Windows 7: Windows 7 Installation Problem

1. Background of my problem:



I have an HP-G70460US notebook.

The machine was originally installed with the MS Vista Home Premium-32 bit OS even though it is 64 bit capable.

I burned the recovery disks for Vista Home Premium-32 and stored them when I first purchased the computer.

I have now upgraded the computer to Win 7-Ultimate-32 as I did not want to do a scratch install of Win 7-64 until I had done an adequate back-up and recorded all of my personal settings. This installation was done via a Win 7-Home Premium-Upgrade and then the Windows Anytime Upgrade to Ultimate so that my personal setting were retained in the upgrade.

My thought on this was that I could then go back and do the scratch install to Win 7-64 and with my personal settings saved in the back-up of Win 7-32, and that I could restore the individual user files from the backup in order to avoid having to re-enter all my personal information and files from scratch after program installations were complete.

However, to do this I need to re-install Vista Home Premium-32 and go through the double upgrade process in order to install Win 7-64 Ultimate.

2. My Problem:

My problem is that when I try to use the Vista Home Premium Restore disks that I burned to re-install Vista 32, the NTFS formatting of the C drive dies about 1/2 way through the process, effectively disabling my machine. The machine does eventually recover to Win 7-32 Ultimate after an extensive file CHKDSK recovery and reindex of the files. I also had to restore my MS-Outlook PST file and reinstall my Norton Internet Security to gain complete recovery.

I also tried to use my Norton Ghost recovery disk, to restore the image but this also dies before the sector by sector restore can begin.

It looks as though there may be some image protection scheme installed in Win 7-Ultimate or associated with the HP machine. However, I never had a problem using my Norton Ghost recovery while I was using Vista Home Premium 32.

Can anyone advise me how to reinstall my Vista Home Premium 32 OS so I can begin the 64 bit conversion?

Thanks
Mike Cook

Borrow a 64 bit clean copy DVD of Windows 7, unlock all versions if necessary using ei.cfg removal tool, then clean install your licensed version using the Product Key stickered to the machine.

You can extract HP applications from the Recovery disks using this: http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/53182-hp-3rd-party-software-after-clean-win-7-install.html#post488270

I am not sure what double-upgrade process you are contemplating, but there is no way to go from 32 bit to 64 bit without a clean install, and a clean copy DVD install of Windows 7 is vastly superior to re-importing the bloatware larded into today's recovery disks.

Norton Ghost, do you backup the hide partitions?
HP Vista recovery, Try a full clean & full format in command prompt.

1) Boot DVD, & Press Shift+F10 (for command prompt)
2) Boot DVD, & Command Prompt at Startup(for command prompt)

Type in command line
DISKPART
LIST DISK OR List Volume (If you have partitions)
SELECT DISK # (win HD)
CLEAN ALL
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT=NTFS
ASSIGN
EXIT
EXIT



To transfer data use this: Windows Easy Transfer - Transfer To & From Computers

Thanks you for the suggestions. It will be a few days before I can give this another shot, but I will try some of the suggestions and let you know how it goes.