How did GRUB survive Windows 10 upgrade?

My Dell Latitude E6420 has two operating systems side by side. First there was Windows 7. Then came Ubuntu Linux. They both have been living in perfect harmony for many years.

Windows 10 came available this week. Off I went and upgraded (did not do a fresh install!) Windows 7 to the latest operating system from Microsoft. During the installation I thought GRUB would not be there anymore. That didn't happen. When PC booted again, GRUB was the first one to greet me.

Keep in mind my PC has so called "old school" BIOS (not UEFI). Dual-boot still works and I'm grateful for that. For example installing Linux-based mobile operating systems on my Nexus phone is IMHO so much easier via Linux. That's why dual-boot is so important for me.

Upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10

Dell Latitude E6420 upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10

Windows 10 came available earlier today (on July 29th). I wanted to see if it was possible to upgrade from Windows 7 to the latest from Microsoft - Windows 10.

The first thing to do was to force Windows 7 to download and start install of Windows 10. Read my blog to see how the trick is done.

The rest was not in my hands. Windows 10 setup program took over. There was nothing one could do but pray. It took longer than normally since there were many applications, files and folders in my Windows 7. In addition I had four accounts. Setup went on smoothly. Finally, Windows 10 was there.

Below you can see my Desktop before and after. Not very surprising? Yes, I guess it's not. However the gotcha was to find out whether Windows 10 would install on top of Windows 7 or not. Well, there you have it. I must admit I hate the idea of registry which is in poor condition. And that's what worries me now. If my Dell doesn't work as quick as it did when Windows 7 was there then I have to make a fresh install of Windows 10.

Before

After

Write Windows 10 on USB stick the official way

Microsoft is offering a tool which downloads and writes Windows 10 on USB stick. here is how:

• Point your browser here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
• Download the tool and run it as administrator.
• Follow the instructions on screen. You may choose between 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows 10. or you can pick up both of them. There are also different Windows versions available (Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro etc.).

WARNING! BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR WINDOWS 10 USB STICK! 

READ OTHER SOURCES HOW TO MAKE WINDOWS 10 SETUP ACCEPT YOUR WINDOWS 7/8.1 PRODUCT KEY!

Force your PC to download and install Windows 10

If feeling impatient force your PC to download and install Windows 10. Here is how:

• Make sure you are receiving updates automatically.
• Delete all files and folders under folder C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
• Open Command Prompt (cmd.exe) and run as administrator: wuauclt.exe /updatenow
• Download starts and leads to Windows 10 install. Be sure to back up your PC beforehand!

Remember that you are upgrading at your own risk!

Acer W4-820 upgraded from

Windows 8.1 to Windows 10

Migrating from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 went well

As soon as Windows 10 came available I forced my Acer W4-820 -tablet to download and install Windows 10 on top of Windows 8.1. You can read how anyone can make PC fetch the files needed and boot up the latest operating system from Microsoft.

What I wanted to see was the migration from one Windows to another. It was never before advised to install new operating system on top of another. Well, install went just fine and took about 45 minutes. Afterwards Windows 10 downloaded drivers and as fas as I know special software for tablet use. How do I know? Icons got bigger. Now it's easier to tap them.

So far Acer W4-820 has behaved ok (about 1-2 hours ;D). It's up to Microsoft from now on. What I've heard is Microsoft will force all of us to receive updates for Windows 10. Let's hope all those updates work well!

Näin pakotat tietokoneesi lataamaan Windows 10:n ja aloittamaan asennuksen

Windows 10 on julkaistu. Mikäli haluat ladata sen heti ja asentaa vanhemman Windows päälle (Windows 7 tai 8.1), toimi seuraavasti:

• Varmista, että käytät virallista versiota Windowsista (ei siis mitään piraatteja).
• Tyhjennä kansio C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
• Aja seuraava komento komentokehotteessa pääkäyttäjänä: wuauclt.exe /updatenow
• Windows 10:n latauksen pitäisi alkaa ja kansio C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download täyttyä. Kannattaa siirtyä tarkkailemaan Ojauspaneelin Windows Update -sovellusta. Asennus alkaa latauksen jälkeen.

Acer W4-820 -tabletti siirtymässä

Windows 8.1:stä Windows 10 -versioon.

