Windows 11 from Official ISO Installer

Windows 11 final update was released by Microsoft a couple of weeks back. My laptops were all updated as a result.

By George! One laptop suddenly threw some errors. Then on recovery, it was unable to find the boot device!

By hardware design, I think the laptop is bound to fail in the new Windows 11 OS as there is a substantial tweak done to this laptop in Windows 7 and Windows 10. At least during the beta release, it was running.

These are the specs of the said machine:
> HP Envy TS15
> SSD: SATA and miniSATA
> 2x 8GB RAM
> current OS: Windows 10

As mentioned earlier, there is a tweak done to make the SATA and mSATA drives work together. That is done in the BIOS and in some settings in Windows.

When the production version of Windows 11 was released and this laptop was updated, the tweaks were wiped out. That caused the issue of the boot device not being found. I wasn't prepared for that, but life must go on, and that I wanted to see how the production version of Windows 11 fares. Curiouser and curiouser!

Hard way it is, so after trying several times as I did in Windows 7 and Windows 10, installing Windows 11 with the SATA and mSATA drive, or only the SATA drive then putting in the mSATA drive, changing BIOS settings, Windows settings, etc., etc., I found that Windows 11 UEFI with SecureBoot on can only work on this machine with only the SATA drive installed. And that is all the time. So I had to ditch the 512 GB mSATA drive foregoing the real-time online additional computing space.

I went for that and did a clean install of Windows 11, and voila! Lesser space and bare basics for this unit and Windows 11 64 bit UEFI was installed and running. And yes, it is a better OS than Windows 10.

Now I don't get the blue screen of death, or at least I still don't get it. Normally I would open Chrome with at least 20 tabs open and my laptop still goes through smoothly. Perhaps Windows 11 is a better OS after all.

Wanna try it? Go ahead and see how it goes. Let's hear from you soon!

Till then!

How To Install Windows 11 On Older PCs

How to install Windows 11 when check says unable to?

Well, I am always one who is curious whether it is Ubuntu Linux or Windows OS. And talking about Windows 11, I can't just sit down and wait while others have all the fun (and headache!).

I'll go straight to the point. While the PC Health Check app may say that this PC is unable to install Windows 11, the requirements that the check is looking for is the ideal scenario where all the features and functionalities will run properly and smoothly.

N.B.: PC Health Check was taken down after WhyNotWin11 proved better, providing more details to the user than the other guy.

And I am writing this article to say that millions of old, older and even newer computers don't meet that requirement. My latest laptop is an HP EliteBook 755 G3 which uses an AMD processor, and this machine passes the WhyNotWin11 list except for the CPU Compatibility item. The best I own so far is an 8-year-old HP Envy TS15 laptop that uses an i7-4910MQ processor after I replaced the original i7-4700MQ CPU. And this particular laptop fails CPU compatibility and TPM checks. And I have other older laptops from different manufacturers like Asus, Acer, eMachines (yeap, this is now under Acer), some more HP models, etc.

So what I'm saying is that it is possible to install Windows 11 on older PCs, even those that do not pass the check. In fact, none of my laptops pass the check. Really! And to be honest, Microsoft is also eager to know how Windows 11 will fare on older machines, at least those devices just within 5 years, and at most for those even way older than that. 

Good thing we have some enthusiasts who know what to do, and they share that knowledge with the world.

I've been following articles on Windows 11 ever since it was announced for release. When? That doesn't matter now. Some really are good in simply attracting internet traffic but giving nothing in return. But when I came upon this article in zdnet.com, How to bypass Windows 11 limits and install on almost any old PC, that's where I started getting some tangible results (as if I can hold Windows 11, eh). Nah, I mean, I was either able to do an inline upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 (HP EliteBook 755 G3 laptop) or do a clean install using USB device (for all my other laptops).

First note: Windows 11 becomes like Android now in the sense that previous devices are listed as possible sources of back-up with which you can install settings and apps from.

How to download the installer file is from xda.developers.com's article, How to install Windows 11 on almost any unsupported PC, as mentioned in the zdnet.com article. And how to bypass the check during install is from bleepingcomputer.com's article, How to bypass the Windows 11 TPM 2.0 requirement. As I said, after reading and following several earlier posts and articles, this is where I was able to really install Windows 11, either through inline upgrade or a clean install.

To be honest, I got most of the help from the XDA article, telling and explaining more than I am willing to know now. But the one that helped me most is the tool OfflineInsiderEnroll, which automates Windows Insider enrolment, even bypassing the Windows 11 checks and getting you in through the backdoor. That's what I call ethical hacking!

After install, I switched to Beta Channel, and I'm all set.

Second note: Windows 11 has slightly rounded corners, so you would know right away those applications that don't follow the new Windows 11 scheme as they retain the unrounded corners, Hey, Office 365 does not, so it affects Microsoft applications, too. WhatsApp sports a rounded corner, but Visual Studio (2013, 2015, 2019, 2022 Preview) all have sharp mitred corners.

