Author: Mr. Robot

Top 5 Build Mistakes

  1. Thermally Constrained Case
    • If it looks thermally constrained, it is and should be avoided.
    • Many cases on the market are subpar, subjecting your components to excessive heat and potentially shortening their lifespan or even causing system crashes.
    • Avoid cases lacking an open mesh front panel to ensure adequate airflow. The prevalence of early component failures in gaming desktops often stems from inadequate ventilation due to closed-off or glass front panels.
  2. Inadequate CPU Cooler
    • If the CPU is locked (AMD non-X or Intel non-K) then low end air cooling is all that is required. The stock cooler is sufficient.
      • For quieter operation, recommend upgrading the cooler.
    • If the CPU is unlocked (AMD X or Intel K) then water cooling is recommended, and your highest attainable clocks will be limited by the cooler chosen.
      • High-end air cooling also works well, however it lowers the gap required for age induced performance degradation, which is an inevitable development.
      • If budget constrained, choose a less critical important component to reduce budget on or get a locked processor.
      • Unlocking CPUs demands more than just paying their premium price; it necessitates additional investment in adequate cooling, airflow, and power.
        • Unless gamers are ready to allocate resources for these essentials, opting for locked CPUs is often a more practical choice.
        • Doing so also frees up your parts budget for more impactful choices like a better GPU or larger SSD.
    • Having an over-spec CPU cooler means you can run the fans on a much quieter fan curve, and allows for a full fan stop at idle to minimize dust collection, which is not possible with air cooling.
    • The trusted brands are Arctic and Corsair
      • Except NZXT M22 or any pump-in-rad designs.
      • Most inexpensive AIO brands have reliability issues, slow (1-2 month) warranty service time, and should be avoided.
      • Water cooling also has the advantage of significantly higher thermal mass as well as dispersion of heat away the other hot neighboring components.
      • Budget $100-$200 for a good 280/360/420 AIO.
  3. Inadequate Case Fan Quantity and/or Orientation
  4. Improperly Wired GPU
    • Your power supply includes at least two PCIE power cables.
    • Use one entire cable for each power connector on your GPU.
    • Do not use the pigtail connector on each PCIE power cable.
      • See photo below for example.

  5. Improperly Installed M.2 SSD
    • Your motherboard includes the standoffs and screws needed to fasten your M.2 style SSD(s) to the board in the original box. The standoffs and/or screws usually do not come affixed to the board.
    • Don’t remove the SSD stand-off and use it as a way to fasten it to the board. This is a very common mistake and can cause the board, SSD, or both to short out including loss of data.

      ⚠️Never install a SSD like this.

    • The SSD must also have a heatsink attached. If your board didn’t include one then buy one or your drive with throttle, have a decreased lifespan, or short out against the motherboard.

For comprehensive build guidance, visit robotatx.com/builds

AMD: A History of Advanced Marketing Deception

AMD: A History of Advanced Marketing Deception

Buyer beware

In the competitive landscape of computer hardware, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has had its fair share of setbacks.

In this retrospective, we delve into AMD’s history of product failures, examining the lessons learned and the implications for the industry, including why Mr. Robot and many other expert builders do not offer AMD builds.

While AMD has made significant strides in innovation and market competitiveness, its journey is also marked by notable product failures that have left lasting impacts on the company and its reputation.

AMD has a long history of litigation with former (and current) partner and x86 creator Intel.[290][291][292]