Näin teet virallisen Windows 10 -asennustikun

Windows 10 on julkaistu. Mikäli tarvitset asennustikkua, toimi seuraavasti:

• Siirry osoitteeseen https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 .
• Lataa työkalu, jonka avulla voi luoda Windows 10:n sisältävän asennusmuistitikun.
• Varaa riittävän iso tikku. Minun tapauksessani päätin sisällyttää molemmat eli 32- ja 64-bittiset Windows 10:t tikulle ja tarvitsin tilaa 6 Gt. HUOM! Etsi tuoteavain (= product key) ennenkuin aloitat Windows 10:n asennuksen.

VAROITUS: LUE ENSIN MUISTA LÄHTEISTÄ, MITEN SÄILYTÄT VANHAN WINDOWS 7/8.1:N TUOTEAVAIMEN NIIN, ETTÄ SAAT AKTIVOITUA WINDOWS 10:N. TÄSTÄ LINKISTÄ LISÄÄ TIETOA!

ÄLÄ SIIS VÄLITTÖMÄSTI TYHJENNÄ KIINTOLEVYÄ VAAN SYÖ PURKKA JA JUO KUPPI KAHVIA!

ENNENKAIKKEA ÄLÄ TEE KOKEITA NK. TUOTANTOKONEELLASI ELI SILLÄ, JOLLA PITÄÄ PÄÄSTÄ ESIM. PANKKIIN.

Lataa työkalu ja asenna se

• Työkalun käyttö on suoraviivaista. Seuraa ao. kuvia:

Three PCs waiting for Windows 10 upgrade

At the moment there are three PCs at home waiting for Windows 10 upgrade. They are all in different situations:

• Acer Iconia W510 (touch screen device) was once delivered with Windows 8. When Windows Insider Program started, I decided to let Windows 8/8.1 go and installed Windows 10 Preview on Acer. Ending up to pre-version 10240 Acer is now waiting for the final version of Windows 10. And of course after that Acer will continue to receive (infinite?) updates so the Insider-story goes on and on...
• Dell Latitude E6420 is running Windows 7. It has many accounts and a lot of applications installed. It will be interesting to see IF Windows 10 runs smoothly on top of Windows 7. It was never advised before to do it that way...
• Acer W4-820 is my Windows 8.1 -based tablet. I want to see two things: a) how Windows 10 installs on top of Windows 8.1 b) is Windows 10 made for touch screens or not (I guess it's not)?

So, Microsoft. Let loose! Gimme that operating system! I promise to wake up early in the morning (European time) to see if you have passed me the chance to install your new software.

Windows 10 on the way - image downloaded and system accepted by Microsoft

My Windows 7 is not that far away from a major upgrade - Windows 10. There are two things I've noticed so far:

• Encrypted ~ 2,5 GB image showed up (see picture below)!
• Microsoft says my Dell Latitude E6420 and all installed apps are compatible with Windows 10 (see picture below). In addition read my earlier blog post concerning reservation update.

All set! It's up to Microsoft to decide if I'm allowed to upgrade my Windows 7 to Windows 10 already tomorrow. Let's hope for the best!

install.esd is the name of the encrypted image

Microsoft remotely tested my PC and all the apps...

Windows Insiders - puppets on a string

According to Microsoft Windows Insiders are allowed to continue testing of Windows 10 Preview as long as they like. After the RTM-version of Windows 10 is published Preview is no longer there. However Insiders will take part in continuous testing of Windows 10. In a way there will always be a preview version available.

I feel like I'm a puppet on a string. Microsoft gets all the information and in turn my PC is running an OS with a lot of bugs. In addition the next Windows (after Windows 10) will be charged monthtly like Office 365. Insiders are the ones that Microsoft needs to get through their testing cycles what comes to the future versions of Windows. I feel bad. I don't want to pay for Windows every month and don't want to test that sort of software.

My prediction is there will be less Windows users in the future than there is now. People have less money to spend and they don't want pay for Windows every month. Selling operating systems WAS a good business for a while, not anymore.

How to run Android on Geeksphone Peak

Geeksphone Peak's original idea was to run Firefox OS. It seems Geeksphone is not supporting Peak anymore. I'm not 100% sure about that though.

So I decided to install Android on Geeksphone Peak. Many people have done it before and now was my turn.

