Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

How to Do a Clean Install with an Upgrade Windows 7 Version​

   Information

This will show you how to do a Clean Install using a retail Upgrade Windows 7 installation disc.

   Warning

Remember that you need to legally own a valid qualifying previous version of Windows to use a Upgrade Windows 7, and to stop using (or uninstall) the qualifying OS while you have the upgrade installed. Microsoft only made doing a clean install from a upgrade Windows 7 possible to make it more convenient so you do not have to reinstall both the old Windows version (ex: Vista) and upgrade to Windows 7 everytime you needed or wanted to reinstall.

If you do not legally own a valid qualifying previous version of Windows, then you are violating the terms of Microsoft's Windows 7 End User License Agreement and could get your product key number invalidated by Microsoft. Plus, it is considered illegal.

For more about this, please see: Microsoft SMB Community Blog : Regardless of what any hack says, a Windows 7 Upgrade is an Upgrade. What you need to know.

OPTION ONE

A Normal Clean Install

1. Do a clean install at boot without checking the Automatically activate Windows when I'm online box during the installation process.

2. When the installation is finished, then manually activate Windows 7 with your product key number.

3. If your Windows should fail to activate, then pick up at step 2 in OPTION THREE below.

OPTION TWO

Through a Custom Install

   Note

This option will let you do a clean install of Windows 7 without formating the current Windows installation to have your current Windows installation backed up to the Windows.old folder during the installation of your retail upgrade Windows 7. This way you can copy any files back that you want from the C:\Windows.old folder (previous installation) back into your new installation afterwards.

1. Do a custom install at boot or from within your current Windows installation without checking the Automatically activate Windows when I'm online box during the installation process.

2. When the installation is finished, then manually activate Windows 7 with your product key number.

3. Copy any files that you want back from the C:\Windows.old folder into where you want it in you new installation.

4. You can now delete the Windows.old folder using Disk Cleanup to have a clean install now.

OPTION THREE

Clean Install with a Registry Workaround for Error Code 0xc004f061

   Note

If you get a activation error code 0xc004f061 while doing OPTION ONE or OPTION TWO above, then you will need to use this option instead

1. Do a clean install of your upgrade Windows 7 at boot without checking the Automatically activate Windows when I'm online box during the installation process.
NOTE: If you already did this from OPTION ONE above and got a activation error, then skip this step and just proceed to step 2 below instead. There's no need to reinstall again.

2. Click on the Download button below to download the .bat file below, and save it to your desktop.
Activate_Windows_Upgrade_after_Clean_Install.bat


Download


3. Right click on the downloaded .bat file, and click on Run as administrator.

4. If prompted, click/tap on Run and Yes (UAC).
NOTE: If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by unblocking the downloaded .bat file.

5. You will now notice a command prompt quickly open and close while applying the changes to your registry.

6. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

7. Restart the computer.

8. When the computer is finished restarting, then manually activate Windows 7 with your product key number.

OPTION FOUR

Double Installing Windows 7

   Note

This option is the same that was used to do a clean install of an upgrade copy of Windows 7. It's more work, but if the options above did not work for you, then this should since this is the most reliable option.

1. Do a clean install of your upgrade Windows 7 at boot without checking the Automatically activate Windows when I'm online box during the installation process, and do not activate Windows 7. When finished with the clean install, do not or install any Windows Updates, drivers, or programs yet.

2. When finished with the clean install, start at step 4 at this link to do an in-place "upgrade" install with your upgrade Windows 7 installation disk from within the just now finished clean install of Windows 7.

3. When the in-place upgrade installation is completely finished, then manually activate Windows 7 with your product key number. You can now also install any Windows Updates drivers, and programs you like.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Do a Upgrade Installation with Windows 7
• How to Do a Clean Installation with Windows 7
• How to Do a Custom Installation of Windows 7
• How to Create a Windows 7 Installation USB Key
• http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/30470-make-bootable-iso-student-d-l.html
• How to Partition the Hard Drive in a Windows 7 Install
• How to Install Windows 7 on Computer with Less than 512MB RAM
• How to Install Windows 7 Using "Unified Extensible Firmware Interface" (UEFI)

 

[Brink]

You are a lifesaver! I lost my hard drive this week (I had upgraded the pre-loaded Vista to Win 7) and re-installed using the Win7 disk, expecting to be asked to provide a CD for proof of upgrade. As you know, this doesn't happen with Win7, the software was just installed and I got most of my software re-installed, etc (a two-day effort) only to find that I was running an un-activated copy of Win7, and my key wouldn't work since it was considered a "new" installation.

I was getting ready to spend $129 for a new key until I realized that I'd need a new NON-UPGRADE key ($200!!!) and did a little more searching. Fortunately, I found your post, and it worked flawlessly! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

You're most welcome JSM, and welcome to Seven Forums.

