Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Computer Learning -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mario :-) who wrote (80180)	11/26/2012 4:51:27 PM
From: Mario :-)	Respond to of 110653

Oh, this is really bad quality screen shoot :-(

To: Mario :-) who wrote (80180)	11/26/2012 4:53:56 PM
From: Mario :-)	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110653

Let's try again:

To: Mario :-) who wrote (80180)	11/27/2012 9:14:32 AM
From: PMS Witch	6 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 110653

Don't worry about the hidden partition. When Windows 7 installs on an empty disk, it creates a hidden boot partition, about 100MB. If Windows 7 installs on a disk with data already, it puts the boot files it needs in the Windows partition. If I were doing the installation, I'd format the hidden boot partition. After installation, if anything was written there, I'd leave it, but if it remained empty, I'd reclaim the wasted space. Cheers, PW. P.S. This wasn't asked, but it may interest you. . . If your system came with Windows Pre-Installed, you probably have an OEM version. To activate, you need three things: License code (SLIC) burned into your firmware; an OEM Certificate; and a Product Key. The System Locked Pre-Installation Code (SLIC) won't be altered by whatever you're doing, so we can assume it's still in your BIOS. The Product Key should be printed on a sticker attached to your system. The OEM Certificate is more challenging. . . Although you can extract the Certificate from the file C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SoftwareProtectionPlatform\tokens.dat, manually it's much easier to use a program that extracts it for you. I've used ABR with good results. (It finds the Product Key too!) Activation Backup From directedge.us Note: Most Windows 7 DVDs supplied by manufacturers have the OEM Certificate included on the DVD, along with the code to activate Windows during installation. If this is the case, it will save you a ton of bother. P.P.S. A trick I use. . . When I install a fresh copy of Windows on a computer, I put it in a new partition and keep the old system untouched. That way, I don't need to hunt all over the place to find missing drivers. I simply tell Windows to look through the old system. After I'm satisfied the new system is OK, I can remove the old and reclaim the space. Note: Magnetic disks store data most efficently on the outer tracks (near the beginning) so you'll want your system partition in the "best neighbourhood."