[SOLVED] Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 320-10icr, installing Windows is a nightmare.

[I Mess With Windows]

Hi.
So the title says it all!
I got two of these tablets. If I install Windows from a USB, it will just end up having freezes due to missing drivers.
When I try to install the VGA driver the machine just shuts itself down.

I decided to use Lenovo Recovery to get all the drivers, which fixed it but now I am running Windows 10 1703 and I have tried almost everything to update to 21H2.
What do I do?

 

[USAFRet]

What are the specs of these tablets?
What OS did they come with originally?

 

[I Mess With Windows]

It came with Windows 10.
Intel Atom x5-z3850 4GB RAM.
Not a slow device overall!

But the previous owner just added so much that I couldn't not reinstall the OS!

 

[I Mess With Windows]

Maybe I could use Macrium Reflect to clone my Windows 1703 install to an SSD, then boot to it from a normal laptop (not those that are missing in my house I got over 20), then try to update, then boot the tablet to that external drive, if it works clone back to the tablet.
I'll just grab an SSD and give it a try!

 

[USAFRet]

Maybe I could use Macrium Reflect to clone my Windows 1703 install to an SSD, then boot to it from a normal laptop (not those that are missing in my house I got over 20), then try to update, then boot the tablet to that external drive, if it works clone back to the tablet.
I'll just grab an SSD and give it a try!

Unlikely this would work.

But to even have the barest of chances....look into the Macrium function ReDeploy.
This is for dissimilar systems.

 

[USAFRet]

It came with Windows 10.
Intel Atom x5-z3850 4GB RAM.
Not a slow device overall!

But the previous owner just added so much sh*t that I couldn't not reinstall the OS!

You're doing this from a newly created Win 10 USB?

 

[I Mess With Windows]

I first tried a fresh Win 10 USB (I've completely eliminated the ISO or drive as a potential cause of the issue I am not that stupid) but it would have graphical glitches and be completely unreadable.
I then tried a Windows 11 install USB and it went much better. But again trying to install graphics drivers just crashes the OS (from Lenovo website)
No it's not a hardware issue, I used Lenovo recovery to get a factory Win 10 install with all the drivers and it's stable, it all works, except it's Win 10 1703. Updating was tough and I couldn't get it to work!

So I cloned the install to an SSD, booted off an Asus Rog with an i7 4710HQ and noticed the update assistant and stuff are much faster. I think the updates failing all the time could be related to this thing having an Intel Atom. It is successful in light updates through Windows Updates though but takes forever to prepare them, again because of the Intel Atom.
If I get Win 10 21H2 (or even Windows 11 that would be amazing), my Asus laptop is trying and as I said it goes much better.
Still not easy for the 4710HQ so poor little Intel Atom, so good thing I save it the work!
Since all the Lenovo drivers are there, and I already got rid of McAfee and all that sh*t, as long as the Lenovo tablet can boot to my external SSD after the update, I can just clone back!

 

[I Mess With Windows]

It seems to be going much better. The beast Asus laptop rebooted for update and instead of stopping at 1% then rebooting and canceling modifications like the tablet would do, it seems like it's working!

 

[I Mess With Windows]

I am happy to report that after some serious struggling to boot to Windows off of the external SSD, it finally did, now I just have to clone back! (it was too power hungry so I had to solder wires to my SATA dongle and power it from a USB phone charger, then I had to reboot to it 5 times)

Drivers are all there as well and working.
I'll make sure to get the latest wifi driver but I'll not risk updating anything else.
Or maybe I can clone back, then update all the drivers, and if it crashes the install go back to my external SSD and clone back again.

But not yet, I'll go back to my Asus beast and update to Windows 11 first.

 

[USAFRet]

I am happy to report that after some serious struggling to boot to Windows off of the external SSD, it finally did, now I just have to clone back! (it was too power hungry so I had to solder wires to my SATA dongle and power it from a USB phone charger, then I had to reboot to it 5 times)

Drivers are all there as well and working.
I'll make sure to get the latest wifi driver but I'll not risk updating anything else.
Or maybe I can clone back, then update all the drivers, and if it crashes the install go back to my external SSD and clone back again.

But not yet, I'll go back to my Asus beast and update to Windows 11 first.

What does Win 11 have to do with this?

 

[I Mess With Windows]

Well, I was going for a version of Windows 10 that isn't obsolete first to get out of the shadow, the old dark.
But what I really want is Windows 11! It's also better for low performance processors, it helped my Core 2 Duos noticeably, making YouTube playback much more stable than it was before!

 

[USAFRet]

Well, I was going for a version of Windows 10 that isn't obsolete first to get out of the shadow, the old dark.
But what I really want is Windows 11! It's also better for low performance processors, it helped my Core 2 Duos noticeably, making YouTube playback much more stable than it was before!

The z3850 is not supported for Win 11.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/wi...pported/windows-11-supported-intel-processors

 

[I Mess With Windows]

I don't know what to say to this except that a moderator on a hardware forum should know that this is all <Mod Edit>!
The OS supports all the CPUs Windows 10 did, including Core 2 Duos as I said before, and Windows 11 is even better for them than Windows 10 is!

