Custom Install Windows 7

Brink · 23 Mar 2010

Hello Andy, and welcome to Seven Forums.

With a clean install, you will not have a windows.old folder. This is a completely clean fresh formatted install.

You would want to do a custom install instead if you would like a C:\Windows.old folder. The Windows.old folder contains a complete copy of your current installation with all files in it. While you can copy any file from withing the Windows.old folder back into your new installation, you will still have to reinstall all drivers and programs. Those cannot be copied back.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

nonpasaran · 25 Mar 2010

is it posible to install 64 bit windows 7 from within 32 bit windows 7 without neccessary install from boot?
like your tuttorial(You gave example as Vista.I ask windows 7 32 bit instead of Vista)

Brink · 25 Mar 2010

Hello Nonpasaran,

Sorry, but no. You can only do a clean install when going from 32-bit to 64-bit, or the other way around.

NOKCOMPUTER · 17 Sep 2010

What if you get stuck on Step 5, my system hung on repair install at this part for over 2 hours, should you then try Do not go online for updates? How long should this take before you know somethings wrong, any ideas why it would hang? My computer is beyond slow now, can't uninstall, run cmd's, event viewer doesn't work, everything hangs and will not complete. Don't know what to do, but this Custom install would be great if it works.

Brink · 17 Sep 2010

A repair install (in-place upgrade) is done from within your current installation, while a custom install is done at boot with your Windows 7 installation disc. A custom install is more like a clean install instead, except that you have a copy of your current installation placed in the Windows.old folder in the new clean installation.

NOKCOMPUTER · 18 Sep 2010

The custom install got my system back up, it took about 2:30hrs, but it works! Could anyone point me to which drivers exactly I need to update for my mobo chipset. I tried to download a few but they just extract files, don't know what to do with them.

Brink · 18 Sep 2010

NokComputer,

That's great news. I'm happy to hear that the custom install went well. :)

If you got your chipset driver at the Gigabyte linke below for your motherboard, then when you run the downloaded EXE file, extract it to your desktop, open the extracted folder, and run the ASetup.exe file to install the driver.

GA-770TA-UD3 (rev. 1.0) - GIGABYTE

Charlot · 18 Oct 2010

Hi brink,

If i custom install means after installation my comp would be like a new computer with no files or programmes in it?What are in the C:\Windows.old file? Is there anyway to dl all the driver in 1 go? Im using a compaq presario cq40.

Brink · 18 Oct 2010

Hello Charlot, and welcome to Seven Forums.

A custom install is almost the same as a clean install, but with your current Windows installation backed up to the Windows.old folder during this custom installation. After the custom installation, you can copy any files you wanted back in the C:\Windows.old folder back into your new installation of Windows 7.

Like with a clean install, you will need to install all of your drivers and programs again after doing a custom install of Windows 7.

You could download all of your drivers and etc... before doing the custom install, then copy them to a USB flash drive to have them handy after finishing the custom install.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Charlot · 03 Nov 2010

Thanks Shawn n sorry for the late reply. If i do a custom install in my C:\ partition will my data in my D:\ partition be erased?