NEO Z64-W: Windows 10 OS Image

Hi guys, still need help activating Windows 10.
The process of installing the Windows 10 OS image from this forum worked but Windows 10 cannot activate.
Before I flashed the Windows 10 OS image, I wrote down the Windows 8 product key and tried to use that one to activate Windows 10 but that key isn't accepted :cry:

Can anyone tell me how I can activate?
 
Ganglion said:
Hi guys, still need help activating Windows 10.
The process of installing the Windows 10 OS image from this forum worked but Windows 10 cannot activate.
Before I flashed the Windows 10 OS image, I wrote down the Windows 8 product key and tried to use that one to activate Windows 10 but that key isn't accepted :cry:

Can anyone tell me how I can activate?
Click to expand...
I think you run the activation troubleshooter
 
Ganglion said:
Hi guys, still need help activating Windows 10.
The process of installing the Windows 10 OS image from this forum worked but Windows 10 cannot activate.
Before I flashed the Windows 10 OS image, I wrote down the Windows 8 product key and tried to use that one to activate Windows 10 but that key isn't accepted :cry:

Can anyone tell me how I can activate?
Click to expand...
Update:
It took some "search for updates" cycles and restarts before Windows started downloading/installing version 20H2.
Windows is activated now (y) Still some missing security and quality fixes which are downloading/installing now.
I'll see where it get's me and if I can upgrade it to 21H1 ...
 
Ganglion said:
You should rather be questioning my ability to read and properly follow instructions :cool:
Seems I missed the step: "Renamed the USB stick to WINPE". Sorry about that and thanks ! The process is running now.
I hope I don't encounter any other problem.
I'm guessing the Windows 10 version won't be the latest one. Will it update itself to the latest 21H1 or do I need to manually run the update assistent?
Click to expand...

LOL, no worries :). Oddly, that's the step that seems to get missed the most by others that run into the exact same problem too.

Glad your system is at least now operational :).

Once you actually have Win 10 up & running the system should begin updating but it can take time as the system may need to determine if any updates are specific to your device etc. (Updates can also take a lot longer on these mini PCs than a more powerful laptop or especially a full size desktop rig too, so be patient & if possible try to leave the system powered on until it catches up, (unless it obviously requests a reboot).)

If you're not familiar with Win 10, you may also need to familiarise yourself with the potential pitfalls of updating a Win 10 system with a device that has limited storage space. (You're using a fresh install so that should help with regards to wasted space etc., however, read the following & Google additional information on the subject if you need to.)....

https://www.makeuseof.com/fix-not-enough-disk-space-windows-10-update-error/
 
ArcticWolf said:
LOL, no worries :). Oddly, that's the step that seems to get missed the most by others that run into the exact same problem too.

Glad your system is at least now operational :).

Once you actually have Win 10 up & running the system should begin updating but it can take time as the system may need to determine if any updates are specific to your device etc. (Updates can also take a lot longer on these mini PCs than a more powerful laptop or especially a full size desktop rig too, so be patient & if possible try to leave the system powered on until it catches up, (unless it obviously requests a reboot).)

If you're not familiar with Win 10, you may also need to familiarise yourself with the potential pitfalls of updating a Win 10 system with a device that has limited storage space. (You're using a fresh install so that should help with regards to wasted space etc., however, read the following & Google additional information on the subject if you need to.)....

https://www.makeuseof.com/fix-not-enough-disk-space-windows-10-update-error/
Click to expand...
The Minix Z64W is indeed operational now. Thanks for the assistance!
I'm actually surprised Windows 10 is running so well on it given the limited 2GB RAM. I don't expect miracles from it but it serves it's purpose :D
Right after the latest upgrade I removed unneeded files by using the storage wizard. It now as about 15GB free space which is pretty good.

Yesterday morning just had a small problem when I booted it up. It wanted to check and fix the C: drive but wasn't starting up afterwards. Those little dots were just running around in circles but ... there was also a usb stick attached. After I long pressed the power button to shut it down, removed the USB stick and start the system again, it was working fine so no idea what happened there.

I'd like to ask 2 more questions:
1) In the additional updates section, there's a bunch of driver updates listed. I've read about driver problems on this forum, so I'm not sure it's a good idea to have Windows install these drivers or if it's better to stick with the drivers that came with the Win10 OS image from this forum?

2) At this moment Windows 10 upgraded itself to 20H2 and it already let me know the system doesn't meet he requirements for running Windows 11 (which is obvious) but I'd like to upgrade it to Windows 10 21H1.
So far checking for updates didn't make it realize there's a newer Windows 10 version available so I was wondering if I could safely run the update assistant to force a manual upgrade to 21H1? Any idea if that would work or is it a bad idea?

Thanks again for your help.
 
Ganglion said:
The Minix Z64W is indeed operational now. Thanks for the assistance!
I'm actually surprised Windows 10 is running so well on it given the limited 2GB RAM. I don't expect miracles from it but it serves it's purpose :D
Right after the latest upgrade I removed unneeded files by using the storage wizard. It now as about 15GB free space which is pretty good.

Yesterday morning just had a small problem when I booted it up. It wanted to check and fix the C: drive but wasn't starting up afterwards. Those little dots were just running around in circles but ... there was also a usb stick attached. After I long pressed the power button to shut it down, removed the USB stick and start the system again, it was working fine so no idea what happened there.

