Issue with System Recovery - Vista to W7

Question -

I am performing a W7 install for a coworker on a Gateway GT5694 desktop. Installation went through without issue but upon reboot, I am prompted with a message stating "
Select an operating system to repair and click Next. Only Windows Vista operating systems are listed and can be repaired." My options are "Load Drivers" and "Next". Hitting Load Drivers gives me a message stating "Insert the installation media for the device and click OK to select the driver" and then brings me into File Explorer.

Simply hitting "Next" brings up an error message stating "This version of System Recovery Options is not compatible with the version of Windows you are trying to repair. Try using a recovery disc that is compatible with this version of Windows."

So, how can I proceed? Can I bypass this altogether, or do I need the recovery disc (which I don't have).

Any and all input is greatly appreciated!

Did you create a new Partition for Win7 or are you overwriting Vista?

Did you boot the Win7 installer to do the install and use any of the Drive Option tools like Delete, Create or Format?

How do you know that installation went through without issue? Did you get to set up your named User Account or desktop?

When exactly are you hit with the error message - after what exact step in installation:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html

Did you create a new Partition for Windows 7 or are you overwriting Vista?

Overwriting.

Did you boot the Windows 7 installer to do the install and use any of the Drive Option tools like Delete, Create or Format?

No. Just a clean from-disk overwrite on the main hard drive partition.

How do you know that installation went through without issue? Did you get to set up your named User Account or desktop?

I did, went through CPU account name and password, and initial setup.

When exactly are you hit with the error message - after what exact step in installation:

Install is finished. This message appears once i boot or restart the CPU. First the Gateway logo appears, then the W7 loading bar, then to system recovery options.

I will try to upload some pictures to PB and post the link here.

Looking forward to those screenshots.

Can you boot into Safe Mode by tapping F8 at bootup?

As it is running the Vista Repair utility it is likely you still have Vista on there somewhere and cannot repair Win7 with it's utility.

Boot the Win7 DVD Repair console or create a Repair CD to run Startup Repair repeatedly:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2083-system-repair-disc-create.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/681-startup-repair.html?ltr=S

Win7 may need to be set Active to Repair Startup if Vista is still holds the active flag:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71432-partition-mark-active.html

Uploading a video now - Video begins at boot, and runs until I've given the windows available for each option along the way. Hitting escape at the end just routes me to reboot my computer.

Greg, what you mention about Vista being on the partition somewhere makes some sense. I'll be looking into that.

Be back with PB video link.

and voila!

video-2010-06-04-21-58-50.flv video by Sherjo311 - Photobucket

Follow the steps given earlier to try to start Win7. Post back results of each.

Gotta go now Greg.

What does the Gateway wallpaper behind startup repair tell you?

WinRE from Vista Recov or boot partition?

Wipe the HD and reinstall, as Vista bootloader is interfering and triggering repair?

Wouldn't hurt anyway at this point, unless Win7 Repair works first.

I don't know if the OP has the install files still - unless he has a copy on his own machine.

Hi gregrocker & SIW2

This is very interesting problem.


Hi Scuzzboots
Are you doing Upgrade or Clean install?
Do you delete the Gateway Recovery partition?

OP seems to say that he is running installer from Vista, so I am guessing his boot files and WinRe are still on another partition which is attempting to start triggering Vista Startup Repair.

If Startup Repair using Win7 Repair CD fails, even after marking Win7 active with steps given earlier, then OP needs to boot the Win7 installer, use Drive Option tools to Delete all partitions, create New one(s) as you wish, then format before installing Win7 to first partition.

The benefit of using Win7 Repair CD to activate it's partition and start Win7 is that the Recovery partition will remain so that a bootable image file can be run from it if OP ever wants to return to factory Vista. Since it is unlikely OP made Vista Recovery Disks off of this partition earlier, this option needs to be considered. If it is not desired, then it can be deleted during booted Clean Install.

theog said:

Hi gregrocker & SIW2

This is very interesting problem.


Hi Scuzzboots
Are you doing Upgrade or Clean install?
Do you delete the Gateway Recovery partition?

Click to expand...

therein lies the problem, as i have discovered. i've also been in touch with a more techy headed friend of mine and he helped me to discover that the recovery system for vista is embedded onto one of the other partitions on the CPU (not that I don't appreciate the info here, I actually sent this thread to him as a reference).

my next approach has been to redo the W7 install but i cannot get the CPU to boot from disc. I am given the option to boot from disc, but it brings me back to the SysRe screen.

Are you following these steps to set CD/DVD drive to boot first, before HD: Boot from CD - How to Boot your Computer from a Bootable CD or DVD - Boot to CD

If so, try booting Win7 DVD by tapping repeatedly the key given on first bootup screen for one-time Boot Menu, which is F10 on Gateway.

Once you boot into the DVD, select Repair My Computer on second screen, click through to Recovery Tools list to open a Command Line, type:

DISKPART
LIST DISK
SELECT DISK # (for Windows 7 disk)
clean all (deepest clean, zeros HD, takes about an hour per 320gb)
create partition primary
select partition 1
assign letter=c:
active
format
exit

Now boot back into DVD to Custom install to new partition you created.

Also check to see if your Gateway Recovery F?? key is not stuck. May be F8 or F11.

got it. thanks for all your info guys. for whatever reason, accessing the boot menu upon startup and selecting the cd/dvd drive the first couple times kept rerouting me back to sysre. don't know why, but tried again this morning and it booted fine. deleted the recovery partition and reinstalling w7. thanks again for all your help!

That is good news.

Hi, I'm new here. I've just been reading through this post and have the same problem...can Scuzzboots or anyone else tell me what the ultimate solution was to this? I have the exact same computer and am doing the exact same install from Vista to Windows 7 and have the same problem. I've been following the steps and trying to learn as I go along...I'm at the point of possibly deleting the recovery partition to get rid of the Vista recovery problem...I've done everything except deleting the partition..I guess I could first create a new partition for Windows 7 like gregrocker states here:
" Once you boot into the DVD, select Repair My Computer on second screen, click through to Recovery Tools list to open a Command Line, type:

DISKPART
LIST DISK
SELECT DISK # (for Windows 7 disk)
clean all (deepest clean, zeros HD, takes about an hour per 320gb)
create partition primary
select partition 1
assign letter=c:
active
format
exit

Now boot back into DVD to Custom install to new partition you created."

...but I'm so new to this that once I get into the .cmd screen I don't even know what # to type to "Select Disk"....

Does anyone know if Scuzzboots ended up creating a new partition..I tried reformating it and it didn't work..and also marking it as active, that didn't work either...or should I just delete the recovery partition to get rid of the old Vista files that are pulling up the vista system recovery screen, which was the last thing that was mentioned in this thread?


Thank you for your help!

Hello ristenk, welcome to Seven Forums!



Instead of tagging on to an old thread, please start a new thread so you will get some help as it's very difficult to figure out what you're referring to; thanks!


Click here to start a new thread.