• I had my Ubuntu-based PC ready-made for flashing. This means tools like adb and fastboot were already installed before I started.
• The phone needed to be in Debugging Mode.
• In order to get to recovery mode one has to keep down VolUp, VolDown and On/Off buttons at the same time. 
• The files needed are found here.
• Once files were unzipped, Terminal app with superuser privileges were needed.
• The commands which flash Android on Geeksphone Peak:
• fastboot flash boot boot.img
• fasboot flash system system.img
• fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
• fasboot reboot

After booting Android 4.0.4 started. My Peak feels much faster than with Firefox OS inside. Sorry to say but both Firefox OS and Android on Geeksphone Peak are dead ends. I am not able to update neither OS. I guess there is a problem with the hardware which is not modern enough. However, I'm glad there are two (older) operating systems to choose from (Firefox OS 2.2 and Android 4.0.4).

 

GP Peak and Android 4.0.4 

Summertime - and the Internet-living is easy?

Many people in Finland will soon leave for their summer cottages. 4 weeks vacation is about to start. Ok, you might not expect to find an indoors lavatory or running water when entering the countryside. However one thing must work the same way as at home. What's that? Sauna? No doubt! I have *the Internet* in mind.

So how to get commected? One has to decide how to receive and send information over 3G/4G -networks AND how to share connection with other family while staying in the countryside. Let's see the options:

• Share your mobile phone connection (most phones support this)
• Not very handy as your mobile phone phone is not sitting on the table all the time
• batteries will soon get empty
• Share 3G/4G -modem with others
• Not very handy either. I find it difficult to share my connection in Windows. Besides an extra SIM-card is needed.
• A bit old-fashioned
• Buy a modem with proper antennas
• Better but not perfect. Electricity is still needed.

This goes to show how dependent we are on Internet connection. My conclusion is: try to re-event your family. Especially in Finland where summers are light and winters dark it's time to enjoy outdoors sports etc. There is enough time to use Internet during the winter.

Will iOS 9 support iPhone 4S and iPad Mini (1st gen)?

On June 8th at 10 am PDT Apple will keep it's annual summerly keynote. iPhone-, iPad- or MacBook-owners: you can see it live here. In case you are using a PC, try one of those live blogs. If you miss the event you still can read for example Google news to keep yourself updated.

My concern is iOS9. Will it become available for my iPhone 4S and iPad Mini (1st gen)? In case it does is it a stripped down version of iOS for older devices? In addition my daughter has an iPad 2. Will it be completely left out? So stay tuned for more information!

iPad 2

Windows 10 reservation update (KB3035583) not there? Try this!

Microsoft claims Windows 10 is worth reserving beforehand. That way - according to Microsoft - you can avoid "traffic jams" when Windows 10 becomes available. Hmm, if they let Windows 10 loose on July 29th how can one get the image beforehand? I don't get it. Will Microsoft send an encrypted 3 GB update to my Windows 8.1 tablet? That remains to see...

Ok, I want to give Windows 10 a go. My Windows 7 already received a reservation update but my Windows 8.1 tablet didn't. You can manually install the update and force your Windows 8.1 to show you the reservation. Follow these steps:

1. Uninstall any existing KB3035583 and restart PC

2. Download kb3035583 cab file

x86:

http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/updt/2015/05/windows8.1-kb3035583-x86_dc717b43d95c7fd7c12fee2f13e0b17a412e41ee.cab

x64:

http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/updt/2015/05/windows8.1-kb3035583-x64_569671257f46c76e5f5d2f53b1c35500447ad302.cab

3. Copy cab file to C:\temp

4. Open command prompt with administrator rights

5. Copy and paste the following commands in command prompt

x86:

DISM /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:c:\temp\windows8.1-kb3035583-x86_dc717b43d95c7fd7c12fee2f13e0b17a412e41ee.cab

x64:

DISM /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:c:\temp\windows8.1-kb3035583-x64_569671257f46c76e5f5d2f53b1c35500447ad302.cab

6. After the cab file installed the Windows 10 icon will pop up on taskbar. If not restart your PC and hope for the best!

Click the Windows-icon and make a reservation of Windows 10

LibreOffice with Writer2ePub -extension let's you create EPUBs of your own

LibreOffice is able to create e-books (EPUB)

Do you need to save your document in EPUB -file type? No problem. All you need is LibreOffice and an extension called Writer2ePub.

Setting up Writer2ePub -extension

• Make sure you have LibreOffice installed
• Download the extension writer2epub.oxt and place it on Desktop
• Open LibreOffice Writer -> Tools -> Extension Manager -> Add
• Find writer2epub.oxt and double click extension
• Accept license

Close LibreOffice Writer and open it again. Take a look at upper left corner where there are three new buttons.

