W7-W10 is SLOOOW! (And 32G storage machines)

OK, I decided to get a W10 before the deadline, for future-proofing
reasons. (I'll have a play with it, but I have a 7 to go back to.)

I bought a similar hard drive (320G) to the existing one, cloned (by
imaging), and booted from the clone. Amended GWX control panel and the
Gibson thing to allow the upgrade.

Eventually (after having to move a partition boundary; it needs 20G
spare before it will do the upgrade, even if it'll _run_ in less than
that [see recent discussions on whether the 32G machines are viable*]),
it started the download. Now, that I was _expecting_ to be slow -
received wisdom being that it's about 3G, and I was also considering the
servers _might_ have a lot of other people doing the last-minute thing
too! So I went to bed.

On coming back, that seemed to have happened, and I'm at

Getting your upgrade ready
Installing Windows 10. Please wait.

That had obviously just started when I came back to the machine; I saw
it change from 0%, to 1%, to 2%.

Now, around 3¼ hours later, it's got to 85%; I haven't been doing
anything else on it (not really viable: it has periods of
unresponsivity).

I just thought I'd report this for anyone else considering it: be
prepared for a long wait, and not just for the download. I'm also far
from convinced there isn't another long process to come: it says
"Getting your upgrade _ready_", and also "You can choose when to start
your upgrade", which together suggest there's a lot more to come.

(What is it _doing_? The 7 machine on which I'm letting this happen has
very little on it: 7, Skype, TeamViewer [those are about all I use it
for, to support others], IrfanView, and one or two others - not even
sure I've put VLC on it. C: - OS and software - was about 35G when I
started, D: - data - about 6G.)

* I had a look at a couple of those 32G solid-state storage machines in
a PC World in the last few days. They look very much like a reasonable
laptop/netbook (I didn't notice whether they had optical drives - I
think not). They had W10, of course. Now, I can't imagine - being
sitting on open display in a shop - anyone had done much to them (not
even the shop staff - they haven't time). I figured out how to get to
"disc" properties in W10 (not that different from earlier Windows; I
think I just did Win-E to open explorer, then right-clicked on C: and
selected properties).

One of them had a little space showing as available: my memory is hazy,
as I think the pie-chart showed about a quarter free, but I think the
numbers showed 3-4G free, and those can't both be right. But the other
definitely showed no free space on the pie chart, and 0% in numbers.

So if they're that full "out of the box", I can't imagine they're going
to be that useful, even to a very minimal user.

(My "Getting your upgrade ready" has "shot" up to 88% [from 85 when I
started] in the 15 minutes or so I've taken to type this post.])
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"Who came first? Adam or Eve?" "Adam of course; men always do."
Victoria Wood (via Peter Hesketh)

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:


(My "Getting your upgrade ready" has "shot" up to 88% [from 85 when I
started] in the 15 minutes or so I've taken to type this post.])

The install.wim or install.esd is compressed. If the processor
on the machine is not very powerful, this can slow the job down.

And I don't know if they're still doing WIMBOOT on
32GB flash machines or not. I would assume so,
but haven't seen any details of how it is handled.

It's also possible, on a "small" machine, to have
the installer ask for the addition of a second
storage device (a USB stick would do). It sounds
like the intention is to remove some materials
off the main drive, while the install is running.
My laptop put up that prompt (because I forgot to
"houseclean" before starting the install - I normally
run the laptop with little free space on C: ).

My laptop only has a single core, and it did
take some hours to install. But it did seem
to take less time, than the interval you
are describing. Maybe yours has to decompress
and recompress something ?

Paul

In message , Paul
writes:
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

(My "Getting your upgrade ready" has "shot" up to 88% [from 85 when
I started] in the 15 minutes or so I've taken to type this post.])

(93% now.)

The install.wim or install.esd is compressed. If the processor
on the machine is not very powerful, this can slow the job down.

I see. It probably isn't. The hard disc light is giving a brief flash
about once a second, certainly a lot more off than on.

And I don't know if they're still doing WIMBOOT on
32GB flash machines or not. I would assume so,
but haven't seen any details of how it is handled.

I assume these were preloaded (with uncompressed data) at manufacture -
possibly even before the chips are soldered down; I don't know if
flashed data can stand soldering temperature. (I imagine it's
pick-and-place onto solder paste form, then a quickish blast of IR to
melt the paste.)

