[AccessD] New computer, Linux Mint

[jamesbutton at blueyonder.co.uk]

Some considerations when doing the multi OS type -
Windows partitioning may set the entries in a partition table to have different slot references in the partition table -
At least that was, apparently the problem one of the users I supported, had apparently managed to do - 
Apparently using a Linux partition management facility and a windows one alternately as he worked through the setup  !

He had started off with a cloning app, then adjusted the partitions so that he had 4 "windows" recognised ones - 2 primary, and 2 in an extended partition
Then went to the new partition specifications, then added another windows partition, using a windows install CD , setup another windows OS on a newly created partition - that was then recognised by the Windows version of (in) secure boot, and then used a Linux install to put Linux on that partition - 
- Oh, and, apparently booted up the clone while still having the source drive accessible - 
- separate partition id's allocated by the cloned OS  for itself, boot, pagefile, swapfile, and the boot&OS selection process -

- some of the above extracted with difficulty from the culprit, and some by wondering what the OS thought it was using !  

Also - Windows does not seem to always be happy with non-Windows recognised partitions  coming earlier in the partition table than other OS's partition formats -
Sometimes made apparent when trying to restore a "System image" - including boot and OS partitions that was taken by Windows !

Re buying a win-10 licence -
Check the terms of any win-7, or 10, or even 11 updates - you may find you have licences assigned to you - MS account - rather than to specific hardware.


Note - windows UEFI  seems to set "it's OK to run that " status for OS's on USB connected drives,
And sometimes remembers the partition id assigned last time that drive was plugged into that port and the OS run, and sometimes it allocates a different one -
So have a bootable facility that will allow you to set the partition id back to what the OS expects itself to be running from !

Also - beware of drives that were setup with a boot block partition table, and then got updated to GPT, 
Or that were setup on newer hardware that handles 10TB drives and then connected to a system that does not handle such large drives ( 2TB or less)
Or had the initial setup of the 10TB drive done on a system that believes there is nothing past the 2TB limit, and were moved to a newer system !
With the added fun of 32 bit, 64 bit, and in - XP, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, & 11
There were a number of different sets of partition, and boot/startup codes in the DVD's from MS

The above from experiences in support, but I've left that behind me now 
At least I sincerely hope I have !

Then again there are the small versions of Win 10 & 11 - supposedly running on Pentiums with under 512MB RAM,
And even a report of someone getting a browser to work from within the TPM - Secure Boot chip - no onboard ram, or storage device needed !
I'm waiting for the option to run using Optane drive cache on the motherboard  - and no? drive, just the code in the TPM module.
Or - a  plug-in PCIe-4 board for multiple  removable   NVMe M.2 SSD's  6 2TB ones on 1 board  ( Toms guide ! )

Oh! The evil things that can be done by the adventurous - let alone those with actual knowledge and intent !

JimB

-----Original Message-----
From: AccessD <accessd-bounces+jamesbutton=blueyonder.co.uk at databaseadvisors.com> On Behalf Of John Colby
Sent: Sunday, September 1, 2024 1:46 PM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Subject: Re: [AccessD] New computer, Linux Mint

LOL, sounds like you love Windows as much as I do.  I had successfully
remained on Windows 10 until the catastrophe (whatever it may have been).
Now Linux Mint is fairly kind and easy.  But it is Linux in the end.  I am
going to keep the new system as Linux and ease my way into the differences.
   So far so good. I have only used it over this last weekend but I like it
so far.

I think I am going to try to build a "mobile" windows 10 on an old 1gb
little samsung drive I have and plug it into the new computer if and when I
need to run it.  My only real concern is the "One is none and two is one"
delima.  Right now I have one (functioning) Windows and one functioning
Linux.  Which means neither is truly backed up.

I really wanted to do a dual boot for the new computer (and may eventually)
but that meant buying, installing and getting running a new Win 10 on the
new system and then doing a new linux Mint install on the same system and I
wanted to get something up and running ... so I just went with naked Linux.

On Sun, Sep 1, 2024 at 8:02 AM James Button via AccessD <
accessd at databaseadvisors.com> wrote:

> That is a symptom, I found of installing the OneDrive App
> My I7 laptop went into black ( powered-off look) screen for about 20
> minutes,
> and - after my login, the old desktop ignored all mouse or keyboard input
> for
> several days -
> And, on both there was a new \OneDrive\ folder and structure in my \user\
> area
> - and that contained MFT entries with "live links" to all the files and
> folders
> within the OneDrive stores that  I could access
> As in delete the entry from that \user\ folder   and it goes from the
> OneDrive,
> and ... if SYNC'd, it goes from the PC location it was SYNC'd to
>
> Yes, you get access to an unlink option - but that only shows in the menu
> after
> the entire linking process is completed !
>
> Oh - and I am "co-ordinator" - as in Admin for all the family's OneDrive
> storage
> and that's where their backups, and old data storage is held!
>
> Re the new system -
> I would recommend at least 32GB RAM  for Win-11, but you could have an
> alternate
> boot partition, or SSD drive for Windows and Access  SQL server as well,
> and
> maybe Oracle -
> Maybe free copy from Oracle  of the "Personal/developer" version on both
> Windows
> and Linux ?
>
>
>
> And
> My description of Linux was - an OS with which there is a huge variety of
> ways
> for the user to cause problems !
> My description of Windows 10 & 11 is an OS with which there is a huge
> variety of
> ways for the supplier  to cause problems, and more being created for
> discovery
> on any day you have it powered up !
>
> Toolbars - depreciated
> Write - long gone
> DEBUG.COM   - well there is the "DOS environment facility - runs win 3.1,
> 75,
> etc... so - 16 and 32 bit apps -
>
> Hey - maybe that will do for Access !
>
> Notepad  using different codepage ( unchangeable default according to
> windows
> version) to my other Apps and tech.
> Wordpad dropping large parts of files when a file gets to about 1GB size
> GODMODE - Na! too easy for users to undo
> MS installed changes.
>
> Shared  external drive - well different bitlocker key on each system.
> Low comms connection - come back next month, the system is doing a backup -
> upload to the 5GB of space you have with the 64GB Windoze environment.
> Oh - and check on the character strings in long, or 8.3 file names, or file
> types  that the OneDrive facility won't handle.
> Oh! And check the limits to the lengths of full names within OneDrive -
> not nice
> for those with names longer than 35 characters -
> As is the File-History - 255 fullname limit to the backup version, and
> that 255
> includes at least 30 characters for the PC, OS and user id's
> So a file with a fullname of more than 225 characters won't be backed up -
> as
> you will find when you look for the not taken, and not reported failure to
> take
> that backup !
>
>  And do remember the shift and right-click on file explorer lists  to get
> full
> fullnames in a list within clippy, and then the ones needing the full
> longfilenames access mode shown in blue when the list is pasted into
> WordPad.
>
> For file handling I use KarenWare DIRPRT, with hash values - and process
> the
> list in excel - match on hash indicated likely actual duplicate file
> content.
>
> Hope you can get out of the annoyances of supporting users of old versions
> of
> windows, and corporate licences for Office 2000, XP, and 2007 under
> ...Vista.
> As well as users playing coal mine canary with OS and 365 - Pro Plus! With
> Teams
> and corporate/education OneDrive  userid mixes.
>
>
> And.. Have a better linux life !
>
>  JimB
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AccessD
> <accessd-bounces+jamesbutton=blueyonder.co.uk at databaseadvisors.com> On
> Behalf Of
> John Colby
> Sent: Sunday, September 1, 2024 1:30 AM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
> Subject: [AccessD] New computer, Linux Mint
>
> My old hp laptop decided to go into an endless circle cursor after (I
> think) a windows update.  It was at least 5 years old, an old 4 core AMD
> and so I decided that, while I may yet try to recover it, I would buy a new
> computer.  I got a Lenovo IdeaPad 16AHP9 which is a pretty modern amd 8
> core with 16gb RAM and a 1tb SSD.
>
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Touchscreen-Graphics-Keyboard-Fingerprint/dp/B0DB5
> KJKXL?th=1
> <https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Touchscreen-Graphics-Keyboard-Fingerprint/dp/B0DB5KJKXL?th=1>
>
> which I managed to snag for $660 with a mouse and backpack case.
> Unfortunately it comes with Windows 11 which is a non-starter for me,
> particularly after the "take a screen capture every few seconds" fiasco.
>
> And so I decided to install Linux Mint.  I have played with Mint over the
> years but this time it is a decision to give it a real try as my daily
> driver.  It cannot do Access dev obviously but pretty much everything I do
> with my machine has been possible.
>
> I have installed Veracrypt, Dropbox, LM Studio with a ton of local LLMs to
> play with, all of my music files from my tablet, and of course it comes
> with LibreOffice which I have used for quite some time for writing as well
> as spreadsheets.  The bluetooth connects flawlessly to my mouse, my
> bluetooth speaker as well as my trucker headphones for doing zoom meetings.
>
> Of course this is linux which I am not well versed in so there is a lot of
> google to find out how to install things.  But so far I am thoroughly
> pleased with Linux Mint as my new daily driver.
>
> --
> John W. Colby
> Colby Consulting
> --
> AccessD mailing list
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> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>
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>


-- 
John W. Colby
Colby Consulting
-- 
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