[billfor]

    .\setup.exe /product server /auto upgrade /EULA accept /migratedrivers all /ShowOOBE none /Compat IgnoreWarning /Telemetry Disable

[bobsterlobster]

Yeah, until microsoft says "Sup there lil buddy? Running an unsupported system? Oof. The next update is gonna really turn it inside-out"

[jjkaczor]

This is exactly my experience - I have a Lenovo W530 from 2013, it has an i7, 32gb RAM and SSDs (RAID0 for performance, backups are off-device) - and it is STILL lightning fast.

However - EVERY single trick I have tried... the above command, LTSC, Enterprise edition, etc, results in a situation where after installation a few days (or hours) and some updates get installed, and... blue-screen-of-death on every boot.

Gave up, installed Linux - still working through some issues (GPU driver compatibility), but overall it is a much better experience...

[jterrys]

I think at a certain point you need to just call it quits with that sort of bullshit. I have my dignity. I'm a fucking grown adult. I'm not going to spend my spare time haplessly looking online to unfuck the new current set of fuckery. Just take the fucking bullet. Learn linux. Congrats you're playing whack-a-mole with a trillion dollar corporation and prolonging your misery. This is stupid.

[billfor]

Take backups and disable the updates with group policy. OP just wanted to install Windows 11.

[stronglikedan]

Well that's never happened before (with Windows anyway), so it's not likely to happen now.

[1vuio0pswjnm7]

Where can one read the source code of setup.exe

That's, e.g., how I would determine what these commands do

I have had HN replies in the past that argued Windows is open source and thus comparable to UNIX-like OS projects where _the public_ can read the source code and make modifications, _for free_

Absent the source code, we can read Microsoft's documentation

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufactu...

It seems like WinPE is the most useful version of Windows, e.g., it allows more options to setup.exe

How does one quickly and easily download and install a copy of WinPE, preferably on removable media

[zahllos]

The windows assessment and deployment kit is what you need, with the windows pe add-on: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufactu...

You should be aware there's a 3 day limit to uptime, then PE reboots. You can work around that: https://lsoft.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011128377-I-n...

The other thing to tell you is that this is not a live version of windows with all the features of the full desktop. It is the windows that runs the windows installer application, so enough windows to do that and no more.

I would personally recommend linux instead.

[prerok]

Who would argue that Windows is open source? That's hilarious.

[hackeman300]

What's this?

[epistasis]

Whenever I see an unexplained command I don't understand from a random internet forum, I hop onto the production server and run it, just in case it might boost performance. Wouldn't want to miss out on that.

Been doing it since I was 12. It taught me all about the ins and outs of `rm`.

[Someone1234]

A work-around to install on unsupported hardware which both works, but is unsupported and could break during a feature Windows Update.

[bunderbunder]

A clever way to maximize the chances that your computer gets bricked on a future Patch Tuesday.

[Datagenerator]

LoL with the insane backslash crap

[jama211]

One backslash really gets you going huh?