This address does exist within Windows but it’s well hidden.  One time when you will see it though is when you install the operating system and with Windows 7 (and Vista) it is vitally important to make certain you choose the right one.

This wasn’t a problem even a few short years ago as computers only came with a single hard drive.  With the cost of hard drive storage still tumbling though and capacities increasing, it’s becoming more and more common to find two hard disks inside a new PC and even some high-end laptops.

These disks are labelled by Windows, Disc 0, Disc 1, Disc 2 and so on with Disc 0 (zero) being the critical one to the operating system.  This is the disc on which you really should install your copy of Windows.

There’s no hard and fast rule here that says you absolutely must install Windows on this drive, in fact it will boot merrily from any hard disk in your PC and from any partition on that drive.  Windows often places a 100Mb System partition at the beginning of Disk 0 though.  This hidden partition stores the boot information for your PC.  It’s completely separate from your Windows installation but absolutely critical.

The boot menu resides here, if you don’t have this partition you won’t be able to start your PC without detailed rebuilding of the boot system, if it’s even possible to do so as sometimes it’s not.  Either way the process is very technical and not for the faint of heart.

If you have this System partition on a separate physical hard disk to your copy of Windows you are doubling your chances that a hard disk failure will render your system unusable.  It might also be the case that you want to swap this disc out for a larger one, or remove it completely.  This can also render your copy of Windows unusable.

Hard disks, let’s not forget, are some of the very few remaining components in your PC to have mechanical moving parts (unless you’re lucky and rich enough to be able to afford a solid state disk).  The only other moving parts in your PC are fans if that’s any indication of how old the technology now is.  These moving parts can be placed under tremendous physical strain by heavy or prolonged use.

Let’s look at a hypothetical example here.  You have installed Windows 7 on Disc 1 in your computer.  This being the second physical hard disk inside the case.  Disc 0 will always carry the System boot partition so if either one of those hard disks fails you lose access to your copy of Windows.

If you instead install your copy of Windows on Disc 0 (zero) then the other disc can fail and you’ll not lose access to your copy of Windows.  Let’s not forget that on a dual hard disk system the disc that doesn’t contain a copy of Windows will commonly be used for file storage.

It’s an easy error to install Windows Vista or Windows 7 onto the wrong physical disc.  Perhaps the leads have been swapped onto the motherboard ports during maintenance or the build of the PC so that the disk on the top of the pile in the case, the one you’d assume was disc 0 now isn’t.  Alas the only way around the problem should issues occur with this is a complete reinstall, which can take many hours when you factor in all your software and settings changes.

So the next time you come to install a copy of Windows Vista or Windows 7, have a good look at the list of available disks and partitions, and make certain you choose Disc 0 for your installation.

Yesterday I wrote on our sister website Windows7News about a tool called ei.cfg Removal Utility.  This is an excellent tool for removing from a Windows ISO the file that locks it to a specific edition.  By running this tool you can easily create a disc that will allow the installation of any edition.  The downside with this is you still need separate installation DVDs for the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the OS.

So what do you do if you want just an installation DVD the contains every edition of Windows 7 in both x86 and x64 versions, is this even possible?  The good news here is yes it is, though it’s more complicated than just running a program.  I’d like to thank fellow MVP Alexis Zhang for providing the instructions on how to do it.

 What You’ll need

1. Installation ISOs for Windows 7 x86 and x64 (any edition)
2. ISO creation / editing software such as UltraISO
3. Windows 7 Automated Installation Kit

