Mining Bitcoin using a FREE Windows OS!

[DavinciJ15]

Looking for a Windows Based Solution for a Mine Server Farm?  Use Hyper-V its free!!!
I have done a video showing off my server farm hashing away.

I'm new to this community of bitcoins but the second I heard of it I was hooked.  I have a channel (Click here) on YouTube teaching people to save in gold and silver and one of my viewers asked me 2 months ago what I though about bitcoins.  Today I am running a server farm so you can guess what I think.  I'm a software developer and I will be doing a lot of work on bitcoins trying to make it big.

If you are looking to use Windows and don't want to pay for licences then use Hyper-V OS to run the mining software it's free!
Download your hyperv server farm for free (for now   )

   Version 0.01 May 23.
   May 26, 2011 Update: I have added instructions on how to deploy the VHD file to a USB.

This link will take you to a full download of an install of hyper-V.  Just install it on a USB drive using the instructions here.

All the software needed to run your GPU mining farm is preinstalled and ready to rumble.  There is even a menu to add and delete miners that will auto start when the computer boots up.

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[SgtSpike]

Lol, I LOVE the happy lady at the computer picture on the front page.  I'm not sure if that is purposefully sarcastic and a jab at all of those tech companies that have similar images on their homepages, but it should be. 

Call me interested though, because I'm not a big linux fan.

Can you tell me more about Hyper-V?  Why is it free?  What Windows edition is it based on?  And it says "You can install a virtual copy of Windows onto the Hyper-V server".  Does that mean that Hyper-V is not a windows installation, it is just a platform for installing Windows on?

[DavinciJ15]

Hyper-V is (the latest version) is really just Windows Server Core 2008 R2 with everything striped out except visualization.  You can not create users you can't share folders etc.  You will not be installing another version of windows on top of hyper-v as most people think you will be using hyper-v as the OS.

It has everything you need to do the mining without purchasing a Windows license.

The download is all the software installed on Hyper-v for you to do the mining all you need to do is install it on an HD or USB and boot it up.

The install onto a USB or HD will be difficult but worth it.

I will provide an application that will make that a simple processes in the future.

Cheers

Davinci

[SgtSpike]

Thanks, that makes sense!

Now I wasn't able to get graphics drivers working in my version of Server 2008... but if you say you have a working setup, maybe I'll give it a try on the rig I am putting together tonight.

[Clipse]

Im not quite following, Hyper-v is a microsofts latest virtual machine hypervisor which means you still need the actually OS to install on the hypervisor.

All I can assume is that this torrent includes Hyper-v (cracked/keygend?) and a preinstalled OS(cracked/keygend?) which kind of defeats the purpose of the topic, "FREE WINDOWS OS"

[Basiley]

hardly its "free".
you can conclude "free" derivatives of commercial OS'es from Redmond is case:
1. its beta/rc/try-out version.
2 WindowsPE image[with session time-out/uptime limitation].
3. volume license for science["Open" ?&derivatives].

anway, if you need "free" OS, need OS for BTC mining, is way  simpler choice  of OS, named "GNU/Linux".

[SgtSpike]

Like I said Basiley, I'm not a fan of linux.

I'll just use the extra Vista Business OEM license I have.

[bulanula]

Really cannot see the point in this.

Just use Linux. No need for dummy VGA plugs and also no 4 GPU limit !

[Basiley]

Like I said Basiley, I'm not a fan of linux.

I'll just use the extra Vista Business OEM license I have.

then, its illegal copy.
you can't "have"/deploy  OEM/OEI licensed Windows, unless you OEM/OEI partner of MS or their client.
starter edition cost from $40 and Basic - from $70.
some people spend more for lunch/breakfast.

[bulanula]

Like I said Basiley, I'm not a fan of linux.

I'll just use the extra Vista Business OEM license I have.

then, its illegal copy.
you can't "have"/deploy  OEM/OEI licensed Windows, unless you OEM/OEI partner of MS or their client.
starter edition cost from $40 and Basic - from $70.
some people spend more for lunch/breakfast.

LOL Microsoft are losing money with piracy = not good for them !

[Basiley]

Like I said Basiley, I'm not a fan of linux.

I'll just use the extra Vista Business OEM license I have.

then, its illegal copy.
you can't "have"/deploy  OEM/OEI licensed Windows, unless you OEM/OEI partner of MS or their client.
starter edition cost from $40 and Basic - from $70.
some people spend more for lunch/breakfast.

