Installing Win 7 Pro on New SSD - AHCI, Dual Boot and Other Questions

[MTL777]

You must have first to install KB3020369.
MS releases SP2 for Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

Yes I installed KB3020369 first before KB3125574 but couldn't finish the install for KB3125574 successfully. I think it may have been because I installed Win 7 on a partition I created with Mini Tool Partition Wizard and I didn't choose the option to format the partition when installing Win 7. Just a guess. Or maybe the Catalyst drivers I installed for my machine (Phenom II X3 CPU) was buggy. Another guess. Or maybe because I let Windows Update install automatic updates - I didn't immediately set it to Never and to start up Manual - before I installed KB3020369 and KB3125574. Another guess.

So I installed Win 7 again, and this time I chose the option to format the partition, and I didn't install the Catalyst drivers, and I immediately set Windows Update to Never and to start up Manual before it could download updates. This time it worked! I was finally able to install KB3125574.

After that, I installed KB3172605, and then I set Windows Update to install automatically. So as of now, Windows has automatically installed many more updates. I think I made a mistake. From the instructions in the above link you gave, I was under the impression that Windows Update should be set to automatic after installing KB3172605. So that's what I did but I had not yet installed the Security ONLY Updates. I have Windows Updates turned off again but I'm not sure if I should still install the Security ONLY Updates now that Windows Updates has already installed many more updates including security updates that are all not found in the Security ONLY Updates list.

 

[Megahertz07]

Recently WU is installing some features (Monthly Rollups) that that has security and other stuff that isn't related to security and has spy and tracking features, so now I only install the security only updates.
If you let WU at auto, that is the default, there is nothing wrong. From now on, you may set to never check and manually install the security only updates.

To clean the spy and telemetry, install and run https://download.spybot.info/AntiBeacon/SpybotAntiBeacon-2.1-setup.exe

 

[MTL777]

Recently WU is installing some features (Monthly Rollups) that that has security and other stuff that isn't related to security and has spy and tracking features, so now I only install the security only updates.
If you let WU at auto, that is the default, there is nothing wrong. From now on, you may set to never check and manually install the security only updates.

To clean the spy and telemetry, install and run https://download.spybot.info/AntiBeacon/SpybotAntiBeacon-2.1-setup.exe

Thank you so much Meg!

So it's not yet too late to install the Security ONLY Updates? I can still install them even though WU has already installed security updates on my system that *may* have superseded the Security ONLY Updates?

And are you saying that I should always set WU to never check for updates and I should never go back to automatic updates again because of the risk of installing spyware disguised as security updates from Microsoft? Should my system be forever set to never check for updates?

 

[Megahertz07]

No need to install.
WU installs the Monthly Rollups, that also has the Security Updates.

"And are you saying that I should always set WU to never check for updates and I should never go back to automatic updates again because of the risk of installing spyware disguised as security updates from Microsoft? Should my system be forever set to never check for updates?"

It's up to you. On my computer, WU is set to manual under services and on WU page is set to never check.
I now install the security Only updates.
For MS Office I Monthly manually run Check for updates and choose those for Office security.

 

[MTL777]

No need to install.
WU installs the Monthly Rollups, that also has the Security Updates.

But if I let WU install the Monthly Rollups automatically, won't that put me at risk of installing spyware disguised as security updates from Microsoft?

If it's alright to do so, I was thinking of installing the Security ONLY Updates manually (even though WU has already installed security updates on my system that *may* have superseded those) and just keep my WU set to manual forever, just like you. Do you think it's alright at this point to install the Security ONLY Updates manually?

 

[Megahertz07]

No need to install.
- Monthly Rollups = Spy + telemetry + ...+ Security Updates
- Security Only Updates = Security Updates

 

[MTL777]

No need to install.
- Monthly Rollups = Spy + telemetry + ...+ Security Updates
- Security Only Updates = Security Updates

I'm not sure what you mean by "No need to install". No need to install what? The Monthly Rollups (automatic) or the Security Only Updates (manually)?

 

[Megahertz07]

No need to install Security Only Updates as they has been already installed by Monthly Rollups.

 

[MTL777]

No need to install Security Only Updates as they has been already installed by Monthly Rollups.

Oh, okay. So what I should do now is to remove the spyware and telemetry by using the anti-spyware you linked to.

Thank you!

 

[MTL777]

I have disabled Onboard Sound in the BIOS because I'm using a different soundcard (RME HDSP 9632). Should I still install the Realtek HD Audio driver for my motherboard, as suggested by Asrock (manufacturer of my motherboard)?

Yeah, I know it may be a stupid question but I just want to be sure I'm not missing something that should have been done just in case it actually needs to be done for some reason unknown to me.

 

[MTL777]

I am able to get an extra fourth core from my supposed-to-be three-core processor (Phenom II X3) by setting Advanced Clock Calibration to "All cores 6%" in the BIOS. Having four cores with this setting is running stable and fine in Win XP but not in Win 7. In Win 7 the system works for a while and then it hangs - most often when I'm browsing with Internet Explorer. Any idea why it hangs in Win 7? Am I missing a Windows update that could fix this problem? This is my most pressing problem now so I wish someone could help.

 

[Megahertz07]

Open device manager. Is there any yellow alerts of missing drivers?

 

[MTL777]

Open device manager. Is there any yellow alerts of missing drivers?

There are no yellow alerts in Device Manager.

