Cleanest download of Win Home Premium?

[JohnnyScience]

Need to do a reinstall on an Acer with Home Premium edition & I only have a copy of Pro.

Anyone have a link to the cleanest & most bloat free download of Windows 7 Home Premium for download & burn to disc for reinstall?

Thanks.

 

[z3r010]

All links on this page are direct MSFT clean downloads - Windows 7 Direct Download Links

 

[alphanumeric]

If you remove the ei.cfg file from the sources folder you can install any version you want. Your product key has to match the version installed.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/85813-windows-7-universal-installation-disc-create.html

 

[JohnnyScience]

I just downloaded the regular Home Premium instead of the Universal, (although the Universal option is pretty cool) I already have a Pro CD and will never go past Pro at this point so really only Home Premium was/is needed for me for now.

I downloaded this one, which I believe is the correct & most recent version:

Windows 7 Home Premium x64 SP1 U (media refresh)

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[JohnnyScience]

So I downloaded & tried installing but it seems to get stuck at the part where it wants to choose what drive/partition to put the new install on. The cursor is just the circle showing progress, but after several hours it never changes. 2/3 of the time the computer doesn't even make it this far.

Trying the Repair function does nothing but show a blue screen & a cursor, once again even after several hours of waiting.

Any idea what my problem is or how I can successfully install a new copy of windows? Seems the HDD is pretty corrupted maybe? I'm pretty sure the .iso I made is good, it loads up the windows installation screen & just gets stuck on the choosing partition screen.

 

[Golden]

During installation, at the Languages screen, press SHIFT+F10 to open up a cmd Window. Use the DISKPART and CLEAN command to wipe the drive completely.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/682-command-prompt-startup.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/52129-disk-clean-clean-all-diskpart-command.html

Then reboot from the DVD, and try to install as normal.

 

[JohnnyScience]

Thank you I will try that later today & report back with any additional issues.

 

[JohnnyScience]

I seem to be having issues yet still. When I first tried to get it to go into DISKPART it wouldn't fully do it & just had a blinking cursor after some initial information. I left it for hours & no changes.

Then I tried again a second time & was able to get it to DISKPART & LIST DISK & even initialize & run CLEAN ALL

But once again it never got past the blinking cursor, even after almost 24 hours. (I know clean all can take a substantial amount of time & I figured 24 hours was enough)

Any suggestions on what my issue could be or how to get the clean all to finish?

I'm going to run it again today here shortly just for the heck of it, hopefully it will take completely.

 

[alphanumeric]

It sounds like your hard drive may have issues. You should probably run some diagnostics on it. If you go to the hard drive manufacturers web site you should be able to find a diagnostic utility to test it with.

 

[gregrocker]

Are you following the steps to get a perfect http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html#post1839164 ?

Try another ISO download for your licensed version from Step 1, then burn to DVD/write to flash stick with the tool from Step 2 to see if it will work correctly. Remember to delete all partitions during Custom install at Steps 7 and 8 of http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html .

If the problem repeats then as suggested try wiping the HD with Diskpart Clean Command and then if necessary next run the HD maker's Hard Drive Diagnostic Procedure extended CD scan to check its condition.

 

[JohnnyScience]

I ran this the other day & got the following error message:

Shift+F10 > diskpart > list disk > select disk 0 (only disk showing up under list disk) > clean all

I let it go the first time for over 24 hours & it never got past the blinking cursor. I tried a couple more unsuccessfull times the following few days & finally got this error message on multiple runs:

Any idea what the issue is now? What next series of steps should I follow?

Thanks for the help everyone as always.

 

[alphanumeric]

I'd run some diagnostics on the hard drive.

 

[theog]

Check the hard drive with the manufacturer's diagnostic tools.
Hard Drive Diagnostics Tools and Utilities (Storage) - TACKtech Corp.
Hard Drive Diagnostic Procedure

 

[JohnnyScience]

Check the hard drive with the manufacturer's diagnostic tools.
Hard Drive Diagnostics Tools and Utilities (Storage) - TACKtech Corp.

