New Laptop Woes

[NETWizz]

Does anyone else hate being given a new computer at work?

My employer is like, "Great news! We got you a new laptop."

Me: Doh.

I hate migrating everything to a new machine. Sure It's a new Dell Precision 15" with an Intel 14th Gen Core Ultra 7 and 32 GB of RAM and some ARC Graphics AND Wi-Fi 7, but what a pain.

They literally handed it off to me with some old, broke Image of Windows 10 Enterprise. I was like, WTF? Even checking Dells' website the license shows Win 11 Pro.

Of course, I ran Windows update and ended up with Windows 11 Enterprise, which didn't activate then instead of reaching out to our Volume licence team because the Microsoft Store was broken, and it was running like crap, I just decide to nuke and pave it myself AFTER spending an hour to track down how to fix the Microsoft Store with Power Shell and change the Windows Version.

Yesterday its start bar wouldn't load, and it kept re-trying, so I just did a nuke and pave after wasting the first day. I don't work in the group that does end-point management, so I don't know what images they have. Instead, I literally installed Windows 11 and went through the nonsense of having to provide it Internet connection, which it didn't have at first (because it didn't have the Group Policy to do 802.1x at work), so I had to change a switchport config!

Then I found oobe\bypassnro and that worked.

At this rate, it will be three more busienss days to get off my 14" Dell 11th Gen I7, which is the old laptop.

Anyone else hate getting new equipment?

 

[Metanis]

Anyone else hate getting new equipment?

I hear you! In my case it's also applying the dozens of small tweaks I made over the years to my current platform. For example, group policy to avoid applying drivers from Windows Update.

 

[Markverhyden]

Yep. New ain't all it's cracked up to be.

 

[NETWizz]

I hear you! In my case it's also applying the dozens of small tweaks I made over the years to my current platform. For example, group policy to avoid applying drivers from Windows Update.

Indeed. Mine at work is actually in a Domain, so it actually gets Group Policy from there, but your point is no less true. It's still such a process.

 

[HCHTech]

I HATE getting a new machine! It takes months before you find every little thing that you missed in the migration. I have to replace mine this year and I am not looking forward to it.

BTW, the irony is not lost on me that every one of my customers says this same thing and I roll my eyes - haha.

 

[phaZed]

I HATE getting a new machine! It takes months before you find every little thing that you missed in the migration. I have to replace mine this year and I am not looking forward to it.

This is where it really does pay to have a proper bare-metal backup and restore.

Being an Acronis Cloud Reseller - It's not a big deal when I have to restore a managed user back to their machine (or a new one) when things go wrong.

 

[AlohaTech]

I feel your pain. I got a new machine and had it for over 7 months before I started migrating. I love the new pc and the speed and upgrades but the time it takes to set up the way I want it takes to long so I just keep putting it off. I finally have it set up with my old machine on my back desk in case I miss something.

 

[HCHTech]

The other issue is that I install and uninstall so many things just because of my profession, that while I know an image restore would save me time, it is really the right path to fresh install every time I get a new computer. I hate it, but honestly, I 100% believe it's necessary.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Guess I'll be the odd guy out....I love getting new rigs....feels like Christmas!

I've gotten the automation down so good, I can sign into a brand new unboxed unbuckled computer and all my stuff and settings just flow right down thanks to InTune. I have very little "stuff to manually configure"....and no need for any image restore (wouldn't do that to different hardware anyways).

My eyes are starting to want a larger screen for my laptop...so while my ThinkPad P14s still screams nice and fast, I lined up one of those ThinkPad X1 Extreme 16" models from leftover stock. Can't wait for it to arrive and start using it.

 

[trevm999]

I'm with yah, just not with intune. I keep a lot of things default, but anything I do change I figure how to do it using powershell and save the command. Or config file changes that are either in Onedrive or git. I have a script to do all my winget installs, but there's a better way to do that now https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/configuration/

 

[NETWizz]

Guess I'll be the odd guy out....I love getting new rigs....feels like Christmas!

I've gotten the automation down so good, I can sign into a brand new unboxed unbuckled computer and all my stuff and settings just flow right down thanks to InTune. I have very little "stuff to manually configure"....and no need for any image restore (wouldn't do that to different hardware anyways).

My eyes are starting to want a larger screen for my laptop...so while my ThinkPad P14s still screams nice and fast, I lined up one of those ThinkPad X1 Extreme 16" models from leftover stock. Can't wait for it to arrive and start using it.

Too bad you do not work here in South Carolina with me. As a director in an Agency with a big budget for networking equipment, I would custom order you a glorious new rig. It would need to be a Dell based on our contracts, but I would order you one with 64 GB of RAM and an Intel 14th Generation Core Ultra 9 or whatever they want and get you a giant iPad pro to go with it and the Ekahau unit I would provide you as well.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Too bad you do not work here in South Carolina with me. As a director in an Agency with a big budget for networking equipment, I would custom order you a glorious new rig. It would need to be a Dell based on our contracts, but I would order you one with 64 GB of RAM and an Intel 14th Generation Core Ultra 9 or whatever they want and get you a giant iPad pro to go with it and the Ekahau unit I would provide you as well.

I'll take the Ekahua unit...always love more network toys! Have a NetAlly airCheck Pro.
I'll pass on the ipad and Dell, I'm a Lenovo Think* guy.

 

[mmerry]

I don't mind a new machine. It makes me evaluate my apps, workflow, and rethink how I want to do things. Sort of like a good spring cleaning.

 

[HCHTech]

It makes me evaluate my apps, workflow, and rethink how I want to do things.

Oh, for sure. Now if we could just make that process not take so long - haha.