LOL Microsoft are losing money with piracy = not good for them !

hardly.
"piracy" is just part of strategy, form of damping, along with OEM enforcement and etc, aimed to competitors suppresion.
point is, if you start pirating something, why bother with such methods?

[DavinciJ15]

Im not quite following, Hyper-v is a microsofts latest virtual machine hypervisor which means you still need the actually OS to install on the hypervisor.

All I can assume is that this torrent includes Hyper-v (cracked/keygend?) and a preinstalled OS(cracked/keygend?) which kind of defeats the purpose of the topic, "FREE WINDOWS OS"

You are confused Hyper-v is Like ESXi both are free operating systems used for running virtual machines.  The companies hope you will upgrade to their higher end products and MS gets the licensing from the installed virtual machines.

Since you are NOT installing Virtual Machines you do not need to pay for anything.

GO  LOOK UP Hyper-v you will see it's free.

Cheers

Davinci

[DarkKnightNomeD]

@DavinciJ15 Yeah I have been watching your videos on bitcoins and rigs and what not, didn't you say in the future you would be selling software or rigs? or am i mistaken?

[Clipse]

What exactly did you do to hyper-v so you wont have to install a working OS to run a miner?

Most mining rigs have lowbudget cpus and most of the entry level cpus havnt even got any VT-x instruction sets anymore(it used to be supported by nearly all cpus), so for these cpu's neither hyper-v nor ESXi would be installable, both require at minimum VT-x or VT support.

Hyper-v and ESXi is a hypervisor, acts as a layer between real hardware and running OS, so my question again, what OS is this running and if its Windows as your topic suggest then its not FREE, you pay for windows.

[Syke]

Wouldn't running a miner on a VM only slow things down? Why not run a bare-metal always-free Linux miner?

[Isepick]

ROFL. You ppl are funny. OP is trying to help, and for those who are more used to and comfy with windows vs. linux this is probably a good thing. When  I get home later tonight I'll d/l this and put it on one of my rigs to see. I like the idea of windows from usb, and personally would rather use that than say linuxcoin (which I have and have played around with some).

Now if you really want a full windows os to mine with, simply go d/l whatever flavor of windows 7 you want, install it, and don't activate. Use the 'slgmgr -rearm' trick a few times and then after those expire and windows tells you that it isnt genuine anymore....KEEP MINING! I can personally attest to windows 7 ultimate x64 works just fine for mining after it decides it is not genuine. Also, it is powered by a little atom board and 2gb of memory, and works just fine for mining and for a NAS

[BitMinerN8]

Wouldn't running a miner on a VM only slow things down? Why not run a bare-metal always-free Linux miner?

I don't think he is running a full Windows OS in a VM, he is just running the Free Hyper-V Server (http://www.microsoft.com/hyper-v-server/en/us/default.aspx) and has figured out how to install miner software on top of that. It should run very lean as there is for the most part a very limited GUI and a command prompt. Sounds interesting, I might have to "play".

Although if you are looking for an inexpensive way to get MS licenses, get a TechNet Subscription. Full legit versions for your "testing/lab".

[0815miner]

Wouldn't running a miner on a VM only slow things down? Why not run a bare-metal always-free Linux miner?

You can use the "first instance" of the Hyper-V-Server, no VMs needed.

-

Is it right, that Server2k8 has the same 4 GPU limit like Win7?
My GPUs aren't delivered jet.

[Clipse]

Wouldn't running a miner on a VM only slow things down? Why not run a bare-metal always-free Linux miner?

You can use the "first instance" of the Hyper-V-Server, no VMs needed.

-

Is it right, that Server2k8 has the same 4 GPU limit like Win7?
My GPUs aren't delivered jet.

This is exactly why I asked if he is running it on the hyper-v OS (essentially the hypervisor software is an OS) but it comes without a gui, if that is the case this thread doesnt make sense, people could just use a linux based miner from the get-go.

From my understand this thread would make sense if he somehow figured out a legal free windows OS on hyper-v, that part I dont get from this thread.

[0815miner]

Wouldn't running a miner on a VM only slow things down? Why not run a bare-metal always-free Linux miner?

You can use the "first instance" of the Hyper-V-Server, no VMs needed.

-

Is it right, that Server2k8 has the same 4 GPU limit like Win7?
My GPUs aren't delivered jet.

This is exactly why I asked if he is running it on the hyper-v OS (essentially the hypervisor software is an OS) but it comes without a gui, if that is the case this thread doesnt make sense, people could just use a linux based miner from the get-go.

From my understand this thread would make sense if he somehow figured out a legal free windows OS on hyper-v, that part I dont get from this thread.

