Tech Corner

[anewbie]

1) and 2) Yes, make sure the system is totally up to date. Should not need to reset the PC as you would then lose all installed apps.

3) should not need to install apps as they are already there.

As far as the install disc you can't unless you have a Blu-ray burner or use a double layer DVD as the Windows 11 install will no longer fit on a normal DVD. Use a flash drive for making the install media. The flash drive must be formatted as NTFS and be at least 8 GB in size. If the system fully qualifies as to hardware requirements you should not need to do anything special but make sure that the system is on-line or the install will fail at 86%. Use the Media Creation Tool from the following link and have it make the media to the NTFS flash drive. If doing an upgrade install launch the setup app from the created media. If doing a clean install boot to the install media. Note that, if the system has never had Windows 11 previously installed. you will need to purchase a license.

Here is a link to download the media creation tool.

Download Windows 11

Well if you have a windows 7 or windows 10 key of the appropriate type you can use that. The one i have (for windows 7) was for single machine usage on any machine - that key works with windows 10 and 11 as long as i only run it on one system at a time. I've upgraded my mb and simliar several times over the years with no issues.

 

[jaylach]

Well if you have a windows 7 or windows 10 key of the appropriate type you can use that. The one i have (for windows 7) was for single machine usage on any machine - that key works with windows 10 and 11 as long as i only run it on one system at a time. I've upgraded my mb and simliar several times over the years with no issues.

While I haven't done in ages the last time I tried using a Windows 7 key it would work but only on a clean install, not an upgrade. Also you had to say, during the install, that you don't have a product key. When the install is finished you then go to setting and select to change the product key then adding the Windows 7 key and it will then activate. At least this worked a couple of years ago.

From what I understand you can still use a Windows 7 key to upgrade but only if it had been previously used to upgrade. Not really sure on this one but it is what I've read.

 

[Colin_T]

I have an old laptop that originally had win7 and got win10 added.
I have a desktop with win10 that is going to get axed shortly.
I have a new laptop with win11.

Am I better off making my boot disc from the old laptop, desktop or new laptop?

I am thinking of using the key from the old laptop that had win7, although the desktop with win10 is about to become scrap metal so could use that one if I can figure out where the license key is.

Anyone know where the license key can be found on a pc (don't say stuck to the case coz I can't read the tiny print)?

 

[anewbie]

I have an old laptop that originally had win7 and got win10 added.
I have a desktop with win10 that is going to get axed shortly.
I have a new laptop with win11.

Am I better off making my boot disc from the old laptop, desktop or new laptop?

I am thinking of using the key from the old laptop that had win7, although the desktop with win10 is about to become scrap metal so could use that one if I can figure out where the license key is.

Anyone know where the license key can be found on a pc (don't say stuck to the case coz I can't read the tiny print)?

Never hurt to try but some key are oem that are tied to one machine and can't be used on another machine. If it is stuck the case get a magnifying glass.

Sometime it is included with the printed material shipped with the computer. If the machine boots you can get it with various tools like powershell.
Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator. Search for "Command Prompt" or "PowerShell" in the Start menu, right-click the result, and select "Run as administrator."
Enter the command: Type the following command and press Enter:
wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey

 

[jaylach]

If the system is NOT activated with a digital license click Start and type in 'power shell' without the quotes. Right click on power shell and select to run as admin. Cut and paste the following to Power Shell and hit return.

powershell "(Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProductKey"

This should display the product code but it does not work on my main due, I assume, to it having a digital license.

 

[jaylach]

Looks like I'm done modifying my right click contest menus using Winaero Tweaker after the Win 11 upgrade on my main.

Here is what I did on the right click desktop context menu.

• Increased the number of visible menu options from 15 to 25.
• Added Command Prompt - Run As Admin.
• Added Power Shell - Run As Admin.
• Added Snipping Tool.
• Added Windows Update options.
• Added Safe Mode Options.
• Added Create Restore Point.
• Added the Control Panel.
• Got rid of the stupid 'Show More Options'. - Shows complete contest menu.

Also added options to the right click on files/folders.

