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Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso?

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  Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? T <T@invalid.invalid> - 2025-05-24 05:26 -0700
    Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2025-05-24 10:14 -0400
      Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? T <T@invalid.invalid> - 2025-05-24 07:20 -0700
        Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2025-05-24 13:40 -0400
          Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-24 16:26 -0400
          Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? T <T@invalid.invalid> - 2025-05-24 19:42 -0700
            Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-25 04:49 -0400
              Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? T <T@invalid.invalid> - 2025-05-25 03:19 -0700
                Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-29 00:27 -0400
            Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2025-05-25 12:34 -0400
              Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-25 13:56 -0400
                Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2025-05-25 15:37 -0400
                Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> - 2025-05-26 10:05 -0800
                  Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-26 16:03 -0400
                    Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> - 2025-05-26 13:03 -0800
                      Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-26 18:27 -0400
                        Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> - 2025-05-27 09:14 -0800
                          Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Java Jive <java@evij.com.invalid> - 2025-05-27 18:36 +0100
                            Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Java Jive <java@evij.com.invalid> - 2025-05-27 20:39 +0100
                              Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-27 16:51 -0400
                                Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Java Jive <java@evij.com.invalid> - 2025-05-28 11:31 +0100
                                  Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-28 12:25 -0400
                                    Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-28 18:59 -0400
                        Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> - 2025-05-27 09:18 -0800
                          Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-27 14:46 -0400
                    Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? MikeS <mikes@is.invalid> - 2025-05-26 22:07 +0100
                      Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-26 18:44 -0400
                        Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2025-05-27 01:16 -0400
                          Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? knuttle <keith_nuttle@yahoo.com> - 2025-05-27 06:54 -0400
                            Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-27 09:43 -0400
                            Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2025-05-28 21:48 -0400
                              Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-28 22:26 -0400
                                Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2025-05-29 00:32 -0400
                                  Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2025-05-29 00:59 -0400
                    Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2025-05-27 01:00 -0400
                      Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-27 03:32 -0400
                        Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> - 2025-05-27 09:43 -0800
                        Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> - 2025-05-27 10:13 -0800
                          Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-27 14:57 -0400
                            Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> - 2025-05-28 08:43 -0800
                              Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-28 19:01 -0400
    Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-05-24 19:19 +0200
      Re: Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso? Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-05-24 16:31 -0400

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#19675 — Can I update W10 to W11 with the iso?

Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
boot of it?

I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
old stuff around (not a wipe).

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#19683

T wrote:
> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
> boot of it?
> 
> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
> old stuff around (not a wipe).

For the subject of the post.
  => Yes
  - mount the iso and run setup.exe

For the USB drive boot
  => No



-- 
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ

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#19685

On 5/24/25 7:14 AM, ...winston wrote:
> T wrote:
>> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
>> boot of it?
>>
>> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
>> old stuff around (not a wipe).
> 
> For the subject of the post.
>   => Yes
>   - mount the iso and run setup.exe
> 
> For the USB drive boot
>   => No

Awesome reply.  Thank you!

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#19689

T wrote:
> On 5/24/25 7:14 AM, ...winston wrote:
>> T wrote:
>>> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
>>> boot of it?
>>>
>>> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
>>> old stuff around (not a wipe).
>>
>> For the subject of the post.
>>   => Yes
>>   - mount the iso and run setup.exe
>>
>> For the USB drive boot
>>   => No
> 
> Awesome reply.  Thank you!

Now go back and look at the Win10 partition structure.
  - To prevent certain upgrade failures due to WinRE and SafeOS
  Ensure:
   - the device is UEFI/GPT
   - All Windows expected partitions are present in this order
      System, MSR, Windows 10, Recovery, Data(or other OEM partitions)
   - WinRE(winre.wim) is at least this service pack build release level 
build or greater and a modified date of at least Mar 2025 or later(April 
2025 was the latest update to WinRE)
  ServicePack Build : 5728
  Modified : 4/11/2025
   - As noted above, Active WinRE partition is adjacent and directly to 
the right of Windows partition(in a normal GPT it would be partition #4)
   => Run reagentc /info in an admin command prompt to see the partition#
   => Run DISM /Get-ImageInfo to determine the Service Pack build and 
latest modified date
  e.g. for WinRE as partition #4 on Disk 0
  DISM /Get-ImageInfo 
/ImageFile:\\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE\winre.wim 
/index:1


-- 
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ

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#19692

On Sat, 5/24/2025 1:40 PM, ...winston wrote:
> T wrote:
>> On 5/24/25 7:14 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>> T wrote:
>>>> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
>>>> boot of it?
>>>>
>>>> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
>>>> old stuff around (not a wipe).
>>>
>>> For the subject of the post.
>>>   => Yes
>>>   - mount the iso and run setup.exe
>>>
>>> For the USB drive boot
>>>   => No
>>
>> Awesome reply.  Thank you!
> 
> Now go back and look at the Win10 partition structure.
>  - To prevent certain upgrade failures due to WinRE and SafeOS
>  Ensure:
>   - the device is UEFI/GPT
>   - All Windows expected partitions are present in this order
>      System, MSR, Windows 10, Recovery, Data(or other OEM partitions)
>   - WinRE(winre.wim) is at least this service pack build release level build or greater and a modified date of at least Mar 2025 or later(April 2025 was the latest update to WinRE)
>  ServicePack Build : 5728
>  Modified : 4/11/2025
>   - As noted above, Active WinRE partition is adjacent and directly to the right of Windows partition(in a normal GPT it would be partition #4)
>   => Run reagentc /info in an admin command prompt to see the partition#
>   => Run DISM /Get-ImageInfo to determine the Service Pack build and latest modified date
>  e.g. for WinRE as partition #4 on Disk 0
>  DISM /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:\\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE\winre.wim /index:1

In other words, not only a properly maintained PC, but also
a C: partition with the space needed for an Upgrade Install.
Windows.old is at least 20GB, but could be larger. And it is also
not just a Windows folder either, it has other items tucked in its
suitcase which may affect the size.

I'm really shocked at the level of maintenance of reagentc.
I tried a couple weeks ago, to generate a recovery stick
(which is a useless endeavor so don't even bother investigating
this). It's a "known consumer" of having a properly configured
reagentc setup. And my reagentc was "disabled" after a clean
install. Quelle Malheur. How would I emergency-boot if there
was an issue with my C: , if the reagentc WinRE.wim isn't anywhere
on C: either ? It seemed to be completely missing. I used careful
forensic technique, to verify it was entirely missing.

So not only did I have to do a PushButtonReset to fix that, I
also had to resize the empty partition (from Linux), so there would be
plenty of space... if a WinRE.wim update ("SafeOS") ever came in.
And they do come in and sometimes are tacked onto a Patch Tuesday.