But you can control Hyper-V from another windows pc with the GUI   
And yes, Linux may make sense. 

[SgtSpike]

Wouldn't running a miner on a VM only slow things down? Why not run a bare-metal always-free Linux miner?

You can use the "first instance" of the Hyper-V-Server, no VMs needed.

-

Is it right, that Server2k8 has the same 4 GPU limit like Win7?
My GPUs aren't delivered jet.

This is exactly why I asked if he is running it on the hyper-v OS (essentially the hypervisor software is an OS) but it comes without a gui, if that is the case this thread doesnt make sense, people could just use a linux based miner from the get-go.

From my understand this thread would make sense if he somehow figured out a legal free windows OS on hyper-v, that part I dont get from this thread.

What if people PREFER to use Windows instead of linux?

[gat3way]

Why would they? GPGPU stuff with ATI is just more troublesome on windows as compared to linux.

[m4rkiz]

i have like 19 years of experience with windows (everything since 3.11), and barely know the basics of linux, guess what i choose for new miner when every day of setup means less btc and more difficulty

i don't care if linux is free if i can have it my way for less than i would loose due to any downtime of system that i know nothing about

as simple as that

i may use bootable ubuntu or knoppix for some hw diagnostics, or on my laptop or some distribution for my nas pc, but why should i experiment with it when i.e. it is 2 days until difficulty goes from 240k to 420k ?

[SgtSpike]

Why would they? GPGPU stuff with ATI is just more troublesome on windows as compared to linux.

I missed that this was a gui-less Windows.  Still more convenient than linux for me, since I know most of the Windows command-line commands, but I'd rather not deal with a command line at all.

Vista Business OEM it is!

[gat3way]

Eheh, well good luck

[error]

It's fine if you "prefer" Windows. More bitcoins for the rest of us!

[SgtSpike]

It's fine if you "prefer" Windows. More bitcoins for the rest of us!

Good. 

I just hate it when people say, "just use linux" as an answer to, well, everything.  I don't WANT to use linux, so stop telling me to use it!  Lol...

[error]

It's fine if you "prefer" Windows. More bitcoins for the rest of us!

Good. 

I just hate it when people say, "just use linux" as an answer to, well, everything.  I don't WANT to use linux, so stop telling me to use it!  Lol...

It's a free world. (Or it will be soon!) You want to use Windows, I'm not going to complain. Sure, you SHOULD use Linux, but if you don't want to, you get to suffer the consequences.

[Clipse]

This is getting way to sidetracked from OP.

Lets stick to the basic, this is guiless so its not essentially WINDOWS anymore, so again I do not understand the point of the OP mentioning FREE and WINDOWS OS.

I would just like to understand why the naming scheme were used.

[SgtSpike]

This is getting way to sidetracked from OP.

Lets stick to the basic, this is guiless so its not essentially WINDOWS anymore, so again I do not understand the point of the OP mentioning FREE and WINDOWS OS.

I would just like to understand why the naming scheme were used.

It would definitely add some clarification if the title was updated to "...FREE gui-less Windows OS!"

[0815miner]

If you like the windows GUI it's easy to use the win7 test version for 90 days...
Perhaps in this time the mining days are over! 

[ivkowalenko]

This is getting way to sidetracked from OP.

Lets stick to the basic, this is guiless so its not essentially WINDOWS anymore, so again I do not understand the point of the OP mentioning FREE and WINDOWS OS.

I would just like to understand why the naming scheme were used.

Not necessarily. GUI-less Windows is still Windows if it's running the Windows kernel. It's like saying if you run Mac OS X with the GUI turned off you're not using Mac OS X. In reality, you're still using Mac OS X, you still need a legal license to run Mac OS X, and you're still bound by the restrictions of that license (I.E. - It's only supposed to run on Apple hardware). Just because someone strips out the signature element of an item doesn't rob that item of its essence. Yes, a GUI-less Mac OS X is basically Darwin (a FreeBSD derivative), but you're still using OS X frameworks, daemons and kernel-level software (like launchd, OS X's equivalent to cron; backupd, better known as Time Machine; and Grand Central Dispatch, their multi-core and 64-bit optimization routines) that has been compiled by engineers in Cupertino. This analogy can be said about Windows. Just because the Windows GUI is up, doesn't mean that the code doesn't come from Microsoft and that it doesn't use copyrighted code that you require a license to use.