It's also possible, on a "small" machine, to have
the installer ask for the addition of a second
storage device (a USB stick would do). It sounds

It didn't ask me for anything like that (I'd have told it about the
other partitions).

like the intention is to remove some materials
off the main drive, while the install is running.
My laptop put up that prompt (because I forgot to
"houseclean" before starting the install - I normally
run the laptop with little free space on C: ).

Seemed a suspiciously round number (20G) that it was looking for, too!

My laptop only has a single core, and it did
take some hours to install. But it did seem
to take less time, than the interval you
are describing. Maybe yours has to decompress
and recompress something ?

Maybe! Still 93% ...

Paul
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"I'm very peachable, if people know how to peach" - Sir David Attenborough (on
being asked if he was tired of being described as impeachable), on Desert
Island Discs, 2012-1-29.

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , Paul writes:
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

(My "Getting your upgrade ready" has "shot" up to 88% [from 85 when
I started] in the 15 minutes or so I've taken to type this post.])

(93% now.)

The install.wim or install.esd is compressed. If the processor
on the machine is not very powerful, this can slow the job down.

I see. It probably isn't. The hard disc light is giving a brief flash
about once a second, certainly a lot more off than on.

And I don't know if they're still doing WIMBOOT on
32GB flash machines or not. I would assume so,
but haven't seen any details of how it is handled.

I assume these were preloaded (with uncompressed data) at manufacture -
possibly even before the chips are soldered down; I don't know if
flashed data can stand soldering temperature. (I imagine it's
pick-and-place onto solder paste form, then a quickish blast of IR to
melt the paste.)

It's also possible, on a "small" machine, to have
the installer ask for the addition of a second
storage device (a USB stick would do). It sounds

It didn't ask me for anything like that (I'd have told it about the
other partitions).

like the intention is to remove some materials
off the main drive, while the install is running.
My laptop put up that prompt (because I forgot to
"houseclean" before starting the install - I normally
run the laptop with little free space on C: ).

Seemed a suspiciously round number (20G) that it was looking for, too!

My laptop only has a single core, and it did
take some hours to install. But it did seem
to take less time, than the interval you
are describing. Maybe yours has to decompress
and recompress something ?

Maybe! Still 93% ...

Paul

I've installed Win10 on four machines, one of them a 32GB-memory tablet
with Win8.1 (using a portable HD as scratch space), and always with full
success, and never taking more than an hour. But I've always used a DVD
burned from a download.
That's the way to go. Tried and fully approved.

Ed

Ed Cryer wrote:
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , Paul writes:
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

(My "Getting your upgrade ready" has "shot" up to 88% [from 85 when
I started] in the 15 minutes or so I've taken to type this post.])

(93% now.)

The install.wim or install.esd is compressed. If the processor
on the machine is not very powerful, this can slow the job down.

I see. It probably isn't. The hard disc light is giving a brief flash
about once a second, certainly a lot more off than on.

And I don't know if they're still doing WIMBOOT on
32GB flash machines or not. I would assume so,
but haven't seen any details of how it is handled.

I assume these were preloaded (with uncompressed data) at manufacture -
possibly even before the chips are soldered down; I don't know if
flashed data can stand soldering temperature. (I imagine it's
pick-and-place onto solder paste form, then a quickish blast of IR to
melt the paste.)

It's also possible, on a "small" machine, to have
the installer ask for the addition of a second
storage device (a USB stick would do). It sounds

It didn't ask me for anything like that (I'd have told it about the
other partitions).

like the intention is to remove some materials
off the main drive, while the install is running.
My laptop put up that prompt (because I forgot to
"houseclean" before starting the install - I normally
run the laptop with little free space on C: ).

Seemed a suspiciously round number (20G) that it was looking for, too!

My laptop only has a single core, and it did
take some hours to install. But it did seem
to take less time, than the interval you
are describing. Maybe yours has to decompress
and recompress something ?

Maybe! Still 93% ...

Paul

I've installed Win10 on four machines, one of them a 32GB-memory tablet
with Win8.1 (using a portable HD as scratch space), and always with full
success, and never taking more than an hour. But I've always used a DVD
burned from a download.
That's the way to go. Tried and fully approved.

Ed


For upgrades, you can mount an ISO (if the
OS permits it - not all Windows versions mount ISOs).
The I/O generally isn't the rate limiting step, and
the decompression takes some time. And the installer
never seems to use more than about 25% of the
available resources. Which is weird. It seems
to use more than one core, but it refuses to use
all the cores.

It's clean installs where you need media, and in
that case, a USB flash might be faster than a DVD.
I can try the microsoftstore "Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool"
to make the USB stick.