*******

When you have an ISO on the Windows Downloads folder, and you right
click on it, the "Mount" option appears at the top. That is the
expected response. However, if you have Imgburn installed, that
hijacks that entry (Mount no longer appears, the Imgburn option
appears instead). The workaround for that, is to "Open with"
"File Explorer" and when File Explorer is presented with an ISO,
it knows it must be mounted as a virtual DVD.

Then, you can do your Upgrade Install by selecting the Setup.exe
on the virtual DVD drive. After the first reboot, the virtual DVD
is dis-mounted and is not a factor at all, in any subsequent phases
of installation. That's why you can use this technique. A physical DVD
is not required, because there is no dependency on the media, once
the files are copied off during the first phase.

   Paul

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#19704

On 5/24/25 10:40 AM, ...winston wrote:
> T wrote:
>> On 5/24/25 7:14 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>> T wrote:
>>>> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
>>>> boot of it?
>>>>
>>>> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
>>>> old stuff around (not a wipe).
>>>
>>> For the subject of the post.
>>>   => Yes
>>>   - mount the iso and run setup.exe
>>>
>>> For the USB drive boot
>>>   => No
>>
>> Awesome reply.  Thank you!
> 
> Now go back and look at the Win10 partition structure.
>   - To prevent certain upgrade failures due to WinRE and SafeOS
>   Ensure:
>    - the device is UEFI/GPT
>    - All Windows expected partitions are present in this order
>       System, MSR, Windows 10, Recovery, Data(or other OEM partitions)
>    - WinRE(winre.wim) is at least this service pack build release level 
> build or greater and a modified date of at least Mar 2025 or later(April 
> 2025 was the latest update to WinRE)
>   ServicePack Build : 5728
>   Modified : 4/11/2025
>    - As noted above, Active WinRE partition is adjacent and directly to 
> the right of Windows partition(in a normal GPT it would be partition #4)
>    => Run reagentc /info in an admin command prompt to see the partition#
>    => Run DISM /Get-ImageInfo to determine the Service Pack build and 
> latest modified date
>   e.g. for WinRE as partition #4 on Disk 0
>   DISM /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:\\? 
> \GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE\winre.wim / 
> index:1
> 
> 


Thank you!

I was going to do a full clonezille of both
computes before proceeding. I am super paranoid.

I was also going to use the Rufus doctored ISO.

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#19712

On Sat, 5/24/2025 10:42 PM, T wrote:
> On 5/24/25 10:40 AM, ...winston wrote:
>> T wrote:
>>> On 5/24/25 7:14 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>>> T wrote:
>>>>> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
>>>>> boot of it?
>>>>>
>>>>> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
>>>>> old stuff around (not a wipe).
>>>>
>>>> For the subject of the post.
>>>>   => Yes
>>>>   - mount the iso and run setup.exe
>>>>
>>>> For the USB drive boot
>>>>   => No
>>>
>>> Awesome reply.  Thank you!
>>
>> Now go back and look at the Win10 partition structure.
>>   - To prevent certain upgrade failures due to WinRE and SafeOS
>>   Ensure:
>>    - the device is UEFI/GPT
>>    - All Windows expected partitions are present in this order
>>       System, MSR, Windows 10, Recovery, Data(or other OEM partitions)
>>    - WinRE(winre.wim) is at least this service pack build release level build or greater and a modified date of at least Mar 2025 or later(April 2025 was the latest update to WinRE)
>>   ServicePack Build : 5728
>>   Modified : 4/11/2025
>>    - As noted above, Active WinRE partition is adjacent and directly to the right of Windows partition(in a normal GPT it would be partition #4)
>>    => Run reagentc /info in an admin command prompt to see the partition#
>>    => Run DISM /Get-ImageInfo to determine the Service Pack build and latest modified date
>>   e.g. for WinRE as partition #4 on Disk 0
>>   DISM /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:\\? \GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE\winre.wim / index:1
>>
>>
> 
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> I was going to do a full clonezille of both
> computes before proceeding. I am super paranoid.
> 
> I was also going to use the Rufus doctored ISO.
> 

Make yourself a Macrium Rescue stick. The legend at the top of the
picture, indicates the license status of the USB stick.

   [Picture]

    https://i.postimg.cc/dVvtCWwM/Macrium-Backup-Gregore.gif

I'm running a Clonezilla, and just one partition, the partclone
promises to take 50 minutes. Macrium Reflect did the whole
disk in only 22 minutes (compression disabled). I'm testing a SaveParts.

Iotop disk read is 17.6MB/sec . This is because initially, it insisted on
doing GZIP compression, which isn't my idea of a good time :-)

      [Picture]

       https://i.postimg.cc/J4Wgqvgh/clonezilla-saveparts.gif

I modified the command and used -z0 -i 0 which is no compression
and no saving in sections (like if you were storing on FAT32 then
the compressed bits could not be over 4GB file size). Now the
capture rate of the saveparts is 90MB/sec, still not super fast
on a 150MB/sec disk drive, but at least I'm not
"getting old watching it run".

If you stop the clonezilla with a ctrl-c, the bind mount stays put and
you can rerun the command after editing and adding the -z0 . This is
a copy of a portion of the screen (and then OCRed). Clonezilla seems
to be able to figure out where to put the output files, even though the
command re-issued does not say what to do.

Clonezilla image dir: /home/partimag

Shutting down the Logical Volume Manager
Finished Shutting down the Logical Volume Manager
^C
mint@mint:/tmp/ocsroot_bind_root/MYBACKUP/2025-05-25-02-img$ sudo /usr/sbin/ocs-sr -q2 -c -j2 -z0 -i 0
                                                            -sfsck -senc -p true saveparts 2025-05-25-02-img sdb1
                                                             sdb2 sdb3 sdb4 sdb5 sdb6 sdb7 sdb8

The backup portion took about 42 minutes, versus  22 minutes for Macrium.
This is a listing of the backup directory. It is running some kind
of check now, and you might want to suppress that or figure out what
option to use so it won't do that. I captured this much, because
it is relevant to comparing Clonezilla capture to Macrium capture.

