New Windows 8.1 Installation

[mshultz]

I reluctantly moved from Windows XP x64 to Windows 7 x64 a few years ago.  There was a major change in operating system design, which meant that XP x64 no longer worked for some tasks that I needed to perform.  Last week, I decided to go to Windows 8.1 x64 Pro.  I replaced my Asus Q170M-CM-B motherboard with an Asus Prime Q270M-C.  The Q270M-C board has 2 M.2 sockets, both of which support NVMe drives, while still allowing me to use my Skylake 65W CPU and DDR4 memory.  It also has PS/2 keyboard & mouse connectors, which I still use.  I enabled UEFI Secure Boot in the Bios.  Over the decades, I have come up with an upgrade plan that minimizes the risk.  I keep a WordPad document that lists all of my software and settings.  I also keep the operating system & data on separate drives.  I have a complete set of adapters so that I can use USB to connect mechanical hard drives, SSDs, and both M.2 SSDs & NVMe drives.  This allows for easy data transfer without having to reopen the computer case.

I also use a new drive when I change motherboards or operating systems, so that if things don't work out, I can go back without reinstalling.  However, this was not necessary, as the 8.1 installation was flawless.  That was not the case with putting Windows 7.1 x64 on the Asus Q170 motherboard, which was not successful until I dropped memory down to 4 GB.  The recommendation of this website (UEFI Secure Boot in Windows 8.1): https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/uefi-secure-boot-in-windows-81/65d74e19-9572-4a91-85aa-57fa783f0759, was to not enable Secure Boot in the Bios until after successful installation.  I decided to go ahead with Secure Boot and see what happened.  All of my old hardware was accepted.  The initial installation of LIghtScribe software failed, but Windows 8.1 suggested a reinstall in Compatibility Mode, which worked without me having to set up Compatibility Mode manually.  I was impressed.  I was also impressed when the Action Center popped up with a list of programs that startup automatically, along with their effect on boot speed.

I decided to install Microsoft Office 2010 x64, so that I can work with the .***x format files.  I installed Open Shell & UBitMenu so that Windows 8.1 would work like Windows 7, and Office 2010 would work like Office 2003 (pre-ribbon).  I also installed the Vista version of WordPad, as it is also pre-ribbon.  I did not allow Windows Update to install the Bing Browser.  I don't know about Office 2010, but Office XP & Office 2003 require Internet Explorer to be the default browser in order to activate.  Windows 8.1 and Office 2010 activated online.  Even better, when I went to install Adobe Acrobat XI Pro, it asked me to log into my Adobe account, and then activated.  When I had attempted to install it on Windows 7, it wanted to send a text to my landline.  That did not work, of course.

Windows 8.1 x64 with the NVMe drive starts up and shuts down much faster than Windows 7 x64 did with the SSD drive.  I have it booting directly into the login screen, and then into the desktop.  All in all, I am pleased.

[Cocodile]

Yes, Windows 7 is very slow on boot/shut, we know. But overall, the PC feels faster (apart from the boot and shutdown) than with Win7?

Edited July 11, 2023 by Cocodile
Windows 7 is very slow

[mshultz]

No difference in normal usage.  The 3DMark11 score is about the same, while the PCMark7 score is a bit faster, probably due to going from SSD drives to NVMe drives.  The change from mechanical to SSD was much more noticeable than the change from SSD to NVMe.

I meant to say that I did not install the Edge browser.  The Bing search engine is the one I normally use.  There was a time when I had to use the Edge browser to log into certain accounts.  Then Waterfox made an update that allowed it to work.  The change log did not address the issue.

[Dixel]

On 7/10/2023 at 7:43 AM, mshultz said:

Windows 7.1 x64 on the Asus Q170 motherboard, which was not successful until I dropped memory down to 4 GB

Do you have an option "Allow memory remap", it usually helps, otherwise I agree, it's a bug in Windows 7, not the case with Vista, weirdly enough.

