I am thinking about divorcing Windows10 from my laptop which is currently dual-boot with Zorin17.3.
In my mind, as I have a Zorin image already done on RescueZilla, I could boot up and choose "Restore", select the image, and action the restore to format the SSD totally before putting the saved image on it. Are my thoughts koshur, or do I have to get messy and go deleting partitions with GPart?
Without knowing if that backup of Zorin OS is the same install that you currently have... It's hard to know how well that would work.
But if it is, it would restore as it is partitioned. So you would need to clean up the drive partitions (delete the windows partition).
If it is not, you still most likely would need to manage your partitions.
But you want to, anyway, to reclaim that space Windows OS is using.
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I always give the same advice in these situations: re-install from scratch.
Yes... it's a lengthier process but it's also much easier, and it will give you the perfect excuse to do some house keeping on your personal files and other data. If you didn't have backups of your files, now is the time to do it. If you already have them, now is the time to see if they work properly.
Rescuezilla should only be used to restore something in the same way that it was. If you're changing things, you're running the risk that the restore won't work properly. And troubleshooting that is no fun at all...
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The other issue is whether when you installed Zorin will depend on whether or not you selected LVM, as without it you could end up with Zorin stuck at the end of the drive. Just in case you ever wanted to install Windoes 10 as a VM inside of Zorin, run a .vbs script to get hold of the licence key:
VBS Windows Key Retrieve
A VBScript can be used to retrieve the Windows product key. The script reads the DigitalProductId from the Windows registry and converts it into a readable product key format. Here is an example of such a script:
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion\\DigitalProductId"))
Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
i = 28
Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Do
Cur = 0
x = 14
Do
Cur = Cur * 256
Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur
Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
Cur = Cur Mod 24
x = x - 1
Loop While x >= 0
i = i - 1
KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput
If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
i = i - 1
KeyOutput = "-" & KeyOutput
End If
Loop While i >= 0
ConvertToKey = KeyOutput
End Function
To use this script, open Notepad, copy-paste the code, and save the file with a .vbs extension, such as keyfinder.vbs Running this file will display the Windows product key.
Another script provided in the context includes additional information such as the OS version, installation date, and registered user This script also saves the information to a text file on the desktop. The script is as follows:
'***********************************
' Script: Windows Key Information
'***********************************
Dim strComputer, objWMIService, objItem, Caption, colItems, ProductData, OSVersion, InstallDate, RegisteredUser, ProductID, systemOsType
Set dtmConvertedDate = CreateObject("WbemScripting.SWbemDateTime")
strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\" & strComputer & "rootcimv2")
Set colItems = objWMIService.ExecQuery("Select * from Win32_OperatingSystem",,48)
For Each objItem in colItems
Caption = objItem.Caption
OSVersion = Trim(objItem.Caption) & " (Build " & objItem.Version & ")"
dtmConvertedDate.Value = objItem.InstallDate
InstallDate = dtmConvertedDate.GetVarDate
RegisteredUser = objItem.RegisteredUser
ProductID = Trim(objItem.SerialNumber)
Next
'Find Processor architecture
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
OsType = WshShell.RegRead("HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerEnvironmentPROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE")
If OsType = "x86" then
systemOsType = "32-bit Operating System"
elseif OsType = "AMD64" then
systemOsType = "64-bit Operating System"
end if
Function WindowsKey
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Key = WshShell.RegRead("HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionDigitalProductId")
Const KeyOffset = 52
Dim isWin8, Maps, i, j, Current, KeyOutput, Last, keypart1, insert
'Check if OS is Windows 8
isWin8 = (Key(66) 6) And 1
Key(66) = (Key(66) And &HF7) Or ((isWin8 And 2) * 4)
i = 24
Maps = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Do
Current= 0
j = 14
Do
Current = Current* 256
Current = Key(j + KeyOffset) + Current
Key(j + KeyOffset) = (Current 24)
Current=Current Mod 24
j = j -1
Loop While j >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Maps,Current+ 1, 1) & KeyOutput
Last = Current
Loop While i >= 0
keypart1 = Mid(KeyOutput, 2, Last)
insert = "N"
KeyOutput = Replace(KeyOutput, keypart1, keypart1 & insert, 2, 1, 0)
If Last = 0 Then KeyOutput = insert & KeyOutput
WindowsKey = Mid(KeyOutput, 1, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 6, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 11, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 16, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 21, 5)
End Function
ProductData = OSVersion & vbNewLine & systemOsType & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & "Install Date: " & InstallDate & vbNewLine & "Registered To: " & RegisteredUser & vbNewLine & "Windows PID: " & ProductID & vbNewLine & "Windows Key: " & WindowsKey
'Show messbox if save to a file
If vbYes = MsgBox(ProductData & vblf & vblf & "Click Yes to save these information to a file?", vbYesNo + vbQuestion, "BackUp Windows Key Information") then
Save ProductData
End If
'Save data to a file
Function Save(Data)
Dim fso, fName, txt,objshell,UserName
Set objshell = CreateObject("wscript.shell")
'Get current user name
UserName = objshell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%UserName%")
'Create a text file on desktop
fName = "C:Users" & UserName & "DesktopWindowsKeyInfo.txt"
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set txt = fso.CreateTextFile(fName)
txt.Writeline Data
txt.Close
End Function
This script provides more detailed information and saves it to a text file on the desktop Both scripts can be used to retrieve the Windows product key, with the second one offering additional system details.
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I believe what the user is suggesting should work, actually, based on my own experience frequently re-imaging machines. There are DEFINITELY enough caveats, however, that I'd be uncomfortable recommending it, even though I'd be willing to try it myself.
That said, I don't think I'd recommend it. What I'd do, since the laptop is already dual boot, is have a Zorin install flash drive handy, delete the Windows partition(s) with GParted or similar, and then run the boot repair utility from the Zorin flash drive to have it redo the OS probing for GRUB.
The clean install Zenzen recommended would be my next choice, or my resort if the above decided to be a pain.
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It is probably as you say, all the partitions. Guess I can't do a shortcut.
Point taken.
I may need to keep windows for one tower which operates digital sound mixing for the balancing sessions I do for clients (light,sound, crystals, sacred geometry). However, I may be able to source a linux alt software yet to do this. If not, then I could run with your suggestion for VM Windows10?
I should have mentioned you need plenty of RAM to run the Host OS and a VM. I have 16 Gb RAM and for Windows 8.1 Pro 32-bit I think I got away with 4 Gb RAM allocated to it. For 10 I suspect you would need 8 Gb for 10, so if you are low on RAM it would be a non-starter.
I think I will be able to get by without the VM. I have found a Linux version of the digital mixer I use. Also got all my Windows software licence codes using the program BelArc, which are saved in case.
Lat time I tried BelArc it did not come back with the correct info!
That is a worry?
It was quite a few years back.