Windows 7 64-bit ( going offline )

i am a computer drafts person, (CAD), inventor/prototyper/fabricator and legal reform activist also;
so i have studio down time...and am just now getting ready to go with it.

after some research, it seems the best way to go about prepping a digital studio for off-line operation, ( prior to the system losing MS online security support ), is to go with iLok, and the iLok Smart Key.

https://www.ilok.com/#!buy

that's the hardware bit that allows offline licence authorization, post having puled the plug or cutting the umbilical so to speak.
i am still just online with my ChromeBox here, and can assure you, if your offline with your studio long enough your studio will cease to function.

then there's the software bit called the iLok Licence Manager, and the ordeal with opening an account and getting all your licences registered with iLok also.....i am just getting started with it and will document the journey here for anyone who's got allot of money in their hardware which will only run a most recent system that is getting dangerously stale for online operation.

rulg

 

Here Is the Windows Lifecycle Fact Sheet, ( check your systems status, and also know the earliest version your hardware will run )

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet

Vista is no longer supported, 7 is stale, and 8 is also, but not quite as stale.

 

iLok Home page
https://www.ilok.com/#!home

iLok Licence Manager, ( Downloads, and PDF Manuals )
https://www.ilok.com/#!license-manager

 

Ok...i don't know if i am going to get a "Solved" on this ?

this is the response i got from tech support:
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" As of September 2017, the possibility of activating Native Instruments products offline has been discontinued.

The computer only needs to be online during the initial activation or if updates / reinstalls are required, so if you activate your products now while you still have internet access. None of our products use iLok, please use Native Access for ativation. "
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one thing i solved > was, diagnosing the source of most of my problems being related to a Low CMOS Battery on my main board.....so i am doing a Rechargeable CMOS Mod by coming off the 3.3 Vdc rail with a Schottky Diode ( Digi-Key # SL02-GS08CT-ND ) to one of these.
http://www.batteryspace.com/lfp-polymer-cell-3-2v-1100mah-1004045-3c-3-52wh-3-3a-rate.aspx

i can back up a system image, so i probably wont ever have to reload, but i am not going to be able to install new updates of existing products, or ever upgrade with new NI products....

guess that's the lumps.

rulg

 

i guess if i was going to leave a "Windows Going Off-Line Check List" here, it would go something like this:

1) Know your systems expiration dates ( for the when of it )
1a) back up all your files.

2) Set up a rechargeable CMOS circuit for your main board.

3) Download your appropriate System Image ISO file, from Microsoft.
3a ) convert the ISO, need be, if your running a system RAID, with a Full version of Accronis Tru-Image, ( or similar )

4) get your system loaded with current drivers and everything you figure you will need, up to date, and set up decent.
4a) then back up that system image, and also then re-back up your separate files.

5) figure out your best off-line trim and system settings, by studying the topic further with your on-line computer, ( that's where i am at now )

take care all,

rulg

 

When you go offline make absolutely sure that you never install any more software at all. Don't even install updates. Otherwise you are simply kidding yourself. You are still probably going to need a couple of months periodically going online to make sure your software and updates are stable before you take it off.

Regardless you are far better off upgrading to Windows 10 Pro, setting Windows update to the business cycle, and doing full backups with Acronis True Image.

 

Hey CAS

yeah that's the deal, at least with NI....no more NI goodies for me.
the thing is my hardware...i have about $2,400 into my hardware and it wont run WIN 10.

i can get stuff that works with iLok, because i can download the file to a flash drive, and move it that way..
over the holidays i got an e-mail from Arturia with an offer to snag V Collection 6 for $250....i couldn't pass it up, and am well over my head in soft synths now.....also, Bitwig has a new "Phase Manipulation" synth coming out with v2.3 called "Phase 4"...like some sort of CZ-101 meets DX-7 or something.

i also got the Form synth and the Vintage Compressors bundle from NI, and thank the gosh-ness i will still be able to run downloads off the Reaktor User Library...not so much in need of anymore synths at all, ( except drum synths ), so that will be mostly be for Reaktor nuts and bolts type stuff for building.

i will stop in here once in awhile....my Chromebox can't run a synth, but is totally net stable...

rulg

 

are you not overcomplicating things?

unless you have software that REQUIRES ilok to function, it offers no value to the majority of studio software..

the best way to prep a system for offline operation is to ensure that online access is not required for software usage, this is not common for the majority of software, certainly not maschine and the majority of DAW and vst.

Then simply quarantine the system and totally disable any and all o.s. updates. ..and also consider disabling internet access... then you dont need av and a lot of other non studio related bs software.

it will continue to work, just dont expect to add new software to that system.

 

anyone browsing this thread, take note, all the NI stuff will continue to function as stated above.
but i would still suggest the Rechargeable CMOS Mod, prior to going off line.

it was my CMOS battery, M38.....anyway, the only iLok necessities i have are Bitwig Studio 2.x.x , and Softube Heat Beat.

rulg

 

M38, do you think i need to even install my .net driver ? if i disable internet access anyway, and don't plan on using the Ethernet port ?

 

^ Makes no difference if you do or don't if you right click and disable the driver in device manager. Personally I would install it then disable.

 

^ yeah, good advice, i might need to put it on a LAN at some point...thanks CAS.

hey you know also, that Fan Mod really helped me throw my studio into high gear, ( old CPU temp topic ), but that 135mm PSU / CPU fan was sort of getting noisy running at full blast all the time....so....i invested in a top of the line new 140mm 4-pin PWM fan, so i can run it on my CPU fan header, ( which obviously makes much more sense anyway.)..

https://www.bequiet.com/en/casefans/719

it will pull over 70 cfm need be....i am going to swap in that new fan when i get the CMOS battery.