People bring up free operating systems, like Linux (though I haven't heard anyone mention using BSD, Contiki, or Haiku, to name a few other free OSes), because it seems like a safer (legally speaking) alternative to pirating an operating system. Also it seems, from comments here, that Linux is a more efficient environment for running mining software (given personal experience, this would likely be true, but this is all anecdotal), making one question why you would go to so much effort to steal an operating system, and risk prosecution under the law for stealing and using said operating system, when there is a free alternative that is technically superior in every way (again, anecdotal).

Now, just because I said all this, don't go thinking that I'm trying to foist Linux on everyone in here. I use a Mac, and run Mac OS X. Given all the junk I run on it, it's a sub-optimal part-time mining rig that struggles to maintain 4 megahashes per second. It's certainly less efficient than running Linux on the machine either (trust me, I've compared the two). But I use OS X for certain reasons, namely Final Cut Pro and Motion. Of course, were I to run a dedicated mining rig, it'd be Linux, so I can understand both sides of the argument.

P.S. - Also, I'm pretty sure it's prohibited to encourage unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material. Hence why everyone is in such a huff trying to figure out what on earth is happening with Hyper-V, and is confused over the promise in the subject line of a "Free Windows OS!"

[Tukotih]

Like I said Basiley, I'm not a fan of linux.

Even if you are not. You have all the reason to become one.
If you don't have the time to grow knowledge about the OSthen I fully understand; but if not you are making a big mistake.

[SgtSpike]

Like I said Basiley, I'm not a fan of linux.

Even if you are not. You have all the reason to become one.
If you don't have the time to grow knowledge about the OSthen I fully understand; but if not you are making a big mistake.

Fair enough.  With a wife and 6 month old daughter, and a full time job, time is limited.  I really would like to fully understand linux someday, but right now, I really don't have the time.

[Basiley]

It's fine if you "prefer" Windows. More bitcoins for the rest of us!

Good. 

I just hate it when people say, "just use linux" as an answer to, well, everything.  I don't WANT to use linux, so stop telling me to use it!  Lol...

It's a free world. (Or it will be soon!) You want to use Windows, I'm not going to complain. Sure, you SHOULD use Linux, but if you don't want to, you get to suffer the consequences.

correct !!
anyone will PAY for their crimes against Linux !!!
mwhahahahaahaahaaha !![Evil laugh]

[DavinciJ15]

Wouldn't running a miner on a VM only slow things down? Why not run a bare-metal always-free Linux miner?

You are not running Bitcoin miner on a VM.
You are not running Bitcoin miner on a VM.
You are not running Bitcoin miner on a VM.


You are running it on the free OS called Hyper-V.

[DavinciJ15]

ROFL. You ppl are funny. OP is trying to help, and for those who are more used to and comfy with windows vs. linux this is probably a good thing. When  I get home later tonight I'll d/l this and put it on one of my rigs to see. I like the idea of windows from usb, and personally would rather use that than say linuxcoin (which I have and have played around with some).

Now if you really want a full windows os to mine with, simply go d/l whatever flavor of windows 7 you want, install it, and don't activate. Use the 'slgmgr -rearm' trick a few times and then after those expire and windows tells you that it isnt genuine anymore....KEEP MINING! I can personally attest to windows 7 ultimate x64 works just fine for mining after it decides it is not genuine. Also, it is powered by a little atom board and 2gb of memory, and works just fine for mining and for a NAS

Yes, but you are not legit, with the cops raiding people for bitcoin mining (thinking its a grow op) you don't need to have pirated software on your computers.

[DavinciJ15]

Wouldn't running a miner on a VM only slow things down? Why not run a bare-metal always-free Linux miner?

You can use the "first instance" of the Hyper-V-Server, no VMs needed.

-

Is it right, that Server2k8 has the same 4 GPU limit like Win7?
My GPUs aren't delivered jet.

This is exactly why I asked if he is running it on the hyper-v OS (essentially the hypervisor software is an OS) but it comes without a gui, if that is the case this thread doesnt make sense, people could just use a linux based miner from the get-go.

From my understand this thread would make sense if he somehow figured out a legal free windows OS on hyper-v, that part I dont get from this thread.

Those that want to leverage their Windows knowledge so they can do things they would other wise have to look up on linux or ask for help.
Sure I could of used linux but I did not want to learn a new OS.
Also I installed LogMeIn software so I can control them remotely, this is better than remote desktop that shuts down the GPUs.

[DavinciJ15]

It's fine if you "prefer" Windows. More bitcoins for the rest of us!

Good. 

I just hate it when people say, "just use linux" as an answer to, well, everything.  I don't WANT to use linux, so stop telling me to use it!  Lol...

