First thing you should do with the Pipo X7

[Finless]

Hi all, so here are some first tips from me on what you should do when you get a Pipo X7.

1) First thing is make a recovery disk! Have a USB memory stick, SDcard, etc ready. Plug it into your box and make sure it is recognized and you can see it. It needs to be 8GB at a minimum!
Go into control panel and click on recovery.
On this menu click on Create a recovery drive and follow the instructions. Also allow it to backup your recovery partition.
You can now use this to fully re-image the NAND disk should it ever crash.

2) Do windows update until it is completely done! You may have to run windows update several times to get them all.

3) Now do a System Image backup. This is different than the recovery disk as it backs up all the updates you just did above. You cannot use the same USB stick you used to make a recovery disk. This is because image backup requires a NTFS formatted stick.
To open System Image Backup
Open control panel and click on File History.
In the lower right is system image backup

4) Get your CD key! This is NOT your Product ID but is in fact the CD key used to install Windows 8.1.
If you ever want to hack around and install Win 8.1 fresh from downloaded CD or image, you will need your official CD key that is used to activate windows.
Download this ZIP. Unzip it and run the .exe. I will give you your install CD keys.
No worries there is no virus here.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9B...ew?usp=sharing


That's it for now!
Enjoy.

Bob

[Finless]

One interesting thing I am seeing and not sure what this is about.

If you do the above tip and obtain your install CD key, then go into control panel and click on "add features to windows 8.1" When you enter this CD key you obtained, it tells you the key cannot be used.

This is probably to do with this version of windows 8.1 + bing. They want you to BUY a full 8.1 key to use this feature.

So I have my own real Win 8.1 Pro CD key. I entered it in this box and it worked! So while the CD key is good on this box, it is not going to allow you to add features unless you pay more


Bob

[budgetgeek]

They want you to BUY a full 8.1 key to use this feature.

So I have my own real Win 8.1 Pro CD key. I entered it in this box and it worked! So while the CD key is good on this box, it is not going to allow you to add features unless you pay more


Bob

This is why I don't use Windows.

[kostas]

Thanks Bob. This is a good backup that we might need in the future. I am waiting for my Pipo X7 black from Gearbest. ( The thing is that i ordered it 10 JAN 2015 and still saying ... Processing )

[Flumpster]

One interesting thing I am seeing and not sure what this is about.

If you do the above tip and obtain your install CD key, then go into control panel and click on "add features to windows 8.1" When you enter this CD key you obtained, it tells you the key cannot be used.

This is probably to do with this version of windows 8.1 + bing. They want you to BUY a full 8.1 key to use this feature.

So I have my own real Win 8.1 Pro CD key. I entered it in this box and it worked! So while the CD key is good on this box, it is not going to allow you to add features unless you pay more


Bob

Windows 8.1 with bing is identical to windows 8.1 core edition which is the lowest package. When you tried to install additional features it is giving you the option to use a code from a higher purchased version of windows 8.1. This does not mean that your 8.1 with bing is not registered, just that you don't own the parts from the pro pack that you was trying to install.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/add-features-frequently-asked-questions

[Finless]

FYI when you boot from the recovery USB disk you made, it's all in Chinese and you cant change language (it doesn't work for some reason). So just be aware of that.

I am sure that in the image the boot.wim could be modified to be English. I am looking into it now.

Bob

[alwaysbless]

>.< Cant wait for mine to come, bob youre lucky to be able to play with it so early!

[Finless]

>.< Cant wait for mine to come, bob youre lucky to be able to play with it so early!

Yea problem is everything is going slow because it's windows
But I am getting the hang of this box!

Bob

[.oOo.]

As suggested by IamAndy on rrileypm's review thread "How to add safe mode to boot menu in Windows 8.1"

[Finless]

As suggested by IamAndy on rrileypm's review thread "How to add safe mode to boot menu in Windows 8.1"

I will look into that but when I go to add dual boots or other items to the boot menu, I use a program called EasyBCD edit. There is another I recall called VisualBCD.

I am re-installing windows right now but will get back to you in a few.

Bob

[geekbuying]

Hi all, so here are some first tips from me on what you should do when you get a Pipo X7.