 

Note: the CMOS battery basically maintains your BIOS settings, ( and other more trivial things ).
or, you could just write down all your BIOS settings on a piece of paper, and keep that piece of paper as your BIOS backup...( at that point you could quite safely power down and change your CMOS battery, need be.

i don't know too many people who run on default BIOS settings, i certainly don't, and the reason i am going with a rechargeable mod is because i want the freedom to make changes to, and tweak, my BIOS as i go along..

AND, more importantly, if your system ever glitches out, because of a low CMOS voltage, you will have to reload from an old backup, ( prior to any data corruption ), and that would probably mean lost work.

 

NOTE: don't get the aforementioned diode unless you have a temperature controlled iron and some magnifying head gear, ( and some soldering experience )

i have all of the above, so i go with the surface mount stuff sometimes for in line components.

my circuit doesn't have a resistor, ( like other CMOS charger circuits you find on line ), because my forward bias voltage drop is only 0.17 volts with the schottky, and so also then i can come off the 3.3vdc rail and still end up at 3.13 volts.

i would, however, recommend the battery i mentioned vs. the commonly suggested phone battery, to use with whatever circuit you go with...the 3.2v nominal is the same voltage as a fresh coin cell, and though that battery can handle up to 4.1 volts without damage, the CMOS circuit might not be able to handle that much...so get your circuit right, because the output of the circuit is what the battery will charge up to.

 

the best way to record your BIOS settings is to write down your deviations from default to begin with.
i didn't do that, and since i can't remember what is default, and what is not, i am ending up with a book worth of settings.

your BIOS settings are stored in the CMOS RAM, ( which the battery maintains ), but i think there is some sort of EPROM that stores the defaut settings that take effect if you ever have to " Reset CMOS ", so i am also going to be investigating the possibility that new settings could be " burned in " then somewhat negating the worry with the CMOS battery.

 

personally, i am taking a two tiered approach....if i can....and that's the thing, or enabling your flashing of custom BIOS settings, into your Reset CMOS EPROM, is entirely at the digression of your main-board manufacturer.
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the two questions, as i worded the opener.

1) is there a software utility for flashing custom BIOS settings into the Z77 Stinger miTX BIOS ? 2 ) is there anyway for me to download the E-Leet tuning utility for the same board ?
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my main board manufacturer wrote back:
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"Thank you for contacting EVGA. Unfortunately, the answer to both questions is no. You can boot up in to the bios on the mother board there and have your changes saved, but there is no tool to change these settings or have them saved from Windows. As for the E-LEET tool, it's only available starting with the Z87 boards and newer. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you."
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my reply:

" You can boot up in to the bios on the mother board there and have your changes saved, but there is no tool to change these settings or have them saved from Windows."

i know that, what i want is some program to flash my BIOS, with my custom settings, from a DOS boot disk.
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i know there is a way to re-flash your BIOS with custom settings...it would be a journey into DOS programming for me and would start with me getting a blank thumb drive and making a DOS Boot Disk.

i have and old Dell Mini 9 i don't know what to do with ( except load up FreeDOS and see if i can figure this out )
http://www.freedos.org/

my main board manufacturer has the chunk of code built to do it....i know they do, and that they are just holding out on me....i will get the re-chargeable CMOS battery set up first, and maybe get a good 4GB thumb drive latter.

 

VERY IMPORTANT FACTOID :

one one the sighs of a low CMOS battery, ( thin about it ,(Basic Input Output System )) is that your keyboard inputs will mysteriously become distorted......and in the case of password entry, that can happen without your knowing , SCARY !!!

so aside from working drive read, and subsequent write, corruption; you could get permanently locked out of your computer !!!

so if you suspect a low CMOS battery, F7 into your BIOS and immediately remove all passwords.....and of course you are then going to want to be off-line until you address the issue with the CMOS battery

 

i got the battery today, and have the battery, diode, and harness all assembled and ready to go in.

all my BIOS settings have been recorded, but i don't yet know if the CMOS RAM losing power will cause my BIOS to revert to the old version, prior to me updating to E692 v 1.24 x 64....will let you know if i lose that BIOS update, or not, latter.
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02/14
the BIOS version loaded is not affected by changing the CMOS battery....i had to pull the whole computer apart to get the taps in and locate the new battery, ( which nested perfectly between two of the sheet metal port shields, and so was easy to tack in place with a little hot glue )...the new fan required mods to the PSU case, ( slotting out with a jeweler's rat tail file ), but other that that , went in without a hitch, as did the power feed end of the battery harness.
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02/15
when i first started the computer, after the upgrades, i thought it was a good thing that i couldn't hear the fan....then i started to get worried....after seeing 450 RPM in the BIOS i frantically was trying to figure out how to tweak it up, when i realized i put the fan on the wrong header...

after the re-config, i got the fan tweaked in with the expanded smart fan settings...going from 832rpm to 1600rpm between 49C and 55C, and it is a little bit quieter when it's wide open, compared to the old 135mm

all in all, a great mods...i reset all my BIOS settings, after the swap, and it's as solid as ever.

 

with all the mass data shoveling i have been doing trying to keep my system alive through all this, it seems my RAM has failed, ( or i got a bad memory test back last night )....

so maybe computers are like light-bulbs, and you do need to " change them", from time to time....

i have had to shovel allot of data around trying to survive the low CMOS Battery....and i wish i would have done the mods sooner and saved my RAM and my drives the beating of it all....

so i finally was up and runing again, but now in an evermore unstable state, and so have more work do and decisions to make yet still..