Windows 7: Bad news guys !

It doesn't bode well !

I ran the HP recovery disks today on my slim line and they did not remedy my problem.

I upgraded from Vista to W-7 on December 28, 2009 and 2 weeks later I could not boot up. I threw every thing including the kitchen sink at the problem. No forum pundit/expert suggestions worked. No downloads or books had any solutions !

I phoned HP tech service 7 times today and asked for a supervisor. I'm sending the computer back to HP for remedy.

To date I have sent:

* $670 new HP.

* $29.97 Reg Cure software

* $54.18 Barnes & Noble book Windows 7 inside out.

$249 HP repair service

All of this because I upgraded from Vista, which was running just fine for years to Window 7 !

Sorry to hear that, by the way did you post your problems on this site?

reg cure will cause more problems than it will claim to cure

Needless to say none of the so called credible solutions were credible.

Further, HP's Tech Service is a reprehensible, disingenuous farce

If the HP recovery disks didn't work, it's most likely that the system has hardware problems that prevent it from installing (most often the hard drive or the controller on the motherboard).

Another less likely possibility is that the HP recovery disks aren't the proper one's - or that they are corrupted. Even the manufacturer can make mistakes.

Post the symptoms here and we will see if we can help.

Hi there

I have yet to see a Computer that Windows 7 WON'T install on provided its got 512MB of RAM - and this includes some really OLD computers too. -- just totally re-format the disk - use something like GPARTED to format the disk -- suggest you split the disk into 2 / 3 partitions.
--install Windows 7 on the smallest one. (around 25 GB should be plenty for a Windows 7 OS system partition.

Even if you have to add a video driver afterwards Windows 7 will still install with the standard VGA mode graphics driver and windows update will probably fix most of the other problems.

HP machines are usually pretty "standard" and the HP site is fine for drivers.

You are probably trying to install on a "Non Active" partition -- sometimes shop bought PC's have a "hidden" recovery partition which can get in the way of a new Windows 7 install.

Just Wipe the whole disk clean with GPARTED and start again from scratch.

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/download.php

Cheers
jimbo

Yesterday, 01-07-2010, I received the new, fresh HP recovery disks that I had ordered on 01-02-2010, used them and I am back up and running again. The apparent problem with the previous recovery disks that I tried to use was that they were for a previous computer. It seems that the recovery disks are computer specific, not generic, which means they will only work on the make and model intended, and not some other.

Thanks everyone for your persistence and assistance. Here's a little write up.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

For the benefit of those who have been experiencing lockups, blue screen, stalls, today I resolved my issue and it was remarkably simple and painless. *( After I spent a lot of time learning ).

As background I installed Windows 7 upgrade from Vista on December 10th, 2009 and it ran but with instant problems. An interloper installed the Dealio tool bar and I got the error message, can't find Dealio file. Subsequently I down loaded, and bought, Reg Cure $29.97. It did fix the Dealio file but on December 28, 2009 Microsoft sent an automatic update at 3:59 PM. On the morning of December 29, 2009 I could start Windows but it wouldn't boot past the logo. I tried everything available and couldn't get anything to work. The problem was a boot config corrupted. None of the trouble shooting on the computer from F-8,10 or 11 would cure the problem. I couldn't get into DOS C: elevated command prompt version so it wouldn't work. The W-7 update disk doesn't have any startup capability so it wouldn't remedy the problem using the upgrade disk.

I tried to re-install W-7. It didn't repair the boot config corruption. I tried to make a recovery disk on a 64 bit computer, didn't work. Tried to re-install Vista, didn't work. I phoned HP and ordered recovery disks. In the meantime I recalled that I had ordered some recovery disks a few years back and searched them out. They were for XP. However, tucked in the envelope was a set of Vista recovery disks, unopened ! I inserted them and they did not re-installed the original factory Vista.

I'm detailing here some suggestions and potential pitfalls.

* When considering the installation of Windows 7 on a computer that has been running older versions of Windows, first check the system requirements.

* BACK UP everything you want to keep before you begin the installation.
* Decide if you want to buy an upgrade or an install version. In my area Costco sells the upgrade home premium for $127 and the install version for $179. The upgrade isn't any good for recovery. The install version is.

* Ascertain which version of the old software you are using and match the new Windows 7 version. W-7 comes in four different categories. READ the instructions.
* Run all scans and cleaners to remove the bad - Adware, Data miners, Trojans, Viruses, Worms.
* Uninstall any suspicious or unwanted programs.
* Close all programs.
* Install off line.
* Make the three W-7 suggested disks, recovery, system before proceeding.
* I would also suggest disconnecting some peripherals, network, router.
* Check on the adequacy of your security software. W-7 has some featured free but they do not offer total protection. Microsoft recommends installing 3rd party protection such as Norton.

Summary:

As a minimum I got my computer back on line and useable even if it is on Vista. The downside is that I will have lost all software that I have installed after buying the Slimline with factory installed software. . Since I bought a new HP desk top in the meantime I may just couple the two together and use the Slimline as an external storage and backup.

I still do not know what corrupted the boot file:

* Dealio ?
* Microsoft automatic update ?
* Reg Cure ?
* Some recommended third party free downloads

The problems I read about on this forum seem, to me, to be coming primarily from the software conflicts. Presumably all sorts of computers are being mentioned, desk tops, lap tops, old, new, a variety of manufacturers. And I haven't really read enough in such a short time to determine how many problems are being cured and how many are not.
I bought the book "Windows 7 inside out" by Microsoft at Barnes and Noble and although it is really informative, there is nothing in there that I didn't already try and no solution for my particular problem since I neglected to make recovery disks before the problem occurred !

Very good advice about backing up - it is something we always suugest here.

What do you mean by this ?

Glad you are up and running again.

Windows 7 upgrade disk will only install Windows 7 if a Vista OS is present. Further, since there are various levels of Vista and W-7, W-7 at the equivalent level of Vista or above will install, but not below nor will it upgrade XP or previous OS.

The W-7 upgrade is not complete. It bootstraps from already existing software. If a user runs into trouble he/she cannot use the W-7 upgrade to do a clean install or remedy a problem. W-7 upgrade will not install on a partitioned disk if no previous software exists.

The Windows "install" will install W-7 regardless of previous software and it can boot the user up or remedy problems that the upgrade version cannot. Hindsight being 20-20 I should have spent the extra money and bought the W-7 "clean install" version. I would have remedied my problem earlier.

I purchase exclusively HP. Computers, printers, cameras, calculators, dating back over 3 decades. Their service and facilities are to my liking. For example I was able to buy the recovery disks for $16.29 that got me back on line. Granted I failed to make my own recovery and system disks, in a timely fashion, but the price is nominal and the recovery disks are absolutely tops and very effective.

Bill Tibbe