checked, it's 3 trillion worth!

FranceBB

22nd December 2025, 01:11

I haven't given up on my beloved XP, but unfortunately I happen to be daily driving Suckdows 11 more and more, which is a bit of a problem. Nonetheless, given that Microsoft never bothered to rewrite the small taskbar function for Windows 11 when they migrated to the XAML version, I'm now using Retrobar. It's written in C#, uses the .NET Framework and seems to be running just fine. Most importantly, it doesn't overwrite any system DLL and you can even run it as portable, so without installing it and without being administrator.

Of course everything else will still scream "Windows 11" but at least the taskbar is usable again.

https://images2.imgbox.com/88/0a/HAFhzeft_o.png

Link to Retrobar: https://github.com/dremin/RetroBar

GeoffreyA

22nd December 2025, 07:17

I'm sure many will find this as useful as OpenShell. Unfortunately, Microsoft tries to use XAML more and more to tack on so-called "modern improvements" to the underlying Win32 code and it has not been going too well.

XP and 7 were the best. I continue to use 10 for the time being, and it works all right. The future of Windows looks increasingly bleak.

StainlessS

22nd December 2025, 11:12

Columbo

22nd December 2025, 13:54

M$ has said that if you use any kind of GUI 'improvements' (eg OpenShell) then your MS updates will no longer work [ie, they will cripple it]. Do you have a citation for that? I run OpenShell on Win 10 and Win 11 and updates are fine.

Emulgator

22nd December 2025, 15:46

OpenShell 4.4.196 user here as well on Win10, no problems with updates until my recent 22H2.
Won't see myself updating beyond 19045.4894 I guess (after living through a nightmare of an impossible-to-boot-system with expensive licenses due to a semi-forced M$ update)
Thanks for the RetroBar tip !

Columbo

22nd December 2025, 16:16

What kind of problems? Do you have ESU set up?

StainlessS

22nd December 2025, 16:39

Do you have a citation for that? I run OpenShell on Win 10 and Win 11 and updates are fine.
Sorry, I dont. Was about 4/5 months ago that I saw it on YouTube, with (I think) link to an MS page, but I did not keep link.
(Was concerning W11 only)

Columbo

22nd December 2025, 18:48

Got it, thank you.

FranceBB

22nd December 2025, 18:52

EDIT: You can download various MS server TRIAL versions, I, just a few days ago downed Windows server 2022

Windows Server 2022 is unfortunately going to be the last "sensible" server. Ever since Jeffrey Snover left, they unified the codebase and now Server 2025 is literally Windows 11 and it has the same user interface too alongside the same nonsense.
Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019 were still entirely based on Windows 10, while Windows Server 2022 was based on Windows 11 while retaining the UI of Windows 10 and not including many unnecessary things.
Windows Server 2025 is just horrible, bloated and entirely based on Windows 11.

For reference, this is how Windows Server 2022 looks like by just changing the settings, no third party modifications or anything. Look at the taskbar: ungroup + small taskbar icons et voilà you have the usual classic taskbar that has been in every single version of Windows since the beginning instead of the new XAML abomination.

https://images2.imgbox.com/1e/df/I6mf1keM_o.png

GeoffreyA

22nd December 2025, 19:08

instead of the new XAML abomination.

MS thinks it's a thing of beauty :)

StainlessS

22nd December 2025, 19:19

.
Sorry, I dont. Was about 4/5 months ago that I saw it on YouTube, with (I think) link to an MS page, but I did not keep link.
(Was concerning W11 only)
I think it was a future warning, gonna happen one day.

Columbo

22nd December 2025, 19:24

@FranceBB

You're a smart guy. Can't you do a better job of formating your posts so we don't have to scroll horizontally to read your text? Thank you. Let me know if you need assistance in this regard.

GeoffreyA

23rd December 2025, 07:15

M$ has said that if you use any kind of GUI 'improvements' (eg OpenShell) then your MS updates will no longer work [ie, they will cripple it].
YOU WILL HAVE WHAT WE GIVE YOU, AND YOU WILL LIKE IT !!!

EDIT: And, W2K was the best. [Or, any MS server version, dont not got all dat dem nonsense stuff]

EDIT: You can download various MS server TRIAL versions, I, just a few days ago downed Windows server 2022 Trial/Evaluation (Not as yet installed it),
but you can (based on past trial versions) use for 3 months, and with some obscure command entend the trial for another 3 months, up to two times,
ie 9 months total. Really nice to use those without any nonsense or fancy stuff, just a good ol' work horse.

Well, that's their motto these days.

W2K was nice. But I preferred XP because it booted and felt faster. I suppose Server 2003, on whose codebase Vista was built, would have been acceptable for many too.

Haven't tried them but the IoT LTSC versions are popular and said to be streamlined. On normal W10, I used AppBuster from the ShutUp10 people to remove most unnecessary apps.

FranceBB

23rd December 2025, 11:01

Can't you do a better job of formating your posts so we don't have to scroll horizontally to read your text?

Yeah, this was out of pure laziness 'cause I generally downscale the images but when I did that with Paint on Windows 11 it used an awful PointResize() (i.e nearest neighbor) and you couldn't even read the text.

I've now downscaled the image properly to 1542x720 in Avisynth with a simple BicubicResize() so it should fit while still being able to read the text inside.

StainlessS

23rd December 2025, 11:11

Yep, I also use AppBuster, worx great, remove eg Solitaire/Games stuff, from Current_User, or from entire Computer.

I got an "Advantech_ARK-2250L", 6th gen i5 [laptop 'i5-6500u' version I think, very low power {maybe about 12watts at wall}] with IoT LTSC 2016,
wish I had that on all my machines.

Here:- https://buy.advantech.eu/Compact-Tower-Systems/Embedded-Box-Computers-Fanless-Embedded-Box-Computers-ARKs/ARK-2250L-9S51/system-21618.htm
Dont know what I paid, but one helluva lot less than the €1,387.00 on that page (less than £100 for sure, maybe £50).

Its about 12x5x2 inches, metal fanless job, and because its so big-ish, never gets more than luke warm.
(although its rarely stressed, just spends all day showing me whats going on outside on a 25" monitor {I get bored looking at a wall behind my computer monitor all day})

EDIT: Camera,
Tapo C211 2K 3MP Pan/Tilt Indoor Camera House Security Camera, WiFi Camera, No Monthly Fee, AI Detection, Dog Camera, Baby Camera Monitor, CCTV, 360° View, Night Vision, Works with Alexa & Google
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CQHY41NY
{Tilt/Pan via Android or iPad app}
Was £40 [EDIT: what I paid], now £20. Night vision works great even without IR lamp switched on (although street lights outside), and without any pay for subscription, can even view camera in pub via my phone.
There is a 'pay-for' subscription if you wanna store caps online, but has an SD card slot if cap required without subscription {I dont have subscription}.
I use 'ContaCam' (free) to view on Windows Machine, connects to camera via my router. (camera connects to router via Wifi)

EDIT: C211 is Black housing camera, C210 is white. {If using inside pointing outside, then need switch OFF IR lamp as it will blind the camera due to window reflection}.
Night vision without IR lamp is way/way/way better than my Logitech webcam under same conditions.

EDIT: "can even view camera in pub via my phone"
I have a dynamic IP address. Camera registers my external IP address with TAPO server when it connect to router. Android app requests my current IP address from TAPO, and can
connect and view camera even though I have dynamic (changable at each boot) IP address. {leastwise, I'm guessin' thats what it does}