mint@mint:/tmp/ocsroot_bind_root/MYBACKUP/2025-05-25-02-img$ ls -alt
total 195516300
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root          236 May 25 04:27 Info-img-id.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root         4096 May 25 04:27 .
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root        15993 May 25 04:27 clonezilla-img
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root          126 May 25 04:27 Info-saved-by-cmd.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root           58 May 25 04:27 Info-img-size.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root          171 May 25 04:27 Info-packages.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root          390 May 25 04:27 Info-OS-prober.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root         9426 May 25 04:27 Info-lspci.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root        31382 May 25 04:27 Info-dmi.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root        56809 May 25 04:27 Info-lshw.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root         5555 May 25 04:27 efi-nvram.dat
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root           40 May 25 04:27 parts
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root          512 May 25 04:27 sdb-mbr
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root         1091 May 25 04:27 sdb-gpt.sgdisk
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root        17920 May 25 04:27 sdb-gpt.gdisk
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root        16384 May 25 04:27 sdb-gpt-2nd
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root        17408 May 25 04:27 sdb-gpt-1st
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root          957 May 25 04:27 sdb-pt.parted.compact
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root         1097 May 25 04:27 sdb-pt.parted
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root           38 May 25 04:27 sdb-chs.sf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root         1544 May 25 04:27 sdb-pt.sf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root         2038 May 25 04:27 blkid.list
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root         1248 May 25 04:27 blkdev.list
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root         4096 May 25 04:27 ..
-rw------- 1 root root    601674298 May 25 04:27 sdb8.ntfs-ptcl-img.uncomp
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root          317 May 25 04:26 dev-fs.list
-rw------- 1 root root  28420626890 May 25 04:26 sdb7.ntfs-ptcl-img.uncomp
-rw------- 1 root root 107228679098 May 25 04:20 sdb6.ntfs-ptcl-img.uncomp
-rw------- 1 root root     13779066 May 25 03:58 sdb5.ntfs-ptcl-img.uncomp
-rw------- 1 root root    528580638 May 25 03:58 sdb4.ntfs-ptcl-img.uncomp
-rw------- 1 root root  63359142202 May 25 03:58 sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.uncomp
-rw------- 1 root root     16777216 May 25 03:45 sdb2.dd-ptcl-img.uncomp
-rw------- 1 root root     39130242 May 25 03:45 sdb1.vfat-ptcl-img.uncomp
mint@mint:/tmp/ocsroot_bind_root/MYBACKUP/2025-05-25-02-img$

Clonezilla  42 minutes  601674298+28420626890+107228679098+13779066+528580638+63359142202+16777216+39130242= 200,208,389,650
Macrium     22 minutes  Macrium-Gregore-33-backup-724524-ERASEME-00-00.mrimg   200,717,939,358

The Macrium being 500MB larger could be due to it storing some sort of file manifest.

   Paul

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#19714

On 5/25/25 1:49 AM, Paul wrote:
> Macrium 

I am allergic to proprietary software.  I have had too many
customers with proprietary backup software crash and not
be able to recover because of proprietary formats and
vendors that are out of business or want a fortune and a month
to recover data on outdated versions of software they
no longer support.

I will not use a product I can not recover data from
with a simple file manager.  This is why I suffer
the bug riddled Cobian Reflector.

I also am very well versed with Clonzilla

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#19880

On Sun, 5/25/2025 6:19 AM, T wrote:
> On 5/25/25 1:49 AM, Paul wrote:
>> Macrium 
> 
> I am allergic to proprietary software.  I have had too many
> customers with proprietary backup software crash and not
> be able to recover because of proprietary formats and
> vendors that are out of business or want a fortune and a month
> to recover data on outdated versions of software they
> no longer support.
> 
> I will not use a product I can not recover data from
> with a simple file manager.  This is why I suffer
> the bug riddled Cobian Reflector.
> 
> I also am very well versed with Clonzilla
> 

Give us a status report when you're done. I'm curious
how many hours stuff like this takes, and whether you
can do a lot of it remotely so it can run and you can
do other stuff while it bakes.

I find there are many phases of Windows stuff, I have
to watch them like a hawk, to find out what went wrong
(visual symptoms). I know that with answer files, you
can automate things a bit. but I don't know if that's
really a total solution.

*******

There are some methods, which aren't as much of a backup
as you would hope. "Windows 7 Backup" uses a container per
partition. "Disk2VHD" from Sysinternals, gives a VHD for
the whole thing (which can be cumbersome at times, like
if the eventual target is a virtual machine guest). But it
might not do the boot track. And you might not guess that
was the case, following the path some individuals like
this have followed.

The potential advantage of methods like this, could be the speed,
as in some cases, they are not hampered by the need to generate
checksums.

   https://superuser.com/questions/1070984/disktovhd-generated-vhd-is-not-bootable

The Macrium you made fun of, in version 6 at least, still
had the "imgtovhd.exe" utility. It converts a .mrimg backup
into a disk-sized VHD. While VHD is still a proprietary format
(and mounts in Windows via a right-click), it provides a
second format which can be used to "rescue" files. The .mrimg
apparently has some repair capability, but other than note
the claim they make (it didn't always say that), I haven't
followed up and done fault injection to see what would happen.
The VHD has the limitation of supporting only 2.2TB of device,
and the more obscure and more poorly supported VHDX (infinite capacity)
is less common. I don't think VirtualBox supports it, but it is
the HyperV native format. The Sysinternals Disk2VHD has that as
an output option (VHD or VHDX), and the Windows 7 Backup on the more modern
OSes has VHDX as the file-per-partition format. The OS can mount
those containers. 7ZIP can also traverse containers like that, for
extracting a Bookmarks.html file for a user.

   [Picture]

    https://i.postimg.cc/vZv9b9LK/ImgToVHD.gif

I use that occasionally, and it might work to convert
even Full backups made on later versions like Macrium 8.
But the utility is no longer supported (and partially
that would be due to the VHD versus VHDX issue). Since some
people will be using out-sized disks, that can cause issues
regarding best-tool-to-use.

Macrium has a mounter for its .mrimg files, and so you
don't need to do a restore to access a Bookmarks.html file.
That's table-stakes for a lot of backup product, is
the ability to mount a backup, and select single files
for copying. This does not modify the underlying backup recording,
which remains intact and ready to go. I think Ghost has a mounter,
Acronis TIH has a mounter (available for WDC and Seagate disks
for free).