Third note: Windows 11 is faster than Windows 10, that is why after I had it installed in the supposedly 'newer' or better laptops, I had to try it on the really old laptops. I have a 2008 Compaq V3000 machine, and it is fitted with a 1TB HDD, 4GB RAM. Pretty the basic specs for an old laptop. And my Asus U36J unit, while having a 1TB SSD, is using 2x 2GB 1066 RAM sticks. And yes, Windows 11 installed successfully on these 2 machines! (Total I installed Windows 11 on 8 machines).

So how did I download the installer? I had to read the XDA article a number of times, until I saw the UUP Dump link somewhere near the bottom end. When on the page, click on Dev Channel and select the Windows 11 flavor you want to install (14 to select from as of this writing). Just make sure that the architecture you pick is matching your unit's capability. UEFI or BIOS comes later, and that is via Rufus when you finally create the USB installer. When you go this way, please be patient, and plug in your laptop as the download will take some time. An hour? Could be more or less,

Well, I end here. While I open the door, I leave the rest of the steps for you to test and know. I'm sure being able to install Windows 11 on your machine and your favorite applications after will leave you curiouser and curiouser. I almost forgot to say I wrote this article using one of the laptops running Windows 11.

Till then!

Tower Fan Disassembly and Cleaning

 I just published a new blog, Stand/Tower Fan Disassembly in my other blog. 

For a long time, I was holding off to doing it on my own, but the tinker in me got fed up with a dusty fan that even at maximum (06) speed, the wind isn't strong enough. And, I can see (and smell) the dust hiding inside.

So I took it upon myself to just do it!

Here goes: Stand, Tower Fan Disassembly for Cleaning

Hope it helps you, or somebody our there needing to do this on their own without a technician's help. Just a Philips screwdriver tool.

Till then!

Fix Static or Crackling Sound on Acer Laptop

I got one unit of Acer Aspire V5-473P laptop on the first week of December, one that is supposedly for scrappage already. But as it turned out, it was still okay. Last week I brought it home when the owner gave me the charger.

I cleaned the unit then proceeded to do checks. Nothing is spoiled, and it is fitted with a slot for mSATA SSD. A winner!

Windows was installed, license keyed in, and all other software and applications completed, I found that it is fast, so this is a good unit, I declared.

Not so fast.

Once I tried playing music via internet radio, the crackling sound from the left speaker surfaced out.

I searched, and to my surprise, this is a common problem! Not only that, but I also found that many, many websites present the same (supposedly) solutions, the steps, and the wordings. Talk of plagiarism en masse.

Let me just list them down here again:

• Change Sound Format ]
• Update Audio Driver
• Disable Sound Enhancement
• Change Power Settings

Then there is the article from Microsoft: Fix sound problems in Windows 10

Now I have to say that none of these helped. I have to open up the laptop and take out the left and right speakers to see further what the problem could be. Sound Control check indicated that the left speaker, the one that crackles on high volume, it is softer compared to the right speaker unit. That's actually 2 speaker units in one assembly on both sides, so 4 speakers in all.

Now, I knew a bit about speakers, so I did a light tap on each speaker, and I found that the 2 speakers on the left assembly, well, they don't have the bouncy feel as compared with the right assembly speakers - which are known to be okay.

On closer inspection, I saw that the 'glue' that is supposed to attach the cone to the suspension is flaked out, with the light tap creating a high-pitched sound like 'tik', 'tik', as compared to the good speakers almost quiet and bouncy. The crackling speakers would have made the cone 'stick' on to the magnet, so there is less movement, or imbalanced movement, scraping on the sides, etc., and with the light tap, it is like tapping on solid wood already.

So what I tried is completedly detach the cone from the suspension by running a sewing pin around carefully and running a vacuum cleaner to make sure nothing got inside the tiny speakers, or that if anything got in, they'd be sucked out, leaving a clear, free movement for the cone later on.

Then, I took a paper glue, used a toothpick to apply small amounts on each side of one speaker first, a small amount enough so it dries fast, and made sure that the cone part is moving freely and correctly. Before the glue completely dried up, I did the light tap to verify my solution, and yes, now the cone is bouncy and quiet, no more 'tik', 'tik' sound. And I did put some pressure on the suspension where I applied the glue to make sure there is no gap.

I turned on the laptop and played music and voila! No more crackling sound!

I completed the fix, applying glue full circle on both of the left speaker units, waiting for the glue to dry a bit (and don't forget, apply only what's necessary, not too much) and I turned on the laptop once again to check if everything okay. And yes, the sound is clear and crisp, even at high, or higher, volumes.

Once I am sure that it won't take any time long for the glue to completely dry, I put the cover back and screwed it tight. I let the laptop sit for another 2 hours, then turned it on, and yes, the sound is so clean and clear, bass, treble and all.

N.B. Do not turn the laptop on while the glue is drying up. The charged coil will be sucked into the magnet which will pull the cone away from the suspension. The laptop must be turned off completely so the cone is attached to the suspension without any gap.

So there you have it, maybe for the first time. How I fixed the static or crackling sound on my laptop. It could be Acer or any other brand, but this worked, and it is not a copy of what's been written. I hope it helps you, too.

Till then!