  • 1986 Intel broke an agreement it had with AMD to allow them to produce Intel’s micro-chips for IBM; AMD filed for arbitration in 1987 and the arbitrator decided in AMD’s favor in 1992. Intel disputed this, and the case ended up in the Supreme Court of California. In 1994, that court upheld the arbitrator’s decision and awarded damages for breach of contract.
  • 1990 Intel brought a copyright infringement action alleging illegal use of its 287 microcode. The case ended in 1994 with a jury finding for AMD and its right to use Intel’s microcode in its microprocessors through the 486 generation.
  • AMD K5 and K6 Processors:
    • In the mid-1990s, AMD aimed to challenge Intel’s dominance in the CPU market with its K5 and K6 processor lines.
    • Despite initial promise, the K5 and K6 processors faced performance and compatibility issues, failing to gain widespread adoption.
    • These setbacks hindered AMD’s competitiveness in the CPU market and led to financial losses for the company.
  • 1997 Intel filed suit against AMD and Cyrix Corp. for misuse of the term MMX. AMD and Intel settled, with AMD acknowledging MMX as a trademark owned by Intel, and with Intel granting AMD rights to market the AMD K6 MMX processor.
  • 2005 following an investigation, the Japan Federal Trade Commission found Intel guilty of a number of violations. On June 27, 2005, AMD won an antitrust suit against Intel in Japan, and on the same day, AMD filed a broad antitrust complaint against Intel in the U.S. Federal District Court in Delaware. The complaint alleges systematic use of secret rebates, special discounts, threats, and other means used by Intel to lock AMD processors out of the global market. Since the start of this action, the court has issued subpoenas to major computer manufacturers including Acer, Dell, Lenovo, HP and Toshiba.
  • 2009 Intel agreed to pay AMD $1.25bn and renew a five-year patent cross-licensing agreement as part of a deal to settle all outstanding legal disputes between them.[293]
  • AMD Bulldozer Architecture:
    • In the early 2010s, AMD introduced the Bulldozer microarchitecture, aiming to compete with Intel’s Core series processors.
    • Bulldozer processors, including FX and Opteron variants, suffered from underwhelming performance and high power consumption compared to Intel’s offerings.
    • The Bulldozer architecture failed to meet the performance expectations of consumers and enthusiasts, resulting in market disappointment and criticism.
  • 2015 Deceptive Advertising Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against AMD
  • 2017 AMD Radeon RX Vega GPUs:
    • AMD’s Radeon RX Vega graphics cards, launched in 2017, aimed to challenge Nvidia’s dominance in the high-end GPU market.
    • Despite competitive pricing and innovative features, RX Vega GPUs faced issues such as high power consumption, heat output, performance inconsistencies, and high failure rates.
    • These shortcomings limited the appeal of RX Vega GPUs among gamers and content creators, leading to disappointing sales and market reception.
  • 2019 AMD to pay out $12.1 million in false advertising class action suit over Bulldozer chips

2012-2021 AMD vs Intel: Gaming performance AMD Claimed vs. Reality

Intel were unchallenged until 2020 when AMD claimed the lead.

How does IPC compare between AMD’s Ryzen and Intel’s Kaby Lake?

SEE MORE COMPARISONS
  • 2021 AMD Ryzen 5000 Series CPUs:
    • While AMD’s Ryzen CPUs have generally received praise for their performance and value proposition, the Ryzen 5000 series faced criticism for limited availability and compatibility issues at launch.
    • Some early adopters reported issues such as USB connectivity problems and memory compatibility issues, tarnishing the initial rollout of the Ryzen 5000 series.
    • Mr. Robot has encountered hundreds of dead Ryzen 5000 series CPUs in 2021, mostly launch purchases, tarnishing the initial rollout of the Ryzen 5000 series.
    • Mr. Robot has also encountered fried memory modules specifically only with AMD systems, due to Ryzen overvolting them +20% over SET, on AM3, AM4, and AM5 platforms. SET vs. GET Overvolt confirmed with Fluke Digital Circuitry Test Tools.


    • The Ryzen 5600 at $139 is a budget alternative option for someone who already has an AM4 platform, as it avoids the AM5 or LGA1700 platform entry cost.

      However the Intel 13100F is 20% faster & 15% less money and is a better choice for new builds.
    • The 5600X3D at $229 is the best value 3D cache CPU in the AMD lineup for gamers that already have an AM4 platform and play titles that benefit from the large 3D cache, otherwise it has performance regression vs. non-X3D in titles that do not benefit from it due to the lower clocks.