   Paul

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#19723

T wrote:
> On 5/24/25 10:40 AM, ...winston wrote:
>> T wrote:
>>> On 5/24/25 7:14 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>>> T wrote:
>>>>> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
>>>>> boot of it?
>>>>>
>>>>> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
>>>>> old stuff around (not a wipe).
>>>>
>>>> For the subject of the post.
>>>>   => Yes
>>>>   - mount the iso and run setup.exe
>>>>
>>>> For the USB drive boot
>>>>   => No
>>>
>>> Awesome reply.  Thank you!
>>
>> Now go back and look at the Win10 partition structure.
>>   - To prevent certain upgrade failures due to WinRE and SafeOS
>>   Ensure:
>>    - the device is UEFI/GPT
>>    - All Windows expected partitions are present in this order
>>       System, MSR, Windows 10, Recovery, Data(or other OEM partitions)
>>    - WinRE(winre.wim) is at least this service pack build release 
>> level build or greater and a modified date of at least Mar 2025 or 
>> later(April 2025 was the latest update to WinRE)
>>   ServicePack Build : 5728
>>   Modified : 4/11/2025
>>    - As noted above, Active WinRE partition is adjacent and directly 
>> to the right of Windows partition(in a normal GPT it would be 
>> partition #4)
>>    => Run reagentc /info in an admin command prompt to see the partition#
>>    => Run DISM /Get-ImageInfo to determine the Service Pack build and 
>> latest modified date
>>   e.g. for WinRE as partition #4 on Disk 0
>>   DISM /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:\\? 
>> \GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE\winre.wim / 
>> index:1
>>
>>
> 
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> I was going to do a full clonezille of both
> computes before proceeding. I am super paranoid.
> 
> I was also going to use the Rufus doctored ISO.
> 
> 
> 
> 
If WinRE partition is not adjacent to the Windows partition, it should 
be corrected prior to upgrading(any method) from Win10 to Win11.
  - Disable the non-adjacent WinRE using reagentc (this is important)
     => Why is it important...This will place(move) the WinRE 
file(winre.wim) to the C:drive and in the correct 
place[C:\Windows\System32\Recovery folder.}
  - Shrink the Windows partition by 1 or 2 GB(the latter ensures it will 
be sufficient size until Win11 EOL)
  - Delete the disabled WinRE partition
  - Recreate a new WinRE in the unallocated space.
     => The WinRE file on the C drive will be moved to the WinRE partition
  - Verify WinRE is now adjacent to the Windows partition
  - Restart the device, check again. Run Windows Update to ensure May 
2024 latest SSU, LCU/SafeOS/WinRE is present

If you don't know how to do any of the above, you'll need to ask for 
instructions and also include pictures of current(before doing anything) 
partitions on the main disk.

-- 
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#19724

On Sun, 5/25/2025 12:34 PM, ...winston wrote:
> T wrote:
>> On 5/24/25 10:40 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>> T wrote:
>>>> On 5/24/25 7:14 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>>>> T wrote:
>>>>>> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
>>>>>> boot of it?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
>>>>>> old stuff around (not a wipe).
>>>>>
>>>>> For the subject of the post.
>>>>>   => Yes
>>>>>   - mount the iso and run setup.exe
>>>>>
>>>>> For the USB drive boot
>>>>>   => No
>>>>
>>>> Awesome reply.  Thank you!
>>>
>>> Now go back and look at the Win10 partition structure.
>>>   - To prevent certain upgrade failures due to WinRE and SafeOS
>>>   Ensure:
>>>    - the device is UEFI/GPT
>>>    - All Windows expected partitions are present in this order
>>>       System, MSR, Windows 10, Recovery, Data(or other OEM partitions)
>>>    - WinRE(winre.wim) is at least this service pack build release level build or greater and a modified date of at least Mar 2025 or later(April 2025 was the latest update to WinRE)
>>>   ServicePack Build : 5728
>>>   Modified : 4/11/2025
>>>    - As noted above, Active WinRE partition is adjacent and directly to the right of Windows partition(in a normal GPT it would be partition #4)
>>>    => Run reagentc /info in an admin command prompt to see the partition#
>>>    => Run DISM /Get-ImageInfo to determine the Service Pack build and latest modified date
>>>   e.g. for WinRE as partition #4 on Disk 0
>>>   DISM /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:\\? \GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE\winre.wim / index:1
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you!
>>
>> I was going to do a full clonezille of both
>> computes before proceeding. I am super paranoid.
>>
>> I was also going to use the Rufus doctored ISO.
>>
>>
>>
>>
> If WinRE partition is not adjacent to the Windows partition, it should be corrected prior to upgrading(any method) from Win10 to Win11.
>  - Disable the non-adjacent WinRE using reagentc (this is important)
>     => Why is it important...This will place(move) the WinRE file(winre.wim) to the C:drive and in the correct place[C:\Windows\System32\Recovery folder.}
>  - Shrink the Windows partition by 1 or 2 GB(the latter ensures it will be sufficient size until Win11 EOL)
>  - Delete the disabled WinRE partition
>  - Recreate a new WinRE in the unallocated space.
>     => The WinRE file on the C drive will be moved to the WinRE partition
>  - Verify WinRE is now adjacent to the Windows partition
>  - Restart the device, check again. Run Windows Update to ensure May 2024 latest SSU, LCU/SafeOS/WinRE is present
> 
> If you don't know how to do any of the above, you'll need to ask for instructions and also include pictures of current(before doing anything) partitions on the main disk.
> 

Working from a diagram helps. Sample.

   [Picture]

    https://i.postimg.cc/sDKTV7Zy/sample-partition-table.gif

  Paul

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#19730

Paul wrote:
> On Sun, 5/25/2025 12:34 PM, ...winston wrote:
>> T wrote:
>>> On 5/24/25 10:40 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>>> T wrote:
>>>>> On 5/24/25 7:14 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>>>>> T wrote:
>>>>>>> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
>>>>>>> boot of it?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
>>>>>>> old stuff around (not a wipe).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For the subject of the post.
>>>>>>    => Yes
>>>>>>    - mount the iso and run setup.exe
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For the USB drive boot
>>>>>>    => No
>>>>>
>>>>> Awesome reply.  Thank you!
>>>>
>>>> Now go back and look at the Win10 partition structure.
>>>>    - To prevent certain upgrade failures due to WinRE and SafeOS
>>>>    Ensure:
>>>>     - the device is UEFI/GPT
>>>>     - All Windows expected partitions are present in this order
>>>>        System, MSR, Windows 10, Recovery, Data(or other OEM partitions)
>>>>     - WinRE(winre.wim) is at least this service pack build release level build or greater and a modified date of at least Mar 2025 or later(April 2025 was the latest update to WinRE)
>>>>    ServicePack Build : 5728
>>>>    Modified : 4/11/2025
>>>>     - As noted above, Active WinRE partition is adjacent and directly to the right of Windows partition(in a normal GPT it would be partition #4)
>>>>     => Run reagentc /info in an admin command prompt to see the partition#
>>>>     => Run DISM /Get-ImageInfo to determine the Service Pack build and latest modified date
>>>>    e.g. for WinRE as partition #4 on Disk 0
>>>>    DISM /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:\\? \GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE\winre.wim / index:1
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thank you!
>>>
>>> I was going to do a full clonezille of both
>>> computes before proceeding. I am super paranoid.
>>>
>>> I was also going to use the Rufus doctored ISO.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> If WinRE partition is not adjacent to the Windows partition, it should be corrected prior to upgrading(any method) from Win10 to Win11.
>>   - Disable the non-adjacent WinRE using reagentc (this is important)
>>      => Why is it important...This will place(move) the WinRE file(winre.wim) to the C:drive and in the correct place[C:\Windows\System32\Recovery folder.}
>>   - Shrink the Windows partition by 1 or 2 GB(the latter ensures it will be sufficient size until Win11 EOL)
>>   - Delete the disabled WinRE partition
>>   - Recreate a new WinRE in the unallocated space.
>>      => The WinRE file on the C drive will be moved to the WinRE partition
>>   - Verify WinRE is now adjacent to the Windows partition
>>   - Restart the device, check again. Run Windows Update to ensure May 2024 latest SSU, LCU/SafeOS/WinRE is present
>>
>> If you don't know how to do any of the above, you'll need to ask for instructions and also include pictures of current(before doing anything) partitions on the main disk.
>>
> 
> Working from a diagram helps. Sample.
> 
>     [Picture]
> 
>      https://i.postimg.cc/sDKTV7Zy/sample-partition-table.gif
> 
>    Paul
> 

Yes, a pic/diagram is always helpful and recommended when discussing 
WinRE(partition, location, enabled, size, free space, etc.)

