Some Notes on the Machines

From the amazing Matt Quick. The “eicfg removal utility” here:

http://code.kliu.org/misc/winisoutils/

will take a Windows 7 ISO of any version, and convert it into one which will install whichever version is appropriate for your OS key. Detailed instructions are here:

https://mattthequick.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/create-all-in-one-windows-7-install-media-by-removing-ei-cfg/

The indefatigable Matt Quick provides thus:

http://prajwaldesai.com/switching-between-gui-and-server-core-in-windows-server-2012/

If Windows 7 won’t boot all the way, if it gives a bluescreen involving win32k.sys, it may be a bad update. Boot into startup repair and rename FNTCACHE.DAT in system32 to .OLD. That forces Windows to make a new one and boot will occur next time.

Courtesy of the excellent Matt Quick.

One way this can be fixed at least sometimes, is to give “NETWORK SERVICE” full rights to:

C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\Microsoft\Windows\SoftwareProtectionPlatform

This tool:

http://www.pcstarters.net/performance-maintainer/

is an aggregator which appears to be very helpful so far.

Best I’ve found so far:

http://nssm.cc/download

To set a Windows NIC to full DHCP via netsh, do this, replacing “Local Area Connection” to the name of the NIC if it’s not the same:

netsh interface ip set address "Local Area Connection" dhcp
netsh interface ip set dns "Local Area Connection" dhcp
netsh interface ip set wins "Local Area Connection" dhcp

Sometimes, if WINS is set static, you have to do this before WINS can be set DHCP:

netsh interface ip set wins "Local Area Connection" static none

When going to version 1607 of 10, it is reportedly supposed to be automatic:

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2016/08/02/how-to-get-the-windows-10-anniversary-update/

but can be done by ISO:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-windows_install/how-to-upgrade-to-windows-10-anniversary-update/fab99802-4358-49d9-8278-e9664cd56311

A 539-megabyte monster! Appears to be designed to solve lots of problems.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=20858

In Windows, some audio drivers provide something called “Stereo Mix” and some don’t; this is what is usually recommended if you want to record everything audio happening at once in Windows. But increasingly this doesn’t exist. There are software replacements which do the job:

http://vb-audio.pagesperso-orange.fr/Voicemeeter/

http://www.virtualaudiostreaming.net/