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Heracles

Hardware

Original purchase 06.2025, assembled 08.2025, serving as Hua Hin Desktop on Windows 11 Professional.

  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (16 cores - 32 threads)
  • Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 Digital ARGB Black
  • System Memory: 128GB (2x64GB) Crucial Pro DDR5 5600MHz (CP2K64G56C46U5) System Memory
  • System Drive: Corsair Force MP510
  • System Drive: Corsair Force MP510, 960GB NVMe M.2 Gen3 x4
  • Data Drive 1: Crucial T700, 4TB NVMe M.2 Gen5 x4
  • Data Drive 2: Crucial P310, 4TB NVMe M.2 Gen4 x4
  • Motherboard: MSI MPG X870E Carbon Wifi1
  • Graphics: Powercolor Radeon RX 970 XT OC Red Devil
  • Optical drive 1: Samsung 16x Blue-Ray / DVD Writer (BH16NS40) (taken from Hercules)
  • Optical drive 2: Pioneer BDXL UltraHD Blue-Ray Reader (BH16NS40) (taken from Hercules)
  • Case: Thermaltake Suppressor F51 with custom USB-C front header (taken from Olympus)
  • Power: Be Quiet! Power Zone 2 1000W
2018/02/27 00:36 · Bernard Condrau

1Install attempt with ASRock X870E Taichi Lite

I made this description to document my install attempts with a broken ASRock X870E Taichi Lite motherboard

BIOS Settings

  1. Upgrade to BIOS 3.25 or higher (BIOS 3.40 as of 1/09/2025)
  2. Advanced –> PCI Configuration: Re-Size BAR Support
  3. Advanced –> PCI Configuration: SR-IOV Support
  4. Advanced –> ACPI Configuration: PCIE Devices Power On
  5. Advanced –> AMD CBS –> NBIO Common Options –> GFX Configuration: dGPU Only Mode
  6. Advanced –> AMD CBS –> NBIO Common Options –> Audio Configuration: NB Azalia
  7. Advanced –> AMD PBS –> AMD Common Platform Module: PCIe/GFX Lanes Configuration
  8. Advanced –> AMD PBS –> AMD Common Platform Module: PCIe x16 Link Speed
  9. H/W Monitor: CPU Fan 2 Setting
  10. Security: Secure Boot
  11. Boot: Setup Prompt Timeout

These are the BIOS settings of interest for me, orange color indicates settings modified from default

Setup (Windows 11 fresh install)

If you are transferring a Windows 10 or 11 license from another computer I suggest to go through the Windows 11 install procedure twice. The following guide explains how and why. AMD graphic cards sometimes face issues with driver version when installed on an AMD motherboard.

First install

  1. If moving a license from an old pc: make sure your license shows as Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account on your old pc. If it's not you need to login to your Microsoft account to register your device.
  2. Download Windows 11 by downloading the latest Windows version as ISO file (do not create the media from the download page). Starting with Windows 11 v24H2 the default installation media of Windows 11 automatically activates BitLocker and encrypts your drives. To prevent this, do the following:
    • Create the USB drive with Rufus Standard or Portable version
    • Customize the install media after clicking the [Start] buttonWindows custom options
    • If you have not followed these steps and have your drives already encrypted, enter the following commands in PowerShell run as administrator
      $BLV = Get-BitLockerVolume
      Disable-BitLocker -MountPoint $BLV
    • After having decrypted all drives run Services and set the BitLocker Drive Encryption Startup Type to disabled
    • You must make sure BitLocker is off on all drives before updating the BIOS!
  3. Restart your computer and install Windows 11 from USB stick
  4. On the Continue to Signin screen enter your email address and sign in to your Microsoft account
  5. After the boot is complete verify that your license shows as Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account
  6. For a Powercolor RX 9070 XT graphic card install Powercolor Keystone. Start Keystone and enable “Sync RGB with motherboard”. The card keeps the setting, so you can uninstall the Keystone software after having made the settings change or if you follow with Second install below, you don't need to install Keystone again.