And also noting(as in your example pic) that its partition #4 even 
though only shown in the pic as the third partition(because the GPT 
partitioning MSR is present on the disk but not shown in Disk 
Management...but is shown or can be seen in Macrium or other 
partitioning tools)

-- 
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#19752

Paul wrote:
> On Sun, 5/25/2025 12:34 PM, ...winston wrote:
>> T wrote:
>>> On 5/24/25 10:40 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>>> T wrote:
>>>>> On 5/24/25 7:14 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>>>>> T wrote:
>>>>>>> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
>>>>>>> boot of it?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
>>>>>>> old stuff around (not a wipe).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For the subject of the post.
>>>>>> => Yes
>>>>>> - mount the iso and run setup.exe
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For the USB drive boot
>>>>>> => No
>>>>>
>>>>> Awesome reply. Thank you!
>>>>
>>>> Now go back and look at the Win10 partition structure.
>>>> - To prevent certain upgrade failures due to WinRE and SafeOS
>>>> Ensure:
>>>> - the device is UEFI/GPT
>>>> - All Windows expected partitions are present in this order
>>>> System, MSR, Windows 10, Recovery, Data(or other OEM partitions)
>>>> - WinRE(winre.wim) is at least this service pack build release
>>>> level build or greater and a modified date of at least Mar 2025 or
>>>> later(April 2025 was the latest update to WinRE) ServicePack Build
>>>> : 5728
>>>> Modified : 4/11/2025
>>>> - As noted above, Active WinRE partition is adjacent and directly
>>>> to the right of Windows partition(in a normal GPT it would be
>>>> partition #4) => Run reagentc /info in an admin command prompt to
>>>> see the partition# => Run DISM /Get-ImageInfo to determine the
>>>> Service Pack build and latest modified date
>>>> e.g. for WinRE as partition #4 on Disk 0
>>>> DISM /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:\\?
>>>> \GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE\winre.wim
>>>> / index:1
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thank you!
>>>
>>> I was going to do a full clonezille of both
>>> computes before proceeding. I am super paranoid.
>>>
>>> I was also going to use the Rufus doctored ISO.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> If WinRE partition is not adjacent to the Windows partition, it
>> should be corrected prior to upgrading(any method) from Win10 to
>> Win11. - Disable the non-adjacent WinRE using reagentc (this is
>> important) => Why is it important...This will place(move) the WinRE
>> file(winre.wim) to the C:drive and in the correct
>> place[C:\Windows\System32\Recovery folder.}
>> - Shrink the Windows partition by 1 or 2 GB(the latter ensures it
>> will be sufficient size until Win11 EOL)
>> - Delete the disabled WinRE partition
>> - Recreate a new WinRE in the unallocated space.
>> => The WinRE file on the C drive will be moved to the WinRE partition
>> - Verify WinRE is now adjacent to the Windows partition
>> - Restart the device, check again. Run Windows Update to ensure May
>> 2024 latest SSU, LCU/SafeOS/WinRE is present
>>
>> If you don't know how to do any of the above, you'll need to ask for
>> instructions and also include pictures of current(before doing
>> anything) partitions on the main disk.
>>
>
> Working from a diagram helps. Sample.
>
>   [Picture]
>
>    https://i.postimg.cc/sDKTV7Zy/sample-partition-table.gif
>
>  Paul

I ran reagentc /info and it reports disabled.  Diskpart shows it is there. 
Why is it disabled and what is my problem now?
-- 
<Bill>

Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska 

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#19754

On Mon, 5/26/2025 2:05 PM, Bill Bradshaw wrote:
> Paul wrote:
>> On Sun, 5/25/2025 12:34 PM, ...winston wrote:
>>> T wrote:
>>>> On 5/24/25 10:40 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>>>> T wrote:
>>>>>> On 5/24/25 7:14 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>>>>>> T wrote:
>>>>>>>> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
>>>>>>>> boot of it?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
>>>>>>>> old stuff around (not a wipe).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> For the subject of the post.
>>>>>>> => Yes
>>>>>>> - mount the iso and run setup.exe
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> For the USB drive boot
>>>>>>> => No
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Awesome reply. Thank you!
>>>>>
>>>>> Now go back and look at the Win10 partition structure.
>>>>> - To prevent certain upgrade failures due to WinRE and SafeOS
>>>>> Ensure:
>>>>> - the device is UEFI/GPT
>>>>> - All Windows expected partitions are present in this order
>>>>> System, MSR, Windows 10, Recovery, Data(or other OEM partitions)
>>>>> - WinRE(winre.wim) is at least this service pack build release
>>>>> level build or greater and a modified date of at least Mar 2025 or
>>>>> later(April 2025 was the latest update to WinRE) ServicePack Build
>>>>> : 5728
>>>>> Modified : 4/11/2025
>>>>> - As noted above, Active WinRE partition is adjacent and directly
>>>>> to the right of Windows partition(in a normal GPT it would be
>>>>> partition #4) => Run reagentc /info in an admin command prompt to
>>>>> see the partition# => Run DISM /Get-ImageInfo to determine the
>>>>> Service Pack build and latest modified date
>>>>> e.g. for WinRE as partition #4 on Disk 0
>>>>> DISM /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:\\?
>>>>> \GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE\winre.wim
>>>>> / index:1
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thank you!
>>>>
>>>> I was going to do a full clonezille of both
>>>> computes before proceeding. I am super paranoid.
>>>>
>>>> I was also going to use the Rufus doctored ISO.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> If WinRE partition is not adjacent to the Windows partition, it
>>> should be corrected prior to upgrading(any method) from Win10 to
>>> Win11. - Disable the non-adjacent WinRE using reagentc (this is
>>> important) => Why is it important...This will place(move) the WinRE
>>> file(winre.wim) to the C:drive and in the correct
>>> place[C:\Windows\System32\Recovery folder.}
>>> - Shrink the Windows partition by 1 or 2 GB(the latter ensures it
>>> will be sufficient size until Win11 EOL)
>>> - Delete the disabled WinRE partition
>>> - Recreate a new WinRE in the unallocated space.
>>> => The WinRE file on the C drive will be moved to the WinRE partition
>>> - Verify WinRE is now adjacent to the Windows partition
>>> - Restart the device, check again. Run Windows Update to ensure May
>>> 2024 latest SSU, LCU/SafeOS/WinRE is present
>>>
>>> If you don't know how to do any of the above, you'll need to ask for
>>> instructions and also include pictures of current(before doing
>>> anything) partitions on the main disk.
>>>
>>
>> Working from a diagram helps. Sample.
>>
>>   [Picture]
>>
>>    https://i.postimg.cc/sDKTV7Zy/sample-partition-table.gif
>>
>>  Paul
> 
> I ran reagentc /info and it reports disabled.  Diskpart shows it is there. 
> Why is it disabled and what is my problem now?
> 