This one seems to be quite a list for Western Digital, can anyone suggest what file I would need to download? It's a 500g WD laptop drive.

Do I need to download the files at BOTH of these links you provided, or just one or the other?

Hard Drive Diagnostic Procedure

Ok so here is step #2 from this link:

Western Digital - I've had issues with running this from a CD/DVD - try the Hitachi DFT (on older/IDE systems) or the Seagate SeaTools (on newer/SATA systems) - WD Support / Downloads / SATA & SAS Download the Diag504fCD.iso file on this page: WD Support / Downloads / Legacy Internal / WD Raptor
I have hosted a zipped copy of the ISO that I use (at work) here: http://www.box.net/shared/gl0fifqgj4​

So I assume I want the Seagate Tools? Or do I need to download the

Diag504fCD.iso file?

I guess I'm just confused which one I'll want to run?

Do you guys think it's even worth it? If a HDD is having issues booting for install, is there really anything that can be done? Should I just replace it? (as cheaply as possibly I might add)
​

 

[gregrocker]

This ISO can I believe be burned to CD using Windows Image Burner to run Data Lifeguard diagnostics: Western Digital Data Lifeguard CD ISO (extract first)

I also found this WD Data Lifeguard Create Diagnostics Flash stick

If you can slave the HD to another PC you can run Data Lifeguard for Windows from WD Support / Downloads / SATA & SAS / WD RE2. They haven't posted up the ISO links for CD.

Otherwise Seagate Seatools can diagnose but not repair

 

[JohnnyScience]

This ISO can I believe be burned to CD using Windows Image Burner to run Data Lifeguard diagnostics: Western Digital Data Lifeguard CD ISO (extract first)

I also found this WD Data Lifeguard Create Diagnostics Flash stick

If you can slave the HD to another PC you can run Data Lifeguard for Windows from WD Support / Downloads / SATA & SAS / WD RE2. They haven't posted up the ISO links for CD.

Otherwise Seagate Seatools can diagnose but not repair

I could try & slave it to my main PC, what would I need a USB to USB cable? I'm not sure what I have to be honest.

Or should I just remove it from the laptop & hook it up via SATA internally? (are laptop SATA's & regular PC SATA's the same?)

If not I will try the WD Data Lifeguard. So it will actually repair as well as detect the problem?

 

[alphanumeric]

SATA is SATA, it's the same physical connection in a laptop and a desktop. The drive should work regardless of whether its SATA 1,2 or 3. It shouldn't be a problem slaving it in your desktop PC.

 

[JohnnyScience]

If you can slave the HD to another PC you can run Data Lifeguard for Windows from WD Support / Downloads / SATA & SAS / WD RE2.

Ok I am running the Extended test right now via slave on my main computer. It just started so I will update once it's finished.

So this will diagnosis & also repair then?

There was an option to "Write 0's" I think that said it would rewrite the entire drive.

Is that a step I will want to complete or will the Extended Test rewrite once it's done?

Thanks.

BTW the drive had a SMART Status of FAIL when I first opened the Lifeguard program. My other 2 drives passed. (although I believe one of my other drives also has some errors & makes noise upon start up)

 

[JohnnyScience]

Well it already failed out of the Extended Test saying "too many bad sectors" so I'm just trying the Full Erase in Write Zeros, I guess we will see if that fails out too.

If it fails out of Write Zeros, it's totally dead then right?

 

[JohnnyScience]

Ok so now I keep getting the error message over & over but with different sector numbers:

Sector #2340984-09820934809328::Write Zeros error! Continue?

I've hit continue 20 times, clearly there is just a ton of bad sectors. I'm not going to keep at this all night, I just think it needs replaced at this point unless someone else has any ideas.

I found one on ebay, brand new for $54:

500GB Hard Drive for Acer Aspire 5720 5730 5735 5738 5740 5745 5750 5820 5910 | eBay

And a refurb for $46 - but buying a refurb HDD kind of scares me...

500GB Hard Drive for Acer Aspire 5720 5730 5735 5738 5740 5745 5750 5820 5910 | eBay

not too bad I guess. Anyone know of any where that has them cheaper?

Thanks.