Welcome to Brendon Davis

Win 7 Starter

Autor brendon | 26.09.2009 | Category 7, TechStuff

I have spent the past few days playing around with the Windows 7 install options to see how each of the versions actually run. Using the current retail RTM media Microsoft has published, it is possible to delete or modify a single file and select from the several SKU’s of Windows to install.

Interesting point to note is that the “Netbook” edition of Win 7 is only available on the x86 retail media. This means that both of the Enterprise and x64 retail media kits do not give you the option to install Starter.

After several attempts and a one faulty USB drive, I was able to install Starter. I am impressed with both the disk and memory footprint and also that I can run more than the previously restricted 3 applications. I stumbled across the official Windows team blog for for Starter Edition and it goes into where it is aimed.

My original intention was to install this on my wife’s HP Netbook but as I have found myself using a number of the features not available on this, will stick with the TechEd Ultimate install..

Dusty Day

Autor brendon | 24.09.2009 | Category Rant

For those that don’t live in Australia. Due to a low pressure system in the south, on Wednesday a large amount of dust filled air was blown across the eastern coast effecting from Noosa down to Melbourne. I stepped out of our virtually windowless office in Brisbane to find the most surreal scene for my walk at lunch.

While walking I took a photo of the view down Adelade St. towards South Bank and took a comparison shot today at approximately the same time using the same camera in the same position.

How strange…

Windows 7 Installer Options

Autor brendon | 17.09.2009 | Category 7, TechStuff

Thanks to Long for pointing out this article at My Digital Life. It outlines a simple process to set the Windows 7 installer so it prompts for which edition to deploy. My advice, give up trying to edit the original ISO files and simply copy the installation files onto a USB key or into a .VHD/ .VMDK which you can mount in your VM’s.

Step 1. Rename the \sources\ei.cfg to \sources\ei.old (or you can just delete the file)
Step 2. Install Windows 7

Anyone tried Windows Starter edition yet. (FYI, it’s only on x86 disk.)

Running Win08R2 w/ Hyper-V as a Desktop

Autor brendon | 17.09.2009 | Category Server, TechStuff, Virtualization

You would think by now that Virtual PC or ‘WindowsXP Mode’ on Win7 would be able to run x64 guests. In the Microsoft world, the only way to do this is with Windows 2008 Server and the Hyper-V Role. When the hard drive in my work laptop died, I decided to install the RC of Server 08 R2 with Hyper-V. I have been running this for about two months now as my main OS and am reasonably happy with it.

There are several roles, features & options you can configure on the OS to give it the look and feel of Windows 7. But it still didn’t feel quite right. At TechEd Mark Tigwell suggested I look over this list of configurations posted on TechNet blogs for running Server 08 as a desktop OS.

The settings listed shaw up the differences but do not include instructions to permit local User (non-admin) account managing rights in Hyper-V. Instructions for that can be found here.