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Android Tips, Windows Tips

Easiest RemixOS Install (alternative, non-dual-boot)

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HOW TO INSTALL REMIX OS AS THE BOOT OS:

WARNING: DO NOT FOLLOW THIS GUIDE TO DUAL-BOOT!
THIS GUIDE WILL ASSUME YOU ONLY WANT REMIX OS!
ALL HARD DRIVE DATA WILL BE REMOVED!

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOUR COMPUTER, YOUR DATA, OR YOUR LIFE DURING OR AFTER FOLLOWING MY INSTRUCTIONS. FOLLOW CLOSELY AND YOU WILL SUCCEED. GOOD LUCK!

Items Required:
USB Flash Drive (4GB+)
x86 or x64 PC, with ability to boot from USB
30 Minutes of your Life

1. Download the proper variant of RemixOS for your machine. As a general rule, x86 for machines with <4GB RAM and older specs. x64 for newer machines with >4GB RAM.

2. Use the included executable to prep your flash drive with the image. Make sure you have nothing to lose on the flash drive as this process will format your drive.

3. Insert flashdrive into your computer and set it as your primary boot option; or use the boot menu to select your flash drive.

4. When RemixOS boots for the first time, you’ll be given the option to either go into Resident Mode or Guest Mode. Press [TAB] to enter your options. Hit backspace until you have removed the line “USB_DATA_PARTITION=1”, then type in “INSTALL=1”.

5. The RemixOS installer will appear. Go down to Create/Modify Partitions, and hit ENTER. Select your hard drive and hit ENTER. When asked to use GPT, select NO. Next, use your arrow keys and enter to delete all partitions. Once it only lists FREE SPACE, choose NEW and select PRIMARY. Use the entire disk. Before hitting write, mark the partition as BOOTABLE. After the formatting is done, hit quit.

6. You should now have a single partition on your hard drive. Hit OK to select it. Choose to format EXT4. Choose YES to install Boot-Loader GRUB. Choose skip when asked to install GRUB2 EFI. Choose YES to set the system directory to READ/WRITE.

7. Choose to Reboot, and un-plug your flash drive. Now you can follow through the rest of the install. Use the shortcuts on the desktop and follow the simple instructions on your screen to set up GAPPS and get online.

Windows Tips

How To Install A New CPU Without Losing Windows

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Sysprep to the rescue!

Anyone that enjoys building computers and upgrading their own rigs has run into the common issue of Windows not booting or refusing to validate after installing a new motherboard/processor. However, Windows (since 7 or so) has a program built-in that can make migration easy.

Sysprep is software included in most Windows installs, that can easily generalize your drivers and prepare Windows for a completely new set of hardware. It’s perfect for moving an old harddrive to a new PC, OR for creating a Windows PC that will appear new to a customer, but has apps pre-installed.

If you are going to upgrade to a new motherboard and processor, Sysprep is your best option for keeping Windows and all your files!

 

  1. Click START, and go to RUN. If you can’t find run, use the search box. Type “sysprep”.
  2. You want to run Sysprep.exe, which can be found in C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep …
  3. After running the application, a box should appear giving you several options. If you’re simply preparing the PC for a customer, and your drivers are already correctly installed AND you are not going to alter the hardware, choose the “OOBE” mode option. If you’re going to replace the motherboard/processor, or any other hardware that may cause issues which may cause Windows to not boot, check the box for “Generalize.”
  4. Choose shutdown if you plan on unplugging the PC once the process is finished. It will take time, so be patient and have a cup of tea while it loads. When it’s finished, you can rip out your old motherboard or deploy the PC to a new owner’s home.
  5. The next time you turn on the PC and boot from the Windows drive, you will be greeted with a “new,”  clean install of Windows that already has all your apps ready to go! Just install the drivers for your new hardware and you’re ready to rock and roll!

NOTE: If you are going to use this functionality to refurbish a PC, make sure you delete all personal files and users from the PC before allowing anyone new to use the PC. Sysprep only removes temporary files and prepares Windows to look new again–all files and users will still be there!

Windows Tips

MsConfig and Startup Apps

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If you’re running any modern version of a Windows OS, you can easily check and configure your startup applications.

First, on Windows OS with an old-fashioned Start Menu:

  1. Click Start, then click Run…
  2. Type “msconfig”
  3. Check the Startup Tab.
  4. Disable unwanted or unnecessary applications!

On more modern Windows OS without a traditional Start Menu, simply ctrl+alt+delete, then go to the Startup tab in Task Manager.

If you disable unnecessary applications, you can significantly increase the boot time of your OS. This can also be extremely helpful if you are dealing with a computer that is infected with many viruses. Simply enter Safe Mode before the OS boots, and then disable the services and applications related to the virus.