• Take Ownership.- If there permission issues this will run scripts to allow access permissions.
• Got rid of the stupid 'Show More Options'. - Shows complete contest menu.
• Modification to the desktop context menu also apply here.

Just makes some things easier and quicker to access.

<edit>
Here is how my desktop context menu now looks...

 

[jaylach]

Well my Win 11 upgrade just passed it's first major test. One of the biggest worries with installing on unsupported hardware is Windows Update. Just finished the October updates without issue. BTW, my unsupported hardware is my CPU which is stupid as I run an AMD Ryzen 7 - 8-core/16 thread CPU.

Anyway, I'll let it go for a while longer and, if all stays well, I'll boot to my clone drive that still has Windows 10 and make a system image just to keep just in case. I'll then clone my Win 11 install to the clone. LOL! As I've said before, I am a backup freak. I just prefer clones over images as recovery is pretty instant.

@Colin_T if you haven't seen make sure to scroll up a few threads to see what "should" work to get your Windows product key.

 

[jaylach]

Actually a change of plan. Not going to bother making a Win 10 image. I happen to have a spare 1GB NVME drive. I'll just put the spare drive in a USB3 external enclosure and clone from my clone to that. Then I'll clone Win 11 to the internal clone drive. It will take some time to clone to the external but that is fine as the system is still fully operational during the process.

Before anyone brings up the obvious goof I'm making... there is no goof. Yes, I could just pull the internal clone drive with Win 10 and replace with the spare drive and do the Win 11 clone saving a lot of time. The reason I won't do this is that both my system and the spare drive are WD Black. The internal clone drive is WD Green. My system being Black and the clone being Green prevents any confusion as to which drive is which. Probably no issue anyway since I quit Acronis and went to EaseUS as, with EaseUS, I can clone from within Windows and I really don't think it would be allowed if I got them backwards and had my system as the destination. LOL! Basically it is just that it is the method I'm used to.

Reason I quit Acronis is that, if installed, it does things I don't want so I used to install, create Linux based boot media and then remove Acronis. The boot media boot does not give drive descriptions so it would be quite easy to mix up the drives and have the system drive as destination instead of the clone. I just find it much more convenient to be able to clone from within Windows.

Then there would be the thought of forgetting about forgetting about doing manual clones and just setting up a Mirror RAID array but I won't do that. The way I see it is, if I do a Mirror array, and something bad gets through, it would affect both drives so I end up without a backup. I also protect the clone drive by using Drive Management to take the clone drive off-line except when doing a clone.

When I eventually do a new build I MAY consider setting up a Striped RAID array using the two WD blacks and getting a 2TB drive to use as the clone. Not sure but I think that I could clone the 1TB + 1TB RAID array to a single 2TB drive.

 

[Colin_T]

Well, after 9 hours of stuffing about I got most of my new pc together. However, due to some moronic fuplie idiots that manufacture water coolers, I can't fit my cooler to my cpu because the thermal paste they supplied is crap and resembles blu-tack. It doesn't spread, it doesn't stick to anything, it doesn't do anything. So now I have to go back into town and buy a tube of thermal paste. I shouldn't even have to do this but AMD didn't bother to put a tube of thermal paste in their cpu box, which comes with a heat sink, fan, cpu, but no thermal paste. So my little AMD Ryzen 5 cpu is without a heat sink, water cooler and thermal paste.

And for everyone saying "wow 9 hours" then laughing. Yes you are entitled to laugh, just don't let me hear it. That time should have been less except mainboard companies and every company selling computer crap these days doesn't bother to include instructions in their boxes. The only pieces of paper they include is a warranty form written in 600 languages and in a font 2 size, which is unreadable without a microscope. So I had to hop online and google the mainboard just to find out where the different plugs go. Most of the plugs don't go anywhere because the power supply has fifty million fuplie cables that go nowhere. And the mainboard has tiny little text on it that is smaller than the warranty text.

Then I tried to contact the mainboard manufacturer and ask them where the 3 pin water cooler pump goes on the mainboard. I did google that question and Google's AI, which is fuplie crap, told me to plug it into the water pump header, except there is no water pump header on the mainboard. So I tried to contact the manufacturer who asked me 250 billion questions and forced me to make an account just to ask them one simple question. "Where does the 3 pin plug from the water pump on my AIO cooler go on the mainboard?" My blood pressure was right up by this stage so there were other words in the question but I can't repeat them here or I will get banned. As to when I will get a response from that, I really don't know and really don't care right now.

