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    LANGALIST PLUS

    Taming aggressive freeware-download extras

    By Fred Langa

    Some so-called freeware isn’t truly free; its download process often aggressively pushes software you neither want nor need.

    It’s especially irritating when that unwanted, extra software is hard to remove.


    The full text of this column is posted at windowssecrets.com/langalist-plus/Taming-aggressive-freeware-download-extras/ (paid content, opens in a new window/tab).

    Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.[/td]

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    • #1304186

      Good afternoon Mr. Langa, your blog section titled, “Problems with Recovering a Disk Image” does not accurate reflect the facts surrounding the Win7 imaging technology – MS adopted a new technology starting with Vista that is a file-based approach to imaging; in fact their deployment team blogs frequently reference the idea that this technology is the basis of the installation disk. See the links below for more details. The deployment team even encourages capturing images to and applying images from the target hard drive. As for my experience, I prefer to use network resources as a clean approach to governance and process control/auditing (I am involved with the Windows 7 deployment at a federal agency). While your points are valid for other imaging technologies, they are in error when addressing Windows imaging, specifically Windows 7 installations and imaging. As for the reader’s problem: many manufacturers are installing the recovery installation disc images on a hidden partition which is referenced by custom disc-making application that allows the purchaser to make one set of recovery disks that may include machine-specific keys, then deletes the hidden partition. The intention is to deter a common piracy technique that involves making duplicate recovery media and selling it (early recovery disks included the license/activation key in the image). More details surrounding Mr. Ferguson’s situation may well reveal the true problem/solution, which I suspect has nothing to do with imaging technologies.

      I hope this helps.

      Woody Fairley CCNA, MCITP, CCP

      Here are some links for your reference:

      http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd641427 Windows Deployment Team repository on Technet

      http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744519(WS.10).aspx Win7 deployment FAQ list from the Technet Library

      http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749478(WS.10).aspx A detailed examination of WIM files and the technology behind the new format (technical reference)

    • #1304187

      Good afternoon Mr. Langa, your blog section titled, “Problems with Recovering a Disk Image” does not accurate reflect the facts surrounding the Win7 imaging technology – MS adopted a new technology starting with Vista that is a file-based approach to imaging; in fact their deployment team blogs frequently reference the idea that this technology is the basis of the installation disk. See the links below for more details. The deployment team even encourages capturing images to and applying images from the target hard drive. As for my experience, I prefer to use network resources as a clean approach to governance and process control/auditing (I am involved with the Windows 7 deployment at a federal agency). While your points are valid for other imaging technologies, they are in error when addressing Windows imaging, specifically Windows 7 installations and imaging. As for the reader’s problem: many manufacturers are installing the recovery installation disc images on a hidden partition which is referenced by custom disc-making application that allows the purchaser to make one set of recovery disks that may include machine-specific keys, then deletes the hidden partition. The intention is to deter a common piracy technique that involves making duplicate recovery media and selling it (early recovery disks included the license/activation key in the image). More details surrounding Mr. Ferguson’s situation may well reveal the true problem/solution, which I suspect has nothing to do with imaging technologies.

      I hope this helps.

      Woody Fairley CCNA, MCITP, CCP

      Here are some links for your reference:

      http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd641427           Windows Deployment Team repository on Technet

      http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744519(WS.10).aspx     Win7 deployment FAQ list from the Technet Library

      http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749478(WS.10).aspx     A detailed examination of WIM files and the technology behind the new format (technical reference)

    • #1304188

      One more quick note: I am truly grateful for the efforts to support children around the world, and will continue to renew my paid subscription. It makes the content that much more valuable to me.

      Woody

    • #1304225

      Love the irony… two articles later is a recommendation for HWmonitor, which installs ASK Toolbar

      • #1304570

        With respect to keeping OS files & programs separate from data files, you basically forgot about one pressing reason for doing so… Most affordable SSD drives are fairly small in comparison to today’s hard drives. Even with keeping my OS & data files separate, my 80 Gig SSD seems to be filling up at a much faster rate than I would like. After 2 years or so, I “only” have about 30 Gigs unused. My other drives 2 – 500 gig (raid1) & my 1 TB (2 partitions), are currently holding about another gig of data, photos, etc. Isn’t it funny how fast we become spoiled? My first computer an AT&T 8088, didn’t even have a HD, & I had to install the “extra” ram up to 64 or 128 kB if memory serves.
        jim
        jmk-nbsc

      • #1304590

        Love the irony… two articles later is a recommendation for HWmonitor, which installs ASK Toolbar

        CPUID’s HWMonitor does not install the ASK toolbar, either the standalone 64 bit zip or the HWMonitor Pro’s executable/installable.
        I would advise not to download this app from any other location but the above link.

    • #1304811

      When I burned my Recovery Disks from my Toshiba Satellite (Windows 7, 2010), the Hidden Recovery Partition was NOT destroyed. When I previously had burned the Recovery Disks from my WinBook (Windows XP, 2002) the Hidden Recovery Partition was NOT destroyed. I do not find any support for the post that says that when the disks are burned, the partition is destroyed.

      OEM disks and partitions are keyed to the specific hardware of the machine on which they were originally installed and from which they were originally burned. Using them to pirate Windows would require hacking or reverse engineering. At least some manufacturers are not doing what the post claims.

      The mechanism preventing recopying the disks or making a second burn from the same Hidden Partition does not deny access to the Hidden Partition. I can still use F10 to do any kind of OEM restoration I could do before burning the recovery CDs or DVDs on both laptops. Granted, my laptops are not Dells or Lenovos or HPs, but that is a whole different kettle of fish.

      Next point: My Acronis True Image Home will not create system images on the same partition which is being imaged. Same hard drive, yes, if there’s a different partition with sufficient room to create the system image. When Acronis creates their trademark Acronis Secure Zone, this is treated by Acronis and Windows as a distinct partition. Data backups also cannot be done to the partition from which the data came. I have read posts in The Lounge which make it clear that the other backup programs folks like around here behave the same way.

      What Windows Imaging Technology is doing is undoubtedly creating a new partition on the target hard drive, whether this is explicitly stated or not. What Windows calls a “Folder” may be treated in the way Linux treats a “Partition”. The terminology is terribly inconsistent in Microsoft’s technical discussions. The only way imaging could be taking place to the target hard drive is if these “Folders” are treated by Windows as separate partitions.

      Remember, a drive may contain a number of different partitions, some of which may not have distinct Windows Letters assigned to them. What Microsoft calls “Folders” may be treated by Windows as distinct partitions. That’s how virtual machines work in Windows. The VM “Folder” is really a separate partition, as far as Windows treats it. But a partition — no matter by what name you call it — cannot back up nor restore to itself. The result of a restoration to the target partition (not the target hard drive) would be overwriting the backup while restoring it. Fred is right.

      I do not use Windows 7 Backup to create System Images, so I cannot speak to what Microsoft allows. But any competent backup utility would NEVER allow backing up to the same partition from which the data came. Fred Langa is right and the post is wrong, unless Microsoft is far less competent than I previously thought.

      -- rc primak

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