Repair Install

Brink · 16 Nov 2011

Ixcacel,

Sorry, but you will not be able to do a repair install with a factory OEM installation.

However, you should be able to install the SP1 through Windows Updates if you have not already, or you could download the standalone windows6.1-KB976932-X64.exe SP1 installation file to install SP1 if it's not already installed at the Microsoft link below.

Download Details - Microsoft Download Center - Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (KB976932)

You can check to see if you already have SP1 installed or not by typing winver in the Start Menu search box and press Enter. If you have SP1 installed, you'll see it listed in the "Version" line like below.

Ixcacel · 16 Nov 2011

I visited the link you sent to my email. There are a number of downloads available. Which download do I need for my OEM Windows 7 Home Premium 6.1.7600? All the downloads have SP 1 in them but they are of varying sizes and I don't know which I need. Also is there a tutorial on how to install an update directly from the hard drive?

Brink · 16 Nov 2011

You would download the windows6.1-KB976932-X64.exe file. Once you download it, you would just double click on it to start the SP1 installation just like you would with any other program that you would install. :)

Be sure to check to see if you already have SP1 installed or not first though.

gbalch · 17 Nov 2011

Brink and all responders.

My Win 7 64 bit Pro is really messed up. First the Auto Open/ Auto Play options quit, then several of my programs bombed. I tried restoring the registry to earlier settings and think this just made matters worse. Finally, I followed your directions to the letter for a re-install, but it tells me I have a later version of Windows and refuses to go further. Can anyone advise? I am at wits end.

Gbalch

Brink · 17 Nov 2011

Hello Gbalch,

What type (ex: retail, OEM, student, Anytime Upgrade, etc....) of Windows 7 is on the installation DVD and currently installed?

larrysyr · 24 Nov 2011

I'm having the same problem. I'm using the retail version to reinstall, the same one that is currently on machine, although there has been a lot of updates downloaded over the past two years. The reinstall won't proceed past the warning that the current version of windows is newer than the one on the disc that I'm using, even though it's the same disk that I used to install windows 7 in the first place. I'm thinking of doing a clean install and then restoring my files and programs from a backup of windows 7. Will that work?

Brink · 24 Nov 2011

Hello Larry, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If your retail Windows 7 installation disc doesn't have SP1 included, are you using step 5 in the tutorial?

With a clean install, you would have to reinstall all programs and drivers afterwards, but you would be able to restore any files you like from the backup. However, just to be safe, I would still recommend to manually (copy and paste) backup any files that you do not wish to lose before doing the clean install. Sometimes restoring from a Windows Backup may fail, and that sure would stink if it did without a secondary manual backup.

gdanaher · 24 Nov 2011

Similar need to repair the installation. I'm getting an error 1305 when atttempting to install Google Earth. I've tried everything I could find to fix this short of repairing the OS from the dvd. I have W7 64 bit, sp1 retail installed. I atempted to do a repair install using your directions. Set the setup.exe to run in Vista sp2. After selecting the repair option it thinks for a few moments and then returns an error that I can only install a new copy and not repair the old because Windows 7 pro cannot be used to upgrade Windows 7 pro. In other words it sees it as an upgrade, not as a repair. What have I done wrong, or is there a fix, or do I not need to do this and the problem is in user settings???

Brink · 24 Nov 2011

Hello Gdanaher, and welcome to Seven Forums.

A repair install is a inplace upgrade install. You are basically upgrading to the same edition instead of a higher edition with the workaround in the tutorial.

It sounds like you may not be able to do the repair install for some unknown reason. You may need to do a clean install instead.

larrysyr · 28 Nov 2011

Brink said:

Hello Larry, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If your retail Windows 7 installation disc doesn't have SP1 included, are you using step 5 in the tutorial?

With a clean install, you would have to reinstall all programs and drivers afterwards, but you would be able to restore any files you like from the backup. However, just to be safe, I would still recommend to manually (copy and paste) backup any files that you do not wish to lose before doing the clean install. Sometimes restoring from a Windows Backup may fail, and that sure would stink if it did without a secondary manual backup.

Ok, so I went back and used step 5 in the tutorial, which worked perfectly, and a few hours later, my windows 7 laptop was up and running. A few programs had to be re-installed, but my problems with windows 7 were all resolved after the repair, including an irritating inability to install drivers for my Kodak AIO printer. Thank you very much!