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Operating System / OS Information, How-To’s, Tips, Tools, and Guides for a variety of systems

BOOT RASPBERRY PI 4 FROM M.2 USB DRIVE

If you want huge performance increases, consider getting rid of the Micro SD card, and moving your data and OS over to an M.2 Drive on the Raspberry Pi. How do you do this, you ask. First, make sure you have the same hardware as me, in order to follow along. Second, run through the following guide.

If you need to do this from scratch, follow this guide to setup your Raspberry Pi: https://tacticalware.com/install-raspbian-os-on-raspberry-pi-4/

Then, make sure your firmware / eeprom is up to date. If you need assistance with it, follow this guide:
https://tacticalware.com/update-new-raspberry-pi-4-firmware-eeprom/

Once you have both steps above completed, you can move onto setting up the M.2 drive

For this, I have inserted a WD 500GB M.2 Drive into a USB 3.0 dongle, and have it connected to my Pi. If you want to get the same parts as I have, skip to the bottom of this page.

Now, you will want to connect your M.2 dongle to your Raspberry Pi 4, and boot it up.

Once you are at the Desktop:
Open a Terminal
sudo bash
raspi-config
Select option 6 – Advanced Options
Choose option A6 – Boot Order
Select option B1 – USB Boot
Press Enter
You should now be on the “Usb device is the default boot device” screen
Select OK
Scroll to Finish and select it
You will see the message:
Would you like to reboot now?
Choose NO

Back on your Raspberry Pi 4 Desktop
In the top left corner, click on the Raspberry to access the drop down menu
Select Accessories
Scroll over to and choose SD Card Copier

A dialog box will open
If you have the same setup as me, using the same hardware below, you will want to select the same options, otherwise you will have to choose the relevant settings for you
Copy from Device – Select the option for the SC32G
Copy to Device – Select the option for the WDS500G3
Select Start
Choose YES – to erase all contents
Click OK once the contents are copies over successfully
Select Close
Shutdown your Raspberry Pi 4
Remove your Micro SSD
Power the Pi back on, it should now boot from the USB M.2 Drive
Open a terminal
Type
sudo bash
raspi-config
Select option 6 – Advanced Options
Choose option A1 – Expand filesystem
Press Enter
Root File system will be resized
Click Ok
Reboot

You are done!

Hardware that I used:
Raspberry Pi 4 (4gb)
https://amzn.to/3q551IO

SanDisk 32GB Ultra microSDHC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter
https://amzn.to/2Vfvo0y

CanaKit 3.5A Raspberry Pi 4 Power Supply (USB-C)
https://amzn.to/3fNTYPu

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 Micro HDMI Cable – 6 Feet
https://amzn.to/33u5hr9

Western Digital 500GB WD_Black SN750 NVMe
https://amzn.to/3nZ5pH4

Plugable USB C to M.2 NVMe Tool-free Enclosure
https://amzn.to/3lflV3L

Thanks for reading…….

UPDATE NEW RASPBERRY PI 4 FIRMWARE / EEPROM

This guide assumes you do not have a running Raspberry Pi 4 device, and this is your first time opening it up. If that is the case, make sure you follow the steps in this guide first
https://tacticalware.com/install-raspbian-os-on-raspberry-pi-4/

Once your Operating system is setup and functional you will want to update the firmware to the latest revision, therefore the objective of this guide is to show you how to update Raspian and how to update the eeprom / firmware

Open a terminal
sudo bash
apt update
apt upgrade
rpi-update
Would you like to proceed
Type y
Now reboot your Pi

Open a terminal
sudo bash
rpi-eeprom-update -d -a
reboot your Pi after it updates

Open a terminal
raspi-config
Scroll down and select Option 8 – Update
Update now runs, and after the update completes
Scroll down and select Option 6 – Advanced Options
Then scroll down to Option A7 – Bootloader Options
Select Option E1 Latest – Use the latest version of the boot rom software
Press Enter
Select OK
On the Reset boot rom to defaults screen
Select No
On the Boot rom not reset to defaults screen
Select OK
Scroll down and select Finish
Select Yes

Your Firmware / EEPROM are now Updated, and you will have the latest version with the latest features.