      However, the Intel 13400F is 15% faster & 10% less money and is a better choice for new builds.
    • The 5800X3D at $299 is a more expensive X3D option for someone who already has an AM4 platform, as it avoids the AM5 or LGA1700 platform entry cost.

      However the Intel 13500 is 20% faster for 20% less money AND the Intel 14600k is 30% faster for the same money and either is a better choice for new builds.
  • 2022 AMD Ryzen 7000 Series CPUs
    • Has an unusually thick integrated heat spreader leading to unusually high operating temperatures, due to a poor engineering choice by AMD of preserving AM4 cooler compatibility at the cost of product lifespan and performance potential.
    • For more info see here: Ryzen 7000 Delidding – Unreal Temperature improvement with Direct-Die Cooling
    • Bad CPU / cooler combinations can create performance degradation so extreme that a lower end processor would be faster just because the CPU cooler can keep up.
    • Has unusually high operating temperatures which will lead to decreased CPU lifespan.
    • AMD says the absurdly high temperatures are okay, but they only stand to make money by decreasing the lifespan of their products and blanket accepting abnormally high operating temperatures that make Intel’s seem tame.

      • If you choose to build AMD, go non-X or if getting the X then plan to de-lid.
        • See Thermal Management section for de-lid tool and contact frame in the Ordering Guide – Mr. Robot
          • X not recommended unless the processor is water cooled, and either de-lidded or kneecapped with custom PBO power limits to avoid overheating.

    • The energy cost and room heating difference between X and non-X is significant and merits careful consideration.
    • The 7600 is the current best value in the AMD lineup for gamers.

      However, the Intel 13400F is the same speed & 10% less money and is a better choice for new builds. Additionally, the Intel 13500 is 7% faster & 6% more money and is also a better choice for new builds.

  • 2023: Ryzen 7000X3D series CPUs
    • Have the same core architecture as the rest of the 7000 series but they have one group of eight “3D” cores with extra cache. The “3D” cores are priced higher but run at 10% lower clocks.
      • For most real-world tasks performance is comparable to the 7000X variants. Cache sensitive scenarios such as low res. canned game benchmarks with an RTX 4090 ($1,599) benefit at the cost of everything else.
      • Be wary of sponsored reviews with cherry picked games that showcase the wins, ignore frame drops and gloss over the losses.
      • Also watch out for AMD’s army of Neanderthal social media accounts on Reddit, Forums and YouTube, they will be singing their own praises as usual. AMD continues to develop “Advanced Marketing” relationships with select youtubers in the hope of compensating for second tier products with first tier marketing.
      • PC gamers considering any 7000X3D CPU need to work on their critical thinking skills: Influencers are paid handsomely to promote overpriced products.
      • Rational gamers have little reason to look further than the $285 Intel 14600KF which offers better real-world gaming and better desktop performance at a fraction of the price.

If you care about product lifespan, warranty coverage, or customer service then don’t even consider AMD. They regularly deny warranty service because if they didn’t, they would bankrupt.

  • AMD warranty becomes void with normal use, due to serial number becoming unreadable with normal operation. Intel does not have this problem and embeds a secondary serial on the substrate as a backup.

Intel has astronomically lower failure rates despite having over 4x higher market share.

  • If they cannot read any part on the IHS, you will be denied service.
  • AMD’s own writing in their warranty terms quoted below is quite revealing and should indicate to you something is off if this company is actively looking for a way to not be held accountable for their products overall poor reliability, and high failure rates.

    The following are common examples of the type of damage or mistreatment that will invalidate any AMD warranty: Scratches on substrates or lids. Any scratches on substrates, 2D code, or lids affecting marking legibility.
  • In other words, just by using the product you purchased will invalidate the warranty?

    Yes. See all the superficial cosmetic reasons why AMD will reject your warranty below:





Source: Mr. Robot (20 Years of Industry Experience)
Source: AMD Processors – Builds – Mr. Robot
Source: AMD – Litigation with Intel – Wikipedia
Source: AMD – Not Covered by Warranty
Source: Userbenchmark.com

How to wipe and reload windows

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₪CAUTION: Following these steps will guide you to erase the data on the drive you are reinstalling windows on, if you wish to keep the data on the computer you will need to backup the data first.
This guide assumes you only have one drive installed.