How to Create the Intergated ISO

1. Using UltraISO, extract the \ SOURCES \ INSTALL.WIM files from both the x86 and x64 ISO files.  If you do not have ISO files you can create them from your DVDs
2. Rename these INSTALL.WIM files as x86.WIM and x64.WIM
3. With the Windows 7 AIK installed on your computer run the Deployment Tools Command Prompt
4. Type the following commands in the Command Prompt window adding any folder destinations as necessary…
   1. IMAGEX /EXPORT x86.WIM 5 INSTALL.WIM “Windows 7 Ultimate x86″
   2. IMAGEX /EXPORT x64.WIM 4 INSTALL.WIM “Windows 7 Ultimate x64″
   3. IMAGEX /EXPORT x86.WIM 4 INSTALL.WIM “Windows 7 Professional x86″
   4. IMAGEX /EXPORT x64.WIM 3 INSTALL.WIM “Windows 7 Professional x64″
   5. IMAGEX /EXPORT x86.WIM 3 INSTALL.WIM “Windows 7 Home Premium x86″
   6. IMAGEX /EXPORT x64.WIM 2 INSTALL.WIM “Windows 7 Home Premium x64″
   7. IMAGEX /EXPORT x86.WIM 2 INSTALL.WIM “Windows 7 Home Basic x86″
   8. IMAGEX /EXPORT x64.WIM 1 INSTALL.WIM “Windows 7 Home Basic x64″
   9. IMAGEX /EXPORT x86.WIM 1 INSTALL.WIM “Windows 7 Starter x86″
5. This will integrate all the contents from the various version WIM files into a single INSTALL.WIM file
6. Using UltraISO, copy this new INSTALL.WIM into the SOURCES folder in your Windows 7 x86 ISO file
7. From the SOURCES folder delete the file EI.CFG from the same ISO file
8. Save the ISO file

It can take a bit of time but using this method you can create a single installer for every edition and version of Windows 7.  This is especially for people who want to be able to run the installer from a USB Pen Drive (which I also wrote about about in my article yesterday).

Part 1 – Preparation

1. The first thing to think about is do your files and data reside on the same hard disk or partiton as Windows?  How will you know. 
   1. If you click on your log-in name in the top right of the Windows Start Menu you can then right-click on any folder (your Documents folder is a good choice though any should do)
   2. Select it’s Properties from the context menu that appears and see where its physical location is.  If it is C:\Users\ then formatting your hard disk will also wipe these files.  You can do two things it this point…
      1. If you have a hard disk or partition in your computer with enough space to move the files there you can select all these folders
         1. Right click on them and select Cut.  NOTE: This works on Windows Vista and Windows 7 ONLY.
         2. Navigate to the hard disk or paritition where you want to move them
         3. Right click and select Paste.  This will move all your files permanently away from your Windows installation, securing them in the event you’re forced to reformat your windows disk.
      2. Alternatively you should make sure you back up all your files to a seperate internet or external hard disk
      3. If you are using Windows XP, back up your Internet Favourites in your browser
      4. If you are using Windows Calendar and/or Windows Mail in Windows Vista or Microsoft Outlook, back up your files
2. The speedy way to install software is to have it all available on your hard drive (not the partition on which Windows itself is installed) and run it from there.  Installing software in this way will be much faster than running it from a disc.
   1. If you have spare hard disk space on a second hard disk or partition in your PC, copy your installers to it.  This could include your copy of Microsoft Office. 
   2. You should go to websites such as www.apple.com/itunes, www.microsoft.com/security_essentials, www.ccleaner.com, www.spywareterminator.com and http://download.live.com to get the latest versions of any software you need in advance.  Store these on the same separate hard disk or partition.
3. Are you connected to the Internet via Wireless?  If so you need to make sure you have a copy of your wireless LAN driver available.  Any other driver Windows should be able to download from Windows Update after reinstallation, but if you can’t get online, Windows won’t be able to check for drivers. 
   1. If you have the CD with your Wireless LAN driver on, keep this handy.
   2. If you don’t have the driver download it from the manufacturer’s website.  You can find out what driver you need in Device Manager by looking for your Wireless driver in the Network section and noting the make and model.

Part 2 – Reinstallation

1. You are now ready to reinstall Windows in a trouble-free manner.  Reboot from your computer from the installation disc for Windows and reinstall, reformatting the hard disk or partition where Windows is
2. When Windows is reinstalled, after it has installed your hardware drivers, run Windows Update to check for better drivers.  You may need to do this two or three times, rebooting after each set of updates
   1. Check in Device Manager for any missing drivers.  Right-click on them and select Update Driver to download the latest driver from Windows Update.
   2. For drivers that cannot be installed from Windows Update (which in Windows 7 should be zero) you will have to download the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website or install it from the CD supplied with your PC
3. If you have moved your files and data away from Windows using the steps above, repeat those steps exactly so that the reinstalled Windows can see your files in your user folders.  If not you can copy your files and data back from your backup
4. You can now reinstall each piece of software from the store you created on your hard disk.  Try to avoid having too much software installed, and try to avoid having anything in that duplicates a feature already in Windows.  The less software you have installed, the more stable Windows will be in the long-term

That’s really all there is to it, apart from printing this page out first of course!  Now you will have a cleanly installed copy of Windows installed.
The reason for writing this is that many people think that performing a clean reinstallation of Windows is an arduous task best done by professionals.  It really isn’t very difficult and shouldn’t take, especially with Windows 7, more then a couple of hours maximum from start to finish.  Happy reinstalling all.

