Per microsoft I need to do try a repair install from original disk.
Is there a difference between running repair install from Windows or booting from original disk then selecting upgrade install? Is one or the other preferred?
Directions say both attempt to preserve installed programs, but not all drivers, and both require reinstalling all the 60 or so windows updates released after my disk. so no differences there.
Have read of those to tutorials:
How to Do a Repair Install to Fix Windows 7
Repair Install
How to Do a Upgrade install
Upgrade Install with Windows 7
Yes there is a big difference.
A repair is where it tries to repair the Windows that is currently installed. An upgrade is where you upgrade from previous Windows install like XP. The repair does try to keep all installed programs and files as does the upgrade.
Preserving them both is the difference between a clean install.
What problems are you having exactly?
1. Occasional freezes or even BSOD that do not occur on a separate windows 7 installation on this multiboot system. I speculate that when I changed the motherboard and processor (but from same manufacturers) I did not or could not completely clear the old mb and onboard function drivers before I installed the new ones. XP would have demanded a repair install after this hw change, but W7 didn't. Just wanted to submit for validation again. I have discovered a couple drivers that were the right name but definitely the wrong version. There may be others. (The second windows installation was done after mb change.)
2. And this is really strange, but I found a couple references in registry to the drive containing the other system, which in this system I assigned drive letter Z: I first noticed z: files showing up on Resource Manager then search registry. Issue not present on other installation.
3. Windows control panel monitor numbers are normal (primary 1 secondary 2) in Display / adjust resolution and in Nvidia control panel, but reversed in windows CP color management and in my monitor color calibration program. Also on BSOD, the BSOD appears on the secondary monitor rather than priimary. Issue not present on other system.
And yes it may be time for clean install, but I though I'd try repair install first.
Note: You can't do an upgrade install from XP to 7 only from vista to 7, though not relevant to this case.
One Microsoft tech said that doing upgrade install of 7 on 7 is functionally the same as the repair install procedure for XP (which was done by booting from install disk). The Repair install procedure for 7 starts with Windows running. Repairing using boot from disk (Upgrade install) without the installed system running seems simpler and thus perhaps more reliable than having the system running and repairing itself at the same time.
Which is why I asked.
Repair Install is an Upgrade install done from the Desktop since Vista. Repair functions from boot are now done by Startup Repair.
In the future you can run Sysprep on the old hardware before starting it up on the new, to get a cleaner installation: Windows 7 Installation - Transfer to a New Computer
It sounds like you need a clean reinstall if Repair Install doesn't sort it for you.
Here are tips for getting a purrfect reinstall - use the ones which apply: re-install windows 7
Last edited by gregrocker; 20 Feb 2011 at 19:08.
Hello gregglee.
If it is time for a clean install, I would suggest, after you have copied out or made back-ups of the data you need to save to external media, use Step One of this tutorial at the link below to do a wipe (secure erase) to the entire Hard Disk Drive, running this then using the outline in Step Two #2 to create/format and mark Active a single 100GB partition using diskpart will get you the best possible space to clean install Windows 7 to.
SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation
DISKPART : At PC Startup
You can always extend the Windows partition to include the remaining unallocated space on the Hard Disk Drive after the installation completes if you choose to do so.
New problem:
I tried to do a repair install running windows install disk from windows , but I got this message from Windows Compatibility Report after I selected upgrade install:
"To upgrade Windows, the Users, Program Files, and Windows directories need to be on the same partition. Upgrading when these directories are not on the same partition is not supported. Moving these directories so that they are on the same partition is also not supported. You can choose to install a new copy of Windows 7 Home Premium instead, but this is different from an upgrade, and does not keep your files, settings, and programs."
Great. Non-specific and vague.
I have never had Program Files or Windows directories anyplace but on C:\ partition. I don't think it's even possible to move them elsewhere.
I did at one time have "my documents," "my pictures," and "downloads" locations set to a different partition on a different hard drive. I later returned setting to the default locations and created libraries for the same purpose so I could include multiple locations in one library. But this is a windows feature using the location tab on "properties," not a registry hack, so I wouldn't expect that to be the problem. And the message says "are not on the same partition" rather than "were never at any time not on the same partition." Not that error messages are always carefully worded.
I also have a couple applications set to place their cache or render folders on other partitions, but that seems another level removed.
And " Moving these directories so that they are on the same partition is also not supported,"sounds like doing it as part of the upgrade is not supported, rather than moving prior to upgrade. But again , it's not like error messages are always carefully worded.
Does anyone know it actually means, or what I might check in folders or registry for references to other partitions?
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