jaclaz

You can get an original .iso through DigitalRiver downloads: http://www.heidoc.net/joomla/technology-science/microsoft/14-windows-7-direct-download-links jaclaz

Technically it is out of support, BUT a very similar version (like 99.999% simlar, please read as EXACTLY the same) is still supported. See: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/171814-posready-2009-updates-ported-to-windows-xp-sp3-enu/ And: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/171171-introducing-unofficial-windows-xp-sp4/ jaclaz

A leaked internal use only acronym for "dumb end user"? jaclaz

JorgeA, don't take it the wrong way , but you clearly have no idea on how things go in a company like MS. Julie Larsen-Green (or any other self-proclaimed UI guru in the high ranks of MS) decided that people didn't need the Start Menu and later used (real or faked) telemetry data to support the theory. jaclaz

Well, I believe that you can try first to use (if available in your BIOS) to set the install to "IDE compatibility mode" and install (actually merge into the existing install) the "plain" Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller Driver, This is documented and relatively easy: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/78535-change-the-hal-and-add-mass-storage-drivers/?p=534757 the mentioned MS KB: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314082/en-us should apply to 2K as well. Of course it is up to you "translating" the method to be applied to an offline registry. Or, since you are from Austria, you should have no issue in verifying that this works in 2K (or adapt it accordingly): http://www.andysblog.de/windows-mergeide-v3-0 (German) On the 911CD mentioned sub-forum there are two tools (though if they work "as is" on 2K is to be tested) besides OfflineSysprep itself that can "integrate" a Mass Storage driver on an offline install: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=22523 http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=22313 If the approach works, you should be able to boot in "IDE compatibility mode", and later we will see how to "switch" to AHCI/SATA. jaclaz

No. Inaccessible boot device is 0x0000007b (NOT 7c). It is usually connected to a Mass Storage driver, not to HAL or KERNEL. jaclaz

What I personally use: http://www.ferrobackup.com/ftpuse/ jaclaz

Sure , and a lot of goods of different nature are also available for free, you just break in and get what you want , it is relatively easy . jaclaz

Which of course prompts for the question WHAT does it use instead? Like Wimlib, Wimgapi.dll or *something else*? jaclaz

Well, I find this understandable , the guy that cracked it somehow lost credibility all of a sudden and they are frustrated by this. jaclaz

Yeah, sure, you can have "regular" and "maxi" fries, and Big Mac or QuarterPound, besides "small", "medium" and "large" beverage. Try asking for a well-done hamburger, with added onions, without salad but with some added tomato and cheese. McDonalds is not a good example . The actual "secret" of the success of McDonalds lies in "standardization" which is not, in itself a bad thing, but you have the choice to go one day to McDonalds, another day to a Chinese restaurant, another day to an Italian one, etc., what you can be pretty sure about is that you can get the same "standard" food no matter if you go to a McDonald's in the US or (say) in Germany. Not specifically McDonald's, BUT: jaclaz

The "normal" PassPass is a grub4dos batch script. Grub4dos needs BIOS services. Some motherboards may have NOT a choice in their firmware to switch from UEFI to CSM (Compatibility Support Mode, aka BIOS). As explained here: http://reboot.pro/topic/18588-passpass-bypass-the-password/?p=187362 the grub4dos solution (where applicable) is more "elegant" because you boot, run the script, then continue booting, while the PE approach implies that you boot to the PE, run the tool, then reboot to the installed OS. Of course the choice of an AutoIt script to be run in a PE is arbitrary, as long as you boot *any* OS that has access to the internal installed OS disk, anything would do, batch, bash, DOS, Linux, etc. jaclaz P.S.: a manual on the use of PEPassPass has been in the meantime published, here : http://reboot.pro/topic/20045-pepasspass/?p=187579

Very good, and largely within expected timeline jaclaz

You make it sound like it was a sanctuary or shrine dedicated to IE jaclaz

Just to keep the topic updated, PassPass now works also with Windows 8.1 (thanks Steve6375) and boulcat made an AutoIt version that can run in a PE (thus can be used also on UEFI machines that have not CSM/BIOS mode). Link remains valid: http://www.sherlock.reboot.pro/passpass-bypass-the-password/ To discuss/troubleshoot/whatever the AutoIt version PEPassPass, topic is here: http://reboot.pro/topic/20045-pepasspass/ jaclaz

