Copyedit The Saga

Move the Windows Update stuff somewhere else; it's (a) a big
tangent (b) a shaggydog story.

2 files changed, 199 insertions, 130 deletions

diff --git a/guides/sysadmin/machines/amdahl30/killing-time.org b/guides/sysadmin/machines/amdahl30/killing-time.org
index 5671988..971f24a 100644
--- a/guides/sysadmin/machines/amdahl30/killing-time.org
+++ b/guides/sysadmin/machines/amdahl30/killing-time.org
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ hot springs, and "sawtooth 40±15" everywhere else.
   repository but it is mostly just codecs except well there is Mesa in
   there", so for intellectual honesty, purged
   Packman[fn:purge-packman], restarted, loaded the game.
-  - There, same symptoms; Packman exonerated[fn:unpurge-packman].
+  - There, same symptoms; Packman exonerated.
 
 [fn:purge-packman] As simple as:
 #+begin_src
@@ -400,135 +400,59 @@ Then confirmed absence of strays with ~zypper packages~ (with
 -c | sort -hr~ to double-check repositories in-use).
 
 
-- TODO: xs y blog steam post
-- more uefi
-  - peg ⇒ igd
-  - "game mode" ⇒ forced; bump vram
-  - "xmp profile" to boost DDR clock speed
-- radv vs amdvlk?
-  - not easy to install on SUSE
-  - not sure amdvlk supports my iGPU anyway
-- (TODO:amd community thread)
-- https://old.reddit.com/r/AMDHelp/comments/1isclpw/i_am_beyond_frustrated_with_the_stutter_issues_on/
-  more c-state speculation
-- https://community.frame.work/t/wayland-lag-stuttering-since-kernel-6-11-2/59422/28
-  3 different drm/amd reports 😵‍💫
-** SSD?
-- WHAT IF [[https://old.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1g7o5kz/kingston_ssd_firmware_update_fixed_stuttering/][SSD]] THOUGH
-  - [[https://old.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/aodqqw/psa_dont_buy_ssds_from_the_kingston_a400_line/][UUUGUGUGUHGGH]]
-  - and of course [[https://old.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/gt13h5/what_could_i_do_with_my_kingston_a400_ssd_if/][no practical way to update]]
-  - [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=243614][ugugugugugh]]
-*** doing the thing
-**** reviving the zombie windows partition
-1. reinstate os-prober
-2. first reboot
-   - "let's finish setting up your PC" ???
-   - "conference client" ???
-   - installed kingstom manager thingy
-   - waiting for updates to finish
-   - waiting…
-   - "2023-10 Cumulative Update" stuck at "Downloading - 5%" 🤷
-3. bah, reboot
-   - "give us a minute" FFFFFUUUUUUUU
-   - "we're updating Xbox Game Bar" WAT
-   - "your version of windows 11 has reached end of service"
-     - "click here to download a newer version of windows 11 to stay
-       supported"
-     - ffs
-     - Windows Update not doing anything; "download now" greyed out;
-       "cumulative update" dropped down to /0%/
-     - 100% CPU still burning 🤷
-   - update running…
-     - "antimalware service executable" taking 50% CPU during the update
-4. reboot
-   - "windows 11, version 23H2"
-   - hope I don't have to do too many 2xHy 😬
-   - "need more disk space" are you kidding me
-     - removing my music then…
-   - "almost ready"
-     - "we need to do a few more things before you can update. we'll
-       let you know when we're done and what to do next"
-       wtf
-5. reboot
-   - "Your computer may restart a few times"
-   - YOU DON'T SAY
-   - 1h later it's still at 9%
-   - I think I'm going to sleep tho; which means it will probably
-     reboot to Debian without completing 🙄
-6. (next morning 🥱) yup
-   - assume Windows is done with the external storage & detach it
-   - reboot
-   - "please reattach external storage 😱" /I freed 5 gigs of Music
-     for you/ not even tumbleweed full-distro rebuilds are that big
-7. reboot
-   - "you're up to date (last checked: yesterday, 9:01 PM)"
-   - … isn't there, like, a 24H2 or something? "check for updates"
-   - {{{narrator(thinking hard)}}} "updates available" 🤪
-   - {{{narrator(downloads stuff)}}}
-     - "you're up to date"
-     - /also on the very same window/ "2025-02 Cumulative Update
-       Preview for Windows 11 Version 23H2" to "Download & install"
-     - 🎭
-   - seriously though, is there not an option to climb to 24H2?  why
-     go for the /preview/ of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_11_version_history][a /maintenance/ release]]?