Hardware I used:
Raspberry Pi 4 (4gb)
https://amzn.to/3q551IO

SanDisk 32GB Ultra microSDHC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter
https://amzn.to/2Vfvo0y

CanaKit 3.5A Raspberry Pi 4 Power Supply (USB-C)
https://amzn.to/3fNTYPu

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 Micro HDMI Cable – 6 Feet
https://amzn.to/33u5hr9

Thanks for reading!

UDATE EXISTING RASPBERRY PI 4 FIRMWARE / EEPROM

This guide assumes you already have a running Raspberry Pi 4 device. If you do not already have it setup, you can follow this guide first (https://tacticalware.com/install-raspbian-os-on-raspberry-pi-4/)

This objective of this guide is to show you how to update Raspian and how to update the eeprom / firmware

Open a terminal
sudo bash
apt update
apt upgrade
rpi-update
Would you like to proceed
Type y
Now reboot your Pi

Open a terminal
sudo bash
rpi-eeprom-update -d -a
reboot your Pi after it updates

Open a terminal
raspi-config
Scroll down and select Option 8 – Update
Update now runs, and after the update completes
Scroll down and select Option 6 – Advanced Options
Then scroll down to Option A7 – Bootloader Options
Select Option E1 Latest – Use the latest version of the boot rom software
Press Enter
Select OK
On the Reset boot rom to defaults screen
Select No
On the Boot rom not reset to defaults screen
Select OK
Scroll down and select Finish
Select Yes

Your Firmware / EEPROM are updated, and you will have the latest version with the latest features.

Hardware I used:
Raspberry Pi 4 (4gb)
https://amzn.to/3q551IO

SanDisk 32GB Ultra microSDHC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter
https://amzn.to/2Vfvo0y

CanaKit 3.5A Raspberry Pi 4 Power Supply (USB-C)
https://amzn.to/3fNTYPu

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 Micro HDMI Cable – 6 Feet
https://amzn.to/33u5hr9


Thanks for Reading!

INSTALL RASPBIAN OS ON RASPBERRY PI 4

This guide shows you how to install an Operating System on a Raspberry Pi 4. The one I chose for this guide is Raspbian, so if you are installing that, you can follow along easily. If you are wondering which hardware I used, the exact items are linked at the bottom

On a Windows computer
Insert your SD Card into the Windows computer
Open a web browser
Navigate to
Download the Raspberry Pi Imager

Once it is downloaded, double the imager.exe file
Select Yes
Click Install
Checkmark Run Raspberry Pi Imager
Click Finish

Now that the Raspberry Pi Imager is running
Click Choose OS
Scroll down and select Raspberry Pi OS (32-Bit)
Click Choose SD
Select your SD Card
Click Write
All existing data …. will be erased. Are you sure you want to continue?
Click Yes
Data is written to the SD Card
The data is automatically verified after it is written
Once it finishes you will see the message that “you can now remove the SD card from the reader”
Remove the card
Click Continue

Now back on the Raspberry Pi
Plug in network cable
Connect the keyboard
Plug in a mouse
Connect the HDMI cable
Install the Micro SD card you just made (up above)
Plug in the power (Last step)

The Raspberry Pi installation begins
Root partition is resized
Desktop shows up
Click Next
Set your country, language, and timezone
Click next
Set password
Click next
Setup screen
Click next
Setup your wireless
When done, click next
On update software screen
Click next to download and install updates
Select OK on the “System is up to date” dialog box
Restart the Raspberry Pi

You are done. Your Raspberry Pi 4 is setup with the Raspbian OS.

Hardware I used:
Raspberry Pi 4 (4gb)
https://amzn.to/3q551IO

SanDisk 32GB Ultra microSDHC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter
https://amzn.to/2Vfvo0y

CanaKit 3.5A Raspberry Pi 4 Power Supply (USB-C)
https://amzn.to/3fNTYPu

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 Micro HDMI Cable – 6 Feet
https://amzn.to/33u5hr9

SanDisk MobileMate USB 3.0 microSD Card Reader (Only needed if you dont have a Micro SD Reader/Writer slot in your computer)
https://amzn.to/39toi0G


Thanks for Reading!

