Windows 7 possibly corrupted via Windows Easy Transfer?

spotify95 · 05 Aug 2016

Hello,

I have previously posted on here and on TenForums about the requirement for dual booting my new laptop. This has been done successfully so far. The problem lies with what happened afterwards.

I tried using Windows Easy Transfer in order to transfer all of my programs from the old laptop (Acer Aspire 5742, notorious overheating issues) to the new laptop (HP 15-AC153SA, runs nice and cool).
Unfortunately, it didn't transfer many of my programs at all, and corrupted a load of other programs. Google Chrome, SlimJet, McAfee and Windows Movie maker all needed a reinstall.

However, I think that the damage is more severe than this - despite using Advanced SystemCare for error checking (and cleaning up the mess), and System Restore (to get rid of the bulk of the mess), Windows Movie Maker refuses to open even after a reinstall. It says that one or more of the effects files is corrupted.
I can only assume that the transfer of files via Windows Easy Transfer has corrupted the OS. This also ties in with the fact that the svchost.exe and System/Compressed Memory processes are using more CPU than before the "Easy Transfer".

To make matters worse, when I tried using the WD MyPassport tools to transfer programs that way, it decided to shove things into the C:\ drive, which is what my old laptop has as its main OS install. The problem is that C:\ is the Windows 10 install, not the Windows 7 install! So I may well have corrupted Windows 10 as well, though the main issue at present is getting Windows 7 perfected, since that is what I want to use for the foreseeable future (I may well stick with Windows 7 even after the cutoff date of 2020).

Any ideas on what I should do? I've asked DSU Tech (my local computer repair shop) what they think the best plan is and they want £100 for reinstalling both OSes (they had £98 off me already for the first dual boot setup!) plus an additional £40 for copying all of my files across from my hard drive to the correct partitions (and I'd have to manually reinstall my programs). I'd rather not shell out that sort of money if I can help it - I can do the transferring myself (so long as I don't use WET), but don't really want to spend another £100 on OS reinstalls.

Thanks!

Layback Bear · 06 Aug 2016

Advanced SystemCare by IObit can screw up a one car parade.

I would start up with backing up all the data that you want to save to a external drive.

Then I would do a Clean Install of Windows 7 including the updates.

Use this tutorial by Brink.

Clean Install Windows 7

Then install MSE and update. Or a anti virus of your choice. NO IObit products.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/down...s.aspx?id=5201

Next install all your programs. NO IObit products.

Then make a image using Macrium Reflect.

Tutorial with video by whs.

Imaging with free Macrium

spotify95 · 06 Aug 2016

Layback Bear said:

Advanced SystemCare by IObit can screw up a one car parade.

I would start up with backing up all the data that you want to save to a external drive.

Then I would do a Clean Install of Windows 7 including the updates.

Use this tutorial by Brink.

Clean Install Windows 7

Then install MSE and update. Or a anti virus of your choice. NO IObit products.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/down...s.aspx?id=5201

Next install all your programs. NO IObit products.

Then make a image using Macrium Reflect.

Tutorial with video by whs.

Imaging with free Macrium

Hi, thanks for the info.

I've used ASC before and it did fix a couple of bluescreen issues before - however, I don't really want to go along the ASC route as I don't know what damage it may, or may not, cause. Only reason why I ran it was to try and clean up the mess that Windows Easy Transfer gave me...

I was going to attempt to reinstall Windows myself, rather than have DSU Tech reinstall it for me at a price of £100. However, the issues are with the drivers; since this laptop came with Windows 10 by default, installing the drivers were a pain and even DSU Tech struggled before, but they managed to get it done for me previously.

Clean Installing will get rid of drivers as well, and then I'll have a massive headache again.

I've taken a look here: How to Repair a Faulty Windows Installation Without Reformatting | PC Gamer and it says that you can do an in place upgrade - will this keep my drivers? I don't care about anything else, as it is on a USB external hard drive, but I need to keep my drivers. (If the drivers get dumped, only the CD drive works, no USB, ethernet, graphics etc.)

Antivirus program I use is McAfee - nothing to do with IOBit. I'll even stop using the Driver Finder thing that IOBit has - tbh the only real useful IOBit tool I've used is the Powerful Uninstaller, which gets rid of all the fragments of leftovers etc. And I'll definitely use a system image, so I don't get into this nonsense again!

So just to confirm, will the "Upgrade" (i.e. upgrading from a broken Windows to a fully intact Windows) work fine? As I need to keep my drivers installed.
Thanks!

edit: reinstalled Windows and drivers have broken! Looks like I'll need to reinstall them somehow... or contact DSU TECH!

Layback Bear · 06 Aug 2016

Because of the poor reputation of McAfee I would not choose it. Your call.

I thing what you are looking for is tutorial by Brink. Take a good read through this. It has always worked for me.

Repair Install

torchwood · 06 Aug 2016

Hi Spotify,

Easy transfer only moves User files/folders, not 3rd party apllications/programs they need to be re-installed.

please run sfc /scannow and SURT(kb947821).
post any errors.

W7 comes driver complete, it will install generic drivers for most devices before updating them.

MORE IMPORTANTLY
your W10 laptop does not have a licence for W7 and you will have to buy one, unless your other comp had a >>>RETAIL<<< W7 install on it, which you could have transferred.
This means that my previous statement re drivers will NOT be automatically updated.
(note £100 for a re-install is NOT enough for a new W7 licence £120+)

can you copy/paste the results of this tool,
http://go.skimresources.com/?id=3570...2F&xtz=0&abp=1

Roy

spotify95 · 06 Aug 2016

Layback Bear said:

Because of the poor reputation of McAfee I would not choose it. Your call.

