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WATCHOUT in Windows 10


Miro

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Hi, WATCHOUT is working fine in Windows 10.

 

It's a bit harder to configure regular Windows 10 for 24-7 usage without any interrupting processes and for that I could only recommend LTSB versions that are intended for embedded systems.

 

There is a NVIDIA driver bug which may cause flickering on displays when using different display devices on the same GPU. This seems to be related to Microsoft's WDDM 2.0 (Windows Display Driver Model) which was introduced in Windows 10. Nvidia is working on this and hopefully they will have a solution available soon.

 

For WATCHOUT Production, please turn off the "Scroll inactive windows when I hover over them" feature in the mouse settings since this is causing an annoying scrolling behavior.

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I can't re use a Windows 7 key to activate another computer can I?

How would dual boot work in this situation?

-All I would have is an illegal copy of windows 7 and Windows 10 which still can't run Watchout properly.

 

We really need to know how far away Watchout is from a working windows 10 solution.......

 

1. AFAIK, you can re-use a Windows 7 key to activate another computer. Think the idea is that since you do own a genuine Windows 7 Pro previously, and now a Windows 10 Pro, and is therefore allowed to 'downgrade' the Windows 10 to 7 using 'prior owned Windows 7 key'. That's what I've read anyway. Have not tried it myself.

 

2. The way I'm dual booting between my Windows 10 Pro OEM and Windows 7 Pro OEM is via the motherboard/BIOS facility provided by my ASRock Z270M Pro4 either by going into BIOS or F11 on boot up and choosing the hdd/ssd/M.2 I want to boot from. Win 10 was installed first on an old PCIe2.0x2 Plextor M.2, then the M.2 was physically removed, and Win 7 installed on an old 60GB Corsair SSD. I then connected back both and booted from F11 choice.

 

There is another option(s) where one gets a menu screen to 'Choose an Operating System' but the process is quite involved and I have not tried it -

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-windows_install/how-to-dual-boot-windows-7-or-windows-8-with/9ac7acc1-2152-4907-a9de-bd507273a57d

or

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2108-dual-boot-windows-10-windows-7-windows-8-a.html

or

https://www.howtogeek.com/197647/how-to-dual-boot-windows-10-with-windows-7-or-8/

 

3. My experience so far with Win 10 as a Display PC operating system is stable. During installation and after, however, it involves a lot more disabling/uninstalling of apps, etc since Win 10 is targeted towards internet connectivity. As for using Watchout (6.1.6) there are at least a couple of problems -

i) I needed to update my BIOS to the latest to run Hap codec files smoothly. Nothing else changed but the BIOS and earlier BIOS versions gave me stuttering playback on Hap files.

ii) With Win 7, Watchpoint started with Displays 1,2,3,4 in the order they are connected on the outputs. With Win 10 on the same hardware (i7-7700K - a Kabylake cpu; Firepro W4100), Watchpoint gave me Display 1,2,4,3!! So I had to swap Outputs 3 and 4 in the Stage Window to correct the anomaly.

iii) Presently unresolved is the fact that H264 files play with a little stuttering at times with Win 10. Win 7 plays the same files smoother overall.

iv) This is obviously hardware related: So far, I have found that ordinary cheap RAM fixed at 2133MHz performs better under both Win 7 and 10 versus more expensive Kingston HyperX with XMP Profile at 2800MHz. Probably needs more testing to confirm, and maybe another set of RAM from another manufacturer.

 

Thomas Leong

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Here is the authority from Microsoft that when downgrading, "...the media/key should come from a previously licensed product from the OEM or retail channel." -

 

https://dpcenter.microsoft.com/en/Windows/License/cp-understanding-downgrade-rights

 

Also, under "Downgrade Rights" of https://dpcenter.microsoft.com/en/Licensing/OEM-Activation/cp-Licensing-FAQ -

Q. Where do end users get the CD/media to install the downgrade software?

A. End users must install the downgrade software using a legally licensed copy of the specified previous version of the Windows desktop or server operating system. The downgrade software may be from the retail, OEM system builder, or Volume Licensing channels.

 

Seemingly confidently confirmed by a forum 'well-known member' going by the name of nlinecomputers in -

https://www.technibble.com/forums/threads/downgrade-windows-10-pro-to-windows-7-pro-license-key.70395/

 

Thomas Leong

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Thank you Thomas for finding those updated links.

I had posted links to that same information year ago, but they now no longer work.

 

Thanks again for finding the current links.  :)

 

Here is the authority from Microsoft that when downgrading, "...the media/key should come from a previously licensed product from the OEM or retail channel." -

 

https://dpcenter.microsoft.com/en/Windows/License/cp-understanding-downgrade-rights

 

Also, under "Downgrade Rights" of https://dpcenter.microsoft.com/en/Licensing/OEM-Activation/cp-Licensing-FAQ -

Q. Where do end users get the CD/media to install the downgrade software?

A. End users must install the downgrade software using a legally licensed copy of the specified previous version of the Windows desktop or server operating system. The downgrade software may be from the retail, OEM system builder, or Volume Licensing channels.

 

Seemingly confidently confirmed by a forum 'well-known member' going by the name of nlinecomputers in -

https://www.technibble.com/forums/threads/downgrade-windows-10-pro-to-windows-7-pro-license-key.70395/

 

Thomas Leong

 

To be safe this time, I have captured the linked info above to

archive as a pdf online (in case the  above links stop working in the future)

captured 26_Jun_2017

 
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Thanks JFK, Thomas

 

I have looked at the same pages and forwarded them to Microsoft.

 

They will not issue a key to activate windows 7 if you have brought a Windows 10 license and want to downgrade.

 

The article refers to a computer where somebody has purchased windows 7, upgraded to windows 10, then wants to go back to windows 7.

 

I spent days on the phone with Microsoft trying to explain the situation with no solution.

 

I would like to know if anybody has been successful?

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Thomas, LTSB versions of Windows10 doesn't include any apps, games, cortana, store etc. and therefore is pretty easy to configure.

 

Hi Miro,

 

Unfortunately, most of us, even systems integrators, are unable to buy the LTSB version from retail stores...perhaps because we do not buy in quantities. In my country, only OEM versions seem to be sold over the counter.

 

Thomas

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello

We just buy some of this miniPC https://www.zotac.com/us/product/mini_pcs/magnus-en1060kand i was wondering to use itwith watchout.

It has I7 CPU, nvidia 1060, 2 display out and 2 hdmi out.

We are using watchout latest release w10 is updated and graphic driver too.

We are encountering problem when connecting (on the display port using display to DVI passive adapter) more than 1 display to the pc, the second output flicker black, the flicker move along the vertical axis of the image and it appear randomly.

Is there any update about the compatibility of watchout and w10

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Hello

We just buy some of this miniPC https://www.zotac.com/us/product/mini_pcs/magnus-en1060kand i was wondering to use itwith watchout.

It has I7 CPU, nvidia 1060, 2 display out and 2 hdmi out.

We are using watchout latest release w10 is updated and graphic driver too.

We are encountering problem when connecting (on the display port using display to DVI passive adapter) more than 1 display to the pc, the second output flicker black, the flicker move along the vertical axis of the image and it appear randomly.

Is there any update about the compatibility of watchout and w10

I experienced almost the same thing, connecting 2 monitors with an active adapter (displayport > HDMI) and a third one DVI > DVI.

Guess what, the DVI did not flicker.

wondering what that is about...

cheers

This is known nVidia bug described in this thread on page 3, post #51, paragraph 3

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