Re: [gentoo-user] Guidance on using Gentoo to clone a Win 10 system drive

[Mick]

On Friday, 10 January 2020 18:07:29 GMT Mark Knecht wrote:

> Just to close out my part of this what-turned-out-to be-non-Gentoo thread...
>
> 1) I went down the Clonezilla path never having used it before. It was easy
> to use, cloned the hard drive, Win 10 Home (what was actually installed)
> booted but wasn't reliable and kept crashing. I may not have done this the
> best way, going directly from the old drive to the SSD. Possibly should
> have created an image instead but I didn't know that at the time.

Hmm ... I wonder if this is something to do with TRIM settings and SSD 
drivers, which the original installation probably would not have activated?  I 
don't really know what drivers MSWindows kernel loads or what firmware it 
fetches.  I would think most of this would be automated and a Windows Update 
would sort out any such issues.


> 2) I then went down the path of figuring out how to get human support at
> Microsoft. It turns out that Win 10 has a built in method for moving to a
> new hard drive on the same machine based on creating a system image much
> like I imagine Clonezilla would have done had I chosen that option. I
> created the image, put the SSD into the machine, rebooted from a Win 10 USB
> install flash drive and chose to do the recovery method instead of the
> install. A little while later the machine booted from the SSD and has been
> stable for the last day or two.
>
> I've dedicated an older WD Green 1TB drive to keeping the system images and
> will image this machine once every few months or so in case I need to do
> this again in the future.
>
> I'll be back to talk about using Gentoo again soon. Sorry for the noise and
> as always this is one of the very best, most helpful places for good Linux
> info so thanks, thanks, thanks.
>
> Cheers,
> Mark

Let me add two more, slightly unrelated to Gentoo, pieces of info.

1. Microsoft Windows Product Key

As Wol mentioned in a previous post, using a Microsoft Product Key from the 
back of a laptop which has *never* been used before to install a MSWindows OS, 
works as advertised for the same type of MSWindows edition.  I checked the 
Product Key on a 'Windows 7 Home' OEM installation using a VBS script.  This 
was the OEM Product Key and I noticed it was different to the Product Key 
which was on a sticker at the back of the laptop case.

Then I tried using the key on the sticker to activate a 'Windows 10 Pro' 
installation.  It didn't take.  I tried the same 'Windows 7 Home' sticker key 
to activate a 'Windows 10 Home' installation.  It worked!  :-)

2. Obligatory Microsoft Account registration.

Every time I touch a MSWindows OS I get more annoyed than the last time.  I 
went through the installation process.  During the finishing touches of the 
installation the OS configured the keyboard, network and then the user 
account.  Unlike previous Windows 10 installations which offered the option of 
configuring a local user account, this time I was only given the choice of 
using or creating a (online) Microsoft Account, by entering (linking to it) my 
personal email, phone or Skype account.  No option for a local account.  To 
by-pass this forced Microsoft Account creation/registration I shut down the OS 
and rebooted without an Internet connection.  This time I was offered the 
option to create a local account.  I mention this in case you also want to 
install a recent build ISO of Windows 10 without registering any online 
Microsoft credentials.

After I booted into the account I was able to switch off a load of privacy 
invading functionality that comes preconfigured with this OS, inc. 
geolocation, access to my contacts, photos, calls, etc.

I know a Gentoo installation takes longer, but at the same time I find it 
*much* less annoying in every respect.  ;-)

-- 
Regards,
Mick