I wanted to use the computer to do the Halloween stuff on world of wigglecraft (aka world of warcraft but I prefer wigglecraft coz it pisses off blizzard, the company that makes wow) but won't be able to unless I can drive into town again, buy a single tube of thermal paste and make it home. Then I have to spend 2 hours trying to have a shower, hope I don't slip in the shower again, disinfect the car, and then I will be too exhausted to do anything for the next week. Alternatively, I could order a $5 tube of thermal paste and pay $40 to have it delivered. That wouldn't normally be an issue but the rats are back. I spent $50 on poison a few months ago and wiped them out but the turkeys next door refuse to do anything about the rats breeding in their shed, so the new offspring for this year and now migrating into my place. I have spent thousands over the last couple of yrs trying to control the vermin and insects here. It's a losing battle. And the scumbag property owners of this dump I am renting are planning on jacking up the rent again and I really can't afford another rent increase. Hell I can't even afford this computer but acer wouldn't fix the laptop that failed under warranty and the piece of crap lenovo I bought 2 years ago has pushed me past breaking point and as soon as this new pc is working, the lenovo is going to get the axe, quite literally.

So that is my rant for the day. If I can get some thermal paste, I might be able to finish this computer. However, I could also have another stroke before it gets finished.

 

[jaylach]

Well, after 9 hours of stuffing about I got most of my new pc together. However, due to some moronic fuplie idiots that manufacture water coolers, I can't fit my cooler to my cpu because the thermal paste they supplied is crap and resembles blu-tack. It doesn't spread, it doesn't stick to anything, it doesn't do anything. So now I have to go back into town and buy a tube of thermal paste. I shouldn't even have to do this but AMD didn't bother to put a tube of thermal paste in their cpu box, which comes with a heat sink, fan, cpu, but no thermal paste. So my little AMD Ryzen 5 cpu is without a heat sink, water cooler and thermal paste.

And for everyone saying "wow 9 hours" then laughing. Yes you are entitled to laugh, just don't let me hear it. That time should have been less except mainboard companies and every company selling computer crap these days doesn't bother to include instructions in their boxes. The only pieces of paper they include is a warranty form written in 600 languages and in a font 2 size, which is unreadable without a microscope. So I had to hop online and google the mainboard just to find out where the different plugs go. Most of the plugs don't go anywhere because the power supply has fifty million fuplie cables that go nowhere. And the mainboard has tiny little text on it that is smaller than the warranty text.

Then I tried to contact the mainboard manufacturer and ask them where the 3 pin water cooler pump goes on the mainboard. I did google that question and Google's AI, which is fuplie crap, told me to plug it into the water pump header, except there is no water pump header on the mainboard. So I tried to contact the manufacturer who asked me 250 billion questions and forced me to make an account just to ask them one simple question. "Where does the 3 pin plug from the water pump on my AIO cooler go on the mainboard?" My blood pressure was right up by this stage so there were other words in the question but I can't repeat them here or I will get banned. As to when I will get a response from that, I really don't know and really don't care right now.

I wanted to use the computer to do the Halloween stuff on world of wigglecraft (aka world of warcraft but I prefer wigglecraft coz it pisses off blizzard, the company that makes wow) but won't be able to unless I can drive into town again, buy a single tube of thermal paste and make it home. Then I have to spend 2 hours trying to have a shower, hope I don't slip in the shower again, disinfect the car, and then I will be too exhausted to do anything for the next week. Alternatively, I could order a $5 tube of thermal paste and pay $40 to have it delivered. That wouldn't normally be an issue but the rats are back. I spent $50 on poison a few months ago and wiped them out but the turkeys next door refuse to do anything about the rats breeding in their shed, so the new offspring for this year and now migrating into my place. I have spent thousands over the last couple of yrs trying to control the vermin and insects here. It's a losing battle. And the scumbag property owners of this dump I am renting are planning on jacking up the rent again and I really can't afford another rent increase. Hell I can't even afford this computer but acer wouldn't fix the laptop that failed under warranty and the piece of crap lenovo I bought 2 years ago has pushed me past breaking point and as soon as this new pc is working, the lenovo is going to get the axe, quite literally.