 

[tm45]

I got my laptop right as the crossover was happening between Vista and 7, and got the free upgrade disc sent to me in the mail from Microsoft. Will this clean Install work with that type of disc also, or is the retail one different? Thanks.

 

[Brink]

Hello TM, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Does the installation disc have OEM on it? If it came directly from Microsoft, then it probably will be able to, but only a "retail" type disc will be able to.

 

[tm45]

I couldn't find "OEM" anywhere on it, but where should I be looking? On the disc label itself? The disc says both Microsoft and HP, since it was part of the Windows 7 Upgrade Program back in 2009. It has the product key label on the package, but not sure where specifically I should look for the OEM.

If that doesn't work, would a 32 bit version of Windows 7 work on a 64 bit computer? (I have another copy - not an upgrade). I realize it would severely limit my RAM, but as it is right now, the computer won't function properly so I need to do something.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Brink]

It's hard to say since it has HP written on the disc. It may or may not be a factory recovery/restore type disc. I would recommend to backup anything that you do not want to lose first, then create a set of HP Vista recovery discs from your laptop.

Afterwards try and see if you may be able to.

 

[Bill2]

Yes, the HP upgrade disk will be able to do a clean install. See here for instructions.

Upgrading to Windows 7 Using the HP Upgrade Assistant - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

 

[tm45]

Thank you both for your help. Will try that.

Bill, the HP site doesn't mention a clean install anywhere that I could find, but it does mention a custom install. Is that what you're talking about? I am creating a system image now just in case something goes wrong or something unexpected happens (as it inevitably always does), but then I will get to work on it.

Thanks again, will respond with whether or not it worked.

 

[Dave76]

Custom and Clean install are basically the same.

Good idea to have a backup.

Let us know how it's going.

 

[tm45]

The clean/custom install worked. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[jsm555]

I was lucky enough to have to re-install Win 7 TWICE in one week. The first time, I had to use the script provided here to get Windows to think that it was ok to activate it, and that worked fine. However, I made the mistake of doing a bunch of catching-up on "upgrades" to both Windows and Office 2007, and Windows crashed again (apparently everyone in the world knew to do the SP1 update 'single-threaded' but me). The second time I did the install, I remembered to NOT enter a product key when I was doing the install. Then afterward, I did a manual activate with the product key and it just worked! I don't understand, but everything worked just perfectly! Thanks again!

 

[Brink]

Hello JSM,

Since you have a upgrade copy of Windows 7, you would not be able to do a clean install with it unless you did not enter the product key or do any updates on the first install, then after the second install is completely finished do so.

It's a critical part of the steps in the tutorial that allows the clean install via a inplace upgrade install. I'm happy to hear that you got it working.

 

[jsm555]

Yes, the first time I tried it, I overlooked the part about not entering the product code until Win 7 was installed. When I had to do it again, I did it that way and it worked perfectly!

 

[Brink]

It happens to all of us.

 

[Kaldanis]

I want to be sure with this since most people seem to have an ISO but I have a .IMG file.

I bought and downloaded a discounted student version of windows 7 professional 64bit upgrade. I now have the file English_Windows_7_Professional_SP1_W64_X17-59186.img. I don't want to have to install XP and then install the windows 7 upgrade on a blank hard drive. So do I:

1. Burn the .img file to a bootable disc
2. Put the disc in and install the upgrade to my new, blank hard drive (selecting to NOT install updates and to verify product key later)
3. Once it's installed, go through step 2 again but this time type in my product key and install all required updates

And that should work fine?

 

[Brink]

Hello Kaldanis, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I have not tried this with a student copy before, but it should normally work.

 

[Kaldanis]

Thank you very much I think I'll be here a lot since it will be my first time using windows 7. I'll install it once I get a new SSD and let you know if it worked or not!

 

[Brink]

You're welcome. I look forward to hearing your results.

 

[Kaldanis]

Hi again. It worked fine! All I had to do was install the upgrade to a blank SSD and click "skip" product key registration. Then once in windows I registered online. This saved me a lot of time

 

[Brink]

That's great news Kaldanis. Thank you for posting back with your results.

 

[jff02]

Seeking advice for building a new PC

Hi everyone,
First of all, thanks for the tutorial.
I intend to build a new PC with a 64-bit operating system in the very near future, but I am still unsure what is the best way to install a windows OS on it. Would
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade 64-bit (English) (Student Select) - Mail Order | University of California, Davis | Academic Software Discounts work for a clean install or do I need to purchase an OEM version?
What I mean to say is, if I purchase the product in the link, would I be able to use any of the four options listed? Thank you for your time and any help would be greatly appreciated.