I think this problem is due to the BIOS settings I have done to "awaken" the 4th core. The settings were tweaked and configured for Windows XP, a 32-bit system. The 4th core seems to be unstable in the new Windows 7 64-bit. I have read that for AMD Phenom systems, you can overclock better in a 32-bit OS than in a 64-bit OS because the 64-bit environment is more stringent and has more things going on under the hood. I guess the same thing applies with regards to using the 4th core of a processor that is not supposed to be there (could be a less than perfect 4th core that AMD has hidden). I have also noticed that if I disable the 4th core, my Windows 7 system is stable and does not hang.

The question is, should I tweak the BIOS any further in the hope of finding the right settings that will make the 4th core stable in Windows 7 64-bit? Or should I just give up and make do with only 3 cores?

Argghh! I should have just bought a 4-core processor to begin with. But I was naive and adventurous back then, as I heard people raving in the forums about being able to unlock the 4th core of a Phenom II X3 which was sold as a 3-core processor. Lesson learned.

 

[MTL777]

I've figured it out! I remember I added 4GB memory of a different brand than the 4GB that was already in my machine. The new 4GB I added is slower than the old 4GB. So I reduced the memory clock setting in the BIOS from 667 to 533 MHz and this time it worked! No more freezing.


It all makes sense now. The reason why it was stable in Win XP is because the 32-bit XP could not access the 4GB RAM that I added. But in Win 7 64-bit, the OS is now able to access the additional 4GB RAM but this RAM is too slow to cope with 667 MHz. So, bringing down the memory clock setting to 533 MHz made it work, although this means I'm no longer making full use of the old 4GB RAM which is capable of running at 667 MHz. I'm going to change the RAM so they are all the same brand and specs and I'll be able to make full use of their speed.

 

[MTL777]

Recently WU is installing some features (Monthly Rollups) that that has security and other stuff that isn't related to security and has spy and tracking features, so now I only install the security only updates.
If you let WU at auto, that is the default, there is nothing wrong. From now on, you may set to never check and manually install the security only updates.

To clean the spy and telemetry, install and run https://download.spybot.info/AntiBeacon/SpybotAntiBeacon-2.1-setup.exe

Hey Meg, how does Spybot Anti Beacon work? Do I need to run it from time to time to remove spyware from my system? Or does it install as a service and run from the background, watching for spyware and removing them automatically?

How about updates to Spybot? Does it have a malware database that needs to be updated every now and then? If yes, how do I update it?

Thanks!

 

[Megahertz07]

Spybot Anti-Beacon for Windows

 

[MTL777]

Spybot Anti-Beacon for Windows

Thanks Meg!


I have another question. My Windows activation time limit has expired. Now it's saying my Windows is not genuine and the screen background has turned black. I didn't want to activate yet because I'm still testing a lot of things in my system. I want to activate only after everything is smooth and perfect. Now, I saw a way to extend the activation deadline from the following article:

Windows 7 Install Guide | Black Viper | www.blackviper.com

Here's what it says about extending the deadline:

I highly recommend to uncheck “Automatically activate Windows when I’m online”. The reason is that you only have a finite amount of times that you may activate online. After this limit is reached, you will need to call Microsoft directly to have them activate your installation. This can be a big hassle, especially when you are in a hurry to get the computer back up and running. Windows 7 will nag you every so often to activate upon logging in, but this is a minor nuisance compared to the phone call method of activating Windows 7. After verifying that everything works as you intend, you can activate and know that you could have avoided problems later on if you let Windows 7 do it right after logging in for the first time.

30 days is the intended grace period before requiring activation with retail versions, even with this method. However, you can boost that number up to 116 days using the following method:

Open up a command prompt with administrator privileges
Type:

slmgr -rearm

After a reboot, you will have an additional 30 days to ensure everything is running properly. You can perform this action up to 3 times with the current Windows 7 retail release, bringing the required activation time to 116 days, if the Software License Manager is invoked at the end of the required activation period (on the 29th day). I would recommend not waiting until the 30th day to run the command, thus 116 days total and not 120.

What do you think of this? Is it too late for me to do this? If yes, then I can restore an old image of my Win7 system before the deadline expired and then do this procedure.


BTW, aside from the screen background turning black, what else happens when the activation deadline has expired? What Win7 features will no longer be available?

 

[MTL777]

I set Windows Updates to download updates and ask my permission to do the updates selectively. I saw that a Security Monthly Roll-Up was downloaded so I unselected it. Then the update proceeded without the Security Monthly Roll-Up.

I thought everything was fine and the Security Monthly Roll-Up had been permanently unselected. But the next day, I didn't check the updates thinking that everything was fine. When I shut down my computer, lo and behold the Security Monthly Roll-Up was being installed! WTH I thought I had already unselected it. M$ is so sneaky!

Is it alright if I uninstall this update? Or should I just rely on Spybot Anti Beacon to remove the telemetry that was installed with the update? I'm thinking that uninstalling the update is cleaner so I'm inclined to do that. What do you think?

 

[MTL777]

I have now activated Windows and cloned the boot partition and installed EasyBCD to setup a dual boot system. My original boot partition is AudioApp7 which is assigned drive letter C: and the cloned boot partition is Michael7 which is assigned drive letter N:. I'm having a problem in that when I boot into Michael7, its drive letter remains as N: and does not change to C:. Because of this, when I download from a website, the downloaded file is saved in drive C: which is the AudioApp7 partition. And when I make any changes such as moving icons in the desktop, the changes affect the desktop in drive C: which is the AudioApp7 partition.


How do I fix this so that when I boot into Michael7 it will change the drive letter of Michael7 to C:?