Basically it is "normal" hybernation after having logged off, but there are some more differences. See: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/152937-what-is-hybrid-boot-in-windows-8-and-how-does-it-work/ And: http://amigotechnotes.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/shutdown-hybrid-boot-and-hibernate-in-windows-8/ http://www.sevenforums.com/customization/256562-hybrid-boot-windows-7-possible.html http://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/windows-7-hybrid-boot.335028/ In this: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/windows-and-office/how-windows-8-hybrid-shutdown-fast-boot-feature-works/ you will also find (as a side note) a pearl of wisdom by Greg Shultz: jaclaz

Naah , otherwise they would have incorporated (say) Minecraft.... ... ...hey, wait a minute, actually they DID buy Minecraft : http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/172689-microsoft-buys-minecraft/ And (just to show how the reference to "our cloud" was not too far fetched): http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2014/sept14/09-15news.aspx jaclaz

Maybe you can, but you shouldn't, as this might slow down your PC (see above about MS advice ). jaclaz

Yes, I also believe that there is no real sense in continuing until a new "queer" .iso image is spotted in the wild . More than "done", I would say "dormant" (but ready to wake up if *needed*). jaclaz

Yep , sorry I had no time to test latest/latest, I now have done it and it seems like it's fine . A further (semi-random) thought (still connected with the generic concept of making the user more aware about what is going on). What if you (if possible of course, and with a low-low priority) add a small icon near the boot image file, indicating the method used to detect/analyze it? Something *like*: c - catalog m - mkisofs o - other ISO filesystem structures v - volume or hard disk image PBR or MBR ... Still to be picky (as I am ), what would happen if I use (for the fun of it) a non FAT filesystem for a "queer" image like the Acronis one? (FAT filesystem is of course compulsory for the EFI image), but it shouldn't be for an image made out of a loader+volume (very unlikely, but possible I believe). jaclaz

You can seemingly do a partial download/install: http://windowsitpro.com/windows-server/q-where-can-i-download-xperf-and-xperfview-tools jaclaz

Sure , and that can make coffee on demand, mine black, strong and with two spoons of sugar, please. Come on . Choose if you want to make a "classical" AIO (but additionally using CDFS hard links) or a .WIM based one, using a captured NTFS file system, those are more or less what is available right now that may do to create that "composed" CD, AFAIK. Another idea could be to exit "completely" the idea of "installing" and instead "port back" to XP an "apply image" strategy, in theory it is possible, though it has to be seen if it offers some advantages: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showforum=43 jaclaz

Cannot say, but the "traditional" way to test HAL/Kernels has been through BOOT.INI switches. See: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/833722/en-us and links provided here: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/154061-bad-shut-down/?p=980575 Mind you it is entirely possible that *something else* is *somehow* "botched" during install and that the above won't work at all. jaclaz

Well, they also try to redefine the way we work (which BTW it is what essentially they originally allowed us to do going from DOS to multitasking Windows): http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/optimize-windows-better-performance#optimize-windows-better-performance=windows-7 (please note how the above was pre-8 and pre-NCI) I wouldn' t be that much surprised, re: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/171006-know-any-windows-81-file-system-performance-tweaks/?p=1085763 , if they would come up with a tip like : [sarcasm] [/sarcasm] jaclaz

I'll throw on the table (and quickly hide my hand behind my back ) how a new, fantastic technology is seen before (at the time of it's introduction): http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163388.aspx and how it is seen after some time it has been put into practice on the field : http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb968806(v=vs.85).aspx Some definitions, should someone have ruined a few pages of the dictionary , or had his/her dog eat them . New means "new".Old means "old".Legacy means "legacy".Revolutionary means "revolutionary".Better means "better". Something can be both new and better, or revolutionary and better but it is not automatically implied in "new" or in "revolutionary". On the other hand both "old" and "legacy" imply "tested extensively" and, in the case they are attributed to something that had a world wide success also imply "working nicely". jaclaz