Can I Use a Win7HP ISO File for a Clean Install of an Older Vista Sys?

sbuxman said:

sbuxman said:

gregrocker said:

Did you boot the installer and delete all partitions, create and format new as you wish or just click Next to have installer do it for you? This is the cleanest way to do it if you have infection concerns.

I would not run the installer from Vista to create the windows.old folder containing the old installation as it may import the infection.

Ugh...I don't know. When the computer first rebooted, it wanted to install again, so I selected no, obviously, and was told to 1) remove the DVD, then 2) select the upgrade installation and the windows.old folder would not be created after all.

Right now I'm being told, "Completing installation..." I knew this wouldn't go smoothly.

I'm seeing this:

check mark Copying Windows files
check mark Expanding Windows files
check mark Installing features
check mark Installing updates
(no check mark) Completing installation...

I wonder if this is where I run the DVD again ... when I was told to do an upgrade and not a full, I was old to remove the DVD, restart, and then run it again...

Stand by...

Nope...setup is now readying the computer for first use...I never reinserted the DVD...it restarted itself and now wants my input as if this is the first use!

Sure hope my product key works...

If you selected Upgrade then it did an in-place Upgrade from Vista to Win7. Try it out for awhile to see how you like it. Sometimes they turn out quite good. You also don't have to reinstall your programs, files, etc.

If you want to Clean Install Windows 7 then start over by booting the Win7 installer following the steps in the blue link.

To complete the in-place Upgrade run all of your Important and Optional Windows Updates to see how it holds up afterwards, report back any issues.

Do you have an Upgrade Product Key to activate this Win7 version?

If you didn't do it beforehand you can also Clean Up Factory Bloatware to get rid of all the preinstalled crapware which came with the PC. It will optimize it as well.

gregrocker said:

If you selected Upgrade then it did an in-place Upgrade from Vista to Win7. Try it out for awhile to see how you like it. Sometimes they turn out quite good. You also don't have to reinstall your programs, files, etc.

If you want to Clean Install Windows 7 then start over by booting the Win7 installer following the steps in the blue link.

To complete the in-place Upgrade run all of your Important and Optional Windows Updates to see how it shakes out, report back any issues.

And just as I feared, "Invalid Product ID." I'm sunk. Now what?

Did you have a valid Product Key for the version of Win7 you installed?

Is this an Upgrade or Full version key?

Where did you get it and has it been used before?

Did you do an in-place Upgrade install, i.e. all of your programs, files and settings are still in place but you have Win7 instead of Vista?

gregrocker said:

Did you have a valid Product Key for the version of Win7 you installed? Is this an Upgrade or Full version key?

Did you do an in-place Upgrade install, i.e. all of your programs, files and settings are still in place but you have Win7 instead of Vista?

I do not have any programs, files or settings in place. It's an all new deal.

The product key was on the envelope containing both Acer disks for the upgrade to Win7 from Vista in my Acer notebook...another thread in this forum. So will the Vista product key on the tower work?

I did not see in 25 posts any mention that you have an Acer Upgrade kit.

You need a Windows 7 - not Vista - Product Key to activate Win7. The Product Key on the envelope will always work as long as the characters are inputted accurately. This is not roulette. We've helped with countless Acer Upgrade kits here, and I have two myself. The DVD is best booted to Clean Install Windows 7

If nothing was carried over from Vista then you did not choose Upgrade install which would have kept all of your programs, files and settings in place. If you ran and did not boot the DVD then it probably did put your old install into a Windows.old folder in the C drive. You can save it for awhile in case you need anything from it then delete it using Disk Cleanup.

gregrocker said:

I did not see in 25 posts any mention that you have an Acer Upgrade kit.

You need a Windows 7 - not Vista - Product Key to activate Win7. The Product Key on the envelope will always work as long as the characters are inputted accurately. This is not roulette. We've helped with countless Acer Upgrade kits here, and I have two myself. The DVD is best booted to Clean Install Windows 7

If nothing was carried over from Vista then you did not choose Upgrade install which would have kept all of your programs, files and settings in place. If you ran and did not boot the DVD then it probably did put your old install into a Windows.old folder in the C drive. You can save it for awhile in case you need anything from it then delete it using Disk Cleanup.

I did boot the DVD, not run, the first time, b/c I was asked to press any key to start it, which you had noted as missing in the failed first attempt. When I was told during what I thought was a full installation that I needed instead to opt for the upgrade, those were the instructions I followed.

I can try the product key on the Acer upgrade box again...but I was pretty deliberate the first time. My mention of the Acer is in my other thread on here, so I apologize for that...my bad.

If the number I have on the Acer upgrade kit still fails to work, what will happen? How do I bring up the area where I need to try the number again?

Thanks.

sbuxman

Activate at Control Panel>System, scroll down to Activation link.

A Win7 installer when booted can only do a Custom install, which gives you Drive Options to repartition. It's not possible to choose an Upgrade install when booted.

So is there a windows.old folder in C?

There are steps at the end of Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 which will help you set up and maintain a perfect install so I would study them when you get a chance.

gregrocker said:

Activate at Control Panel>System, scroll down to Activation link.

A Win7 installer when booted can only do a Custom install, which gives you Drive Options to repartition. It's not possible to choose an Upgrade install when booted.

So is there a windows.old folder in C?

There are steps at the end of Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 which will help you set up and maintain a perfect install so I would study that when you get a chance.

There is a Windows.old folder.

==================

In Control Panel > System, this is what I see:

Windows Activation

3 days until automatic activation. Activate Windows now.

Product ID: 00359-112-0000007-85819

Change product key

==================

Thumbs up to you -- the product key worked this time. I had removed my lenses so I could put it right up against my eyes.

Thank you.

sbuxman said:

gregrocker said:

Activate at Control Panel>System, scroll down to Activation link.

A Win7 installer when booted can only do a Custom install, which gives you Drive Options to repartition. It's not possible to choose an Upgrade install when booted.

So is there a windows.old folder in C?

There are steps at the end of Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 which will help you set up and maintain a perfect install so I would study that when you get a chance.

There is a Windows.old folder.

==================

In Control Panel > System, this is what I see:

Windows Activation

3 days until automatic activation. Activate Windows now.

Product ID: 00359-112-0000007-85819

Change product key

==================

Thumbs up to you -- the product key worked this time. I had removed my lenses so I could put it right up against my eyes.

Thank you.

And yes, I had been given drive options to partition...so I chose everything on C: I never said I went for an upgrade the first time, which as you affirm is not possible...but I was told at some point to choose an upgrade option after the first boot...still don't know why...I was told to remove the boot DVD from the drive, close the drive, restart, then insert the DVD into the drive again...but I never got to that point, because when the system restarted on its own, I started the actual setup process for the first time...IOW, computer name, time zone, and on and on. So the only thing I was told to do that never happened as it turned out was to reinsert the DVD back into the tray caddy after restart...still don't understand that, but it seems that I'm off to a good start, eh?