Recent content by hsehestedt

I'm experimenting with installing Windows to VHDs. I can install a secondary copy of Windows 11 to a VHD so that I have a dual boot and I can natively boot that VHD no problem. I even have this working unattended with all drivers getting automatically installed etc. However, I'm having a bit of...

100% agreed. By leaving the other drive in, setup will see that there is already an EFI partition present and so it will not need to create another. It will also be able to update the boot config on that drive without creating that on the other drive. The advice to remove other drives when...

I cannot speak for the Windows 7 side as I have not even seen 7 in at least a decade, but on the Windows 11 side, I have fixed weird network behavior several times by simply using the network reset option is settings. That resets all adapters to default settings. As I noted, there have been...

Speaking of scripting, while it is not a free product, I have become a huge fan of Drive Snapshot. http://www.drivesnapshot.de/en/ It doesn't have a fancy UI, just a very basic UI. Where it excels is in scripting and command-line usage. If you want to script backup operations, this is an...

I hope that I am understanding correctly. If you are saying that the drives of those computers are wiped right now, then you need to do one of the following: 1) Restore a factory image. I dislike this method because invariably it will install a very old build of Windows along with all the...

Just to add to this, here is the strategy that I use with any new computer.... I make a backup using Macrium (or some other backup solution) of the original factory state, "just in case". I only keep this image a few hours until I know that I can successfully perform a clean install. Next, I...

The first time you boot a new system, boot from your recovery drive for Macrium, Hasleo, etc. Create a disk image. You now have a backup of the system in exactly the factory shipped state.

"Just because I am paranoid, doesn't mean that they are not out to get me". Again, bear in mind that I have seen many cases in my professional career to be dumb enough to think I would be immune if someone targetted me. Granted, I have nothing really important enough for anyone to make much...

That is flat out wrong. There are thousands of vulnerabilities that are as simple as you visiting a malicious web site, whether on purpose or by accident, there are phishing attacks, there have been vulnerabilities exploited with malicious PDF files, office docs, even image files have had...

To be fair, I have only used for short term testing, so it's possible that you may be correct. Maybe I should setup a system with old drivers on purpose and test to see if this really blocks updates. Maybe I'll give that a try over the next day or two if I have time.

Pardon my frankness, but NAT will do absolutely nothing for many vulnerabilities.

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\PolicyState" /V "ExcludeWUDrivers" /T REG_DWORD /D "1" /F This will prevent driver updates from being installed by Windows update. NOTE: To reverse the above, change the "1" to a "0".

Remember that security is not the only potential reason to change over to Windows 11. At least for me, I find some of the features compelling. But here is my suggestion: Just try it. Make a full disk image backup so that you can go back to where you were easily, then install Windows 11 and run...

Thanks, much appreciated. I had two Mini PCs that both had no way to enable Secure Boot but falsely reported to the OS that they were Secure Boot capable. That way they pass Windows 11 requirement checks without really being Secure Boot capable. Fortunately, I was able to get a BIOS update for...

I'm late to the party. I've been ignoring this topic until now. I used Garlin's script to update my secure boot on a Mini PC today. I should note that before today this BIOS had no Secure Boot option. I had to request an updated BIOS from the Mini PC maker to get that option. After performing...