windows_10

Windows 10 Notes

General Preparation

When performing a clean install of Windows 10, use the Windows 7 license key printed on the computer or from your "Windows Anytime Upgrade" purchase receipt. Windows 10 will recognize it as a valid license.

Product Key .vbs script (save to Desktop then run):

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId"))

Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
i = 28
Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Do
Cur = 0
x = 14
Do
Cur = Cur * 256
Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur
Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
Cur = Cur Mod 24
x = x -1
Loop While x >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput
If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
i = i -1
KeyOutput = "-" & KeyOutput
End If
Loop While i >= 0
ConvertToKey = KeyOutput
End Function

Make a bootable USB drive:

Pre-install and backups

Use Belarc Advisor to get an inventory of programs on the computer

For Microsoft Office:

Note the current software key
Reinstall office with the MS Office .iso installation file
Use the same software key on the same hardware when the new OS is installed
Moving Microsoft Office Licenses

Backup user data

Copy every user's C:\Users\* folders to a USB drive or 2nd hard disk
Take screenshots of the following:
- Desktop to restore look and feel after installation
- Installed programs (check one by one) to capture their specific settings
  - Firefox, Thunderbird, WinSCP, Canoscan Toolbox, Crashplan, VirtualBox
  - Any programs that run at startup

Installation

Use ISO boot instructions listed above

Post-install Cleanup

Mostly compiled 23 April 2016

Network

Set IP to static address if needed
Disable IPv6 if needed
Test that you can browse network devices

2nd Hard Drive not recognized - Follow these steps

Enable Firewall to allow ping

Enable Remote Desktop for Windows 10 Pro:

The RDP feature is disabled by default
To turn the remote feature on, type: remote settings into the Cortana search box
Select Allow remote access to your computer from the results at the top
System Properties will open to the Remote tab

Need to use xfreerdp for Remote Desktop Connection from Linux

xfreerdp –no-nla -z -x m -x 80 -f XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX:3389

Add shortcuts to start menu:

First create a shortcut to the program you want to add
- Right-click, send to Desktop
Drop shortcuts into the Roaming folder at %appdata%\Microsoft\WIndows\Start Menu\Programs
This allows the item to appear in the "All Apps" menu
Drag it from the list to anywhere on the start menu
See this post and this post for more info

Restore File Explorer to Taskbar

How to Make Windows Photo Viewer Default image viewer

Add Shortcut to Internet Explorer:

Right-click on Desktop, choose New > Shortcut
Choose Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe for the program to run
Give the shortcut a name
After it's added to the Desktop, right-click and choose Add to Start Menu

Turn on Backups:

UPDATE: Consider using Synctoy to perform backups to a 2nd hard disk
Start > Settings > Update & Security (recovery, backup)
Left sidebar, click Backup
Choose a disk for the backups
Toggle on for "Automatically backup my files"
- Click More options
- Choose how often to backup files (Daily)
- Choose how long to keep backed up files (1 month)
- Adjust folders as needed
  - AppData
  - Downloads
  - Favorites
  - Contacts
  - Desktop
  - VirtualBox VMs
  - .VirtualBox
  - Pictures
  - Documents
  - Camera Roll
  - Videos
  - Saved Pictures
  - Music

To restore a file:

Start > Settings > Update & Security (recovery, backup)
Left sidebar, click Backup
Choose More options
Under Related Settings > Restore files from a current backup
In the resulting window (Home - File History) navigate to the date you want to look for the file
Highlight the file you want to restore and then click the green arrow

Disable Auto Restart:

On 16 August 2018, followed https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/954195-nine-ways-to-stop-block-or-disable-windows-update-in-windows-10/ with the following steps:
- Drill down to Administrative Template > Windows Components > Windows Update
- Edit Windows Update option
- Set to Enabled and choose option 2 "Notify for download and auto update"
- Click Apply
- Review that these settings now appear in the Control Panel > Update and Security > Windows Update > Advanced Options

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/8013-enable-disable-windows-update-automatic-updates-windows-10-a.html

Disable automatic reboot on updates - Windows 10 Pro anniversary update

The following procedure seemed to work, October 2016:

I made changes recently. Windows 10 downloads updates, applies them, says it will reboot, but it does not. I hate the threat that it's going to reboot, but I guess the settings I have applied are preventing it. Here's what I did... 1) Run 'gpedit.msc' 2) Under "Computer Configuration" -> "Administrative Templates" -> "Windows Components" -> "Windows Update"... 2a) Select "Configure Automatic Updates", select "enabled", select "4 - auto download and schedule the install", check "install during automatic maintenance" and select a time to install. I also checked "install updates for other MS products" 2b) Under "No auto-restart when logged on users for scheduled automatic updates" select "Enabled" 3) Run "gpupdate /force" This seems to work for Windows 10 Pro, which is what I'm using. I guess if you are running Windows 10 (whatever "home" is called), you're hosed.

Windows 10 stops responding when trying to unlock screensaver:

Could not find exact problem through web search
Identified all "apps" or programs that I did not want and I uninstalled them
The problem seemed to occur after the large "service pack" type installation that occurred in October, 2016

Startup Programs:

Press Windows Key + R to open the run dialog. Then type: shell:Startup
This will open your startup folder. Simply drag your shortcut created earlier into this folder.