One of the tasks that I do over and over again is to install the programs that I came to rely on on those computer systems. For that I open the program’s website, download it and install it afterwards. This takes some time, considering that it is not usually just one application that needs to be made available, but many.

Soft2Base is similar to previously reviewed applications like AllMyApps, Essential Software Installer or Ninite, by offering to download and/or install selected applications at once.

The program displays a set of configuration options on startup. Here it is possible to select the application language, program interface language and download / installation options. It is for instance possible to configure the program to perform silent installs, install only newer applications or download the programs only without installation.

The next screen displays the supported programs sorted in categories. A pulldown menu on top offers templates, like complete, minimum or custom, that auto select applications in the listing.

Many popular applications are available, from iTunes and VideoLan in the multimedia category, over Open Office and Notepad in the Desk category to Firefox, Flash Player, Avast, 7-Zip or CCleaner.

The selection is good, but several applications that I’d personally install are missing. The incredible burning software ImgBurn is missing, as are Google Chrome, Opera and True Crypt among others.

Still, the available applications can be put to use, and all it takes to download and install them on the system is to select them and proceed by clicking on the Install button. I have checked the versions of some applications and they were always the latest available versions.

An installation log can be displayed at the very end of the process.

Soft2Base Download and Compatibility

Soft2Base is available for download at the developer website. The portable software is compatible with most Windows operating systems, including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Another difference that becomes obvious right away is the support for both Windows and Linux operating systems whereas Ninite only supports Windows. AllMyApps on the other hand makes it more difficulty to finish the process, especially at first run. The user needs to download the application and install it on the computer system. An account at the website needs to be registered afterwards. Once that is done it comes down to selecting the applications that should be installed on the user system.

That selection takes more time compared to Ninite as the developers have listed them in categories with no apparent option to view all at once. It usually takes a few clicks to add an application to the list of applications. AllMyApps offers more applications than Ninite does. Both seem to provide access to popular applications such as CCleaner, Google Talk, Paint.net or ImgBurn to name a few.

The applications need to be transferred to the installed application. The web browser will display a launch application dialog (Firefox does at least, not tested in other web browsers) with the AllMyApps application preselected. Security software of the operating system, like UAC in Windows, might also display a prompt that needs to be accepted before the data can be transferred. The program will then display the applications in its interface giving the user the option to cancel or start the installation.

A click on start will initiate the download of the setups and afterwards the installation of the selected software programs without further user interaction. Users who want to install multiple applications at once now have two programs to chose one. Ninite works only in Windows and does not offer as many applications but is less complicated to use. AllMyApps is compatible with Windows and Ubuntu Linux, offers more applications to install but makes it harder to install the applications due to the registration and software selection process.

Users who want to try out AllMyApps can visit the project’s homepage to do so.

I found a bootable disc image smaller than 10MB which downloads the packages on the machine on which they’ll be installed, rather than having to burn them onto a disc and then run them. However, this method of installation also allows the user to only select the packages they want to download, which potentially dramatically reduces the size of the download.

This small disc obviously uses a text-based installer. Whilst this isn’t quite as user friendly, it ensures compatibility and can be used in many scenarios in which the alternative installation CD would currently have to be used.

Discs are available for 32-bit and 64-bit installs on PCs; 32-bit PowerPCs and patchy support is available for Sparc and 64-bit PowerPCs.

This seems like a much better way to install Ubuntu, because one can avoid pointless packages and the time needed to burn the 700MB image!

A much faster method would be to use the so-called PC DE-Crapifier to uninstall most of not all of them in one go. Starting the software simply displays a list of products that is currently installed on your computer. This is not the uninstallation dialog that you see when you select it from your control panel. PC DE-Crapifier only scans the system for known products that are preinstalled when buying a new computer.

