Leaving the Canary Channel

Scannerman · Sep 5, 2023

Thought you might like that. I kind of identify with the cat. Except he never learns his lesson. He won't leave that canary alone.

cereberus · Sep 5, 2023

Edwin said:
I'm going to continue...,

I've got an EaseUS ToDo Backup package..., is that any good..., anyone know???

It is ok for basic backups, but not a flexible as Macrium Reflect.

Scannerman · Sep 5, 2023

I find the best back up is a complete drive image. Forget these time intensive dubious zip files and proprietary b.s. programs. Make a drive image, pull the image, experiment until it sewer sides, pull the abomination, plug in the drive image. Now the drive image is your restored OS and you have an abomination to reformat and make another drive image to. * Rinse and repeat to your heart's content *

jimbo45 · Sep 5, 2023

Scannerman said:
I find the best back up is a complete drive image. Forget these time intensive dubious zip files and proprietary b.s. programs. Make a drive image, pull the image, experiment until it sewer sides, pull the abomination, plug in the drive image. Now the drive image is your restored OS and you have an abomination to reformat and make another drive image to. * Rinse and repeat to your heart's content *

If all you want is a drive image -- the easiest bar none -- since it doesn't depend on any file system, preformatting or whatever is simply to boot any Linux live image and from the command line simply type

dd if=<source disk> of=<target disk -- or even a file if you want> bs=6144M status=progress.

sit back and job done. -- The disks in linux will be shown as /dev/sdx where x is a,b,c etc and you can display them by typing lsblk from the command line.

To restore == use the same command e.g

dd if=<old target disk or file> of=<new destination drive> bs=6144M status=progress.

Simple, job done, no file formatting etc required and works 100% of the time --regardless of what encryption etc there is on the windows disks --this program just does a physical sector by sector copy. Note free space etc is copied - it's just a "photograph" of the disk so any errors / corrupt files on the source will be copied to the target.

I know this is a Windows Forum but if the OP wants a simple FREE disk copy / image program you can't beat this (and it should also run from within a LINUX VM or even the Windows WSL - but I wouldn't advise running from a booted Windows OS though. Just boot any Linux live distro. Linux Mint is almost "more Windows than Windows if people want to try it).

cheers
jimbo

Ghot · Sep 5, 2023

Scannerman said:

CGI !

Sufferin' succotash !!

cereberus · Sep 5, 2023

jimbo45 said:
If all you want is a drive image -- the easiest bar none -- since it doesn't depend on any file system, preformatting or whatever is simply to boot any Linux live image and from the command line simply type

dd if=<source disk> of=<target disk -- or even a file if you want> bs=6144M status=progress.

sit back and job done. -- The disks in linux will be shown as /dev/sdx where x is a,b,c etc and you can display them by typing lsblk from the command line.

To restore == use the same command e.g

dd if=<old target disk or file> of=<new destination drive> bs=6144M status=progress.

Simple, job done, no file formatting etc required and works 100% of the time --regardless of what encryption etc there is on the windows disks --this program just does a physical sector by sector copy. Note free space etc is copied - it's just a "photograph" of the disk so any errors / corrupt files on the source will be copied to the target.

I know this is a Windows Forum but if the OP wants a simple FREE disk copy / image program you can't beat this (and it should also run from within a LINUX VM or even the Windows WSL - but I wouldn't advise running from a booted Windows OS though. Just boot any Linux live distro. Linux Mint is almost "more Windows than Windows if people want to try it).

cheers
jimbo

We can always rely on you to come up with a linux solution.

Windows FFU is much simpler lol.

lastmanstanding · Sep 5, 2023

Edwin said:
DISM did nothing! Beats the hell outta me!

Desperate times call for desperate measures...

View attachment 69913

Will using the "Keep my files" option allow me to leave the canary build but retain my files?

Edwin · Sep 5, 2023

lastmanstanding said:
Will using the "Keep my files" option allow me to leave the canary build but retain my files?

Apparently not, in my case anyway! And, what weirds me out is that I'm not signed into anything!

lastmanstanding · Sep 5, 2023

Edwin said:
Apparently not, in my case anyway! And, what weirds me out is that I'm not signed into anything!

Could you tell me exactly what happened when you did it? Did it just reset apps/settings and retain some files but reinstall the same version of the canary version you already had instead of a fresh Windows 11 build?