-   - maybe a reboot will fix it 🙃
-     - woah =⊞ restart=…
-       - proposes (LLM-backed, I assume?) completion
-       - says "restart apps after signing in" is the "best match"
-     - woaaah, =⊞ reboot=… says the "best match" is a 2022 TV show 🤣
-       - the right margin even autoplays the trailer
-       - the right margin also shows "results ranked by relevance" and
-         /the first one/ is a Microsoft Support link to "restart
-         (reboot)" your PC
-     - OK fine, that was "fun"; luckily =⊞-x= still works
-8. reboot
-   - well, no, I still must install this "oldstable preview"
-   - OK then; do that
-9. reboot
-   - "check for updates"
-   - {{{narrator(thinks a lot)}}}
-   - "you're up to date (last checked: today, 9:02 AM)"
-   - what are you talking about?  It's 9:42, you've just booted, and
-     /spent thirty seconds checking for updates/ how can the last
-     check be 40 minutes ago??
-   - {{{narrator(thinks a lot /again/)}}}
-   - "you're right 🤪"
-     - "have a security intelligence update"
-     - "also, 24H2 is available"
-   - just to be on the safe side, install the "intelligence update" first
-10. reboot
-    - alright then, "download & install" 24H2
-    - creeps up to 34%
-    - "making sure you're ready to install (this may take a few
-      minutes) (please wait)"
-      - I assure you Windows /I/ am ready to install; please stop
-        projecting
-    - (wait hang on; why are you saying it's 10:26 AM Paris time; it's
-      11:26 AM Paris time you goof)
-      - "last successful time synchronization: 1/8/2022 7:01:49 PM" 🤣
-    - "what needs your attention"
-      - "this PC can't be upgraded to this version of Windows"
-      - "your PC isn't supported yet on this version of Windows"
-      - what have you spent the last 30 minutes doing?  how do you
-        realize this /34% into the installation process??/
-      - there's only a "refresh" button that does nothing
-        - close
-        - "are you sure you want to quit?" /you will literally not let
-          me do anything else; why are you asking me??/
-    - well then; perhaps disk size?
-      - mmm only 6 GB free on =C:/=
-      - ah, perhaps the 7 GB =C:/Windows.old= directory is a problem 🙄
-      - let's install windirstat I guess
-        - winget is neat
-      - I have basically 2 GB of personal files; everything else is
-        Windows cruft
-      - "System → Storage → Cleanup recommendations" agrees we can
-        reclaim the 7 GB =Windows.old=
-**** and then
-The Kingston utility thingy does not identify the disk 🤷 moving on
-** XFS?
-interacts badly with the GPU?
-https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=202349
+- Lobsters featured [[https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2731870/view/4666382742870026335][this story]] about game developers working around
+  "catastrophic performance loss on AMD" with some DX11 memory usage
+  patterns, solved by "changing the buffering implementation of GPU
+  uploads".  Searched for actionable things to do with that anecdote,
+  found none.
+
+- Noodled in UEFI some more.
+  - Changed the "graphic adapter" knobs from "PEG" (PCIe Graphics) to
+    "IGD" (Integrated); not that this changes much since there is no
+    PCIe card anyway.
+  - Changed "Integrated Graphics" from "Game Mode" to "Force"; bump
+    UMA Frame Buffer Size to 4 GB.
+  - Activated A-XMP "Profile 1" (boosts DDR4 clock speed).
+
+- Pondered [[https://docs.mesa3d.org/drivers/radv.html][RADV]] vs [[https://github.com/GPUOpen-Drivers/AMDVLK][AMDVLK]].
+  - The latter is not easy to install on openSUSE.
+  - Not sure AMDVLK supports my iGPU anyway.
+
+- Sent [[https://community.amd.com/t5/pc-processors/game-stutter-on-opensuse-tumbleweed-with-amd-ryzen-5-pro-4650g/m-p/750105][a message in a bottle]] on the AMD community forums.
+
+- Stumbled on more recent threads:
+  - [[https://old.reddit.com/r/AMDHelp/comments/1isclpw/i_am_beyond_frustrated_with_the_stutter_issues_on/][another AMD castaway]] with commenters suggesting to enable
+    C-States.
+  - [[https://community.frame.work/t/wayland-lag-stuttering-since-kernel-6-11-2/59422/28][framework users]] pointing at three different drm/amd reports 😵‍💫
+** What if it /was/ the new SSD though
+- [[https://old.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1g7o5kz/kingston_ssd_firmware_update_fixed_stuttering/][LockeDown815]] says bumping their Kingston NVMe SSD firmware fixed
+  stuttering in Diablo Ⅳ.
+  - [[https://old.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/aodqqw/psa_dont_buy_ssds_from_the_kingston_a400_line/][jayomegal]] says the A400 SSDs (👋🥺) have "fucked firmware".
+  - [[https://old.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/gt13h5/what_could_i_do_with_my_kingston_a400_ssd_if/][tubi_carrillo]] asks the tough questions - how is a Linux user to
+    update their firmware when the vendor does not partake in LVFS and
+    only offers a Windows utility?