You may select to remove none, some or all of the programs that are found during the scan. This ensures that you can keep all the programs that sound interesting or have been installed on purpose. The list of programs that PC DE-Crapifier supports is a long one, here we go:

• QuickBooks Trial
• NetZero Installers
• Earthlink Setup Files
• Corel Photo Album 6
• Tiscali Internet
• Wanadoo Europe Installer
• Get High Speed Internet!
• Internet Service Offers Launcher
• Dell Search Assistant
• Norton Ghost 10.0
• Symantec Live Update
• MS Plus Photo Story 2LE
• MS Plus Digital Media Installer
• McAffee
• Norton Internet Security
• Google Desktop
• AOL US
• AOL UK
• MusicMatch Jukebox
• MusicMatch Music Services
• Wild Tangent Games
• Norton AntiVirus 2005
• Norton Security Center
• Norton AntiSpam
• PC-cillin Internet Security 12
• Run Registry Entries
• Desktop Icons
• Corel WordPerfect
• Roxio RecordNow
• Sonic DLA
• Sonic Update Manager
• Sonic RecordNow Audio
• Sonic RecordNow Copy
• Roxio MyDVD LE
• Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003
• Quicken 2006

As you can see a lot of programs. Please note that some of the listed programs are so called light versions that do not offer the functionality of the full priced product. Others can be trial versions that you can only use for a certain time with the option to buy them if you want to continue using them.

I’d say this is pretty useful if you want a fast efficient solution.

Once you try to login an error message should appear explaining that Windows can’t be started before it is activated. Click Yes on that screen which opens up a Lets activate window. Press Windows + U and click on the computer icon on the left corner of the new window. Select About Narrator in the drop down menu which opens some information about this function and a link that is called Microsoft Web Site.

Clicking that link opens the Internet Explorer and you can surf the web as usual to find information about the problem. Instead of opening a url you can also use the Internet Explorer to display folders on your operating system, et voila, you can access the internet and your files on a locked Windows system.

This is of course only a temporary solution, you will need to find a way to activate your windows system. A better way for situations like these would be to have a linux live cd handy which could be used to access the internet and your files.

You can alternatively try the rearm command to extend the activation period. Check out Extend the Vista activation period for instance to find out how to do that under Windows Vista. Similar options are available for users running Windows 7 or even newer operating systems than that.

The method basically resets the activation timer so that you start again at day 0 of registration. You cannot repeat the process indefinitely though.

I started with the installation of Windows Vista because other users told me that this would be the best way to install both systems. Grub, the Linux bootloader would be installed last this way and pick up all three operating systems, exactly the way I wanted it to be. During the installation of Windows Vista I realized that Vista is still not able to read my SATA drives without additonal drivers. I had this problem back when I was installing Windows XP and hoped that it would be solved in Vista.

I had to go back to Windows XP and download the SATA drivers from my motherboard manufacturer Asus and put them on a CD. I found out later that it would have been possible to add them to a hard drive or usb device as well. I had to load the drivers and was able to continue with the installation which took very long, and I mean long. Seemed like an hour before Vista was installed. Had not much time to play around because I still needed to install Kubuntu as well on the same drive.

I was prepared and created a Kubuntu CD before the Vista installation. A nice feature is that it functions as a live cd and installation cd at once. It booted fast into the gui and I had the chance to play around a little bit. I was looking for gparted, the partitioner that I intended to use but it was not there. Kubuntu had QTParted installed, I guess it does not make much of a difference.

I created a EXT3 partition of 30 gigabytes and a Linux Swap partition of 1 gigabyte. Kubuntu has a installation shortcut on its desktop, I double-clicked it and the installation started. Unfortunately the manual selection of the partitions failed and I had to choose that the partition would be automatically resized.

I’m still waiting that the resizing of the partition finds an end and the installation of Kubuntu can begin. Would say it took almost an hour until now and there is no end in sight because I do not see a progress bar or a clock that is running down.

If everything works out fine I will begin tomorrow to play around with Vista and Kubuntu and write about my first day experience with both systems. If you know of a solution for the problem that I can’t install Kubuntu manually let me know please.