General OS reinstall questions from a noob

[bword]

Im got a pretty decent handle on everything except installing OS's. The options on how to do it are overwhelming sometimes lol. I would like a few standard ways of doing this to save time. Lets pretend that using the recovery partition is out of the question. And the OS is totally hosed and not save-able at all.

If a customer doesn't have the OEM recovery cds what do you guys do? Order them the recovery cds and wait it out? Or use some generic Windows install cds and use their existing key and if so which Windows install cd would you use?

So many options and I often get so hung up on what is the right thing to do.
Thanks in advance!

 

[MichaelBits]

I never use recovery media... full of their boatware crap along with it.

I create install images/apply them with winpe and imagex.

You can also use a WDS. Windows Deployment Server.
There is also using opk/adk for instance to create unattended installs.

Which to use would be whatever fits for you I sup[pose.

I found using imagex to be quick and simple.

And always use the key on the device... or if win 8 and later, ensure you read the key from the bios.

 

[Calx]

Following on from my comment in your introductions thread:

I think this was the site I used to create the any windows 7 DVD http://www.theeldergeek.com/windows_7/custom_w7_installation_dvd.htm

Produkey http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html#DownloadLinks

Windows 8 media creation tool http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

Those should keep you busy for a while.

 

[brandonkick]

I think the real answer is: how many of these are you doing?

I do maybe 10 or less in a year (it's not my full time job) and of those
I just use a regular windows disk. I don't use recovery media unless
the client already has them, and I will use the recovery partition if
it's in good shape. Once I get the OS reloaded, I get the latest drivers
from the OEM's site and then let it do all the windows updates usually
using WSUS offline at least once to get the bulk of them.

If I did a lot of them, say maybe 10 or 15 a month, then I'd set up a
winpe/imagex or WDS and do deployments. You set up the machine,
generalize it and then capture the image. You wind up with a image
of that OS, that can be deployed to a fresh drive. Then all you need to
do is install drivers, catch up any updates that might have come out
since your image was made and then the computer is ready for
data migration / customization.

 

[bword]

I never use recovery media... full of their boatware crap along with it.

I create install images/apply them with winpe and imagex.

You can also use a WDS. Windows Deployment Server.
There is also using opk/adk for instance to create unattended installs.

Which to use would be whatever fits for you I sup[pose.

I found using imagex to be quick and simple.

And always use the key on the device... or if win 8 and later, ensure you read the key from the bios.

Good call on not using the recovery CDs because of the bloatware I never even considered that!

So do you create a generic install and dump it on whatever your using, what do you about unique drivers between different makes/models?

Didnt know about the key being in the BIOS on Windows 8 I will have to look that up.

 

[bword]

Following on from my comment in your introductions thread:

I think this was the site I used to create the any windows 7 DVD http://www.theeldergeek.com/windows_7/custom_w7_installation_dvd.htm

Produkey http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html#DownloadLinks

Windows 8 media creation tool http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

Those should keep you busy for a while.

Im gonna try to make a install dvd tomorrow thanks for that!!

Appreciate the links!!!

 

[bword]

I think the real answer is: how many of these are you doing?

I do maybe 10 or less in a year (it's not my full time job) and of those
I just use a regular windows disk. I don't use recovery media unless
the client already has them, and I will use the recovery partition if
it's in good shape. Once I get the OS reloaded, I get the latest drivers
from the OEM's site and then let it do all the windows updates usually
using WSUS offline at least once to get the bulk of them.

If I did a lot of them, say maybe 10 or 15 a month, then I'd set up a
winpe/imagex or WDS and do deployments. You set up the machine,
generalize it and then capture the image. You wind up with a image
of that OS, that can be deployed to a fresh drive. Then all you need to
do is install drivers, catch up any updates that might have come out
since your image was made and then the computer is ready for
data migration / customization.

I would say I might do 10 a year if im lucky so individual installs would be my way to go.

You bring out a good point and question for me. UPDATES aghhhhh man...nothing drives me crazier after a fresh install is the long and painful process of installing Windows updates. Me thinks I need to read up on this WSUS offline. Its one thing if I have a computer over night to work on and I can let it download all the service packs while I snooze. But if im at a customers house do I really want to sit there for 4 maybe 5 hours lol?

 

[Calx]

I would say I might do 10 a year if im lucky so individual installs would be my way to go.

You bring out a good point and question for me. UPDATES aghhhhh man...nothing drives me crazier after a fresh install is the long and painful process of installing Windows updates. Me thinks I need to read up on this WSUS offline. Its one thing if I have a computer over night to work on and I can let it download all the service packs while I snooze. But if im at a customers house do I really want to sit there for 4 maybe 5 hours lol?

Even using WSUS I am finding windows 8-8.1 updates are taking over a day and that is with 75Meg downloads.

Another site to look at is https://ninite.com/ I only heard about this site about a fortnight ago, but it has saved me so much time. It is brilliant for bulk installing useful programs.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

We use the Recovery disks that come with the HPs, Dells, Lenovos. Most of what we rebuild are business models...so there is no bloatware on the recovery disks. There is an OS disk, and a Drivers disk. HP 'n Dell have the OS read the license key from the BIOS during the install. With the business models once you get their main utility installed it will pull down the latest driver updates.n

Since most of our rebuilds are our business clients, on managed plans, once we put our RMM agent on it and the patch updated...the updates are handled pain free without having to hover over it.

On the rare crappy residential models we rebuild, as those recovery CDs may have mucho crap on them...yeah build from the Windows CD only.

 

[Moltuae]

You bring out a good point and question for me. UPDATES aghhhhh man...nothing drives me crazier after a fresh install is the long and painful process of installing Windows updates.

