Windows 7 Repair option gone?

So I need to repair integral Windows files on my install. On XP this was a trivial matter of booting off the XP install disc and selecting the appropriate option. What I never noticed up until now (since I need the option now) is that MS in their infinite wisdom has removed that option for Windows 7 (and i'm guessing probably 8 as well) and replaced with a start-up repair option which is completely useless for addressing my ultimate issue (wifi gui corruption).

So my question is, is anyone out there aware of any method by which one can conduct an actual repair install on Win7?

sfc /scannow didn't resolve the issue and restore is not only not an option in terms of what wlese it would erase, but in my experience MS's restore implementations have always broken more in the OS than it's supposedly meant to have fixed.

Thanks

This may be of help for you.

Repair Install

Thanks for the response.

That was a post i've actually already looked at. It's somewhat misleading in fact. It refers to a repair install but in actuality, i'd term it a 'repair wipe and reinstall' as that is a more accurate term for the method shown (albeit whilst keeping the users files). I.e. it wipes all existing applications etc. This is not a realistic option for me unfortunately. I have far too many critical applications and configurations setup (I work in SQL).

TBH the issue is probably not important enough for the hassle of such a wipe. But it's no less frustrating g to have such a handy troubleshooting tool erased from history just for 'funsies'. Sometimes I wonder what the devs at MS were thinking. But then, Ballmer did just fire the head of the Windows division recently.

Alas why MS...why!

Sphynx said:

So I need to repair integral Windows files on my install. On XP this was a trivial matter of booting off the XP install disc and selecting the appropriate option. What I never noticed up until now (since I need the option now) is that MS in their infinite wisdom has removed that option for Windows 7 (and i'm guessing probably 8 as well) and replaced with a start-up repair option which is completely useless for addressing my ultimate issue (wifi gui corruption).

So my question is, is anyone out there aware of any method by which one can conduct an actual repair install on Win7?

sfc /scannow didn't resolve the issue and restore is not only not an option in terms of what wlese it would erase, but in my experience MS's restore implementations have always broken more in the OS than it's supposedly meant to have fixed.

Thanks

I, personally, haven't had the need to use "sfc" in Windows 7. However, the suggestion in this forum is to run it at least 3 times. Did you try that?

Yeah, how does a repair install work if I had to use a Win 7 .iso DVD followed by an HP USB recovery stick just to set up Windows?

I have used the repair method described in the tutorial many times and it has never wiped all my applications.

It does remove all Windows updates, however. So did the repair install used by Windows XP.

I can't imagine how many programs crash when you remove all the Windows Updates.

If you'll actuallly read Repair Install you'll see it keeps everything in place while reinstalling the OS. However some settings are passed back through which may be corrupt so it doesn't always resolve the issue at hand if they are rooted in settings.

You'll need the latest official installer with SP1 which is also provided in the tutorial.

Startup Repair runs myriad tests and fixes to get the OS repaired enough to start, however Repair Install since Vista is an in-place Upgrade run from the desktop.

gregrocker said:

If you'll actuallly read Repair Install you'll see it keeps everything in place while reinstalling the OS. However some settings are passed back through which may be corrupt so it doesn't always resolve the issue at hand if they are rooted in settings.

You'll need the latest official installer with SP1 which is also provided in the tutorial.

Startup Repair runs myriad tests and fixes to get the OS repaired enough to start, however Repair Install since Vista is an in-place Upgrade run from the desktop.

I not only read, I even began the process. However once I saw that the process was following the exact same procedure for the complete re-installation of Windows (which mean erasing all other programs) I quickly abandoned the effort.

So what your telling me is, it looks and acts exactly the same as a fresh install of windows with the exact same wording but in fact, only replaces Windows files and therefore doesn't touch components in the registry or program files directory other than Windows?

Edit: Further testing appears to be required. The screen shots shown conflict with the prompts I was given following the same procedure.

The "wording" is different as the Repair Install only reinstalls the OS while saving all programs, files and settings. But everything should be backed up anyway as it can fail, although normally it rolls back if it does.