So that is my rant for the day. If I can get some thermal paste, I might be able to finish this computer. However, I could also have another stroke before it gets finished.

By how you describe the thermal stuff that came with what you bought it sounds like a wax block. If I ever actually used one of these I can't remember. If I'm right on what you have they were reported as to doing a good job long ago but I didn't like the concept. Here is what is supposed to happen. The thermal compound is suspended in the wax and, as the wax melts from operational heat, the thermal compound is distributed across the cooler's contact area. In the past, been reported to work well. If you go with actual thermal paste I recommend Arctic Silver. If you apply your own thermal compound remember that less is better. Apply it as thin as possible while still getting full coverage. I use the edge of an old expired debit card that is part of my computer tool kit. Putting a heavy layer can actually impede heat transfer.

As to docs for the motherboard just go to the makers site and then support/downloads and download the full manual for the board. If you can't find feel free to put up the make and model and I'll be happy to see what I can find.

As to the power supply cables I have to assume that you did not get a modular supply so all cables it can handle are always there. With a modular PS there are plugs and you just use the cables you need.

 

[Colin_T]

I did get the mainboard manual and page 4 had a nice big diagram of the board with all the items. It's just a pity they don't include them in the box like they used to. It's painful walking back and forth between the computer and kitchen trying to remember which plug goes on which terminal.

The tube of thermal paste that came with the cooler has thermal paste on the side of the tube. It didn't come out as a blob and wouldn't stick to the cpu. I tried spreading it with an old credit card but it just lifted off and ended up under my nails. Now I can't get it off my nails

I didn't find out about modular power supplies until after I bought this. I don't know why they need so many cables. It seems overkill but the mainboard has two graphics card slots and two C: drive slots but no pci slots. The case is also meant to be a mid tower but it's a bit bigger than my Pentium 4 case, which is also a mid tower. And everything in it is black. Why they do the inside of the case, the mainboard, cpu, ram, cables and power supply in black is beyond me. Even the screws are black. I was dropping these tiny screws in the case and still can't find them. After putting everything together there are still 120 screws left. There are packets of different sizes and some packets have 3 or 4 sizes in each and there's virtually no difference in size but they have different threads.

 

[jaylach]

I did get the mainboard manual and page 4 had a nice big diagram of the board with all the items. It's just a pity they don't include them in the box like they used to. It's painful walking back and forth between the computer and kitchen trying to remember which plug goes on which terminal.

The tube of thermal paste that came with the cooler has thermal paste on the side of the tube. It didn't come out as a blob and wouldn't stick to the cpu. I tried spreading it with an old credit card but it just lifted off and ended up under my nails. Now I can't get it off my nails

I didn't find out about modular power supplies until after I bought this. I don't know why they need so many cables. It seems overkill but the mainboard has two graphics card slots and two C: drive slots but no pci slots. The case is also meant to be a mid tower but it's a bit bigger than my Pentium 4 case, which is also a mid tower. And everything in it is black. Why they do the inside of the case, the mainboard, cpu, ram, cables and power supply in black is beyond me. Even the screws are black. I was dropping these tiny screws in the case and still can't find them. After putting everything together there are still 120 screws left. There are packets of different sizes and some packets have 3 or 4 sizes in each and there's virtually no difference in size but they have different threads.

First you never apply thermal paste to the CPU. You apply it to the contact area of the cooler.

As to having no PCI slots I'd be surprised if I found a motherboard with such slots as they are totally obsolete. They were replaced with PCIe. Shoot, by today's standards, PCI is so slow of a buss I can't see why one would even want one unless they had an ancient PCI card they wanted to use for a specific purpose.

To bad you didn't know about modular power supplies. With a power supply that is not modular they have to hard-wire all cables the thing can handle. With modular you just plug in the cables you need. It makes it a lot easier to run cables for better air flow.

