GX 2C Redisguise

Internal system restore is the process of doing a factory restore on the system.

Redisguise is the process of updating and restoring on the system using a bootable USB drive.

This process can be used to update to a newer OS image, or revert to a previous OS image.

Warning

Performing a system restore from the new disk image will erase any valuable data on your system drive. Please ensure you make a back up of any essential files from your system (C:) drive before initialising this process. The process does NOT destroy any media or projects on your media drive.

Internal Restore

This procedure will only work with OS version 10 and greater.

To locate your OS version please go to d3Manager- Help - About d3Manager.

Warning

The system needs to be connected to the internet during this procedure. If it is not, or it loses internet connection during the process - Windows activation will fail.

Reimaging the system

1. Hold down shift whilst restarting the system.
   
2. Select Use another operating system
3. Select Reset OS.
   
4. The system will reboot into the internal re-imaging system which will reinstall the Operating System and revert to factory settings.

Activating Windows

Windows should activate automatically, as long as the machine is connected to the internet for the duration of the re-imaging process.

If Windows does not activate during the re-imaging process, follow these steps.

1. Wait for a few minutes after the re-imaging process has completed to allow the server time to activate Windows.
2. Navigate to the System tab by right clicking on the Windows start menu and selecting System.
3. In the System window, check to see if you have valid Windows license information visible. If you do not, contact the Disguise support team.

Redisguise

You will need

• A 16GB USB memory stick
• A version of Rufus to turn it into a bootable disk. Ensure the volume name of the usb is: REDISGUISE
• An internet connection to the machine you are re-imaging
• An OS image from the Download Centre.
• 7-Zip archive tool/file manager.

Note

Prior to 2024, the OS versions consisted of 3 parts due to the way the data was compressed. Where this is the case, using 7-Zip, place all 3 parts in the same directory and extract any one part. Z-Zip will automatically continue to extract the other 2 parts to create the full ISO image.

Create a Bootable USB

1. Download the ISO from the Download Centre.
2. To create a Bootable USB stick open Rufus, click Select and browse to the downloaded ISO.
3. Rufus version 3.16 and above require the following advanced driver properties be set:

Drive Properties

• Add fixes for old BIOSes (extra partition, align, etc)
• Use Rufus MBR with BIOS ID | 0x80(Default)

Format Options

• Quick format
• Create extended label and icon files.

Correct advanced driver property settings

4. Click START to begin creating the bootable USB.

You may be presented with a popup warning that Windows Explorer currently has control of the USB you are using. Click OK, and then click START to continue.

Note

The advanced drive properties and format options are specifically required when updating the GX 2C. These setings are necessary as Rufus has removed support for MBR BIOSes. Advanced drive property settings are not required with later Disguise hardware.

The Partition scheme, Target system, and File System fields should appear automatically.

    The settings should be:
    - Partition scheme - MBR
    - Target system - BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)
    - Volume label - automatically pulled from ISO file
    - File system - NTFS

Warning

These settings are critically important. The re-image process will fail if they are not set correctly.

Note

On the latest versions of Rufus you may see this warning. This is expected and does not apply to current Disguise hardware. Please click OK to continue as normal.

Booting into the USB

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The system needs to be connected to the internet during this procedure.

1. Plug the USB Drive into your Disguise server and switch it on.
2. To enter the BIOS, wait for the Disguise logo to appear and then continue pressing the Delete key until the BIOS screen appears.
3. Enter the Boot page of the BIOS and in Hard Disk BBS Priority make sure your USB disk is set to Boot Option #1.
4. Navigate the BIOS screen using the left and right arrow keys until you reach the Save and Exit tab.
5. Do not select Save and Exit. Hit Escape, and navigate to Save & Exit tab.
6. In the Boot Override section, select the following option:

UEFI: [diskname], Partition 2

• The diskname may vary depending on the manufacturer of the USB stick in use.
• The Redisguise process will run automatically until the reimaging has completed.

7. The system should now reboot and begin the reimaging process.
8. Once the copying and installing of the image is complete, the system will reboot automatically. Remove the thumb drive at this point to prevent the system from entering a boot loop.
9. The OS will now boot and run a script to make changes to the settings of the system and install necessary programs. Wait for this to complete and your system should be re-imaged.

If the re-image is unsuccessful, a log file will be automatically generated and stored on the USB memory stick. Please send this log file if you need to contact Disguise support.

If you experience any problems during updating or restoring the system, or any of these instructions are unclear, please contact the Disguise support team.

Tip

Servers may appear to get stuck indefinitely at 0% completion. This is typically due to a misconfiguration of the drive in Rufus. If this happens, review and repeat the steps shown in Create a bootable drive above.