Posted on 01/12/2019 8:19:09 AM PST by dayglored
Activation server fiddling on day of monthly update... really?
Microsoft has said that activation errors seen by Windows 7 users should not be chalked up to Tuesday's patch, but rather were an entirely different cockup.
Windows Activation Technologies is the Jiminy Cricket of Windows 7, chirping at you if it thinks you might not be paying for your licensing. Combining Jiminy with the Key Management Service (KMS) on Windows 7, as many enterprise customers likely do (even though Microsoft wishes they wouldn't), hasn't caused too many headaches.
Until this week.
A tweak to the Activation Servers saw happily licensed Windows 7 users suddenly presented with "Windows is not genuine"-type notifications from 10:00 UTC on January 8, surprising BOFHs already dealing with loss of folder sharing for some users thanks to the January update.
Even Microsoft was initially confused, before finally updating its known issues for the iffy update to insist that just because activation errors appeared to start happening just after the update was installed, it didn't mean that was the cause.
"The timing of this issue coincides with the release of the January updates (KB4480960 and KB4480970) that were released on Tuesday, January 8, 2019. These events are not related."
After a long day of head-scratching, someone at Microsoft had a lightbulb moment and at 04:30 UTC on 9 January, the activation server change was reverted, fixing the issue for many. Microsoft would still very much like enterprise users to uninstall the Jiminy Cricket update (aka KB971033) because it is aimed at consumers.
Borkage of the activation servers is nothing new in the Windows world. Lucky Windows 10 Pro users suddenly found themselves relegated to Home status last November.
However, updating the servers Windows uses to check it is the real deal on the same day that users get their important patches takes a special kind of planning. ®
I find myself on linux 95% of the time but do have dual boot. The one thing I like photoshop for is the ability to do batch processing. You can also actually have it record your steps and then have it do the same procedure on a folder full of images. Other than that, I’ve learned to work gimp pretty well and can do most anything with it. There’s a gimp plugin called Save for Web, named after the photoshop feature. That comes in handy.
Now to really blow one’s mind, is imagemagik. A command line based image editor. Completely weird editing an image without having the image open to look at but it works great for optimizing images for the web. It also runs on most web servers or at least the ubuntu based ones. You can throw 500 files at it and it won’t crash because it’s not taxing the processor(s) by rendering the GUI and images. I’ve had photoshop freeze when doing batch operations.
I go to windows for TurboCAD as I learned on it and it’s way easier to me than any other CAD, also for my scantool and auto repair software.
One can run linux without ever having to type a command. There might be an occasion you need to do it to fix something or do something out of the ordinary but that’s usually a matter of copy/paste the code from a website. No more scary than having to go into windows registry to make a change.
At one time, I had to create a bunch of PDFs with fields that could be filled in digitally, including a digital signature. That I had to do with Adobe software. Not much available to edit PDFs in linux.
Now that I found a good backup program called, Déjà Dup, I can swap linux versions in a couple hours and be up and running with the new version without losing anything, including program configurations. I open thunderbird and all my emails and accounts are there. I open firefox and all my tabs, history and cookies are there, yet I have a new OS to try out. I tend to change linux versions every year or two. At this point, I’ve tried about all of them but they come out with new features etc. I ran kubuntu for a while but the Plasma desktop was a bit unstable so I switched to Ubuntu with the Gnome desktop but I didn’t like the lack of settings so I ended up running Mint with kubuntu/Plasma and by that time, Plasma was straightened out. Mint is ditching it though so I’ll have to find something else at some point. Might go back to straight kubuntu with Plasma as I really like the full screen dashboard type menu.
My preferred version of windows is Win 7 Pro and since it never gets on the web and I have all security features and notifications turned off, it will never change.
I remember using windows exclusively. Worked great at first, then the updates start coming and it would get slower and slower all the time. Or you get a bad link and boom, “You’ve got Malware”.
I’ve had them all too. Started out printing invoices with DOS and a dot matrix printer. Then got a pc with win 3.1, then 95, 98, and so on.
The software manager is great! but synaptic can find and get you stuff from the repository that the software manager doesn’t see. Synaptic is just a search engine. I go digging around on the net for something good I want and then just go enter it into the search on synaptic.
Synaptic goes and finds the latest version available and the supporting bonus ware from the TRUSTED repositories (which isn’t always the very very newest, but very close). Key point here, TRUSTED sources.
Then it checks your system and attaches what extra files you are going to need for that program. Then after it is downloaded I have it go update to the very newest version using the update manager that has usually already went to look for that newer version on it’s own. Done... up to date and pretty painless from your desktop. It really is a cool system.
But don’t shy away from the command line... Learn to use it too. Because what it can do is incredible compared to both the software manager and Synaptic. In fact a lot of downloads you just copy a code from the vendor, paste it into the command line, and hit enter. Then it does it’s thing slicker than snot. lol
But isn’t that the same thing?
