RuffHi
Active member
- Local time
- 4:56 PM
- Posts
- 47
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro 22H2 Build 22621.3374
Aim
Create an OS disk cycle that keeps my OS disk nice and clean, gives me a chance to 'try' updates in a non-production environment without the need to keep multiple environments and provides a 'fall back' mechanism if (when) things go south.
I wanted to be able to multi-boot the system (bcd menu), tell at a glance which disk I was logging into / onto (different boot background), which disk was active (different wallpaper or similar), have different backup routines for the different OS disks and monitor those different backups to ensure they were still happening / active.
For this, I think I need the following:
Next Attempt
Ok ... where to from here? I am thinking of nuking it from space (the only way to be sure) and (sort of) starting again. I have one small Samsung SSD (2.5") that has a fresh Win 11 install and acts as the boot disk and 'owner' of the BCD file. I will also create three (3) windows 11 install nvme disks as outlined above.
1 Install Win 11 on small SSD
This involved removing the boot disk from an Intel NUC, installing the SSD, reformatting it and then booting from a USB. Then installing Win11 to the Samsung from the USB.
This has been completed. The BCD file is in the eufi partition but there are a number of other BCD files scattered over the install (c:\windows\boot, c:\windows\winSxS has a bunch). There are two bcd files on the eufi parition (\EFI\Microsoft\boot & \EFI\Microsoft\Recovery). The one in the \boot directory is the active version. Not that you can tell by the 'date last modified'. I can tell by looking at the file size - it is the only one that changes when I add different boot options.
Why doesn't the date modified change?
2 Add a nvme SSD to the mix
Pending the delivery of this little puppy.
Create an OS disk cycle that keeps my OS disk nice and clean, gives me a chance to 'try' updates in a non-production environment without the need to keep multiple environments and provides a 'fall back' mechanism if (when) things go south.
I wanted to be able to multi-boot the system (bcd menu), tell at a glance which disk I was logging into / onto (different boot background), which disk was active (different wallpaper or similar), have different backup routines for the different OS disks and monitor those different backups to ensure they were still happening / active.
For this, I think I need the following:
- one small SSD that is the 'boot' disk
- three nvme SSDs for the OS install cycle
- one active during even months
- one active during odd months
- one trash disk that can be burnt as required / needed
My Win11 OS disk started to exhibit some questionable activity. MS notepad didn't want to work. MS calc didn't want to work. The snipping tool stopped working. Nothing major, just annoying. I postedin the Win11 forum and got some suggestions that a Win patch might be the issue, some other possible solutions or a fresh install.
No one wants to do a fresh install if they can avoid it.
I had previously separated the OS disk from the user disk, the OneDrive disk and some other aspects were also offloaded. The OS disk was for windows, programs and that was about it. As such, I could 'plug and play' with the OS disk to a large degree. I have a fairly good backup routine that protects my data, files, critical information, memories and what not.
Luckily, I had an old clone of my Win11 OS disk from about 6 weeks ago and so I decided to revert to that. However, that wouldn't actually help me avoid the situation of something getting borked in the future. Hence the above aim of implementing a OS disk rotation policy. Two disks, one month on, one month off. So, if a disk gets wonky (technical term), I could revert back to the other disk from the beginning of the month.
No one wants to do a fresh install if they can avoid it.
I had previously separated the OS disk from the user disk, the OneDrive disk and some other aspects were also offloaded. The OS disk was for windows, programs and that was about it. As such, I could 'plug and play' with the OS disk to a large degree. I have a fairly good backup routine that protects my data, files, critical information, memories and what not.
Luckily, I had an old clone of my Win11 OS disk from about 6 weeks ago and so I decided to revert to that. However, that wouldn't actually help me avoid the situation of something getting borked in the future. Hence the above aim of implementing a OS disk rotation policy. Two disks, one month on, one month off. So, if a disk gets wonky (technical term), I could revert back to the other disk from the beginning of the month.
I cloned my old OS disk back to the borked OS disk, added the 'new' disk to the bcdedit boot menu, booted to the new OS disk, updated the boot screen, background, etc. All good?
No - not all good. It wouldn't boot, the boot disk was confused about which bcd file to use. Bcdedit and bcdboot were also confused about which bcd file was 'active'. It could find various windows installs, it just couldn't add them to the bcd file / the right bcd file.
I couldn't see why that was so I just let it rest. I could boot to one of my disks but it wasn't where I wanted it to be.
I couldn't see why that was so I just let it rest. I could boot to one of my disks but it wasn't where I wanted it to be.
As it turned out, I had a trip away to California so I couldn't spend hours googling, fiddling and trying to work out what was going on. Luckily, I watch a fair few movies and 'Marry Me' had this suggestion ...
If You Sit In The Question, The Answer Will Find You
I think the issue with the 'which bcd file' was caused by my cloning of the disk. I, effectively, created a twin of my OS disk. I expect it created a twin of the uefi location, the restore location and the OS partition itself. No wonder there were multiple versions of the bcd and the system got confused.
If You Sit In The Question, The Answer Will Find You
I think the issue with the 'which bcd file' was caused by my cloning of the disk. I, effectively, created a twin of my OS disk. I expect it created a twin of the uefi location, the restore location and the OS partition itself. No wonder there were multiple versions of the bcd and the system got confused.
Next Attempt
Ok ... where to from here? I am thinking of nuking it from space (the only way to be sure) and (sort of) starting again. I have one small Samsung SSD (2.5") that has a fresh Win 11 install and acts as the boot disk and 'owner' of the BCD file. I will also create three (3) windows 11 install nvme disks as outlined above.
1 Install Win 11 on small SSD
This involved removing the boot disk from an Intel NUC, installing the SSD, reformatting it and then booting from a USB. Then installing Win11 to the Samsung from the USB.
This has been completed. The BCD file is in the eufi partition but there are a number of other BCD files scattered over the install (c:\windows\boot, c:\windows\winSxS has a bunch). There are two bcd files on the eufi parition (\EFI\Microsoft\boot & \EFI\Microsoft\Recovery). The one in the \boot directory is the active version. Not that you can tell by the 'date last modified'. I can tell by looking at the file size - it is the only one that changes when I add different boot options.
Why doesn't the date modified change?
2 Add a nvme SSD to the mix
Pending the delivery of this little puppy.
My Computer
System One
-
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro 22H2 Build 22621.3374
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- CPU
- Intel Core i9-12900 2.4 GHz 16-Core Processor
- Motherboard
- MSI MPG Z690 CARBON WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
- Memory
- CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 128GB (4x32GB) 5200MHz CL40
- Graphics Card(s)
- NVIDIA Founders Edition GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24 GB Video Card
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 1 x Samsung 34" Odyssey G5
- PSU
- SeaSonic PRIME PX-1300 1300 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
- Case
- Anidees AI CRYSTAL XL PRO LITE ATX Full Tower Case
- Cooling
- Underwater, Heatkiller, EK, Alphacool
- Internet Speed
- Gig
- Browser
- Chrome
- Antivirus
- Yes
.