+  - [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=243614][xhpohanka]] reports "strange system lags" after cloning their system
+    on a SA400.
+- Welp, time to [[file:~/memory-leaks/guides/sysadmin/machines/hirondell/maintenance.org::*2025-03][resurrect hirondell's Windows partition]] 🧟
+  - Braved [[https://www.petiterepublique.com/2025/03/08/ce-samedi-8-mars-2025-des-rafales-de-vent-a-plus-de-120-km-en-haute-garonne/][the wind]] & fetched a 2.5″ SSD-to-USB case.
+  - WELP, Kingston® SSD Manager fails to identify the disk 🙄
+    #+begin_src
+    Device scan complete. Updating views...
+    \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE0: Detected as the primary drive, KScode2 Identify failed, BusType:11
+    \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1: Not supported - Identify failed, BusType:7
+    Updating devices list...
+    \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE0: SK hynix SC311 SATA 128GB, SCSI\DISK&VEN_SK&PROD_HYNIX_SC311_SATA\4&AAF871B&0&000000
+    \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1: KINGSTON  SA400S37480G SCSI Disk Device, SCSI\DISK&VEN_KINGSTON&PROD__SA400S37480G\6&1EA4F16A&0&000000
+    #+end_src
+    Nevermind then!  Moving on.
+** Time to come clean
+There was one other thing I changed on this reinstallation: I used XFS
+instead of BTRFS for my home partition.  Not sure why; [[https://old.reddit.com/r/openSUSE/comments/3dambq/why_btrfs_for_but_xfs_for_home/][some folks say
+it's a good idea?]]
+
+And /of course/ there is [[https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=202349][a kernel bug]] showing that somehow "sustained
+write operations with XFS" conflict with "GPU creating memory
+pressure" or something.  /Of course/.
 * This is insane
 Selected subset of moving parts; "testability" considering ease of
 clean reverts:
diff --git a/guides/sysadmin/machines/hirondell/maintenance.org b/guides/sysadmin/machines/hirondell/maintenance.org
index 1e44459..d6c5182 100644
--- a/guides/sysadmin/machines/hirondell/maintenance.org
+++ b/guides/sysadmin/machines/hirondell/maintenance.org
@@ -191,6 +191,151 @@ great good.
 - The [[#random-lag][random lag I had been observing since 5.8]] seems gone 🥳
 - =libtree-sitter-dev= is new enough for Emacs; can get rid of my
   =/usr/local= version.
+** Windows
+*** 2025-03
+For [[file:../amdahl30/killing-time.org::*SSD?][reasons]], had to dust off my Windows installation.  Asked
+update-grub to [[https://www.debian.org/releases/bookworm/amd64/release-notes/ch-information.en.html#grub-os-prober][run os-prober]], booted, did "the thing"; then, out of
+due diligence (at first; quickly replaced by morbid fascination;
+sustained by existential ennui), attempted to push Windows Update as
+far as it would go.
+
+A lightly edited set of live notes follows; starting with the original
+boot following the os-prober restoration.
+**** Boot the Ⅰst
+- "let's finish setting up your PC" ??? [fn:winup-boot1-setup]
+- installed kingston manager thingy [fn:winup-boot1-kingston]
+- waiting for updates to finish
+  - waiting…
+  - "2023-10 Cumulative Update" stuck at "Downloading - 5%" 🤷
+    - welp, does not seem to progress anymore, and there are updates
+      pending restart, so let's
+
+[fn:winup-boot1-setup] This Windows installation was, AFAIR, pretty
+well "set up" when last I booted it.  Hence my surprise at this
+greeting.
+
+[fn:winup-boot1-kingston] The [[https://www.kingston.com/en/support/technical/ssdmanager][Kingston® SSD Manager]].  My main reason
+for turning on that Windows system, to be able to upgrade the firmware
+of amdahl30's primary SSD.
+**** Boot the Ⅱnd
+- "give us a minute" FFFFFUUUUUUUU
+- "we're updating Xbox Game Bar" WAT [fn:winup-boot2-xbox]
+- "your version of windows 11 has reached end of service"
+  - "click here to download a newer version of windows 11 to stay
+    supported"
+  - ffs
+  - Windows Update not doing anything; "download now" greyed out;
+    "cumulative update" dropped down to /0%/
+  - 100% CPU still burning 🤷
+- update running…
+  - "antimalware service executable" taking 50% CPU during the update
+
+[fn:winup-boot2-xbox] I have never owned an Xbox, nor have I ever used
+this Windows installation for anything game-related (beside
+downloading & running [[https://www.pj64-emu.com/][Project64]] that one time, to evaluate how well
+that laptop could handle N64 emulation).