[[You can also actually have it record your steps and then have it do the same procedure on a folder full of images. ]]
I have many custom actions I’ve created- love them- such a time saver- I got to usign gimp- but only when i don’t want to reboot to windows- it’[s ok- and will do in a pinch- but i much prefer photoshop
[[One can run linux without ever having to type a command. There might be an occasion you need to do it to fix something or do something out of the ordinary but that’s usually a matter of copy/paste the code from a website. No more scary than having to go into windows registry to make a change.]]
I’ve run into a few things I needed to do via command line- the worst part is trying to find the solution in the linux forums- they talk way over my head- my brain is fried when i get done finding the answer- but yes, it’s usually no more than pasting code once you do manage to find the right solution-
Linux mint actually has something similar to Deja Dupe now- called timeshift- I gotta look into it- i used to use something similar- but got out of the habit of it-
[[Now that I found a good backup program called, Déjà Dup, I can swap linux versions in a couple hours and be up and running with the new version without losing anything, including program configurations.]]
I’m just gonna stick with mint0- good enough for me- but wouldn’t you just run your restore file and have it restore the os too? I thought the backup woudl backup everything, files, programs and the os, no?
Very good summary man... I started way back when also and my first business PC to print receipts and Etc. was a 286 with a dot matrix printer and DOS.
Coolest thing I ever found back in the day was a very small program that flashed a simple “ perimeter security system in use” screen saver with a big red “radioactive symbol”. used to leave this where everyone could look in the office window and see at night. Just the psychology of that flashing message screen saver and a few fake cameras STOPPED all my night problems. lol
I should find that DOS floppy and convert it to windows and linux, it was Great!
when i use the synaptic, it lists a whole bunch of things i n the results, and I’m never sure which ones i need and don’t-
I do use command line sometimes- not too hard- I’ve updated programs via command line, installed some- viewed installed programs, and found problems using it- but for the most p art- I don’t do a lot with linux- and just want linux for simple stuff like browsing net-
Might want to check out 'backintime'. It works a lot like the OSX program 'time machine'. Uses rsync as it's main engine, so putting multiple backups on an external drive is pretty quick after the initial backup. It is very efficient at space usage.
The time shift works! Just like the restore feature in windows. But you need to go set it to automatically do an image mirror copy based on how often you want it to. This needs to be done right away with a clean system. You have to do the same with auto restore intervals in windows also.
Now here is something cool about Linux. At boot you can choose to go into repair mode and rebuild your GRUB, Cool stuff there...
Don’t stop there! Then install Linux Mint right over the top of it as a second and primary OS so that you can have both!
I run CentOS because $DAYJOB. Using KVM, I have a Windows virtual machine for those few pieces of software that absolutely positively must be used in the Windows virus.
It breaks it down and lists all the additional “add on” packages aside from the main program. Many of these came out later as handy additions to the main program you are grabbing. So it is giving you an option to also grab these or not.
Example... Last night I downloaded GNUcash to check it out. The documentation and directions, and optional add on feature packages were all listed separately. 5 total if I remember right. But lets say I have used it before and didn’t really need the documentation and directions on how to use it. Then I have the option to not download those and not take up unnecessary room on my drive. Same with the optional add on features.
If it is something I have never used before I just green check them all and grab them at the same time just in case because usually they are improvements that came later from a different developer that make it work better. :)
And... What you don’t grab the first trip you can go back and grab anytime you like later!
More or less -- Torvalds is famous for naming his creations after himself.
Never mind... You got it... :)
I’m still running XP without issue. I have thousands of dollars worth of development tools and devices that will not run on Win 10, so I have to keep what I have.
I use W7 LAPTOP right NOW.
Nope, no problem. (In case I get the warning, I have a bootle ..I mean, it wont be a problem for me ;P
He’s still less obnoxious than Stallman.
It is never the other way around.
I just back up the Home folder as it contains all your config files as well as regular files like docs and pics etc. In a file manager, you might not see them until you change it to view hidden files as all the conf file folders start with a dot
.mozilla
etc
If going from one version of ubuntu based OS to another, it brings all your settings back like nothing has changed as far as each program is concerned. You do have to reinstall any programs that don’t come with the new OS by default.
That’s when I use the command line for most as it’s faster; as long as I know the package name and most of them are single words.
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gimp
Every “Software Center” I’ve used was laggy so I tend to use Synaptic if I don’t know the package name or I’m searching. Only problem with is that it lists all kinds of stuff like software libraries that programmers use. There are some cool little utility programs that you won’t find in the software center though. You can also repair broken packages on the rare occasion it happens and can manage software repositories.
I have no experience outside of ubuntu based linux so I don’t know if backing up and restoring the Home folder would work if going from ubuntu based to something else.
There’s really no need to back up the entire HDD or partition of the HDD, at least with ubuntu based. Of course you might want a list of installed programs and reinstalling them takes time but it’s a whole lot less to back up and for most people, it would fit on a thumb drive.
Some people create a partition specifically for the Home folder so they can swap versions without having to back anything up. It’s different when installing because you have to tell the installation where your custom home folder is. I’ve never done it but it would be faster as my Home folder is close to 100gb.
That first backup with Deja Dup is slow, as is restoring it but after the first backup, subsequent backups aren’t too bad.
That's not hard. :-)
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