Second install

  1. Make sure you have followed the steps as set out in First install above
  2. Restart your computer and install Windows 11 from USB stick
  3. 1Disconnect your network card from the internet
  4. On the Connect to the internet or Continue to Signin screen do the following to create a local user without Microsoft account:
    1. Hit Shift-F10 to open a command prompt
    2. Enter start ms-cxh:localonly in the command prompt, then add the user credentials for a local administrator
    3. After that the installation process will automatically continue (see How to Install and Log In to Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account)
  5. 1Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise: open the Group Policy Editor and navigate to Computer Configuration –> Administrative Templates –> Windows Components –> Windows Update –> Manage updates offered from Windows Update. Enable Do not include drivers with Windows Update.
  6. 1Windows 11 Home: Right-click the Start Menu, select System, select Advanced system settings below Device specifications and Frequently asked questions, choose Hardware tab, then select Device Installation Settings. Say No to Do you want to automatically download manufacturers' apps for your devices?
  7. Verify BitLocker is disabled as explained in First install above
  8. Install AMD Chipset Drivers 7.06.24.2226 from ASRock or from AMD
  9. Install AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 25.8.1 from AMD or from ASRock
  10. Restart your computer and 1connect network
  11. If you have enabled the Auto Driver Installer in BIOS the installer will automatically start on first logon. All of the following drivers need to be installed, download missing drivers after Auto Driver Installer from ASRock Download or from AMD.
    1. MediaTek Bluetooth 1.1043.0.550
    2. MediaTek WLAN 5.6.0.4261
    3. Realtek USB Audio 6.4.0.2395 (optional)
    4. Realtek LAN 10.074.0205.2025 (optional, Windows installs an earlier version)
  12. Install ASRock Restart to UEFI 1.0.15 1.0.15
  13. Auto logon: modify the following key in the registry to a value of 0, then run netplwiz and disable Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device\DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion
  14. Change the power plan in Control Panel –> Power Options. First select Show additional plans, then select High performance, go to Edit Plan Settings –> Change advanced power settings and set USB selective suspend setting to Disabled.
  15. Change work group in Network Adapter Settings. To do this, type “Workgroup” into the search field at the top left of the Settings app and then click on “Change workgroup name”
  16. Right-click on desktop, then select View –> Medium icons
  17. Right-click on the taskbar, choose Taskbar behaviors –> Taskbar alignment
  18. Go to Settings –> Personalisation –> Themes and select Desktop icon settings
  19. Go to Settings –> Personalisation –> Lock screen –> Screen timeout and select Screen, sleep & hibernate time-outs
  20. Change to full context menu with this Registry Key update file
  21. Rearrange the drive letters (right-click on Start –> Disk Managment)
  22. Install USBDLM 5.7.3 to Manage USB Drives and bco specific Manage USB Drives
  23. Set Open each folder in its own window in File Explorer –> 3 dots at the center top –> Options
  24. Show file name extensions in File Explorer –> View –> Show –> File name extensions
  25. Show hidden files in File Explorer –> View –> Show –> Hidden items
  26. Set Switzerland in Settings –> Time & language –> Language & region –> Country or region and English (Switzerland) in Settings –> Time & language –> Language & region –> Regional format
  27. Map network drives in File Explorer –> 3 dots at the center top –> Map network drive
  28. Right-click on image and Set as desktop background, then right-click on desktop and select Span in Personalise –> Background –> Choose a fit for your desktop image
  29. Import Unmount and Mount tasks in Task Scheduler
  30. Move Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos to new location by selecting the folder and modifying the Location within Properties
  31. Enable Windows Subsystem for Linux in Control Panel –> Programs and Features –> Turn Windows features on or off
  32. Setup access for BackupPC

1Follow these steps to avoid trouble installing display drivers

Ressources

Installation Microsoft Store

  1. PowerToys
  2. Install WhatsApp
  3. Install WSL and Debian for WSL (enable WSL in Control Panel –> Programs and Features –> Turn Windows features on or off first, see Setup)
  4. Follow Windows Subsystem for Linux for setup including SSH server and create task to start ssh and establish a connection to the BackupPC server with autossh (see Manage USB Drives for further details)
    • Select “Task Scheduler Library” and “Create Task…” (see also BackupPC Configuration)
    • Name the task “StartSSH”
    • [General] Run only when user is logged on
    • [Triggers] At log on of user
    • [Actions] Start a program
      C:\Users\bco\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\bash.exe -c "sudo /etc/init.d/ssh start"
      C:\Users\bco\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\bash.exe -c "autossh -M 0 -f -N -R <reverse_port>:127.0.0.1:<ssh_port> sub.domain.tld -p <wan_port> && sleep 1"
    • [Conditions] AC and battery power
  5. Import the StartSSH task (unzip with BackupPC password)
  6. Install Netflix
  7. Install Disney+
  8. Install Prime Video