I'd like to ask 2 more questions:
1) In the additional updates section, there's a bunch of driver updates listed. I've read about driver problems on this forum, so I'm not sure it's a good idea to have Windows install these drivers or if it's better to stick with the drivers that came with the Win10 OS image from this forum?

2) At this moment Windows 10 upgraded itself to 20H2 and it already let me know the system doesn't meet he requirements for running Windows 11 (which is obvious) but I'd like to upgrade it to Windows 10 21H1.
So far checking for updates didn't make it realize there's a newer Windows 10 version available so I was wondering if I could safely run the update assistant to force a manual upgrade to 21H1? Any idea if that would work or is it a bad idea?

Thanks again for your help.
Click to expand...

1. Driver updates are usually optional so if the system is working well & as far as you can tell you're experiencing no bottlenecks or otherwise putting up with bugs that a driver update could solve, sometimes it's simply better to leave the drivers as they are.

You could trigger each of the driver updates one at a time & monitor the system closely afterwards for any adverse effects. You can also roll back a driver update too if something doesn't go well. The main one to be wary of are graphics updates, suddenly lose your display & it can be a serious headache to resolve compared to other drivers that can be removed easily.

2. Ultimately, I don't know specific to the Z64-W!! Best bet, take a full system image when you've got everything exactly how you wanted it, (good idea to do that regardless of the circumstances). Then, try the manual update yourself. If something should go horribly wrong, all you need to do is restore the image again afterwards
 
ArcticWolf said:
1. Driver updates are usually optional so if the system is working well & as far as you can tell you're experiencing no bottlenecks or otherwise putting up with bugs that a driver update could solve, sometimes it's simply better to leave the drivers as they are.

You could trigger each of the driver updates one at a time & monitor the system closely afterwards for any adverse effects. You can also roll back a driver update too if something doesn't go well. The main one to be wary of are graphics updates, suddenly lose your display & it can be a serious headache to resolve compared to other drivers that can be removed easily.

2. Ultimately, I don't know specific to the Z64-W!! Best bet, take a full system image when you've got everything exactly how you wanted it, (good idea to do that regardless of the circumstances). Then, try the manual update yourself. If something should go horribly wrong, all you need to do is restore the image again afterwards
Click to expand...
After a few days Windows realized by it's own the 21H1 update was available. So at the end I didn't have to force the update and everything still running perfectly well. Also decided not to update the drivers as the system is running good.

As for the full system image, there's a lot of ways and software to do this. Any advise on the product to use? Which one is the clearest/easiest to perform this?
 
Ganglion said:
After a few days Windows realized by it's own the 21H1 update was available. So at the end I didn't have to force the update and everything still running perfectly well. Also decided not to update the drivers as the system is running good.

As for the full system image, there's a lot of ways and software to do this. Any advise on the product to use? Which one is the clearest/easiest to perform this?
Click to expand...

Glad your system all good & updating fine too.

Not uncommon for updates to take time to come through. I forced a couple of my devices to initiate the 21H1 update as they took so long but the remainder I left to initiate in their own time.

Backup software etc., completely subjective mate. For example, do you want freeware, shareware, proprietary or just don't care? Specific features or don't care? Look up reviews for the top 5 or top 10, & also some direct comparisons etc., make your own shortlist & pick the one that best suits your budget & needs vs decent user reviews ;).
 
Ganglion said:
After a few days Windows realized by it's own the 21H1 update was available. So at the end I didn't have to force the update and everything still running perfectly well. Also decided not to update the drivers as the system is running good.

As for the full system image, there's a lot of ways and software to do this. Any advise on the product to use? Which one is the clearest/easiest to perform this?
Click to expand...
I use Macrium Reflect Free Edition.
 
Ganglion said:
After a few days Windows realized by it's own the 21H1 update was available. So at the end I didn't have to force the update and everything still running perfectly well. Also decided not to update the drivers as the system is running good.

As for the full system image, there's a lot of ways and software to do this. Any advise on the product to use? Which one is the clearest/easiest to perform this?
Click to expand...
OS installation:

-First i download from Microsoft the ISO image (that i need)
-I save to my NAS the device product key
-i use Ventoy (it is very easy to use) to install the OS.
-If i need any drivers i will download from this forum (if available)

Note:
If you are going to install a new OS always do a backup first (data, etc).

This is my favorite method to do a clean installation (and i also format the drive).

Full OS backup:
As @Villa said you can use Macrium Reflect and after that restore the image created.
 
Last edited:
Villa said:
I use Macrium Reflect Free Edition.
Click to expand...

:) :).

I was using Acronis True Image but that was more to do with the fact I got it free with WD HDD's than shortlisting & paying for it ;).

(I really need to check as i can't remember if the license was perpetual or had an expiry in 2022 but I also use the original Win 7 image backup system that's still present in Win 10 too, so doubly covered so to speak ;).)
 
ArcticWolf said:
:):).

I was using Acronis True Image but that was more to do with the fact I got it free with WD HDD's than shortlisting & paying for it ;).

(I really need to check as i can't remember if the license was perpetual or had an expiry in 2022 but I also use the original Win 7 image backup system that's still present in Win 10 too, so doubly covered so to speak ;).)
Click to expand...
I've used Acronis but it always appears to F**k Up! :confused:
 
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