Win 10 Pro install on barebones PC

[DaveS]

OK, I've downloaded the Media Creation Tool, and downloading Win 10 onto my spare laptop which has a 64 gig USB stick ready.

[Xplode]

Ok. Normally the pc should boot right from the USB stick since it has no other valid choices, if not you will have to figure out the boot key for the pc

[DaveS]

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping, as there's no obvious Fn key mentioned on the American Megatrends flash screen.

[Xplode]

Fn is a key that's normally on laptops which is to use F1-F12 as 2 key.
Normally boot menu is opened with one of the F keys.

[DaveS]

OK, yes I mean to type F key. Trouble is it could be any of them. F8 and F12 are common but not certain. Could be F2.

[Gasman]

44 minutes ago, DaveS said:

OK, yes I mean to type F key. Trouble is it could be any of them. F8 and F12 are common but not certain. Could be F2.

Can sometimes be the 'del' key also!

[DaveS]

4 minutes ago, Gasman said:

Can sometimes be the 'del' key also!

Because standardising on one particular key would be too easy, right  

It in the throes of installing now, the front three USB 2 ports are either disconnected or disfuncional. Plugged the stick into one of the rear USB 3 ports.

[DaveS]

And now has thrown up a blue screen with a stopcode Machine Error

Saying we'll gather information and restart for you, except it's shown 0% for the last 20 mins.

Going to reboot with my trusty rebooting tool, AKA sledgehammer

[Dr_Ju_ju]

That screenshot shows that the PC is expecting to contact a local server for a downloadable installation image, which I'm thinking that you don't have ?? 

[DaveS]

No, I don't have a local server, though it was plugged into the internet.

I solved the Blue Screen error by turning off and on, whereupon it went through all the normal Win 10 set up routines. Slight complication we had a power cut while I was having an afternoon doze, wasn't long but any kind of cut is a problem with computers.

I did have it set to the correct time, but now it's showing the time when I left it.

Will get on to Softwaregeeks and purchase a Win 10 Pro license key.

[DaveS]

Bother. Bother, bother, bother. Bother (Or very naughty words to that effect)

Went to Softwaregeeks and purchased a license key for Win 10 Pro, as suggested, fine, paid £20 got the download etc. Went into windows control panel to enter the key, only to find my copy of Windows was already activated and linked to my Micro-$-oft account. so £20 spent that I didn't have to.

*Gives self another slap round the head*

[Geoff_L]

On 22/09/2019 at 11:04, DaveS said:

OK, thanks guys, just checked Softwaregeeks.

This is the industrial mini PC I bought. Reading the description and the reviews / comments I thought it had Win 10 Pro installed but not activated. Would you read it the same way?

This is what they say in the small print on the page:

The Operating System is activated but not licensed(No key), just for testing the mini computer,

That said, I agree it's a bit misleading for them to only mention that once but say it has Win 10 in multiple other locations.

[DaveS]

But the point is, and which I should have been alert to, that "Barebones" means just that, ie NO operating system at all, just a BIOS. I had to download and install a copy of Win 10 Pro from the Micro-$-Oft site. Only finding out that it was activated and linked to the Micro-$-Oft account I set up with the Win 10 Pro license on the micro PC I'd bought earlier for the platform telescope.

Well, I now have a bootable USB stick with a Win 10 Pro installation file on it, and a spare, never expiring, license key "just in case".

Now also installed Cartes du Ciel, Autoslew, Sequence (From the ASA support pages), ASCOM 6.4 sp1, and Maxim DL6, just got to purchase another license of PinPoint.

[Gasman]

Have to say I'm confused now Dave (not hard😊). How can you install a copy of Win 10 (which I assume is linked to a specific pc you already own) onto a different pc ( ie your new one? ). I always thought a specific copy of Windows 10 is linked to a particular pc so if say the drive goes caput you can I install that copy of Win 10 on the new drive (same motherboard)??.

Steve

[upahill]

If you are getting blue screen errors - that would imply windows is installed on the drive.

The screenshot you posted suggests it cant find the boot drive at all now (if it was an empty drive it would usually error out, asking for a operating system drive to be installed) - the screenshot suggests it has resorted to the last possible option of booting over the network. A bios reset would be a good idea here and put the boot order back to defaults.

Windows 10 Licenses are weird, if you bought it you can technically transfer it to any other PC, but it is locked to a machine identifier - so a major hardware change requires windows customer service to intervene. If you got windows 10 as part of the free upgrade then its not usually eligible for transfer to a different machine. I bought a code last week for a tenner which has worked perfectly and cheaper than phoning customer services probably - had to do this as I changed almost all components in my machine.

[DaveS]

Well, I'm confused as well, as I thought I'd have to buy a separate license. I did have to download a copy of Win 10 Pro and make a bootable USB, not as difficult as I thought, but how it was linked to my account I don't know. Still if Micro-$-Oft say it's OK, that's OK with me..

[DaveS]

I haven't been out to check the platform PC, as the box is in the open and it's chucking down, I just hope I haven't stuffed up the OS there.

The PC I bought was very barebones, no ssd or RAM, had to install those myself. Fortunately the BIOS was there and installed the Win 10 image from the USB. I suppose it would have installed Linux if I had the image.

But I do have a spare license key just in case I have stuffed up one of the PCs.

[Gasman]

Weird of MS as I thought that's the whole point of anti piracy otherwise I could install my licenced copy onto 5,10 15+ PC's?

Steve

[DaveS]

Which is why I'm confused. Will see tomorrow if I can boot up both PCs.

[upahill]

Just now, Gasman said:

Weird of MS as I thought that's the whole point of anti piracy otherwise I could install my licenced copy onto 5,10 15+ PC's?

Steve

You can only transfer it, so it can only be active on one machine at a time. And only if you bought the full edition, not an OEM license or an upgrade license.

I can change most of the hardware in my machine without any licensing issues, but with significant changes (like motherboard etc) then it classes it as a different machine and requires either ms intervention to remove the hardware identifier for the license (effectively deactivating the original pc) or a new license.

Sometimes the license is tied to your MS account, so if you use that to setup and login to a new system it will try and trasnfer the key / license for activation. If you want a new license on that machine you have to choose the option to "change product key" and enter the new one.

 

All of this aside if when you install windows you skip the activation process you should still be able to get a working machine up and running and deal with the activation issue later.

[DaveS]

Hmm... well, I went out to the platform computer during a lull in the weather, booted it up, everything OK, only thing I had to do was re-link my gmail account as I'd changed the password. Booted up the new computer while the platform one was active, again, no problems. So if it's all working OK I'll adopt the "If it ain't broke.." principle.

[Davey-T]

Don't know about Win10 but I purchased a copy of Win7 Pro that installed and worked fine for a while but then after some days, can't remember how many, it popped up as unlicensed and I had to log onto M'Soft automated system to get a key, all worked fine ever since.

Dave

PS: Hope it doesn't get screwed by a windows update Dave, have you made a complete backup ?

Edited September 24, 2019 by Davey-T

[DaveS]

Well, I have the install file on a USB stick, and all the other software is either on a spare stick or can be downloaded. I already have a Win 10 Pro key I can use if needs be,

I checked the Windows version and it came back as 1903, so the latest version. So far that is....

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Do any updates now, manually, before it does them automatically. Even for 1903 there are a few large updates to be applied....

[DaveS]

OK, found 4 updates to be done, running them now.