+**** Boot the Ⅲrd
+- "windows 11, version 23H2"
+- hope I don't have to go through =2{4H{1,2},5H1}= 😬
+- "need more disk space" are you kidding me
+  - removing my music then…[fn:winup-boot3-space]
+- "almost ready"
+  - "we need to do a few more things before you can update. we'll let
+    you know when we're done and what to do next"
+  - wtf
+
+[fn:winup-boot3-space] I, perhaps unwisely, split my 128 GB drive into
+two roughly equal-sized chunks, one for Windows, one for Debian.  The
+former sitting unused, I had dumped something like 5–10 gigs worth of
+media onto it.
+**** Boot the Ⅳth
+- "Your computer may restart a few times"
+  - YOU DON'T SAY
+- 1h later it's still at 9%
+- I think I'm going to sleep tho; which means it will probably reboot
+  to Debian without completing 🙄
+**** Boot the Ⅴth
+Mornin' Debian; no, actually I was installing Windows updates, you can
+go back to sleep mate.
+
+Windows is probably done with the external storage, right?  Detaching.
+**** Boot the Ⅵth
+- "❌ please reattach external storage"
+  - /I freed 5 gigs of Music for you/
+  - not even tumbleweed full-distro rebuilds are that big
+**** Boot the Ⅶth
+- "you're up to date (last checked: yesterday, 9:01 PM)"
+  - first of all Windows Update: you just spent 15s loading; why is
+    the last check yesterday evening?  What were you doing during this
+    15s load?
+  - second, isn't there, like, a 24H2 or something?
+  - "check for updates" again please
+- "updates available" 🤪
+- some downloads later…
+  - "you're up to date"
+  - /also on the very same window/ "2025-02 Cumulative Update Preview
+    for Windows 11 Version 23H2" to "Download & install"
+  - 🎭
+- seriously though, is there not an option to climb to 24H2?  why go
+  for the "preview" of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_11_version_history][a /maintenance/ release]]?
+- maybe a reboot will fix it 🙃
+  - woah =⊞ restart=…
+    - proposes (LLM-backed?) completion
+    - says "restart apps after signing in" is the "best match"
+  - woaaah, =⊞ reboot=… says the "best match" is a 2022 TV show 🤣
+    - the right margin even autoplays the trailer
+    - the right margin also shows "results ranked by relevance" and
+      /the first one/ is a Microsoft Support link to "restart
+      (reboot)" your PC
+  - OK fine, that was "fun"; luckily =⊞-x u r= still works
+**** Boot the Ⅷth
+- well, no, I still must install this "oldstable preview"
+- OK then; do that
+**** Boot the Ⅸth
+- "check for updates"
+  - {{{narrator(thinks a lot)}}}
+  - "you're up to date (last checked: today, 9:02 AM)"
+  - what are you talking about?  It's 9:42, you've just booted, and
+    /spent thirty seconds checking for updates/ how can the last check
+    be 40 minutes ago??
+- {{{narrator(thinks a lot /again/)}}}
+  - "you're right 🤪"
+    - "have a security intelligence update"
+    - "also, 24H2 is available"
+- just to be on the safe side, start with the "intelligence update"
+  then reboot
+**** Boot the Ⅹth
+- alright then, "download & install" 24H2
+- creeps up to 34%
+- "making sure you're ready to install (this may take a few minutes)
+  (please wait)"
+  - I assure you Windows /I/ am ready to install; please stop
+    projecting
+- (wait hang on; why are you saying it's 10:26 AM Paris time; it's
+  11:26 AM Paris time you goof)
+  - "last successful time synchronization: 1/8/2022 7:01:49 PM" 🤣
+- "what needs your attention"
+  - "this PC can't be upgraded to this version of Windows"
+  - "your PC isn't supported yet on this version of Windows"
+  - what have you spent the last 30 minutes doing?  how do you realize
+    this /34% into the installation process??/
+  - there's only a "refresh" button that does nothing
+    - close
+    - "are you sure you want to quit?" /you will literally not let me
+      do anything else; why are you asking me??/
+- well then; perhaps disk size?
+  - mmm only 6 GB free on =C:/=
+  - ah, perhaps the 7 GB =C:/Windows.old= directory is a problem 🙄
+  - let's install windirstat I guess
+    - winget is neat!
+  - I have basically 2 GB of personal files; everything else is
+    Windows cruft
+  - "System → Storage → Cleanup recommendations" agrees we can reclaim
+    the 7 GB =Windows.old=
+**** Alas
+That was all the energy I could muster this week-end.  We might not
+have updated all the way to 24H2, and we might never succeed!  All the
+same, we laughed, we cried; quality entertainment.  Sort of.
 * Hiccups
 ** impromptu IBus
 Installing [[https://zoom.us/][Zoom]]'s Debian package somehow enabled IBus[fn:: AFAICT