WIN7 won't boot. What should I do before trying a clean install?

Hi Ian,

Sorry it ddn't work. Arc has a good point, a clean install will freshen everything up nicely (make sure you've backed up all your user data!). Post back here if you need more help, and we'll visit frequently to make sure you are sorted.

Regards,
Golden

You can use that one that you have, and get teh service pack as update, or download the service pack included one.

If it is the same version for which the OEM license is, it would not be a problem.

You should have no problems with the key. I use Digital river all the time. When it comes time to put the key number in, Don't put it in. Leave it blank and uncheck the box that says activate when I go online. The SP1 will be an easier install, will save you about 50 Windows updates as well as the SP1 update. When all is running well, Go to computer, properties and click the link in the bottom left that says change product key and put in your product key. You should have no problems and if you do, just call and talk to the machine.

Or if you would rather, use your current disk and do as you normally do. It will just take longer. But either way, go to windows update and download and install the updates yourself, then reboot. It will be easier on you and the computer.

ibex,
If you are interested in putting Partition Wizard on a USB then:

PartitionWizard - Put PartitionWizard on to a USB Stick.pdf

Read this tutorial Copy & Paste - in Windows Recovery Console. You can use that to copy out your user files in case you have to reinstall. You can also look through all of your drives and partitions and see if you can find your Windows installation drive. It will have files like Windows, Program files, program files X86 (if you have a 64 bit OS) and User files. If you do have to do a clean install, be sure to disconnect all drives except the one you are installing Windows to. But, like Greg, I suspect that if PW won't boot, there may be other problems.

ibex said:

There is certainly some confusion about the drive mappings on this PC. As best I can tell this is how it is set up:

Disk 0 Part 1 100.0 MB 70.0 MB System
E: Disk 0 Part 2 74.4 GB 5.5 GB Primary

D: Disk 1 Partition1: UserData 500.0 GB 466.0 GB System
F: Disk 1 Partition2: ProgFiles 500.0 GB 409.8 GB Primary
G: Disk 1 Partition3: Backup 397.3 GB 21.1 GB Primary

At the CMD prompt a Dir of C:\ gives no files found and no size info.
The G: drive is old backups of specific sets of application data only.

I have been able to list the files in each of D:, E:, F: and G: but haven't tried copying anything out of them.

That is really very confusing, apparently, ant that's it why I made a couple of mistakes in this thread.

Dont know why, the partition which should be named "C" is named as "E" in your machine. The partition is being called C in your earlier posts, should be without of any Drive Letters, and usually called as System Reserved.

If there is any user data in your present "E" Drive, (not the windows folder) you can copy and paste those elsewhere. And then, just follow the tutorial Clean Install Windows 7 . When in Step 8, delete both the partitions of Disk 0, create a new one in the blank space, and format it. Windows will make the 100 MB hidden system reserved automatically .