Without knowing what you have or not done to get to this point I'd hazard a guess that you tried to repair and instead of selecting UPGRADE you selected INSTALL and now you have to log onto MS to download their software validation tool and let it talk to MS and you will probably need your original product key too.
It is odd that in the past MS has repair options in the OS and now they seem to have omitted it entirely. If the option was REPAIR it would be far more intuitive.
Sorry for the delay in responding. No I did not try a repair. What happened (this is the only thing I can think of that may have contributed), is that the hard drive in the Dell failed. Dell replaced the hard drive and then told me I could use a mirror image to restore the computer to the state it was in before the failure. I did that using the Windows repair disc and all seemed well until a couple of weeks later when the genuine windows message started popping up. That is where I am at now.
The Microsoft tech I spoke to told me I could use a Windows 7 disc to repair the installation. All I have is a retail Upgrade disc. He told me I can not use an upgrade disc. I have seen on other forums that I can use an upgrade disc (so I am confused there).
I also read that I can use a Win 7 ISO file with SP1 to repair the install. I downloaded the file but am hesitant to use it without confirmation that I can use it.
So any assistance anyone could provide would be most welcome. I imagine that the constant warning about Windows not being genuine will eventually lead me to not being able to use the computer.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Hello Gator,
Yes, you can use a retail (full or upgrade) Windows 7 installation disc to do a repair install with as long as it's the same as what you currently have installed. :)
My repair install of windows 7 sp1 gets stuck on "transferring files, settings, and programs". This line appears on step 10 of the tutorial (right after the line " installing features and updates"). I have carefully followed the tutorial, including step 9 regarding compatibility issues. Does repair install write out any logs that would be helpful in debugging which "file, settings, or programs" is causing it to hang?
Hello Workpermit, and welcome to Seven Forums.
It can take a while sometimes at this stage before you notice any increase in percentage. How long did you let it sit?
Thanks for the reply. I let it run for an hour AFTER the machine stopped showing disk activity.
Is it possible this is because I have moved my user accounts on another drive (documents, etc)? The default location of the program files folders have not been changed.
CCleaner shows a number of registry errors: Missing shared dll's, installer references, and 3 "obsolete software references". Is it possible the repair install is hanging on one of these?
My questions may be academic at this point. I replaced my year and half old SSD system drive, and the system appears to be running stable.
Yep, that most like would be why with the user profiles moved. You would need to move the user profiles back to the default C: (Windows) drive first.
Brink, thanks for all your assistance. The repair install, while it took a while, seems to have solved my problem....knock on wood!
Hi. I tried to repair install my Studio XPS 16 and i followed all the details. I am using a "retail" multi version installation Disc. My system came with Win 7 Professional x64 and few weeks ago got SP1 via winddows updates. But the problem now is during compatibility check its giving me a wierd error.
It says
- 64 bit cant be upgraded to 32 bit
- 32 bit cant be upgraded to 64 bit.
I am utterly confused as my system is 64bit only and i selected the 64 bit option only. Please help me out in this issue.
I am attatching a screenshot. Hope this helps out to solve my issue.
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