I thing what you are looking for is tutorial by Brink. Take a good read through this. It has always worked for me.

Repair Install

Hi,

I know that McAfee isn't the best but we've got a subscription of it so I'm going to continue using it. If it gets too CPU intensive I can always switch off whatever services are using the CPU.

I've done a clean install now so its too late but had I known about the repair install, I would have done that. Unfortunately I have now bumped into the same driver issue when I last reinstalled OSes, so unless I can install the drivers tonight somehow then it will be going to the computer shop...

torchwood said:

Hi Spotify,

Easy transfer only moves User files/folders, not 3rd party apllications/programs they need to be re-installed.

please run sfc /scannow and SURT(kb947821).
post any errors.

W7 comes driver complete, it will install generic drivers for most devices before updating them.

MORE IMPORTANTLY
your W10 laptop does not have a licence for W7 and you will have to buy one, unless your other comp had a >>>RETAIL<<< W7 install on it, which you could have transferred.
This means that my previous statement re drivers will NOT be automatically updated.
(note £100 for a re-install is NOT enough for a new W7 licence £120+)

can you copy/paste the results of this tool,
http://go.skimresources.com/?id=3570...2F&xtz=0&abp=1

Roy

Hi,
Thanks for the reply!

Easy Transfer was a total joke and I will never use it gain as it has corrupted my OS and forced a reinstall!

The problem with my laptop is that it came preinstalled with Windows 10, so the Windows 7 drivers are difficult - but they are there!

Don't worry about the licenses, I would NEVER commit any sort of piracy by using fake licenses etc. I have a separate Windows 7 COA License which I bought from my university (they have discounts for Windows OS Licenses for their students).

which part do you require copying/pasting from that tool?

torchwood · 06 Aug 2016

Hi Spotify,
COOL you've got Dreamspark, (Southampton Uni??), Lots of free additional goodies there, have a look at the web site.
Right back to your problem, W10 was more than likely set up with UEFI bios, W7 doesn't like that have a look at this tutorial.
UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 7 with

If you go to the Windows log files it will be titled CBS/SURT

Another thing that 7 doesn't like is being second in the boot order, and ABSOLUTELY not being on an external drive behind W10.

I would suggest that you download your W7 from Dreamspark again.
Copy any files you want to keep to a USB(W7 and W10).
Do a clean re-install of W7 with SP1, then use the July roll-up update, on your new comps >> INTERNAL HD/SSD <<
Then set up W10 on your External.
(Obviously the choice is yours).

If you dont want to go the re-install route
Go
Control panel >> Device manager
Then look for any driver marked with ! , a small down arrow or at the bottom of the list Unknown/problem device and post the details.

Roy

spotify95 · 08 Aug 2016

torchwood said:

Hi Spotify,
COOL you've got Dreamspark, (Southampton Uni??), Lots of free additional goodies there, have a look at the web site.
Right back to your problem, W10 was more than likely set up with UEFI bios, W7 doesn't like that have a look at this tutorial.
UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 7 with

If you go to the Windows log files it will be titled CBS/SURT

Another thing that 7 doesn't like is being second in the boot order, and ABSOLUTELY not being on an external drive behind W10.

I would suggest that you download your W7 from Dreamspark again.
Copy any files you want to keep to a USB(W7 and W10).
Do a clean re-install of W7 with SP1, then use the July roll-up update, on your new comps >> INTERNAL HD/SSD <<
Then set up W10 on your External.
(Obviously the choice is yours).

If you dont want to go the re-install route
Go
Control panel >> Device manager
Then look for any driver marked with ! , a small down arrow or at the bottom of the list Unknown/problem device and post the details.

Roy

Hi,
Yep, it was dreamspark, via De Montfort University. I have had a look and I can get Office 365 as well if required, as well as a whole bunch of other stuff.

In regards to Windows 10/Windows 7, the laptop has already been set up for dual booting, on the same internal hard drive. The 2TB hard drive has been split into 2x 1TB partitions; one partition for Windows 7 and the other for Windows 10. This was done when I last had to take the laptop into DSU Tech (the computer shop on site at De Montfort University) and has been working fine until I corrupted my Windows 7 partition, so I think the UEFI Booting has been sorted (there was an option in the BIOS to turn on Legacy Booting, which I believe has worked. Also, you have to switch off Quick Boot for Windows 10, otherwise it just goes straight to Windows 10.)

I have reinstalled Windows 7 myself but the drivers are a pain; first of all you only get the CD/DVD drive to work with, then I managed to get the USB driver installed, and the keyboard/mouse driver, but that's about it. I'll post all of the drivers that need sorting out, when I next boot up the laptop.
(I tried using my phone in USB Tethering mode, to act as an internet connection, to download/install the rest of the drivers, but that didn't work.)
Laptop model is an HP 15-AC153SA, btw, with an intel i7-4510U, 8GB RAM, 2TB HDD and onboard graphics (Intel HD 4400?).

spotify95 · 12 Aug 2016

Okay, bit of an update.

The dual booting of OSes and reinstallation of Windows 7 (and windows 10), including drivers, has now been resolved and sorted out by DSU Tech.
However, there is a slight problem.
Windows Update works fine in Windows 10 - it has a load more updates to install, including the November 2015 update.
Windows 7 will refuse to go any further than the "checking for updates" screen - whilst using up 25% of CPU via the svchost.exe process. From what I have seen on Sevenforums, and elsewhere, this is quite a common problem.
Any ideas?