The purpose of re-agent-c is to have an emergency boot OS when
the main OS is not available. For example, C: might be encrypted
and have some problem opening it. Or C: might need a CHKDSK to become
functional.

While some machines have reagentc enabled, the location of WinRE.wim is
on the C: partition itself. While this is used as a parking position,
if I understand how this is supposed to work, that's a less than optimal
position. Having the reagentc information in the BCD, point to a
separate Recovery Partition, is a better solution. The Recovery Partition
contains no customer files, so it's not a security issue.

The WinRE.wim occasionally needs security fixes. Presumably it has some
Secure Boot implications, which is why it needs to be patched. Hardly
any user computers are properly patched, because the users are expected
to perform maintenance operations they are totally unfamiliar with.
Just the fact yours is disabled, indicates how long a walk uphill
is ahead of you :-)

When you do a clean install today, the reagentc is typically disabled.
Maybe the file is on C: . Maybe the file isn't on C: at all. I don't
track the issue. I only repair them here, as my own special kind of
hobby.

The secret sauce, is the PushButtonReset.

   [Picture]

    https://i.postimg.cc/qRhGVryW/Push-Button-Reset.gif

Those two files need to be extracted and put in your work directory.

The destination is in the Recovery Partition ("Hidden"). It
can be assigned a drive letter using "diskpart.exe" , as one
means to traverse there. I'm only using "testdisk.exe" from
a third party, as a quick means to take a picture and avoid
the boredom of a lot of "dir /ah" hidden file reveals.

   [Picture]

    https://i.postimg.cc/XqD3Zwpr/Recovery-Partition.gif

Those two work files would go over top of what is in there now.
The reason for this, is you're "resetting" the thing, and you
are convincing the OS to forget about the crap already
spread all over the place, and trust the two new items
(extracted from the 24H2 DVD) as a replacement.

To put the files in there, the last time I tried to do that
from windows, I was repulsed by the permissions. Now, I could
have made a giant mess of the thing, and beaten it senseless
with my "computer hammer", but instead I just booted up Linux
and put the files in there without a fuss. With the right file
system driver, Linux does not care about permissions. That's
why dropping the two files in there is so easy.

Now, you have to craft a command for the running OS, to get it
to pick up the new info.

https://www.tenforums.com/performance-maintenance/211034-recreate-winre-files-new-recovery-partition.html

If I assign the letter R: to the Recovery Partition (partition 4),
I can do this to have the PBR consumed and instantiated.

   REAGENTC.EXE /setreimage /path r:\Recovery\WindowsRE /logpath C:\Temp\Reagent.log

The command will convert the letter reference, to the alternate namespace.
This is the pointer you'd see in the enabled reagentc /info later.

   \\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE

You could also direct the operation, by using that identifier, instead
of using the R: trick and a diskpart letter assignment.

In the administrator window you're issuing that command, should
be confirmation it took. You were starting with reagentc disabled,
before using that command, so that the PBR is "ready-to-take". The
logic behind that stuff, has many curve balls it can throw at you.

For the OS to later be able to patch that file, on a Patch Tuesday,
you need enough space in the partition. Let's say the partition
is 600MB right now. You should at least *double* the size,
if you are planning ahead for one of its little party tricks.
What the stupid thing does, is it can move the WinRE.wim out of WindowsRE
and put it in a "nearby" folder on the same partition. If it is patching,
and it runs out of room while holding *two* of those files in its
possession, instead of copying the moribund file to the C:
recovery area, that's how it can run out of space. The documentation
says "it only needs a small increment in space, to handle updates".
Sure, that's if nothing stupid happens... :-/ Sometimes it moves
the useless file to the C: storage location, but sometimes it
moves it within Partition 4 in my example instead.

Anyway, that's a quick description of doing a PBR, with enough
detail so you can look it up for a recipe.

To resize the Recovery Partition, you can use Linux GParted for that.
Sure, Windows has plenty of little disk editing utilities, but
the Windows utils don't like the taste of some of the materials
and won't work on them. The Linux side isn't as picky. There is
just one thing the Linux won't do, and that is touch in any way,
the 16MB partition that contains no file system. Macrium knows
to use "dd.exe" to handle that partition. But other utilities
are just not prepared for "data not sitting in a file system".
Otherwise, if your Recovery Partition needs a resize, doing
it that way avoids all sorts of diskpart.exe ceremonies involving
deleting the poor partition and creating a new one from scratch.
which is a whole lot of unnecessary work, when a resize is only
a reboot away from success.

Don't forget to change the date setting on the computer,
on your return from Linux.

