VX 4+ Redisguise

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.

To identify which OS image your system currently runs, please go to Disguise Manager > Help and select About Manager.

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.

You will need

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• 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

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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. Then click Start.

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

    - Partition scheme - GPT (VX range)
    - Target system - UEFI - non 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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An internet connection is required for Windows licensing, but re-imaging can still be completed offline. However, without a connection, you may encounter an “Activate Windows” overlay.

If Windows is not activated, a watermark will appear in the bottom-right corner of your screen. The message, “Activate Windows. Go to Settings to activate Windows,” will overlay all active windows and applications.

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. Navigate the BIOS screen using the left and right arrow keys until you reach the Save and Exit tab.

Note

Please do not select Save Changes. You only need to access the BootOverride Section.

4. In the Boot Override section, select the following option:

   UEFI: [diskname], Partition 1

   The diskname may vary depending on the manufacturer of the USB stick in use.

   The Redisguise process will run automatically until the re-imaging has completed.

If the reimage 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.