Configuring Mini-PC's With Zero Auto Updates On Windows 7

[D.Draker]

Photos

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Windows+98+OEM

[D.Draker]

6 hours ago, Bondppq said:

I don't know what "RTM" stands for? Should I get the Home Premium Edition or the Professional Edition or which version is best you think?

Basically any version without SP would do.

[Tripredacus]

While my solution to the update issue is different, since I am using a network segment, the same can be applied to a single system. I block all Microsoft domains and IPs, and thus the systems cannot update. Then I can use any OS I want.

RTM = Release to Manufacturing and to be clear, the RTM versions were only made available in the OEM channel as either a download or physical media, and I've never once seen an RTM disc for sale in the secondary market. The closest you can legally get to using RTM would be to use a System Builder Kit. And RTM should not be used to mean "no service pack" because Windows 7 SP1 has an RTM version also.

[Saxon]

3 hours ago, Tripredacus said:

RTM versions were only made available in the OEM channel as either a download or physical media

Like this one?

"Windows Vista Ultimate RTM Unboxing/Installation 2019"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4eC9NwwoQk

 

[NotHereToPlayGames]

2 hours ago, Tripredacus said:

RTM versions were only made available in the OEM channel as either a download or physical media

I guess my definition differs slightly.

All of my Dell computers (desktops and laptops) didn't come with physical media.  HATE THAT!  I want a disc!  (Or a Rufus USB created from that disc.)

They do come with a STICKER with my "license code" (or whatever it's technically called).

Legal downloads are readily available (you cannot install without typing in the "license code").

I create my own physical media stemming from that sticker plus that download (where my installation is completely unattended).

But I guess I still refer to that physical media as "RTM".

Semantics.  It's not "OEM" because I didn't download from DELL.

[Karla Sleutel]

In Denmark we call that boxed Windows disk: "retail version", in Canada, were I'm currently in, they have all sorts of interpretations, including the RTM variant, like in the posted video.

[D.Draker]

19 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

All of my Dell computers (desktops and laptops) didn't come with physical media.  HATE THAT!  I want a disc!  (Or a Rufus USB created from that disc.)

That's an American "invention", all of my Siemens (later branded as just Fujitsu, made in Germany) computers (desktops and laptops) came with physical media.  LOVE THAT!  

The tradition went on even with Win 7, not sure about 8 and later.

[D.Draker]

And yes, @Tripredacus is absolutely right! Windows 7 was also distributed as RTM with SP1 (at least with Fujitsu, see the image below).

 

 

[NotHereToPlayGames]

The "American Invention" (retail computers NOT being provided with PHYSICAL MEDIA) is very likely the result that right around Win7, laptops didn't come with internal cd/dvd-rom drives.

Why provide an installation DISC if the computer doesn't even have a way to read it, lol.

Talking strictly corporate-distribution laptops.  Thinner, lighter, no cd-rom drives.  Heck, some of our company laptops of that time frame don't even have internal speakers!

Edited June 5 by NotHereToPlayGames

[D.Draker]

4 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

The "American Invention" (retail computers NOT being provided with PHYSICAL MEDIA) is very likely the result that right around Win7, laptops didn't come with internal cd/dvd-rom drives.

Why provide an installation DISC if the computer doesn't even have a way to read it, lol.

Talking strictly corporate-distribution laptops.  Thinner, lighter, no cd-rom drives.  Heck, some of our company laptops of that time frame don't even have internal speakers!

Also looks like a purely American Invention, I just found a 2014 article with a budget Fujitsu Lifebook E544, it had a DVD drive, despite being very thin for 2014, and two DVDs included: 

"driver DVD and recovery DVDs for both Windows 7 and 8.1 were included."

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Fujitsu-Lifebook-E544-Notebook-Review.132628.0.html

[Tripredacus]

22 hours ago, Saxon said:

Like this one?

"Windows Vista Ultimate RTM Unboxing/Installation 2019"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4eC9NwwoQk

 

That is Retail.

20 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I guess my definition differs slightly.

But I guess I still refer to that physical media as "RTM".

Semantics.  It's not "OEM" because I didn't download from DELL.

An OEM is not allowed to redistribute RTM media. See below.

4 hours ago, D.Draker said:

And yes, @Tripredacus is absolutely right! Windows 7 was also distributed as RTM with SP1 (at least with Fujitsu, see the image below).