    Paul

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#19769

Paul wrote:
> On Mon, 5/26/2025 2:05 PM, Bill Bradshaw wrote:
>> Paul wrote:
>>> On Sun, 5/25/2025 12:34 PM, ...winston wrote:
>>>> T wrote:
>>>>> On 5/24/25 10:40 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>>>>> T wrote:
>>>>>>> On 5/24/25 7:14 AM, ...winston wrote:
>>>>>>>> T wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Or do I have cut it to a USB drive and
>>>>>>>>> boot of it?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I am after an in place upgrade that keep the
>>>>>>>>> old stuff around (not a wipe).
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> For the subject of the post.
>>>>>>>> => Yes
>>>>>>>> - mount the iso and run setup.exe
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> For the USB drive boot
>>>>>>>> => No
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Awesome reply. Thank you!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Now go back and look at the Win10 partition structure.
>>>>>> - To prevent certain upgrade failures due to WinRE and SafeOS
>>>>>> Ensure:
>>>>>> - the device is UEFI/GPT
>>>>>> - All Windows expected partitions are present in this order
>>>>>> System, MSR, Windows 10, Recovery, Data(or other OEM partitions)
>>>>>> - WinRE(winre.wim) is at least this service pack build release
>>>>>> level build or greater and a modified date of at least Mar 2025
>>>>>> or later(April 2025 was the latest update to WinRE) ServicePack
>>>>>> Build
>>>>>>> 5728
>>>>>> Modified : 4/11/2025
>>>>>> - As noted above, Active WinRE partition is adjacent and directly
>>>>>> to the right of Windows partition(in a normal GPT it would be
>>>>>> partition #4) => Run reagentc /info in an admin command prompt to
>>>>>> see the partition# => Run DISM /Get-ImageInfo to determine the
>>>>>> Service Pack build and latest modified date
>>>>>> e.g. for WinRE as partition #4 on Disk 0
>>>>>> DISM /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:\\?
>>>>>> \GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE\winre.wim
>>>>>> / index:1
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you!
>>>>>
>>>>> I was going to do a full clonezille of both
>>>>> computes before proceeding. I am super paranoid.
>>>>>
>>>>> I was also going to use the Rufus doctored ISO.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> If WinRE partition is not adjacent to the Windows partition, it
>>>> should be corrected prior to upgrading(any method) from Win10 to
>>>> Win11. - Disable the non-adjacent WinRE using reagentc (this is
>>>> important) => Why is it important...This will place(move) the WinRE
>>>> file(winre.wim) to the C:drive and in the correct
>>>> place[C:\Windows\System32\Recovery folder.}
>>>> - Shrink the Windows partition by 1 or 2 GB(the latter ensures it
>>>> will be sufficient size until Win11 EOL)
>>>> - Delete the disabled WinRE partition
>>>> - Recreate a new WinRE in the unallocated space.
>>>> => The WinRE file on the C drive will be moved to the WinRE
>>>> partition
>>>> - Verify WinRE is now adjacent to the Windows partition
>>>> - Restart the device, check again. Run Windows Update to ensure May
>>>> 2024 latest SSU, LCU/SafeOS/WinRE is present
>>>>
>>>> If you don't know how to do any of the above, you'll need to ask
>>>> for instructions and also include pictures of current(before doing
>>>> anything) partitions on the main disk.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Working from a diagram helps. Sample.
>>>
>>>   [Picture]
>>>
>>>    https://i.postimg.cc/sDKTV7Zy/sample-partition-table.gif
>>>
>>>  Paul
>>
>> I ran reagentc /info and it reports disabled.  Diskpart shows it is
>> there. Why is it disabled and what is my problem now?
>>
>
> The purpose of re-agent-c is to have an emergency boot OS when
> the main OS is not available. For example, C: might be encrypted
> and have some problem opening it. Or C: might need a CHKDSK to become
> functional.
>
> While some machines have reagentc enabled, the location of WinRE.wim
> is
> on the C: partition itself. While this is used as a parking position,
> if I understand how this is supposed to work, that's a less than
> optimal
> position. Having the reagentc information in the BCD, point to a
> separate Recovery Partition, is a better solution. The Recovery
> Partition
> contains no customer files, so it's not a security issue.
>
> The WinRE.wim occasionally needs security fixes. Presumably it has
> some
> Secure Boot implications, which is why it needs to be patched. Hardly
> any user computers are properly patched, because the users are
> expected
> to perform maintenance operations they are totally unfamiliar with.
> Just the fact yours is disabled, indicates how long a walk uphill
> is ahead of you :-)
>
> When you do a clean install today, the reagentc is typically disabled.
> Maybe the file is on C: . Maybe the file isn't on C: at all. I don't
> track the issue. I only repair them here, as my own special kind of
> hobby.
>
> The secret sauce, is the PushButtonReset.
>
>   [Picture]
>
>    https://i.postimg.cc/qRhGVryW/Push-Button-Reset.gif
>
> Those two files need to be extracted and put in your work directory.
>
> The destination is in the Recovery Partition ("Hidden"). It
> can be assigned a drive letter using "diskpart.exe" , as one
> means to traverse there. I'm only using "testdisk.exe" from
> a third party, as a quick means to take a picture and avoid
> the boredom of a lot of "dir /ah" hidden file reveals.
>
>   [Picture]
>
>    https://i.postimg.cc/XqD3Zwpr/Recovery-Partition.gif
>
> Those two work files would go over top of what is in there now.
> The reason for this, is you're "resetting" the thing, and you
> are convincing the OS to forget about the crap already
> spread all over the place, and trust the two new items
> (extracted from the 24H2 DVD) as a replacement.
>
> To put the files in there, the last time I tried to do that
> from windows, I was repulsed by the permissions. Now, I could
> have made a giant mess of the thing, and beaten it senseless
> with my "computer hammer", but instead I just booted up Linux
> and put the files in there without a fuss. With the right file
> system driver, Linux does not care about permissions. That's
> why dropping the two files in there is so easy.
>
> Now, you have to craft a command for the running OS, to get it
> to pick up the new info.
>
> https://www.tenforums.com/performance-maintenance/211034-recreate-winre-files-new-recovery-partition.html
>
> If I assign the letter R: to the Recovery Partition (partition 4),
> I can do this to have the PBR consumed and instantiated.
>
>   REAGENTC.EXE /setreimage /path r:\Recovery\WindowsRE /logpath
> C:\Temp\Reagent.log
>
> The command will convert the letter reference, to the alternate
> namespace.
> This is the pointer you'd see in the enabled reagentc /info later.
>
>   \\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition4\Recovery\WindowsRE
>
> You could also direct the operation, by using that identifier, instead
> of using the R: trick and a diskpart letter assignment.
>
> In the administrator window you're issuing that command, should
> be confirmation it took. You were starting with reagentc disabled,
> before using that command, so that the PBR is "ready-to-take". The
> logic behind that stuff, has many curve balls it can throw at you.
>
> For the OS to later be able to patch that file, on a Patch Tuesday,
> you need enough space in the partition. Let's say the partition
> is 600MB right now. You should at least *double* the size,
> if you are planning ahead for one of its little party tricks.
> What the stupid thing does, is it can move the WinRE.wim out of
> WindowsRE
> and put it in a "nearby" folder on the same partition. If it is
> patching,
> and it runs out of room while holding *two* of those files in its
> possession, instead of copying the moribund file to the C:
> recovery area, that's how it can run out of space. The documentation
> says "it only needs a small increment in space, to handle updates".
> Sure, that's if nothing stupid happens... :-/ Sometimes it moves
> the useless file to the C: storage location, but sometimes it
> moves it within Partition 4 in my example instead.
>
> Anyway, that's a quick description of doing a PBR, with enough
> detail so you can look it up for a recipe.
>
> To resize the Recovery Partition, you can use Linux GParted for that.
> Sure, Windows has plenty of little disk editing utilities, but
> the Windows utils don't like the taste of some of the materials
> and won't work on them. The Linux side isn't as picky. There is
> just one thing the Linux won't do, and that is touch in any way,
> the 16MB partition that contains no file system. Macrium knows
> to use "dd.exe" to handle that partition. But other utilities
> are just not prepared for "data not sitting in a file system".
> Otherwise, if your Recovery Partition needs a resize, doing
> it that way avoids all sorts of diskpart.exe ceremonies involving
> deleting the poor partition and creating a new one from scratch.
> which is a whole lot of unnecessary work, when a resize is only
> a reboot away from success.
>
> Don't forget to change the date setting on the computer,
> on your return from Linux.
>
>    Paul

I had a backup of the winre.wim so I managed to copy that by setting a 
partition letter etc.  Ran regentc /enable and now is all good and it is 
being reported as "enabled."  Sometimes running Windows makes you wonder.