Edwin · Sep 5, 2023

lastmanstanding said:
Did it just reset apps/settings and retain some files but reinstall the same version of the canary version you already had instead of a fresh Windows 11 build?

Yup!

jimbo45 · Sep 6, 2023

cereberus said:
We can always rely on you to come up with a linux solution.

Windows FFU is much simpler lol.

FFU doesn't capture encrypted disks !!! DD doesn't care !! The command line is also a bit non intuitive e.g

dism.exe /CaptureDrive:\\.\PhysicalDrive0. so you need to use disk part to find the physical drive you want to capture

Then restoring is a bind --you have to mount the image etc.

other limitations :

can't capture disk with mbr partitions
cant capture a disk with VSS enabled.

So I question the fact that FFU is easier

"been there, seen it, done it, Bought the T-Shirt etc. Also you need a windows system to run this on or a bootable install media / winpe system.

Much easier to load up a bootable small thumbstick of gparted, enter the terminal in superuser mode -- job done.

dd if=<input disk / file> of=<output disk / file> bs=6144M status=progress seems to me far simpler than FFU especially when you want to restore.

Cheers
jimbo

Edwin · Sep 6, 2023

I still wish they would bring the media OSD out front by the Volume slider, like in W10...,
makes it so much easier to change media sources via mouse actions...

Windows 10:

Floki1992 · Sep 15, 2023

And so after being forced by Microsoft to be on the Canary Channel, and seeing that all new features went first through the DEV channel before the Canary channel, I made the decision to go through the reinstallation of Windows to return to the DEV channel.

After a day of backing up all my files and programs, 3 days to move everything back to the new Windows installation, here I am again on the DEV channel

Winuser · Sep 23, 2023

Floki1992 said:
seeing that all new features went first through the DEV channel before the Canary channel

That's something I totally don't understand. If The Canary Builds are supposed to be hot off the presses, why are some of the new features coming from the Dev Builds?

cereberus · Sep 24, 2023

jimbo45 said:
FFU doesn't capture encrypted disks !!! DD doesn't care !! The command line is also a bit non intuitive e.g

dism.exe /CaptureDrive:\\.\PhysicalDrive0. so you need to use disk part to find the physical drive you want to capture

Then restoring is a bind --you have to mount the image etc.

other limitations :

can't capture disk with mbr partitions
cant capture a disk with VSS enabled.

So I question the fact that FFU is easier

"been there, seen it, done it, Bought the T-Shirt etc. Also you need a windows system to run this on or a bootable install media / winpe system.

Much easier to load up a bootable small thumbstick of gparted, enter the terminal in superuser mode -- job done.

dd if=<input disk / file> of=<output disk / file> bs=6144M status=progress seems to me far simpler than FFU especially when you want to restore.

Cheers
jimbo

Use a Macrium Reflect disk - FFU is easier for Windows users as most have no idea about Linux commands.

jimbo45 · Sep 24, 2023

cereberus said:
Use a Macrium Reflect disk - FFU is easier for Windows users as most have no idea about Linux commands.

Hi there
currently fine but if (and when) Macrium free stops working there are other free solutions. It's not clear whether for people who merely just image their systems and dont need all the bells and whistles of the new subscription model want to pay the amount anyway.

I'm sure it's still easier to run a command from a stand alone version of gparted (identical - or very nearly) the same as other partition managers with just dd if=<file or device 1> of=<file or device 2> bs=2048M status=progress than the quite complicated ffu thing - plus a load of users aren't familiar with powershell at all.

So I think we can agree to differ on this one. !!!

Cheers
jimbo

BigRedAU · Sep 30, 2023

Winuser said:
I'm thinking about stopping any new Canary Builds on my new desktop. I checked and all I see is an option to leave the Insider Program. I just want to stop getting new Canary builds but still get Windows Updates. Is this possible? I have turned off getting updates for 7 days because I don't like the two latest Canary builds. MS is going in a direction that I can't customize Windows 11 the way I want.

I believe that when you are on a GA release build you can switch out of canary builds. (but you need to be a magician to keep your eye on the list of builds)

Winuser · Oct 1, 2023

BigRedAU said:
I believe that when you are on a GA release build you can switch out of canary builds. (but you need to be a magician to keep your eye on the list of builds)

I'm hoping that MS opens the door to allow us to switch out of the Canary builds like they did with the Skip ahead builds. MS has made what they claim is the hot off the presses builds into the most boringest builds.