[mshultz]

Yes, I have the "Allow memory remap" option.  I did not log all of the settings in my many attempts to get Windows 7 to install.  Someone on the MSFN Windows 7 forum stated they were able to get Windows 7 to install with more than 4 GB memory installed.  Perhaps they used a Bios setting that I did not try.  Although there was the "Thrill of Victory" once I got it to work, the Q170 motherboard with 6-series 65 watt CPU and DDR4 memory was only slightly faster than the previous motherboard with 3-series 65 watt CPU and DDR3 memory.

I installed the ChrisPC Win Experience Index on Windows 8.1.  I did not write down the Windows 7 numbers, but I'm pretty sure the Primary hard disk Subscore of 9.3 is higher than I had with Windows 7 and the SSD hard drives.  My Graphics Subscores are 7.8 because I just use a 30 watt GeForce GT Silent 1030 graphics card.  Combined with my SilverStoneTJ08-E case, which uses a 180mm front fan and a 120 mm back fan, this really cuts down on fan noise.  Motherboards with 4 pin fan connectors are quieter too, once you set the Bios to PWM.

[Dixel]

On 7/12/2023 at 4:26 AM, mshultz said:

GeForce GT Silent 1030

Can be reflashed back with an unlocked EVGA BIOS to see the full potential, if you know how to do it. Otherwise risky.

[mshultz]

My GeForce GT Silent is an Asus model.  It does have 2GB GDDR5 memory.  I don't want to overclock it and risk it overheating.

I found out how to add a Show Desktop icon to my task bar.  I have it on the far left, where it was in Windows XP.  Easier than moving the mouse to the far right corner.

[Dixel]

5 hours ago, mshultz said:

I don't want to overclock it and risk it overheating.

It's not an overclock per se. The BIOS just unlocks the boost limit. And all voltages will stay the same. It doesn't mean the card will run in boost mode for 24/7, and you have a proper ventilated case.

[mshultz]

I ran Chkdsk.  On the D: (data) drive, the results were too fast for me to read, and I am a fast reader.  Had to scroll to see what had happened.  On the C: (system) drive, there is just a progress bar.  I had to go to Event Viewer to see what had happened.  Window made some corrections, which is typical on a new installation.

[UCyborg]

1 hour ago, mshultz said:

Window made some corrections, which is typical on a new installation.

I don't think that's normal. Though I've seen quite some oddities myself on that OS and can't say I miss it, though I appreciate some refinements like the streamlined file permissions dialog and native taskbar(s) for secondary monitors.

Edited July 15, 2023 by UCyborg

[Dixel]

4 hours ago, mshultz said:

I ran Chkdsk.  On the D: (data) drive, the results were too fast for me to read, and I am a fast reader.

It must leave you a log file.

[mshultz]

I installed Windows 8.1 x64 on my Dell laptop yesterday.  I had a spare 2TB SATA SSD card, so I swapped out the 2TB card in the laptop.  This would allow me to reinstall the original card with Windows 7 x64 if the install did not work out.  I also replaced the Bios battery while I was there.  I write the date (7/2023) on the bios battery when I change it.  The laptop would not turn on, but a careful re-installation of the battery pack fixed that.  I went into the Bios and set it up for UEFI, Secure Boot, and selected the DVD as the first boot device.  I had to correct the time & date, of course (Do this either before installing an operating system, or after successful Activation.  If you install Windows, then correct the time & date before Activation, Windows throws a fit).  Although I have no use for Virtualization, my laptop Bios says it has to be enabled when using Secure Boot, so that's what I did.

The installation went smoothly.  I had downloaded all of the drivers I would need from Dell beforehand.  Office Pro 2010 would not activate.  It appears the information on Wikipedia is incorrect; it can only be installed on one computer, not 2.  I purchased Office 2010 Home and Business from eBay (I had previously purchased a second copy of Window 8.1 x64 for the laptop).  I am cautiously optimistic it will show up before Church Council meeting on August 1.  If it does not, I have a number of options.  I just saved the .doc template as an .rtf file.  This removed the heading, but I would be able to copy & paste my notes into the .doc template on my desktop computer.  Both computers are joined to a private network, but I am still transferring files with USB sticks so far.