⚠️WARNING
  • If you have any secondary drives installed, disconnect them until you complete this guide
  • This procedure does not erase previous data beyond recovery if you have a HDD
    To erase data beyond recovery, first visit How to erase any computer
  • If you have a SSD then erase is not required to destroy the data Read More
  • If you have a build or fresh install of windows from Mr. Robot Read More

Stage Ⅰ: Prepare Installer

Download the ISO

Method #1: Use Windows Media Creation Tool and Rufus
Read More

Method #2: Use Rufus for Both Tasks
Read More

You MUST complete one of the above methods to get the ISO file before proceeding below

Create the USB

  1. Insert a 8GB or larger USB 3.0 thumb drive with nothing important saved on it as it will be erased.


  2. Choose the ISO file saved in the previously chosen method.


  3. Ensure partition scheme drop down menu is set to GPT.


  4. Click START button.


  5. You will receive a Windows User Experience Prompt.

    For Windows 10: check bottom 3 boxes then click OK
    If you want the user to automatically be created, tick the 1st box and enter name


    For Windows 11: check 2nd box, bottom 3 boxes then click OK
    If you want the user to automatically be created, tick the 3rd box and enter name



  6. You will receive a warning prompt that ALL DATA ON DEVICE WILL BE DESTROYED, confirm the correct USB drive is selected and click OK.


  7. When Rufus notifies that it’s finished, exit Rufus and eject the USB drive from the “SAFELY REMOVE HARDWARE AND EJECT MEDIA” panel in the system tray, then remove it.

Stage Ⅱ: Boot & Install

  1. Insert USB drive prepared in Stage Ⅰ in the computer you wish to install windows on. If you’re upgrading to a new drive prior to reloading windows, install it first.


  2. If you have a new or blank storage drive installed with the USB drive inserted into the system, upon booting up it should go right to the windows installer and you can proceed to step 4.

    If you do not have a new or blank storage drive then
    • you may need to choose the USB from the boot menu
      -or-
    • enter the BIOS to make it the first bootable device. Read More

  3. Your system should boot up to the windows installer.

    You can now reload windows.

  4. Click next/accept as prompted. If prompted for a product key, enter it if you have it or click

    “I don’t have a product key“
    • IMPORTANT: A Product Key is not required. All laptops and desktop computers that have had windows installed previously with secure boot / UEFI enabled have the product key embedded in the BIOS and will automatically activate windows upon connection to internet.


  5. When prompted for custom or upgrade install, choose custom.


  6. If you have a new or blank drive, just click Next and proceed to the next step. Otherwise, follow the steps below:

    Delete any partitions on the drive you are reinstalling windows on at the partition screen by selecting each partition and clicking delete and yes to each confirmation until the only thing left listed is:

    Drive 0 unallocated space

    Then click Next and windows will automatically create the system, reserved, and primary partitions and install Windows.

    Not seeing the installed drive listed? Read More


  7. Once the installer says it will reboot your computer in 15 seconds, click reboot now and remove the USB drive.
    If you miss this step, the system may inadvertently boot up to windows installer USB again. If that occurs simply unplug the USB and reboot.


  8. This part is only necessary if you needed to complete step 2.

    Enter the BIOS again and set your 1st boot device to:
    • Windows Boot Manager
      • Disable ALL other entries or options, including USB, network, or PXE boot options.
      • Save and exit. (usually F10)


  9. Once you get booted up to windows, follow the prompts to setup your system:
    • Avoid having to use a Microsoft account to login to the computer, do not connect to the internet yet and select I don’t have internet when prompted.
    • Choose continue with limited setup

    • You will prompted to provide a password during user creation, if you leave it blank, you won’t have to use one. I recommend using a strong login password and not reusing passwords in any manner.