Creation of an EPUB -file

Let's create an EPUB -file. Write something or paste some text from for example Wikipedia to LibreOffice Writer. Save your document as LibreOffice default file type .odt. After saving click the EPUB-button to the left . There are many fields to be filled and many options to choose from. You can leave fields empty when testing Writer2ePub. Finally click Ok. You'll get a window telling export is done.

How to open EPUB in a reader app

You can open your newly created EPUB-file in Windows and Mac with Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) which is a free app for DRM-secured (and all sort of) EPUBs. If you are using Linux there are many apps to choose from. Find an app that suits your needs. If you have mobile phone and/or tablet - why not give a go?! In those cases try BlueFire Reader (iOS and Android).

Extension manager takes care of Writer2ePub -extension

Click Add and find your extension

Three new buttons, use the one on 

the left to create an EPUB -file

Type in some information concerning your book

Export is done!

FBReader is not the best reader - there

are many readers available for Linux

Made up my mind - Windows 10 arriving on top of my Windows 7 free of charge later this summer

I have a seat in the front row! Windows 10 is arriving July 29th. And guess what? I will update my Windows 7 as soon as Microsoft starts to deliver the image of Windows 10. I already made a reservation!

You see, I have to experience all this. Then it's possible to tell what happened and how it went. Hmm, Windows 10 on top of Windows 7? Will that work and if it will how fast and reliably? We'll see!

Below you can see the steps (in Finnish) I took only a while ago. My copy of Windows 10 will arrive in the end of July... well, hope it will! Please Microsoft, don't screw it up this time!

Microsoft added a new icon in Windows 7 which tells you how to get Windows 10

Windows 10 will officially arrive in the end of July 2015. Before that you can book your copy of Microsoft's new operating system if you want.

Take a look at the lower right corner of your Windows 7. There it is. A Windows icon which takes you to a window telling you can receive a free of charge update of Windows 10. You can start booking Windows 10 right away. In addition Microsoft is saying you already know how to use Windows 10. This is something never happened with Windows 8.

Microsoft's booking app reveals Windows 10 will be installed on top of my existing Windows 7. Now how wise is that? Up until now I've always setup my Windows on an empty hard disk.

An icon tells Windows 10 is waiting...

In Finnish...

It's telling you already know how to use Windows 10

LibreOffice Viewer for Android - learn how to edit your files

In addition to viewing it's also possible to edit files with LibreOffice Viewer for Android. Here's how you do it:

1. Download LibreOffice Viewer for Android. It's available at Google Play store.
2. When you open LibreOffice Viewer you notice there is no Graphical User Interface. All you can see are folders. See pictures below.
3. Open your computer and LibreOffice Writer. Create a text file with extension .odt. Move .odt to your tablet or smart phone.
4. Find the folder which has .odt inside. LibreOffice Viewer shows you the contents of the .odt file.
5. If you want to edit your .odt file tap upper right corner with three dots. Choose Settings. See picture below.
6. Choose Experimental Mode. After that you have a simple menu with basic functions like Bold, Italic, Underline. See picture below.

No GUI, only folders

Upper right corner let's you

access Settings

Experimental Mode at your own risk

Simple menu with basic functions 

How to generate an animated GIF of your own and post it to Facebook

Facebook accepts all sort pics and videos. Animated GIFs are a bit tricky. Follow these steps and publish moving GIFs of your own.

1. Download LICEcap (for Windows, Mac OS X versio is here).
2. Find your favourite video and fast forward to a scene you want to record as an animated GIF. Pause your video.
3. Place LICEcap-app window on top of your video player (see picture below). Make sure LICEcap-window is smaller than the window of your video player.
4. Click Record in LICEcap and save your GIF.
5. Be quick and click Play (in your video player) and Stop (in LICEcap) when you are done. Keep in mind animated GIFs made out of video are huge in size. Try to keep your GIF as small as possible.
6. You can preview your newly generated GIF in your web browser if you want.
7. Copy your animated GIF to Dropbox, OneDrive etc. Make your GIF publicly available and find the public address of your GIF.
8. Copy the public address to Facebook. Make sure your address ends in .gif. For example: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3636008/animated_gif/alpakat.gif

Microsoft Movie Creator beta

Microsoft Movie Creator beta for Windows Phone 8.1 is a super easy video editor. First shoot then choose your video clips or pictures, type in some text and add some free music. All this is saved as an MP4-file in camera roll on your phone. Let's hope the final version will stay free of charge as well.