For Windows 7, I have a 'slipstreamed' all-in-one ISO complete with updates (and other software, such as my ScreenConnect client installer) all pre-installed. I've also integrated preferences like setting Google as the home page and turning off that stupid Windows 'hide extensions for known file types' feature. I used Win Toolkit to create the ISO and I use Rufus to make bootable USB pen drives from the ISO.

 

[fencepost]

I'm actually working on getting an HP OEM recovery disc for Windows 7 Pro - I have access to another system I can burn one from, but it requires a DVD-R Dual Layer and I've not had a chance to pick any up (nor any need before).

The system I'm going to be using it on is a Windows 8 Pro preinstalled downgrade with a dead HD; I imaged the drive with ddrescue but there was about 16MB it couldn't get including a bunch of key stuff (ProgramData, etc.). Even if I could get it back booting I wouldn't trust it. Since it was a Windows 8 machine there's no COA key and the key in the BIOS is (of course) for Windows 8 - you literally can't even fully enter it in the Win7 boxes. Presumably the OEM discs do something to retrieve and activate with that number for the downgrade, but this is actually the first time I've had to deal with this.

 

[cypress]

For Windows 7, I have a 'slipstreamed' all-in-one ISO complete with updates (and other software, such as my ScreenConnect client installer) all pre-installed. I've also integrated preferences like setting Google as the home page and turning off that stupid Windows 'hide extensions for known file types' feature. I used Win Toolkit to create the ISO and I use Rufus to make bootable USB pen drives from the ISO.

I have done the same thing. Slip streamed the updates on the Windows 7 Universal disk and grab the remaining updates from WSUS. Updated mine a couple weeks ago and a fresh install took under an hour with all updates patched.

 

[bword]

I have done the same thing. Slip streamed the updates on the Windows 7 Universal disk and grab the remaining updates from WSUS. Updated mine a couple weeks ago and a fresh install took under an hour with all updates patched.

I am so jealous of you lol I need to learn how to slip stream

 

[Moltuae]

I am so jealous of you lol I need to learn how to slip stream

Try Win Toolkit:

That tutorial is a bit out of date, but the basic process is still the same.

 

[bword]

Following on from my comment in your introductions thread:

I think this was the site I used to create the any windows 7 DVD http://www.theeldergeek.com/windows_7/custom_w7_installation_dvd.htm

I must not be having much luck today lol. I attempted to make a any dvd from this guide. I ripped a Win 7 Enterprise install CD we had laying around minus the EI.CFG file. I burned it as a bootable and I attempted to reinstall Win 7 on my test machine. However everything still said Enterprise and it never prompted me to choose from a selection of OS's. After its final install it was just Win 7 Enterprise. Im gonna look around for a Win 7 Pro or Home and try that instead.

 

[pcpete]

I'm actually working on getting an HP OEM recovery disc for Windows 7 Pro - I have access to another system I can burn one from, but it requires a DVD-R Dual Layer and I've not had a chance to pick any up (nor any need before).

The system I'm going to be using it on is a Windows 8 Pro preinstalled downgrade with a dead HD; I imaged the drive with ddrescue but there was about 16MB it couldn't get including a bunch of key stuff (ProgramData, etc.). Even if I could get it back booting I wouldn't trust it. Since it was a Windows 8 machine there's no COA key and the key in the BIOS is (of course) for Windows 8 - you literally can't even fully enter it in the Win7 boxes. Presumably the OEM discs do something to retrieve and activate with that number for the downgrade, but this is actually the first time I've had to deal with this.

You can activate it using slp activation since it has a proper windows 7 SLIC

 

[pcpete]

For Windows 7, I have a 'slipstreamed' all-in-one ISO complete with updates (and other software, such as my ScreenConnect client installer) all pre-installed. I've also integrated preferences like setting Google as the home page and turning off that stupid Windows 'hide extensions for known file types' feature. I used Win Toolkit to create the ISO and I use Rufus to make bootable USB pen drives from the ISO.

Can you use a slip streamed copy for repair installs? The reason I ask for standard installs we use imagex with updated images. But when we do repair installs we use a standard iso which causes us to have to install all 200 updates.

 

[Moltuae]

Can you use a slip streamed copy for repair installs? The reason I ask for standard installs we use imagex with updated images. But when we do repair installs we use a standard iso which causes us to have to install all 200 updates.

That's a good question. I don't know. It's so rare I ever have to do a repair install, I've never had reason to try it. If the OS is so messed up that it needs a repair install, I'll usually just N&P.

I would image it will work though. No reason I can think of that it shouldn't. After all, Service Packs are just slipstreamed into standard ISOs by MS (I believe) and you can perform repair installs with those.

 

[fencepost]

You can activate it using slp activation since it has a proper windows 7 SLIC

I have to admit I've never encountered that before, but we haven't needed to reinstall a lot of Windows 8+ downgrade systems.

A bit of digging turned up this, which I'll hope will be useful for others (I haven't run through it yet, hardware will wait until evening): https://techdoors.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/activating-windows-7-oem-way/

On a related note, for a different system I'm likely to need to replace a motherboard on a Gateway Windows 8 box. Am I likely to run into activation issues? Extracting keys is not an option - comes up enough to start the fans, but not to even complain if the memory's been pulled.

 

[bword]

So I ripped a Ultimate Windows dvd and made it a Any DVD install. Now I have the options for home/home premium/Pro/Ultimate on 64 Bit.
Not sure if I should bother hunting down a 32 bit installer but at least I know how to do it. Next step for me is figure out the slip streaming thing with current updates.

Thanks everyone!!!