The Dell memory card driver would not install (I don't think it installed on Windows 7 x64 either).  It took a bit of searching, but I found a Dell driver that did install this morning.  I did not install the Dell apps.  The improvement in startup time is amazing.  I just got a Cherry keyboard without number pad for my desktop computer.  This has 2 advantages.  The keyboard is now directly in front of me, instead of off to the left, and the keys are similar to the laptop.  This should help my typing.  I'm not a real Secretary, nor do I play one on TV, but I was asked to serve, so here I am.  Having the same operating system and software on both computers makes life easier.

[kar1]

Purchasing a Microsoft Office 2010 Home / Student key from eBay is very much equal to using a third-party Activator (other than losing money).

The story is that Microsoft sells discounted student keys for these editions at loss, and the eBay resellers use a batch of .edu email adresses to purchase these with great discounts.

Then they proceed to resell the keys at a more expensive price, but still less than retail on such websites.

Microsoft didn't gain anything from it, so my advice is not to feel concerned with purchasing Office 2010.

There are many of ways to use Office 2010

Now for your Dell card reader problem:

The install failed because the Setup deliberately aborted the install, it's not your OS's fault.

Dell uses what they call 'driver authentication' when you run the Dell driver setups.

It finds a sysID file (encrypted) and extracts a driver_auth.exe program to your %TMP% folder.

Then it runs driver_auth.exe and gives it the encrypted sysID.

If your HWID (cans be motherboard, BIOS, etc) doesn't match the very exact model the setup was for the install 'fails'.

It's a fake error.

We had online (customers) many such problems when trying to install mobile broadband drivers for Dell computers.

You need to bypass the driver authentication.

For this create a new IFEO registry key (Image File Execution Options) named 'driver_auth.exe' and a 'Debugger' STRING_SZ registry value.

Then give the Debugger value a file path to a dummy program that just exits.

Example:

https://github.com/myfreeer/nop

(don't use nop-continue.exe, it needs to simply exit directly, so choose nop.exe)

The Dell driver authentication is nothing more than checking whether the exitCode of driver_auth.exe is 0.

Redirect the driver_auth.exe filename to e.g. C:\Drivers\nop.exe and the install will succeed.

This enables the install of many broadband drivers for Dell computers that were 'unsupported' just because they were a later upgraded model.

Hope it helps.

 

[Dixel]

17 hours ago, kar1 said:

If your HWID (cans be motherboard, BIOS, etc) doesn't match the very exact model the setup was for the install 'fails'.

It's a fake error.

Interesting! And what if one just extracts them, and then installs via the simple "inf" method?

[kar1]

On 7/21/2023 at 11:23 AM, Dixel said:

Interesting! And what if one just extracts them, and then installs via the simple "inf" method?

You can do this without extracting the setups because Dell also provides All-In-One CAB files for WinPE integration.

However extracting the setups is somewhat difficult, because you have to carve the setup for its resources while driver_auth.exe is still running.
Otherwise the setup unloads its resources and deletes everything after it 'fails', but this could be achieved with IFEO & nop-continue.exe from Github.

Now, if you install the drivers manually with INF files you will have to also modify them to include important Dell services.

For mobile broadband, the Dell mini_WMCore.exe (WMCoreService) file isn't part of the real INF driver files.
There are many such programs included in the official Dell setups that aren't part of the INF-only distributions.

These Dell services are the ones that actually make their hardware exist on Windows.
Otherwise Windows wouldn't even know that the hardware is physically present.

These services send a sort of hardware interrupt to the firmware that tells it start making Windows aware of the hardware's existence at the next scan for hardware for changes.

Therefore if you own a laptop with such kind of hardware and yet it doesn't seem to exist at all after installing INF files, that's because of this.