 

This is a recovery disc. The OEM (Fujitsu in this case) had created a bootable recovery using the RTM version as the base, then sent the DVD9 master to an Authorized Replicator who then pressed this disc.

1 hour ago, D.Draker said:

Also looks like a purely American Invention, I just found a 2014 article with a budget Fujitsu Lifebook E544, it had a DVD drive, despite being very thin for 2014, and two DVDs included: 

"driver DVD and recovery DVDs for both Windows 7 and 8.1 were included."

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Fujitsu-Lifebook-E544-Notebook-Review.132628.0.html

This was sold this way because the system was sold under OEM-facilitated Downgrade Rights, in which case the system must include a recovery solution for both the OS that is installed as well as the OS that was licensed. A recovery partition is enough to satisfy this requirement, however at a point during an OS transition, close to EOL (End of License) period, the OEM is likely to include the physical recovery media even if a recovery partition is present solely because they have stock of it and they need to get rid of it. After EOL, there is no way to distribute the physical media aside from an RMA, so after that point it just goes into the garbage.

[Bondppq]

1) okay so which OP is smaller with less bloatware? - Home Premium Edition or the Professional Edition or which version is best for an ultra-small HD like 32 gb's on those Asus sticks?

2) and; I see many Dell Reinstall discs with Win 7 that came with a new Dell purchase and when I emailed some of these sellers on eBay some were telling me that the disc will only work with Dell computers, would that be true?

3) Also; since the product key code was already used with the machine during the time of purchase can I use another product key code from my buddy who owns a computer shop and says he has many to give me, will that work?

4) What if I install OS and install an OSX into it like Mojave as I don't like the latest OSX's. And then run the Think or Swim platform on the OSX which is really the ultimate and only goal here. I'm reading to avoid OpenCore of Clover hard installs and set up a virtual machine with something called Hypervisors? What do you think of that approach?

Edited June 6 by Tripredacus
sanitized warez term

[Tripredacus]

1. 32 GB is too small for a retail SKU IMO. The smallest (with newest) OS I have used is a 40 GB VM with Server 2008 R2. For that small size, you would use either an Embedded SKU or an older OS like Vista or XP. Or perhaps a non-Windows product.

2. Dell Recovery DVD for Windows 7 should install fine on another brand, but it won't activate on a non-Dell system. 

3. In either case, you can attempt to activate with the old key, or a key from the shop, but you may have to use Telephone Activation (Slui 4) in both cases. You won't know until you try.

4. You can certainly run a small size hypervisor on a system. I don't know the names of any of those options, I've only use ESXi and Hyper-V. You can also look into VDI type or terminal setups.

Do not mention the name of any warez on this forum. This includes modified Windows versions that are able to be downloaded from archive.org.

[Bondppq]

On 6/6/2024 at 9:26 AM, Tripredacus said:

"4. You can certainly run a small size hypervisor on a system. I don't know the names of any of those options, I've only use ESXi and Hyper-V. You can also look into VDI type or terminal setups."

Just to make something clear, my aim is to use this mini-PC in front of me not remotely. Someone was telling me that running a VM setup is for only remote access to tap into another computer. But I'm not looking to do that, so I'm trying to have the Win7 installed then another 3rd-party program installed into that to be able to run an OSX Mojave ontop of that so then I can install the Think or Swim platform which is the ultimate goal of this process.

Does "ESXi and Hyper-V" do this? act as that 3rd-party program? I was told to look into Proxmox as well. I will be studying up on this over the next week or more. I saw some YouTube tutorials saying to not Hackintosh a system if going the OpenCore or Clover route and that there is a much simpler way of setting up a Hackintosh virtually, but I'm not sure if they meant by the Hypervisor way. If you know of any other way, a 3rd approach to getting an OSX onto a daily-use mini-PC I would appreciate that advice as well, thank you.

[Tripredacus]

Running a VM not necessarily for remote access. There are programs that can run VMs, I use VMWare Player. The issue you had is that you don't have a lot of storage space. Offloading where the OS is located to another machine on a VM would alleviate that issue because you would be using disk space on a different computer. Running an emulator/hypervisor on the device and then making a VM to run inside of it does not solve your issue. 

Why do you need OSX? Think or Swim runs on Windows. And since that is a serious business software, it may be better to pay the price of doing business and buy/use something with a larger hard disk.