Stage Ⅲ: Drivers + BIOS

  1. Now that you have circumvented being forced to use a Microsoft account, you can proceed to connect to the internet. Can’t connect to internet or see Wi-Fi networks? Read More


  2. Now that you’re connected, immediately go to windows update and click pause updates.


  3. Proceed to install the appropriate drivers for your system according to it’s brand as followed:


    Acer: Read More

    ASUS:
    Method 1: GHelper Read More

    Method 2: ArmouryCrate Read More

    Method 3: MyASUS Read More

    Alienware Dell: Read More

    HP: Read More

    Lenovo: Read More

    Custom computers only: Read More

    ALL computers:
    Due to a lack of diligence by most brands, they are often missing the latest drivers for their products which resolve significant functionality, security and performance issues. When that is the case it is preferred to use the newer version from the OEM. Here are a few common examples below:
    • AMD Chipset drivers should always be downloaded from the AMD support site, not from the system or motherboard manufacturer.
    • Graphics drivers should always be downloaded from their respective manufacturer website, such as Intel, AMD, or nVidia, not from the system or motherboard manufacturer.
    • Intel Wi-Fi/Bluetooth drivers should always be downloaded from Intel, not from the system or motherboard manufacturer.


  4. Once all drivers have been installed, open device manager
    • To open device manager: Press Win+X then M
    • Confirm there are no exclamation marks or unknown devices listed
      • If there aren’t any, proceed to next step.
      • If there are any: Read More


  5. Resume windows update and install all updates offered. Reboot and run windows update again, reboot if prompted. Repeat until no more updates are offered.


  6. Run disk cleanup to cleanup all the windows update temp files.
    • Start Menu > Type disk cleanup > Right-click Run as administrator

  7. Update the BIOS by manually downloading it using the appropriate resource for your system determined previously in stage Ⅲ, step 3.
    • For those with custom computers
      • Avoid updating BIOS from within windows to mitigate procedural risk. You can also use the BIOS Flashback feature to update BIOS, if available. For directions, visit: How to use BIOS Flashback
      • You may need to save the BIOS update to a USB drive in order to update it from within the BIOS. It can be the same USB drive prepared in this guide.
      • However, many modern systems can update BIOS from within the BIOS with the extracted BIOS update file on the installed SSD, eliminating the need for a USB drive.
      • Recommend to enable XMP or DOCP in the BIOS afterwards for enhanced performance.
      • Fan Tuning Recommended. For fan tuning guidance, visit: Improved Fan & RGB Control for Gamers

How to convert a Legacy Windows installation to UEFI

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₪CAUTION: This guide will walk you through the procedures of converting a legacy MBR disk to GPT without wiping or reinstalling windows.

Before proceeding with this guide, ensure that the drive being modified has at least 229MB of free space before the C:\ partition. You can confirm this in Disk Management.

If the drive does not, you won’t be able to complete this guide without resizing the C:\ partition first, which can be done with any partition editor freeware for Windows or Linux. I recommend using PartedMagic‘s built-in partition editor.

Stage Ⅰ: Prepare

  1. Prepare Windows Bootable USB (see How to wipe and reload Windows – Mr. Robot)

  2. Identify which disk you want to convert (usually is #0). This can be done by looking at the number in the Windows Disk Management.

  3. Download gptgen from http://sourceforge.net/projects/gptgen
    This tool will allow you to convert your MBR disc to GPT with the data included. 

  4. ATTENTION: After this step, your computer CANNOT BOOT until the whole process is completed. DO NOT Shut Down Unless Instructed

    Unzip gptgen and then run CMD with elevated privileges. (replace the 0 with the identified disk number).