It's a free world. (Or it will be soon!) You want to use Windows, I'm not going to complain. Sure, you SHOULD use Linux, but if you don't want to, you get to suffer the consequences.

Home Land Security!  I feel very insecure with you around please go away.
LOL not you personally but the department!

Linux is fine but it's all about leverage I wanted to be up and running fast and I did not want to learn a new OS.

[DavinciJ15]

This is getting way to sidetracked from OP.

Lets stick to the basic, this is guiless so its not essentially WINDOWS anymore, so again I do not understand the point of the OP mentioning FREE and WINDOWS OS.

I would just like to understand why the naming scheme were used.

It's not 100% qui-less windows you can still write gui based apps for it.  The access to the settings and configurations are limited compared to full version of windows.

[DavinciJ15]

Like I said Basiley, I'm not a fan of linux.

Even if you are not. You have all the reason to become one.
If you don't have the time to grow knowledge about the OSthen I fully understand; but if not you are making a big mistake.

WE Have 2 days before the difficulty doubles so tell me how do I learn linux in 2 days and be a pro at it?

[keybaud]

Still yet to find a legitimate way of using 'leverage' that can't be replaced with 'use'.

"Use your Windows knowledge" vs "leverage your windows knowledge".

Sorry, my pet hate is excessive use of made-up words.

[Clipse]

Ok lets get something right, Hyper-v is not refered to as an OS, its refered to as either a.) OS-based hypervisor (if you run on windows 2008) or b.) baremetal hypervisor.

Refering to Hyper-v as an OS is just wrong in so many ways.

Can you inform us all how you intend to mine from cli and with which miner?

Like I said Basiley, I'm not a fan of linux.

Even if you are not. You have all the reason to become one.
If you don't have the time to grow knowledge about the OSthen I fully understand; but if not you are making a big mistake.

WE Have 2 days before the difficulty doubles so tell me how do I learn linux in 2 days and be a pro at it?

Look at linuxcoin iso in this forum, install on usb or on harddrive, which is cheaper/prefered.

All the instructions to get mining is in the OP for linuxcoin, if you could figure out hyper-v base server then this should be a breeze.

Remember you want to run miners, you only need to know up how to run the mining software, rest of the linux geekstuff doesnt have to be used in case of mining so no serious learning curve of geekdom.

[DarkKnightNomeD]

im downloading the hyper v torrent, ill probably seed for a week or 2 at 30KBS 40KBS when i can

[error]

Home Land Security!  I feel very insecure with you around please go away.
LOL not you personally but the department!

Look more closely.

[DavinciJ15]

Ok lets get something right, Hyper-v is not refered to as an OS, its refered to as either a.) OS-based hypervisor (if you run on windows 2008) or b.) baremetal hypervisor.

Refering to Hyper-v as an OS is just wrong in so many ways.

Can you inform us all how you intend to mine from cli and with which miner?

Like I said Basiley, I'm not a fan of linux.

Even if you are not. You have all the reason to become one.
If you don't have the time to grow knowledge about the OSthen I fully understand; but if not you are making a big mistake.

WE Have 2 days before the difficulty doubles so tell me how do I learn linux in 2 days and be a pro at it?

Look at linuxcoin iso in this forum, install on usb or on harddrive, which is cheaper/prefered.

All the instructions to get mining is in the OP for linuxcoin, if you could figure out hyper-v base server then this should be a breeze.

Remember you want to run miners, you only need to know up how to run the mining software, rest of the linux geekstuff doesnt have to be used in case of mining so no serious learning curve of geekdom.

The Linux crowd reminds me of the Mac Crowd, getting angry and snotty does not make me want to jump ship.  What would help is showing how easy in a video or tutorial.

Instead you want to act all smart like saying it's not an OS.  Shocking statement since it has everything I need to run windows programs.  I wonder if you consider any phone has an OS since they only run apps written for the phone.  LOL   

Don't get all miffy just having fun.   

Look I'm not married to Windows I wanted to leverage my development skills and knowledge that's all.

Don't take it personal.

Davinci

[DavinciJ15]

Home Land Security!  I feel very insecure with you around please go away.
LOL not you personally but the department!

Look more closely.

I guess I should have read it.  LOL cute.

[ivkowalenko]

The Linux crowd reminds me of the Mac Crowd, getting angry and snotty does not make me want to jump ship.  What would help is showing how easy in a video or tutorial.

Well, in this case, LinuxCoin is pretty easy to use, since all you have to do is boot it and run the miner. It's the same basic command line syntax used with Windows (save for ./ for invoking executables in the folder directory currently open).