1) First thing is make a recovery disk! Have a USB memory stick, SDcard, etc ready. Plug it into your box and make sure it is recognized and you can see it. It needs to be 8GB at a minimum!
Go into control panel and click on recovery.
On this menu click on Create a recovery drive and follow the instructions. Also allow it to backup your recovery partition.
You can now use this to fully re-image the NAND disk should it ever crash.

2) Do windows update until it is completely done! You may have to run windows update several times to get them all.

3) Now do a System Image backup. This is different than the recovery disk as it backs up all the updates you just did above. You cannot use the same USB stick you used to make a recovery disk. This is because image backup requires a NTFS formatted stick.
To open System Image Backup
Open control panel and click on File History.
In the lower right is system image backup

4) Get your CD key! This is NOT your Product ID but is in fact the CD key used to install Windows 8.1.
If you ever want to hack around and install Win 8.1 fresh from downloaded CD or image, you will need your official CD key that is used to activate windows.
Download this ZIP. Unzip it and run the .exe. I will give you your install CD keys.
No worries there is no virus here.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9B...ew?usp=sharing


That's it for now!
Enjoy.

Bob

Hi Bob:

If i want to reinstall windows, which recovery i should use? 1 or 3?

Eric

[blinkone]

Hi Bob:

If i want to reinstall windows, which recovery i should use? 1 or 3?

Eric

Bob is making a video to show us this as in bob's words "I am making some videos to show all this.... On Android I can just type up some instructions but Windows is way to complicated so I decided to make some videos specifically for the PIPO showing how to do things."

[Finless]

Hi Bob:

If i want to reinstall windows, which recovery i should use? 1 or 3?

Eric

I am going to show how to do #1. For #3 this will come later.

Both of these restores windows. However
#1 restores the system like factory and all user data is lost.
#3 restores windows as it was when you made the backup. This includes all user data. It thus will include any viruses or whatever!

There is another option in recovery that restores windows and keeps user data. I usually do not use this if I am in trouble as all it does it replace the original windows files keeping any other files. If you had issues in say c:/windows it wont remove those files that were added (like a virus) or anything is Program files.

There is a third option when using a Windows install disk. Kind of like an upgrade install. Again like above it simply re-installs windows leaving "stuff" you may have had in C:/windows and Program files.

I wont even go into the registry and what happens with these options.

Bottom line if your unsure about your setup and want to start all over, do #1.
If you know you had a good backup before something went wrong and want all your stuff, use #3 but remember your system will be returned to the time of your backup! If that is a month old, then that's what you get back.

Bob

[geekbuying]

I am going to show how to do #1. For #3 this will come later.

Both of these restores windows. However
#1 restores the system like factory and all user data is lost.
#3 restores windows as it was when you made the backup. This includes all user data. It thus will include any viruses or whatever!

There is another option in recovery that restores windows and keeps user data. I usually do not use this if I am in trouble as all it does it replace the original windows files keeping any other files. If you had issues in say c:/windows it wont remove those files that were added (like a virus) or anything is Program files.

There is a third option when using a Windows install disk. Kind of like an upgrade install. Again like above it simply re-installs windows leaving "stuff" you may have had in C:/windows and Program files.

I wont even go into the registry and what happens with these options.

Bottom line if your unsure about your setup and want to start all over, do #1.
If you know you had a good backup before something went wrong and want all your stuff, use #3 but remember your system will be returned to the time of your backup! If that is a month old, then that's what you get back.

Bob

so #1 should be the same as this?

http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?22105-Pipo-X7-OS-Official-Windows-8-1

Eric

[Finless]

so #1 should be the same as this?

http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?22105-Pipo-X7-OS-Official-Windows-8-1

Eric

Reflashing with the recovery image Randy provided is used when EMMC is all jacked up, recovery partition is lost and you cannot use the image backup option. It should be VERY RARE to need to use this. It will replace EMMC NAND in areas that windows recovery WONT DO. Like possible any keys or very low level EMMC stuff.

If you can boot to recovery drive and you have a image backup, I would use that as it will put you back with all user accounts and settings. But if you want a full factory install, sure use Randy's factory pipo image.

Bob