    This *will* result in a BSOD shortly after and it’s to be expected:

    gptgen.exe -w \\.\physicaldrive0

Stage Ⅱ: Boot

  1. Boot up using your Windows bootable USB prepared in Step 1.

  2. Choose language and preferences, and then select
    Repair Your Computer -> Troubleshoot -> Advanced options -> Command Prompt

  3. We will need the disk partitioning tool. With this, we will recreate the boot partitions.
    Type:
    diskpart

  4. Identify the boot disk where Windows is located, typing:
    list disk 

    Something like this should appear:

    Disk ###  Status  Size  Free  Dyn  Gpt
    ---------  ------  -----  ----  --- ---
    * Disk 0   Online  128 GB  0 B       *

  5. Once identified, select the disk (replace with the correct number):
    select disk 0

  6. Verify the partitions:
    list partition

  7. Something similar at the info below should appear.
    Partition ###  Type         Size     Offset
    -------------  -----------  -------  ------
    Partition 1    Primary      350 MB  1024 KB
    Partition 2    Primary      126 GB   350 MB

  8. Delete the previous system partition:
    select partition 1
    delete partition

  9. Create the new boot partition, Microsoft reserved partition:
    create partition EFI size=100 offset=1
    format quick fs=fat32 label="System"
    assign letter=S
    create partition msr size=128 offset=103424

  10. If you list the partitions again, you should have ended up with something like this:
    Partition ###  Type          Size     Offset
    ------------  -----------  -------  -------
    Partition 1   System        100 MB  1024 KB
    Partition 2   Reserved      128 MB   101 MB
    Partition 3   Primary      126 GB   229 MB

  11. Ensure that your Windows installation is mounted, replacing X with the volume number of the Windows installation (usually 1)
    list volume
    select volume X
    assign letter=C

  12. Exit diskpart:
    exit

  13. Generate boot partition data, replacing C: with the letter of the Windows installation (usually C:):
    bcdboot c:\windows /s s: /f UEFI

  14. You should see the message boot files successfully created
    Remove USB drive and restart your computer

How to disable a broken touchscreen

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When you have a broken touchscreen it will typically create phantom touches making the system unusable. Fortunately, the touch screen can be individually disabled on any Windows laptop.

By disabling only the touch screen in device manager, you can avoid a costly screen replacement in some scenarios where the display is still usable and/or you’d like to at least return the system to a usable state until you can get the screen replaced.

Alternatively, disabling the touch screen could mean that you can use the system with an external display such as a monitor or TV as an interim solution or to avoid replacing the touch screen altogether.

Follow the steps below to disable the touch screen using only your keyboard, you can alternatively use a mouse if possible:
  1. Press Win + X keys together, then M
    Device manager will open
  2. Press Tab key to highlight the device tree, then use the arrow keys to find Human Interface Devices then right arrow to expand it, select HID-compliant touch screen, press the menu key then use the arrow keys to select Disable device and press Enter
    see photos below for example, also you need to hold Fn key to use Menu key on some systems

  3. You will get a warning prompt for disabling the device, press Alt + Y keys together to choose Yes.

The touchscreen is no longer creating phantom input

How to avoid surveillance online

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tails.net/install

How to erase any computer

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₪CAUTION: Following these steps will guide you to erase all data permanently & beyond recovery.

WARNING: Following this procedure, you will be unable to boot into Windows / macOS

Afterwards, follow the appropriate guide here to restore the OS: Read More

NOTICE: If you have a SSD then Parted Magic is not needed.
Follow appropriate guide above to reset your system. Read More

NOTICE: If you have a computer with a MSI or ASUS motherboard, HP, or Dell from 2016 or later:
Secure erase feature is already integrated in the BIOS & Parted Magic is not needed.
[ Dell Data Wipe ]|[ HP Secure Erase ]|[ MSI & ASUS ] Read More

Stage Ⅰ: Prepare Parted Magic

  1. Insert a 1GB or larger USB 3.0 thumb drive with nothing important saved on it as it will be erased.

  2. Download Parted Magic from MajorGeeks

  3. Download Rufus

  4. Launch Rufus and click SELECT button.

  5. Choose the ISO file downloaded in step 2.

  6. Click START button.

  7. You will receive a prompt to choose a writing mode. Choose write in DD image mode

  8. You will receive a warning prompt that ALL DATA ON DEVICE WILL BE DESTROYED, confirm the correct USB drive is selected and click OK.