There's a lot of tutorials on how to use Linux out there, and a good one to tinker with is Ubuntu. If you want something far more customizable, check out Debian. Of course, there are a thousand flavors to try, but those two happen to be my favorite.

If you need help anywhere along the way, consult the man pages. It's a simple software manual that is typically called by entering

Code:

man (command or program name here)

Use the / key to search (hitting / then enter again will pull up the next result). -h and --help usually are good for quick references, but lack the more in-depth explanations a man page can provide. For everything else, Google.

I'm not trying to foist Linux upon you, just trying to answer your question. Like I said earlier: I'm not running a Linux machine, and I have my reasons for not using Linux. However, you asked for a basic tutorial, and that's what I'm giving you. Helped me figure out Mandrake and Debian in high school, before we had all these user-friendly(er) distros and YouTube tutorials.

P.S. - Also, Ctrl+Alt+(1-6) will bring up one of six terminal screens. 7 and above are typically reserved for X Window sessions (hence, Ctrl+Alt+7 will typically bring you back to a GUI). This will be useful if you ever run into a problem where something causes X Windows to stop responding. Just pop over to a terminal, figure out what's going on using top, and kill -9 that PID. Or just kill X Windows and watch it load up again.

Just offering advice, not trying to ram anything down your throat.

[DavinciJ15]

Just offering advice, not trying to ram anything down your throat.

I get it, thanks, but here is the issue lets say I want to do something cool like I don't know reprogram something to work they way I want it to.  Take for example the sconfig.vbs script, for me it was a snap to reprogram it without looking shit up.  Right now I have many options in windows that I know from experience, with linux I would have to learn a new language and I could hit pitfalls I already been through in windows.  

To me it's not a "I support WinBlowz" kind of thing, it's what makes economic sense.

Oh no I didn't just DIS Windows?  Oh yes I did.

LOL

Davinci

[PandaMiner]

I downloaded this thing and put it on USB.  had some minor problems at first, like no network detected.

Also, the batch menu is not user friendly.  It asks for "device?" and I put some string like "XFX Radeon HD 6870" but now I realize it was asking for "0" or "1" etc.

Same thing goes for "pool url" I put "btcguild.com" but of course, it's "<server>.btcguild.com"

I exited the menu, and there is no way to run the menu up again.  Taskmanger works, so I was able to run CMD and finally see the miner1.bat file. There is no dos-based (or GUI based) text editor, so I had to use the ole "Copy Con" route.  Sigh.

But, Xanderdee, I mean Davinci, did say in the video it was difficult at first.  I had to draw on my old DOS 5.22 days, and even I think this HyperV is a new language, lol.  Man, i didn't realize how much I depended on GUI.

[kokojie]

why bother with hyper-v, just run an un-activated win7, completely legal and fully functional for mining purpose.

[CanaryInTheMine]

Really cannot see the point in this.

Just use Linux. No need for dummy VGA plugs and also no 4 GPU limit !

11.6 drivers increase GPU limit.  there's no 4 GPU limit anymore.

[CanaryInTheMine]

DavinciJ15,

- which sdk version is included? 

- what version are the drivers?  11.6 by any chance?

- which miner/s does it allow/include?

- is MSI Afterburner supported? if not, how do I overclock and set the fan speed?

Thanks!

[Mousepotato]

I wish I had known about this before.  I just spent $29.95 (student discount) on Win7 Pro 64.  Oh well.

[PandaMiner]

- what version are the drivers?  11.6 by any chance?
- which miner/s does it allow/include?
- is MSI Afterburner supported? if not, how do I overclock and set the fan speed?

from what I remember of the /software/ folder:

11.2 and 11.4
polcbm command line for miners
Full GUI afterburner runs on this

[Bitcoin Swami]

Hey Davinci glad to see you here, you been taking a beating on your silver channel ever since you started talking about bitcoins. lol. 

If you want to learn linux, just start with linuxcoin at first.  I didn't know crap about linux 3 days ago.. with linuxcoin i was up and mining in minutes, straight from a usb drive with no need for a hard drive. 

I realize that linuxcoin is mining for dummies kinda but its a good start and I'm learning more about linux.  I like it.  Hopefully i dont turn into a snob.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the bitcoin videos davinci 

[mmortal03]

- is MSI Afterburner supported? if not, how do I overclock and set the fan speed?

Good question, I'd also like to know this.