USBIT – USB BACKUP TOOL FOR MINING RIGS

Simple, easy, fast backup utility for your mining rigs. I use this on mine, where Ubuntu 20.04 is running off of a usb drive.

Plug the Linux USB Drive into your Windows 10 computer

On a Windows 10 computer, download the latest version of the software from:
https://www.alexpage.de/usb-image-tool/download/

Extract the software on your windows computer
Double Click USB Image Tool, to launch the program
In the White box on the left, select the USB Drive that your Linux VM is on
Select Backup in the bottom menu
Pick the folder where you want the backup to save to
Give it a name like tacticalware
Press Enter
Your backup will begin

Once your backup completes you are ready to go.

To restore the image, you can use the same tool (USBIT), select your Image, Select the USB Drive, and click restore.

Simple, easy, fast….Thanks for reading




WINDOWS 10 – DISABLE WINDOWS DEFENDER THROUGH GPOs

I cannot stand Windows Defender. Constantly destroys my crypto wallets. Here is the latest way to shut it down and disable it

In the Type here to search field
Type
gpedit.msc
Click Enter
Group Policy Editor will open

Navigate to
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Defender Antivirus
Open Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus
Set to Enabled
Click Ok

Select the Real-time Protection folder
Open Turn off real-time protection
Set to Enabled
Click Ok
Select Turn on behavior monitoring
Set to Disabled
Click Ok
Open Monitor file and program activity on your computer
Set to Disabled
Click Ok
Open Turn on process scanning whenever real-time protection is ….
Set to Disabled
Click Ok

Restart your computer…..And reinstall your wallet that was just destroyed by Microsoft’s disgusting practices.

WINDOWS 10 VM DISK INTEGRITY


This is a quick way to check the integrity of the local disk of a Windows 10 VM, that sits on an ESXi 6.7 Host

Go to the Type here to search box
Type cmd
Best Match will show Command Prompt
Select Run as administrator
Type in chkdsk C: /f /r /x

Check disk will now run and scan your system. If any errors come up, you will be notified, and can choose a course of action.

RESTORE MINING WALLETS IN WINDOWS 10

The most recent Windows 10 update, went through my computer and started tagging many of my crypto wallets as threats, then it automatically quarrantined them. HUGE FAIL by Microsoft. I did not want their Defender app enabled after the update. I did not want it to scan my system.

To restore your newly quarrantined items, do the following:

Open Windows Security
Select Virus & threat protection
Click Protection history
In the list of all recent items, filter the Quarantined Items
Click all of the newly identified and restore

That’s it! Thanks for reading

REMOTE SUPPORT THROUGH CHROME REMOTE DESKTOP

Teamviewer has been a constant headache in 2020. So I have had to find a teamviewer replacement…and have found Chrome Remote Desktop. So far my experience has been good. Quick, easy install. I can still remotely manage my mining rigs. This guide shows how I connect to a system that runs during the day for a dedicated user (who owns it), and mines at night. When he has an issue, he contacts me and we setup a Chrome Remote Desktop support session using the following excerpt from this link https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/1649523?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en

Share your computer with someone else

You can give others remote access to your computer. They’ll have full access to your apps, files, emails, documents and history.

  1. On your computer, open Chrome.
  2. In the address bar at the top, type remotedesktop.google.com/support, and press Enter.
  3. Under “Get Support, “ click Download Download page.
  4. Follow the onscreen directions to download and install Chrome Remote Desktop.
  5. Under “Get Support,” select Generate Code.  
  6. Copy the code and send to the person you want to have access to your computer.
  7. When that person enters your access code on the site, you will see a dialog with their e-mail address. Select Share to allow them full access to your computer.
  8. To end a sharing session, click Stop Sharing.

The access code will only work one time. If you are sharing your computer, you will be asked to confirm that you want to continue to share your computer every 30 minutes.

UBUNTU 20.04 HEADLESS MINING

This one is quick and easy guide on how to Disable the GUI, for those of you who are like me, and do not want the extra processing cycles wasted on a gui…Here you go.

Log into your system

Open a terminal

sudo bash

systemctl set-default multi-user

Reboot your computer

Voila…headless mining rig