03 | Minimized OS and Restore Points W7

[PeterSt]

Minimized OS Mode is the status the Operating System (Vista, Windows7, Windows8 - untested) can be brought in, so the OS only services tasks for audio and nothing else.
It is activated by means of "booting into it" and this is done by means of this button :

[xxxx]

When the button shows not active (blue) the OS is in Normal Mode. When it is active (red) it is in Minimized Mode.

Minimized Mode goes along with you determining what must be shut off. It can be all, but something you may still need. The LAN could be an example, because you have your music data on a NAS (Network Attached Storage). It is not the best for SQ to leave things on, but f you must, you must.

[xxxx]

Assumed you will have at least the Desktop Services shut off,  you can visually check whethert your boot into Minimized Mode worked. All Windows screens will now look "old fashioned".

[xxxx]

When your system does not want to boot into Minimized OS or Normal OS (anymore), something has gone wrong, and often this is related to having installed something which confuses the Minimized procedure. It is also possible that your system won't get into Normal Mode anymore.
For all we know, this *maybe* can be solved by following the below procedure(s). This starts with making the status of the Minimized button match the status of the OS as how you see it.

Rightclick on the label "Minimize OS" and choose "Swap Status". So, when the OS is in Minimized Mode, make the button red. When the OS is in Normal Mode, make it blue. Now reboot into that other mode and apply this whole procedure 3 times at least. Thus two examples :

OS won't get into Minimized Mode anymore

OS is in Normal Mode. Thus make button blue. Reboot via button into (thus) Minimized. Result : Did not help.
OS is in Normal Mode. Thus make button blue. Reboot via button into (thus) Minimized. Result : Did not help.
OS is in Normal Mode. Thus make button blue. Reboot via button into (thus) Minimized. Result : Did not help.

now hop over to this procedure :

OS is in Normal Mode. Thus make button blue. Reboot NORMALLY.
Reboot NORMALLY (OS stays in Normal Mode for sure).
Reboot NORMALLY  (OS stays in Normal Mode for sure).
Reboot via button in Minimized Mode.

If this did not help, hence now you are still in Normal Mode, you better had that Restore Point ...
See below, under the second example.

OS won't get into Normal Mode anymore

OS is in Minimized Mode. Thus make button red. Reboot via button into (thus) Normal. Result : Did not help.
OS is in Minimized Mode. Thus make button red. Reboot via button into (thus) Normal. Result : Did not help.
OS is in Minimized Mode. Thus make button red. Reboot via button into (thus) Normal. Result : Did not help.

now hop over to this procedure :

Reboot NORMALLY (OS may be in Normal Mode now - go to  "End of procedure").
Reboot NORMALLY (OS may be in Normal Mode now - go to  "End of procedure").
Reboot NORMALLY (OS may be in Normal Mode now - go to  "End of procedure").
Reboot via button in Normal Mode.

End of procedure :
When the OS is in Normal Mode, you thus succeeded, but the button may show red. Apply the swap for a last time. Don't reboot anymore; the procedure is finished.
(but do what you like now)

If this did not help, hence now you are still in Minimized Mode, you better had that Restore Point ...
See below.


Guarantueeing yourself a Restore Point being there when needed !

This is a subject which maybe didn't receive the attention (by me) which it deserves ... while nevertheless it is important;

When 0.9z-6 came about, Minimized OS was introduced. An inherently dangerous thing, because it reconfigures the Operating System for audio playback. Ok, back at the time (Release Notes) it was quite explicitly told to be careful, and make Restore Points (which is sufficient to roll back to, when things work out nasty). However, since actually nobody reported any problems with it, our attention drifted away from it.

In the mean time I had problems with it twice myself (but maybe I changed the "OS Mode" a 300 times during the period concerned), and I counted three reports from people having problems by now. That is not much. But still, when you have the problem (won't boot in the other Mode), you *are* in trouble.

So make a Restore Point.

What I already knew back then, is that at least for me -and always- when I needed a Restore Point, it had gone. I made dozens - never found one back when needed.
Google is full with it, but no clear solutions. Only vague references feeding back to yourself.
But it *is* a Windows 7 problem ...

What you should really do, is check whether your freshly made Restore Point stays. This already can be checked right after you made it, and after a reboot after that. Has it gone ? there is a problem.
Does it stay ? then also check 24 hours later. So, then reboot again, and check. HAs it gone ? there is a problem.

This is not on all PC's, but I am fairly sure it is related to dual (or multi) boot systems. Well, either way, it is related to the virtual space the OS thinks it needs for it. Doesn't make any sense at all (because that space is calculated as if your whole OS partition has to be in there), but providing the space the OS thinks it needs, helps. Point is :

The space is originally (virtually) allocated one time. This will be right after the OS was installed a first time. Next though, you add and add and add, and the OS partition grew bigger than the virtually allocated space, and the bug is that during a reboot it is detected that the allocated space won't hold that (again virtual) copy, and thus the whole Restore Point is thrown out. Nice.

This goes something like 15GB is initially allocated, while later your partion is 20GB of size. No, that won't fit into 15GB. Not that it ever needs to be (a Restore Point is only about some Registry stuff and copy of EXEs and DLLs), but the OS thinks it needs it anyway. Solution :

Make this space larger. Say, a fair amount of GB larger than your OS partion currently holds for data.
Now your Restore Points will stay.

See below for where to increase the size (drive L: is my OS partition here);
Click that entry, and next click Configure; then the window appears where the size concerned can be increased.

[charliemb]

What about Vista?   

1) With Vista 32 (I have Ultimate), Is this a problem?

Specifically:

2) If I make a restore point today, will it be there a year from now?

Trouble can happen many months after a restore point is created, let's say one year later.   I have a suspicion (I don't know) that restore points fall off the end of the earth after about one month.  No?   At least whenever I go looking for a restore point, I only see about one month's worth.

The other possibility is that when I create a restore point manually by clicking on the "Create" button, that creates a  restore point that does *not* fall off the end of the earth.  For Vista, does anyone know if this works?

[PeterSt]

Me ? not really. But as far as I recall the things I described are a specific W7 problem. And further ? just create a Restore Point whenever you think all is still okay (but never do that in Minimized OS Mode of course ... eh ... unless you want to go back to *that* -> just create several of your likings (of situations)).
Anyway, you can create one each week or something and give them a nice name.

Important maybe : When you go back to a Restore Point you will lose all your newly "created" (downloaded / installed etc.) executable files (and DLLs). So, leaving it alone for two years is not a good option for that reason already.

Clear a little ?

Peter