Edit: Whoops, already answered:

from what I remember of the /software/ folder:

Full GUI afterburner runs on this

[Clipse]

davinci havnt replied in a while, think he is still busy learning linux

 

[mmortal03]

Just so you guys know, this will only work with x64 compatible processors with Intel VT or AMD-V technology enabled.

No 32-bit option here for anybody running an Intel Atom netbook with a ViDock setup (in otherwords myself, and nobody else that I know of!)

To be specific, this won't work on any Atom processor, because current Atom processors either don't support x64, or don't support VT-x.

[Dirt Rider]

why bother with hyper-v, just run an un-activated win7, completely legal and fully functional for mining purpose.

un-activated win7 stops working after 30 days - there are ways around that but it is NOT legal.

[mmortal03]

DavinciJ15, just FYI, the subject (title) of this thread has "bitcoin" spelled wrong.

[PandaMiner]

Davinci is busy hanging out with Joe, aka SilverFuturist.  I really wish he made an appearance in this thread.

[Zxian]

un-activated win7 stops working after 30 days - there are ways around that but it is NOT legal.

Actually, you can use the 'slmgr -rearm' command to reset the activation timer three times on any Vista/Win7 system. It's perfectly legal and is part of the MSDN documentation. This gives you 120 days total, although I'd still say that either LinuxCoin, Ubuntu, or Hyper-V would be better alternatives overall than having some sort of an activation timebomb on your hands.

[PandaMiner]

I wish I could get boot-from-USB-key and mine set up, in any OS, no matter if it's genuine or not. I tried this one, and linuxcoin. Very confusing, and a lot of down time wasted.  I need another rig to test on. catch 22.

[de_bert]

This works GREAT!
Also very complete and simple instructions! Thanks a lot!

One detail where I stumbled:
bootsect /nt60 <UFD partition letter> /force /mbr -> must be run as Admin.

[de_bert]

Another question: how did you solve the problem that you can't use secondary graphic cards? I tried the dummy plug trick, but this stripped down windows does not seem to use the second screen, and thus does not allow using the second card! I had now to boot up and manually start the miners with screen plugged into the corresponding card... At least I only have one rig ;-)

[DavinciJ15]

I downloaded this thing and put it on USB.  had some minor problems at first, like no network detected.

Also, the batch menu is not user friendly.  It asks for "device?" and I put some string like "XFX Radeon HD 6870" but now I realize it was asking for "0" or "1" etc.

Same thing goes for "pool url" I put "btcguild.com" but of course, it's "<server>.btcguild.com"

I exited the menu, and there is no way to run the menu up again.  Taskmanger works, so I was able to run CMD and finally see the miner1.bat file. There is no dos-based (or GUI based) text editor, so I had to use the ole "Copy Con" route.  Sigh.

But, Xanderdee, I mean Davinci, did say in the video it was difficult at first.  I had to draw on my old DOS 5.22 days, and even I think this HyperV is a new language, lol.  Man, i didn't realize how much I depended on GUI.

Thanks for the input on how to update the UI I will fix those bugs.

I was on vacation.

[DavinciJ15]

DavinciJ15,

- which sdk version is included? 

- what version are the drivers?  11.6 by any chance?

- which miner/s does it allow/include?

- is MSI Afterburner supported? if not, how do I overclock and set the fan speed?

Thanks!

I use 11.4 and 2.1 sdk installed but I have included the command line installable version of 11.5 and 2.4 sdk.

[DavinciJ15]

Hey Davinci glad to see you here, you been taking a beating on your silver channel ever since you started talking about bitcoins. lol. 

If you want to learn linux, just start with linuxcoin at first.  I didn't know crap about linux 3 days ago.. with linuxcoin i was up and mining in minutes, straight from a usb drive with no need for a hard drive. 

I realize that linuxcoin is mining for dummies kinda but its a good start and I'm learning more about linux.  I like it.  Hopefully i dont turn into a snob.

I don't mind linux however I wanted to leverage all of my windows skills and maximize my output.

[DavinciJ15]

Just so you guys know, this will only work with x64 compatible processors with Intel VT or AMD-V technology enabled.

No 32-bit option here for anybody running an Intel Atom netbook with a ViDock setup (in otherwords myself, and nobody else that I know of!)

To be specific, this won't work on any Atom processor, because current Atom processors either don't support x64, or don't support VT-x.

Good point

I forgot about that.

[DavinciJ15]

DavinciJ15, just FYI, the subject (title) of this thread has "bitcoin" spelled wrong.

Thanks for pointing that out.