Installation Permanent

  1. Install Snagit 2018. Update to version 2018.2.6 within app.
  2. Install TRCC 2.0.4 LED screen control software
  3. Install Google Chrome. Set “Developer mode” in Extensions. Add-ons: Adobe Acrobat, Group Speed Dial, DevTools z-index, ScriptSafe, IP Domain Country Flag, Search and Replace, User-Agent Switcher for Chrome, GoFullPage
  4. When prompted download and install Logitech Options+
  5. Install VeraCrypt 1.26.24 (x64)
  6. Install Notepad++ 8.8.5
  7. Install Libreoffice 25.8.1.1
  8. Install TrayStatus Pro 5.0 and enable “Show Hard Drive Activity” in “Status Indicators”
  1. Install EaseUS Partition Master 18.2
  2. Install EaseUS Todo Backup Home 2024
  3. Uninstall Office 365
  4. Install Office 2016 Pro, then set the default file extensions
  5. Install Visio 2016 Pro
  6. Install Line 8.6.0
  7. Install foobar2000 2.1.2
  8. Install XnView MP 1.6.5
  9. Install XnView Extended 2.51.6
  10. Install Synology Drive Client 3.4.0. Disable Start Synology Drive Client upon user login in Global Settings, then add a task to Task Scheduler which starts Drive Client only when on AC power and idle for 5 minutes. Follow Manage USB Drives to trigger the task after login of the user and only when the drives secured with VeraCrypt are mounted
  11. Install Synology Note Station 2.2.4
  12. Install printer drivers and software suites
  13. Install 7-Zip 24.01
  14. Install TTC/LE x64 14.0 from JP Software, add TCMD.INI configuration file to the install folder
  15. Install TTC RT 20 from JP Software
  16. Install VLC
  17. Install Migros Bank E-Banking 9.2.2812
  18. Install GIMP 2.10.38
  19. Install DisplayFusion 10.1.2, uncheck Start with Windows in Options to preserve battery when no 2nd monitor is connected
  20. Install Logitech MyHarmony, after installation before first run you need to manually extract C:\Program Files (x86)\Logitech\MyHarmony\AppFiles.zip into folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Logitech\MyHarmony\AppFiles as administrator
  21. Install KakaoTalk 3.8.0
  22. Install MySQL Workbench 8.0.36
  23. Install OpenVPN 3.6.6 and add client credentials or use existing ones from previous machine
  24. Install Ashampoo PDF Free 3.0.5
  25. Install Foxit Reader 2024.1.0
  26. Install Opera Browser.
  27. Install Send Anywhere 24.3 - 64 bit
  28. Install DiskGenius 5.5.1
  29. Install OBS Studio 30.1.2 - 64 bit
  30. Install MetaGeek inSSIDer 5.5.0
  31. Install Android Studio 2024.1.1. (Add adb to the Windows Path following this guide)
  32. Install SMPlayer 24.5.0

Installation Portable

  1. Download GPU-Z 2.68.0
  2. Install Revo Uninstaller. Select Download and install the Free Portable or Pro Portable version.
  3. Install PortableApps and copy an installation from an up-to-date machine to folder D:\PortableApps with Start.exe in D:\
  4. Download DesktopOK and copy it to a folder within C:\PortableCustom. Create empty file DesktopOK.ini in the same folder before the first start of the program
  5. Copy the icons folder to C:\PortableCustom and point portable apps' shortcut icons to this folder. This makes sure the icons show if the drive containing the portable app is not (yet) mounted.
  6. Download Eclipse IDE for PHP Developers 2024-03 and copy to C:\PortableCustom\eclipse. Make sure you follow the Windows Subsystem for Linux guide and install LAMP so you have a local test environment with a Linux server nearly identical to a native Debian installation.
  7. Download WinAuth and install into folder D:\PortableCustom
  8. Install CrystalDiskInfo 9.2.3 portable from zip file and add it to Task Scheduler - set Run with highest privileges
  9. Download gVim x64 9.1
  10. Download HxD 2.5.0 Portable Version and install into D:\PortableCustom\HxD\
  11. Download APK Editor Studio 1.7.1