<Bill>

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#19773

On Mon, 5/26/2025 5:03 PM, Bill Bradshaw wrote:

> 
> I had a backup of the winre.wim so I managed to copy that by setting a 
> partition letter etc.  Ran regentc /enable and now is all good and it is 
> being reported as "enabled."  Sometimes running Windows makes you wonder.
> 
> <Bill>

It's a great hobby.

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WinREVersion

    10.0.19041.5125   ??? Version string ?

Since I don't have that key set on mine, I can't check.

You have to get the automation to set that registry value, because
manual tool operation does not give that info.

Patches are pushed out on Patch Tuesday, but I don't think the
thing is closed loop feedback. If you mess with it, Microsoft
does not scan or sense it. Leaving its maintenance kinda open
ended.

Microsoft also seems unable/uninterested in resizing the
partition properly.

   Paul

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#19805

Paul wrote:
> On Mon, 5/26/2025 5:03 PM, Bill Bradshaw wrote:
>
>>
>> I had a backup of the winre.wim so I managed to copy that by setting
>> a partition letter etc.  Ran regentc /enable and now is all good and
>> it is being reported as "enabled."  Sometimes running Windows makes
>> you wonder.
>>
>> <Bill>
>
> It's a great hobby.
>
> Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
> NT\CurrentVersion\WinREVersion
>
>    10.0.19041.5125   ??? Version string ?
>
> Since I don't have that key set on mine, I can't check.
>
> You have to get the automation to set that registry value, because
> manual tool operation does not give that info.
>
> Patches are pushed out on Patch Tuesday, but I don't think the
> thing is closed loop feedback. If you mess with it, Microsoft
> does not scan or sense it. Leaving its maintenance kinda open
> ended.
>
> Microsoft also seems unable/uninterested in resizing the
> partition properly.
>
>   Paul

I also do not have the key for the version.  Right now the partition is 523 
Mb with 441 Mb used leaving 82 Mb unused.  I am positive that at some point 
I created this partition.

<Bill> 

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#19809

On 2025-05-27 18:14, Bill Bradshaw wrote:
> 
> I also do not have the key for the version.  Right now the partition is 523
> Mb with 441 Mb used leaving 82 Mb unused.  I am positive that at some point
> I created this partition.

ITYM GB?  At least, I hope you do!

-- 

Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website: 
www.macfh.co.uk

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#19818

On 2025-05-27 18:36, Java Jive wrote:
>
> On 2025-05-27 18:14, Bill Bradshaw wrote:
>>
>> I also do not have the key for the version.  Right now the partition 
>> is 523
>> Mb with 441 Mb used leaving 82 Mb unused.  I am positive that at some 
>> point
>> I created this partition.
> 
> ITYM GB?  At least, I hope you do!

Sorry, didn't realise that you were referring specifically to a recovery 
partition rather than a Windows partition, even so, the size seems small 
to me, because, although I never have recovery partitions, I keep an 
image file of the system drive on the data drive, so it gets backed up 
to the servers.  If I need to restore, I can simply reimage and be back 
up and running within an hour or so.

But these images are themselves approximately a third to a half of the 
size of the original Windows system partitions of which they are images, 
as follows (sizes in GB):
         Bitness    System drive size    Approx Image size
	32         32                   11
	64         64-80                30+

So you can see why the amount of restorative power from a few hundred MB 
of recovery partition has never seemed worthwhile to me.

-- 

Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website: 
www.macfh.co.uk

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#19820

On Tue, 5/27/2025 3:39 PM, Java Jive wrote:
> On 2025-05-27 18:36, Java Jive wrote:
>>
>> On 2025-05-27 18:14, Bill Bradshaw wrote:
>>>
>>> I also do not have the key for the version.  Right now the partition is 523
>>> Mb with 441 Mb used leaving 82 Mb unused.  I am positive that at some point
>>> I created this partition.
>>
>> ITYM GB?  At least, I hope you do!
> 
> Sorry, didn't realise that you were referring specifically to a recovery partition rather than a Windows partition, even so, the size seems small to me, because, although I never have recovery partitions, I keep an image file of the system drive on the data drive, so it gets backed up to the servers.  If I need to restore, I can simply reimage and be back up and running within an hour or so.
> 
> But these images are themselves approximately a third to a half of the size of the original Windows system partitions of which they are images, as follows (sizes in GB):
>         Bitness    System drive size    Approx Image size
>     32         32                   11
>     64         64-80                30+
> 
> So you can see why the amount of restorative power from a few hundred MB of recovery partition has never seemed worthwhile to me.
> 

There are two kinds of Recovery Partition.

Before Microsoft started messing with it, a Recovery Partition was 15GB of DVD
images stored in a proprietary format. On a "Factory Restore", C: would be erased
and it would be restored from the Factory Image information. It might take three
burned DVDs to hold the same info (for situations where the HDD failed and
the Factory Recovery Partition is lost). When receiving a Windows 7 laptop,
one of the first things you would do, is burn your 3 DVD set. The software
only allowed one copy to be prepared from that information store.

The Microsoft version of recovery partition, is on the order of 500-600MB.
It holds a WinRE.wim file system which has a minimal WinPE style of operating
system in it. This mainly allows scripts or command line interaction
with a broken C: partition. Maybe the machine is unable to boot, and the
winRE.wim partition was triggered by the issue.

Microsoft did not previously "patch" the 600MB partition, but due to some
sort of Secure Boot exploits, it has now taken to modifying the WinRE.wim .
And this requires sufficient space, for any patching activity to fit in there.
The recommended amount of space is not always correct. When they allowed us to
see an error result in the windows Update history page, that made it possible
to guess "well, how much bigger should I make this thing". And you could increase
it, until '4441 installed properly for you.

an area used for the preparation of patches, is here.

C:\$WinREAgent\Backup

   Name: Winre.wim
   Size: 570403392 bytes (543 MiB)

You can't just check the top level size, you have to examine each directory
in there, to get some understanding of what stage it is in at the moment.
But the Windows Update history, may not hint that an update is failing,
and that staging area is "churning each time". It might engage DISM and
build a new one in that staging area.

   Paul

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