[DavinciJ15]

Davinci is busy hanging out with Joe, aka SilverFuturist.  I really wish he made an appearance in this thread.

Yep good times!

[DavinciJ15]

Another question: how did you solve the problem that you can't use secondary graphic cards? I tried the dummy plug trick, but this stripped down windows does not seem to use the second screen, and thus does not allow using the second card! I had now to boot up and manually start the miners with screen plugged into the corresponding card... At least I only have one rig ;-)

Odd I have 7 computers working with this setup each with 4 GPUs and 4 dummy plugs what video card are you using? 

I also log into these computers using www.logmein.com because Remote Desktop will disable all the video cards.  When I use LogMeIn I have access to all the monitors and I can jump to each monitor.

[PandaMiner]

Thanks for the input on how to update the UI I will fix those bugs.

I was on vacation.

That's cool.  I still haven't been able to get it to work with my rig.  What I didn't mention before, was that my onboard networking wasn't being detected, but then it did at a later time.  However, still no go.

Let me know when you put out a new version, as I need a non-hdd mining rig, and linuxcoin is too foreign to me. (ubuntu too)

[syb3ria]

So anyone can confirm Hyper V is faster mining then Linux?

[de_bert]

So anyone can confirm Hyper V is faster mining then Linux?

Confirm it - no, not with certainty.
However:
I could reach comparable speeds on the same machine with linux, but only with very extreme values for -f (poclbm), which would make the UI completely unusable. Also, I have two jobs for each GPU, one primary with small -f and a secondary with larger -f, which works like a charm on windows (if primary pool goes down, secondary will take over). Under linux, this did not work well - both jobs would be executed at similar rates.

On windows, everything is fine.

BTW: I was able to fix the problem on the Hyper-V, where the second card was not detected - seems it depends which port you plug the dummy in!
Also: LogMeIn is damn sweet!

[DavinciJ15]

BTW: I was able to fix the problem on the Hyper-V, where the second card was not detected - seems it depends which port you plug the dummy in!
Also: LogMeIn is damn sweet!

I know isn't it the bomb!  I have it on my IPad and I am managing all my headless miners fast!  BTW Some cards work with a crossfire cable allowing you to drop the dummy plug but so far it only works for 68xx that I have.

[mmortal03]

Another question: how did you solve the problem that you can't use secondary graphic cards? I tried the dummy plug trick, but this stripped down windows does not seem to use the second screen, and thus does not allow using the second card! I had now to boot up and manually start the miners with screen plugged into the corresponding card... At least I only have one rig ;-)

Odd I have 7 computers working with this setup each with 4 GPUs and 4 dummy plugs what video card are you using? 

I also log into these computers using www.logmein.com because Remote Desktop will disable all the video cards.  When I use LogMeIn I have access to all the monitors and I can jump to each monitor.

When you use LogMeIn, is it laggy when viewing any of the monitors, like it would be when an actual monitor is plugged in to the graphics card, running at high aggression, or is it completely smooth?

[DavinciJ15]

Another question: how did you solve the problem that you can't use secondary graphic cards? I tried the dummy plug trick, but this stripped down windows does not seem to use the second screen, and thus does not allow using the second card! I had now to boot up and manually start the miners with screen plugged into the corresponding card... At least I only have one rig ;-)

Odd I have 7 computers working with this setup each with 4 GPUs and 4 dummy plugs what video card are you using? 

I also log into these computers using www.logmein.com because Remote Desktop will disable all the video cards.  When I use LogMeIn I have access to all the monitors and I can jump to each monitor.

When you use LogMeIn, is it laggy when viewing any of the monitors, like it would be when an actual monitor is plugged in to the graphics card, running at high aggression, or is it completely smooth?

I have not noticed any issues other than if I move things one of the GPU's MH/s drops.  I am happy with it but keep in mind I only use it to admin my systems only.

[3devilred]

no one shares the iso on torrent? ? you can get back ? can be adapted to nvidia video card ? ? thanks

[DavinciJ15]

no one shares the iso on torrent? ? you can get back ? can be adapted to nvidia video card ? ? thanks

No! This version of windows does not have GUI you need to be an expert at command line.  Windows Server Core is not for you it will take a lot of studying to use it.   Finally the version I was giving out is way outdated and no longer useful.

[3devilred]

no one shares the iso on torrent? ? you can get back ? can be adapted to nvidia video card ? ? thanks

No! This version of windows does not have GUI you need to be an expert at command line.  Windows Server Core is not for you it will take a lot of studying to use it.   Finally the version I was giving out is way outdated and no longer useful.

ok. thanks