  9. When Rufus notifies that it’s finished, exit Rufus and eject the USB drive from the “SAFELY REMOVE HARDWARE AND EJECT MEDIA” panel in the system tray, then remove it.

Stage II: Boot Parted Magic

  1. Insert USB drive prepared in the previous stage into the computer you wish to erase.


  2. Power on and press the boot menu key:

    Asus: F8
    ASRock: F11
    Gigabyte: F12
    MSI: F11
    Dell: F12
    HP: Esc then F9 or F10
    Lenovo: Enter or Novo pinhole then F12
    Apple: hold OPTION key

    For a complete list of boot keys by brand, visit:
    https://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/page.php?id=58779


  3. Choose the USB option. On Macs it’s called EFI boot.


  4. You should now see the Parted Magic Boot Menu as it appears below.
    Press Enter to boot with default settings.



  5. The system should boot into Parted Magic as it appears below within about 60 seconds.

    If that is not the case, go into BIOS and disable secure boot then try again.

    For Macs, you need to disable startup security.




  6. Launch Erase Disk


  7. For systems with SATA or M.2 SATA drives, choose:

    Secure Erase – ATA Devices

    For systems with M.2 PCIE or NVME drives, choose:

    NVME Secure Erase


  8. You may see the word Frozen, if so click Sleep
    The system will auto-wake after a moment with the drive unfrozen

    If Not Frozen, proceed to the next step


  9. Check the checkbox next to each drive you want erased, choose Enhanced if available, click Continue.


  10. Check the Allow checkbox, click Start Erase.


  11. The military standard erase procedure completes in seconds on most modern systems that have a SSD, if you have traditional platter hard drive(s) it can take several hours.


  12. You will receive a prompt stating whether or not the erase was successful upon completion.

How to make and deploy an image

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₪CAUTION: Following these steps will guide you to create & deploy an image, which will destroy any data that was previously on the destination system.

PREREQUISITES:

1 x USB 3.0 drive with enough capacity to accommodate the system being imaged

1 x Fully prepared system to image

Stage Ⅰ: Prepare USB

  1. Connect the USB Drive
  2. Download Macrium Reflect from MajorGeeks, choose bootable rescue option
  3. Download Rufus
  4. Launch Rufus
  5. Click SELECT
  6. Choose the file you downloaded in step 1
    “Macrium Reflect Free Rescue Disk.iso”
  7. Change the file system drop down menu option to NTFS
  8. Click Start
  9. Click OK
  10. When it’s done, it will say READY
  11. Close Rufus

Stage Ⅱ: Create Image

  1. Download Macrium Reflect from MajorGeeks, choose 64-bit option
  2. Install Macrium Reflect
  3. Launch Macrium Reflect
  4. On the first disk listed, Click Image this disk
    If you have a system with multiple drives, you’ll need to determine which one is the primary drive
  5. For Destination, click the folder icon then choose the USB drive, click OK
  6. Type a name for the image
  7. Click Next x2 then Finish then OK
  8. When the image is done, you will be notified by a pop up window. Now the image is ready for deployment.

Stage Ⅲ: Restore Image

  1. Plug in the USB drive you prepared into the system you want to be imaged
  2. Power on the computer and immediately press the boot menu key repeatedly for the boot menu before windows boots

    BOOT MENU KEYS
    Asus: F8
    ASRock: F11
    Gigabyte: F12
    MSI: F11
    Dell: F12
    HP: Esc then F9 or F10
    Lenovo: Enter or Novo pinhole then F12
    Apple: hold OPTION key
    For a complete list of boot keys by brand, visit:
    https://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/page.php?id=58779

  3. You will see a menu with various boot options
  4. Choose the USB with the arrow keys, press enter
  5. The system is now booting to USB
  6. Macrium Reflect is now launching
  7. Click browse for an image file
  8. Click the USB drive and choose the image file you saved in stage II
  9. Click restore
  10. Click Copy Partitions > Shrink or Extend
  11. Click Next
  12. Click Finish
  13. The system is now restoring the image from the USB
  14. When finished, you can click the red X to reboot