If you did a GWX (upgrade) install and would like
media, you can keep the install.wim or install.esd
from the C:\$Windows.~BT folder for later. You can
make an installer DVD from that single file, using
this procedure. Whereas a MediaCreationTool ISO might
be 3.5GB, the output from this is around ~4GB, as if
there are some differences in the compression used
or something. When one of my Insider installs updates
itself to a new OS version, I convert the install.esd
using this recipe. And make an ISO to be used to upgrade
the other install. Which saves on another download.

http://deploymentresearch.com/Resear...y-tools-needed

Paul

On Sun, 24 Jul 2016 13:05:34 -0400, Paul wrote:

For upgrades, you can mount an ISO (if the
OS permits it - not all Windows versions mount ISOs).

I assume you mean natively. I wouldn't know about that because I always use
third party tools to mount ISOs. One of my favorites is Virtual CloneDrive.
I think I've used that on everything from Win98 onward.

--

Char Jackson

On Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:10:48 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

OK, I decided to get a W10 before the deadline, for future-proofing
reasons. (I'll have a play with it, but I have a 7 to go back to.)

Same status. I'm in the middle of trying to install 7 so I can
install 10! Planning to make a copy.

If it's slow, maybe that's because millions of people are doing this?

if so, it will be even worse by the time I get to it.

If the last day is the 28th (the 28th?) does that mean I can still do
it on the 28th, or do I have to be done by midnight the 27th?

What time zone? ;-) I know it's going to be close.

Micky wrote:
On Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:10:48 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

OK, I decided to get a W10 before the deadline, for future-proofing
reasons. (I'll have a play with it, but I have a 7 to go back to.)

Same status. I'm in the middle of trying to install 7 so I can
install 10! Planning to make a copy.

If it's slow, maybe that's because millions of people are doing this?

if so, it will be even worse by the time I get to it.

If the last day is the 28th (the 28th?) does that mean I can still do
it on the 28th, or do I have to be done by midnight the 27th?

What time zone? ;-) I know it's going to be close.

You can:

1) Install Win10 directly.
2) When it asks for a key, type in the Win7 key.
3) That will generate the Digital Entitlement on the MS Server,
good for a future re-install of Win10 after Aug1,2016.
4) Now, install Win7 or whatever.

This will save you from one step in the process. Of
being in a rush to do two installs.

And the above assumes the equipment can actually
take Win10. And that the Win7 key you have in
hand, is a real Win7 key.

Cut some media with MediaCreationTool. The last time I
checked the web page, there was an upper button entitled
something like "do the upgrade for me". But further down the
page was the interface to create a DVD. And what you want
at this point, is the DVD image.

Once you have the DVD image, you can move the image
to a USB stick with this. This is for computers without
a CD drive. Any computer capable of installing Win10,
should be bootable from USB anyway.

Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool ("make USB key")

http://web.archive.org/web/201201022...usbdvd_dwnTool

http://web.archive.org/web/201110052...B-DVD-tool.exe

To use that tool, I recommend using a 64-bit OS
on your technician computer. That allows the tool
to transfer 32-bit or 64-bit media to the USB stick.

Now, normally, a person would not expect "bitness" to
matter, but what happens with that tool, is while
the tool is working, it extracts "bootsect.exe" from
the ISO it is transferring. If the technician machine
is 32-bit, and it extracts a 64-bit version of bootsect.exe
and tries to run it, that will fail to work. So it's
the combination of a 32-bit technician machine and
64-bit media that fails. The fix for that, is to take
a modern 32-bit bootsect.exe and place that file into
the same folder as the EXE doing this transfer operation.
The tool then finds your (locally planted) 32-bit version
of bootsect.exe and runs that instead. So far, whatever
bootsect.exe I grabbed and placed on this machine, it's
worked for all media I've moved to USB.

And in the time it took me to write that paragraph,
the DVD would probably be burned by now :-) So if
you were expecting time savings, all your savings
will be lost getting that stupid tool to work
the first time :-)

Anyway, you don't need to do two installs. Just
one will suffice to generate the digital entitlement.

Once in Win10, you can take a screenshot like one
of these. If you ever need to contact Microsoft support
some day, maybe some of the numbers in here will help.
Use an Administrator Command Prompt window to run it.
On the Win10 Start button, if you right-click the
Start button, there will be an Administrator Command
Prompt in the menu.

https://s32.postimg.org/bk53pxk5x/slmgrlap.gif

Paul