Not (yet) installed or checked

  1. SMPlayer
  2. iVMS-4200
  3. VirtualBox
  4. Install Hearthstone.
  5. Install FlexHEX 2.6
  6. Install the Logitech Harmony Software
  7. Install APC PowerChute Business Edition 9.2. If you control the UPS through Linux, install the agent only. The agent runs as a service, you can set it's startup to manual, and run it only when you need to change settings.
  8. Install PDF Booklet
  9. Install Roadkil's Disk Image 1.6 to PortableCustom
  10. Install tiny media manager to PortableCustom
  11. Install Prey.
  12. Install Zoom
  13. Install Safari 5.1.7.
  14. Install Garmin Express.
  15. Install PDFsam Basic.
  16. Install Synology Photo Station Uploader 091
  17. BlueStacks
  18. XLaunch
  19. Youtube
  20. Garmin
  21. FoscamVMS
  22. ClickMonitor
  23. HTTP Toolkit
  24. Amlogic Burn Tool
  25. USB Burning Tool
  26. Ashampoo pdf free
  27. Ashampoo photo commander 17
  28. HTTP Toolkit 1.5.1
  29. Hearthstone
  30. Battle.net
  31. FileZilla Server 1.20
  32. FoscamVMS
  33. Attribute Changer 9.50a
  34. Reolink 8.7.1
  35. Sunny Explorer
  36. Steam
  37. Synology Assistant
  38. Google Calendar
  39. Hermes Calendar
  40. VcXsrv
  41. Zattoo
  42. Zoom
  43. WinPcap 4.1.3
  44. PhoenixSuit
  45. Pale Moon 32.3.1
  46. MyHarmony
  47. MySQL Workbench 8.0.15
  48. iVMS-4200
  49. Hardwipe 5.2.1
  50. GIMP 2.10
  51. devolo Cockpit
  52. Album Art Downloader XUI 1.05
  53. D-Link Network Assistant
  54. OpenVPN Connect
  55. Vim 8.1
  56. Rasperry Pi Imager
  57. Node.js
  58. PDFsam Basic

HW Transfer

Hercules -> Olympus2

  1. Check Hercules hardware with Debian 9 live system
  2. Run PassMark benchmark
  3. Register machine in Microsoft account
  4. Remove hardware from Hercules
    • BD Drive
    • UHD Drive
    • Power Supply
    • Graphic Card
    • All drives
  5. Transfer hardware from Olympus
    • Power Supply
    • Data drives
    • Graphic Card
  6. New hardware
    • System drives
  7. Boot Olympus2 on new hardware and check
  8. Remove hardware from Olympus to bring to Flims
    • Motherboard
    • DRAM
    • CPU + Cooler
  9. Copy/move F: drive from HDD to SSD (particularly F:\games)

Olympus -> Hestia2

  1. Check Olympus hardware with Debian 11 live system
  2. Remove hardware from Hestia

Setup (Windows 10 to 11 upgrade)

  1. Disable Fast Boot in BIOS
  2. Make sure your license shows as Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account
  3. Go to Windows Update and download and install Windows 11
  4. Remove old graphics drivers in case you changed your graphics card:
    1. Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) v18.1.3.0 and save it to a local hard drive
    2. Hold SHIFT and select restart Windows
    3. Keep holding SHIFT until the Recovery Partition Menu shows up
    4. Go to Troubleshoot –> Advanced options –> Startup Settings and click Restart
    5. Once in the Startup Settings select 4) Enable Safe Mode with network disabled
    6. Once Windows has started in Safe Mode run DDU
    7. Reboot into Windows after DDU has completed
  5. Remove unused apps like CorsairLink, Hardwipe, etc.
  6. Auto logon: modify or create the following key in the registry to a value of 0, then run netplwiz and disable Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device\DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion
  7. Create local user with the same username (bco), assign Administrator permissions and log in
  8. Change work group in Network Adapter Settings. To do this, type “Workgroup” into the search field at the top left of the Settings app and then click on “Change workgroup name”
  9. Right-click on desktop, then select View –> Medium icons
  10. Right-click on the taskbar, choose Taskbar behaviors –> Taskbar alignment
  11. Uninstall Corsair Link 4, Parallels Access and other apps with Revo Uninstaller. Select Download and install the Free Portable or Pro Portable version.
  12. Change to full context menu with this Registry Key update file
  13. Set Open each folder in its own window in File Explorer –> 3 dots at the center top –> Options
  14. Show file name extensions in File Explorer –> View –> Show –> File name extensions
  15. Show hidden files in File Explorer –> View –> Show –> Hidden items
  16. Map network drives in File Explorer –> 3 dots at the center top –> Map network drive
  17. Right-click on image and Set as desktop background, then right-click on desktop and select Span in Personalise –> Background –> Choose a fit for your desktop image