While I figure the two graphic card slots are 16C PCIe I'm not sure what you mean by 2 C: drive slots as you can only have one C: drive. I'm guessing that you mean 2 slots for NVME M.2 cards which, by the way, are are MUCH faster than SATA as they use the PCIe buss.

As to the size of the case mid case really does not have lot to do with the physical size. It is more related to what it can hold such as the length of the video card. For instance take a case that has slots for 5.25 inch optical drives. Such a case will tend to be larger than one that has no 5.25 inch bays just due to the added space needed for the drive bays.

Why he concern about black and left over screws? Black only adds to potential heat if subjected to light so is of no concern in an enclosed case. As to the screws it seems the case maker is just giving you what you may need. They have no idea as to what you are going to put in the case so they try to supply any and all screws that could be needed. It is totally normal to have MANY left over screws.

I mean absolutely zero insult but you are sounding like someone doing their first build that had no idea as to what to expect.

 

[Colin_T]

It's my first pc build since the 90s. Back then you got discs with drivers, a book with diagrams and information so you could have the diagram next to the case and simply look at it whenever you needed to. It was nicer and a lot easier than trying to use the internet at the same time as building a pc. What the pc companies don't understand is not everyone has good internet or even internet and not everyone has a good computer to check online. The reason I'm building this thing is because my lenovo is a bucket of crap that keeps randomly resetting. So I need a pc that works and I also live in a crap area (black spot) for internet and mobile phone coverage (internet download speeds less than 1Mbps, dial up speed). Government departments do the same thing. They simply assume everyone has great internet, reliable computers and a printer. It never occurs to them that some people don't have everything, can't afford anything, and live in crappy areas.

As for the black case, it would be easier to see things if the inside of the case was lighter. Old computer cases used to be black or grey on the outside and unpainted steel on the inside. It made it a lot easier to see things.

 

[seangee]

Hopefully many years before you need to replace it - and things may be different in your country...

When I bought my PC I used a (reputable) online retailer and ordered a "package" with the components I needed and had them assemble it. This often works out cheaper than doing it yourself and avoids any arguments if you need a warranty replacement. In my case I ordered the system with no GPU or operating system and a small disk (it was cheaper to buy disks elsewhere to upgrade). I had a decent GPU in the system I was replacing and a retail Windows license. After about a year the hard disk (nVME) failed. When I called they asked if I was comfortable replacing it myself and just sent me a new one. It was a Samsung disk so the failure was just one of those things rather than poor quality!
Many retailers offer bare bones systems which will include the case, PS, MB, Processor & cooler pre-assembled. These often allow you to add memory or disks as options. Remember if you need a Windows Licence you need to buy at least a disk to get OEM pricing (at least legally ), and it usually works out at a negligible cost.
I am perfectly capable of building my own (I used to do it for a living). But unless I need something very high end or heavily customised its not worth the hassle. As an everyday PC its by far the simplest solution and cost me much less than buying an off the shelf PC with a much lower spec.

 

[jaylach]

It's my first pc build since the 90s. Back then you got discs with drivers, a book with diagrams and information so you could have the diagram next to the case and simply look at it whenever you needed to. It was nicer and a lot easier than trying to use the internet at the same time as building a pc. What the pc companies don't understand is not everyone has good internet or even internet and not everyone has a good computer to check online. The reason I'm building this thing is because my lenovo is a bucket of crap that keeps randomly resetting. So I need a pc that works and I also live in a crap area (black spot) for internet and mobile phone coverage (internet download speeds less than 1Mbps, dial up speed). Government departments do the same thing. They simply assume everyone has great internet, reliable computers and a printer. It never occurs to them that some people don't have everything, can't afford anything, and live in crappy areas.

As for the black case, it would be easier to see things if the inside of the case was lighter. Old computer cases used to be black or grey on the outside and unpainted steel on the inside. It made it a lot easier to see things.

I agree that no manual or driver disk is a pain, especially the lack of a manual. As to a driver install disk I never used them anyway once there was an Internet. Well, I used the CD but only for the NIC drivers. Otherwise I'd go to the makers' sites and download the needed drivers to be sure that I had the most recent.

As to a hard-copy of the manual you could download and, if you don't have a printer, take the download to a office supply store and have it printed. Not ideal but is a solution.