 

[USAFRet]

I don't know what to say to this except that a moderator on a hardware forum should know that this is all <Mod Edit>!
The OS supports all the CPUs Windows 10 did, including Core 2 Duos as I said before, and Windows 11 is even better for them than Windows 10 is!

Win 11 has much more stringent hardware requirements than Win 10.

On the link above, direct from MS, please show us the line where it says a z3850 is a supported CPU.
We'll wait.

There are workarounds to get it working on unsupported hardware, but not by default.

As far as performance? I've not seen ANY difference.

 

[I Mess With Windows]

I am telling you my Core 2 Duo T9300 was not able to play 720P 60 FPS YouTube and after updating to Windows 11 it works.
I'm just using a workaround to get it installed, when done no patches or modifications are required, it works very well out of the box and if I run into issues I can guarantee they are not going to be CPU related (or if they are they come from the lack of performance/power but I already had issues from that in Win 10).

Even Microsoft gives us a "workaround" https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ndows-11-e0edbbfb-cfc5-4011-868b-2ce77ac7c70e
They say "not recommended" but still they give it on their official website, and looking at the workaround itself you can see Microsoft intentionally created this workaround, it's not like installing macOS Monterey on a 2009 iMac where Apple's done all they could to make it impossible, and when doing it you need to hack the install and run into issues, which on Windows 11 you don't.
Anything that works on Windows 10 without TPM works on Windows 11 without TPM

EDIT: when I say they intentionally created the workaround, I am talking about the fact that they made it so adding this key named "AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU", bypasses the restriction, which is clearly intentional and the name of the key speaks for itself!

 

[USAFRet]

"I'm just using a workaround " not equal "out of the box".

Good luck.

 

[I Mess With Windows]

Don't act like you didn't get my point, I am just using a workaround so it lets me install, then it all works out of the box!
Also you didn't respond to like 90% of my message.
Anyway, Windows 11's gonna work just fine, I'd recommend this workaround to anyone as it doesn't cause any instability/glitches!
I know hacks/tricks that I like to use but they are way tougher to recommend to the average user!

 

[USAFRet]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...irements-0b2dc4a2-5933-4ad4-9c09-ef0a331518f1

Not so very long ago, this did not exist.

 

[I Mess With Windows]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...irements-0b2dc4a2-5933-4ad4-9c09-ef0a331518f1

Not so very long ago, this did not exist.

I know but I guess too many people complained. And no matter how recent it is, they released it. And maybe that key has always been a working bypass but was just not public before!

And even back then, they were saying you are doing it at your own risk but again there's no need to hack the install, it's all supported by the OS out of the box despite what they say.


You just can't deny that this is true!

I am launching the update right now.
I am doing it on the Asus beast to speed it up but I am pretty sure I could do it from the tablet itself (btw that Asus beast also doesn't have TPM)

 

[USAFRet]

You appear to have things well in hand.

And today, I learned the existence of that link.

 

[I Mess With Windows]

Yes, I came on the forum a little desperate, I already wanted Windows 11 but I was more worried about getting something that isn't obsolete. Then I had an idea.
But now I'd like some help to make Windows as light as possible, I don't want stuff such as office or onedrive or anything to suddently start, because that would just eat up all the CPU power.
I had to end quite a few tasks to get smooth YouTube playback.

So anything I could do to optimize Windows for low power CPUs?
It would also be useful for Core 2 Duos.

And please forget it's Windows 11 the same applies to Windows 10 anyway!

 

[USAFRet]

Office does not exist unless you install it.

Uninstall OneDrive - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...onedrive-f32a17ce-3336-40fe-9c38-6efb09f944b0

Disable Cortana during the install.

Use Windows Defender instead of any 3rd party AV.

Other things....don't really suck up any resources unless you use them.

 

[I Mess With Windows]

Office apps aren't there but the click to run thing likes to run in the background.
Of course I disabled Cortana, and of course I got no third party AV, I am not a bank I don't need that. It would slow down my computer much more than it would help (considering it wouldn't help at all XD)

That's why I got rid of McAfee, Lenovo Assistant and such stuff.

But stuff such as Microsoft Compatibility Thelement, wsappx, antimalware service executable, these are seemless if you have an average modern laptop, but on a Core 2 Duo or Atom, they do sometimes suck a lot of power.

I already uninstalled OneDrive from control pannel, but it's a naughty software, it loves to just come back!

 

[I Mess With Windows]

It won't let me install Windows 11, because of it only having 64GB of storage, it thinks I am running Windows off of a flash drive.
But I am on the clone which is on a 240GB SSD. I'll extend the partition, update, delete Windows.old and then shrink the partition back!
I already have the solution, I am just posting this message because you were against the Windows 11 workaround to begin with LOL!
I find it funny, yes sometimes I am a bit of a retard

 

[USAFRet]

I too have an Atom powered tablet...Asus Transformer.
Z8350, 4GB RAM. Win 10 Pro.

It seems to run OK with no special effort to remove/disable things.
And with Office 2019 installed...