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]

Hello,

i want to make a clean install on a blank hard disk by using an upgrade version of seven and windows 95. Is it possible ? THX

Hello exs93, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You could use a option in the tutorial to do a clean install with a upgrade copy of Windows 7 without having to using anything other than the upgrade copy of Windows 7 installation disc and the product key number that came with it.

 

[exs93]

Hello exs93, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You could use a option in the tutorial to do a clean install with a upgrade copy of Windows 7 without having to using anything other than the upgrade copy of Windows 7 installation disc and the product key number that came with it.

Hello Brink,

thanks for your answer. I'll follow your advice then. Cheers.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome. If you have any questions, then please feel free to ask.

 

[HarryGW]

Hey, I have read through as many pages of the thread as I could, I just wanted to double check something:
I just bought a Windows 7 64-bit Upgrade edition from software4students.com and I tried to run it just from the disk (I'm running a 32-bit Vista currently) and of course it said it wasn't compatible.
Which of these methods should I do? I don't mind about losing all my data, as long as my pc still runs. Also, if I were to wipe it all and do a clean install, what would I do about drivers?
Thanks, Harry.

 

[Brink]

Hello Harry, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You could use either option in the tutorial since either one will format Vista.

You could download drivers from either the computer's (if store bought computer) or each device's manufacturer's website based on the model number.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[HarryGW]

Hi Shawn, and thanks for the amazingly quick reply!
As long as the option to do a custom install will work for me (meaning I keep all my current files?) then that should be fine. I just wanted to double check so that I wouldn't turn out with a blue screen.
Thanks for the great tutorial and the help!

 

[Brink]

You're welcome.

Yep, OPTION TWO with the custom install will place Vista in the Windows.old folder in the new Windows 7 installation afterwards. To be safe, I would still recommend to backup anything that you do no want to lose though.

 

[HarryGW]

Awesome, I'll do that, thanks a lot

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Also, if I were to wipe it all and do a clean install, what would I do about drivers?

Pretty good chance all the drivers you need will be on the Windows disc.

Check Device Manager for errors after the install is done.

 

[HarryGW]

Ok, well that would be helpful. I'll make sure to check. I'm planning on doing the option two custom install so hopefully if any drivers are missing I can just take the out of the windows.old file. Thankyou for you help

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Harry. Please let us know how it went.

 

[HarryGW]

Sorry to bother you again but I've come to the option of choosing which installation and been given two options Upgrade or Custom. I just want to double check that Custom install will keep my files? Because it says here that it will not keep my files or settings. Does that just mean it will move them to windows.old?

 

[Brink]

Hi Harry,

It's no bother at all. Yes, it will normally place a copy of the previous OS in the Windows.old folder. However, I would recommend that you backup anything that you do not want to lose just to be safe though.

 

[HarryGW]

Ok great, it has also asked me which partition I want to use (I didn't realise I had any partitions) either OEM Reserved or System - Should I be using the OEM partition?

 

[Brink]

You would want to select the C: partition that you currently have Windows installed on. You do not want to select the OEM Reserved partition. That's what is used to reinstall your current OS back to factory conditions with.

 

[HarryGW]

Worked perfectly, thank you so much for all of your help! I would have made lots of mistakes without this.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Harry. I'm happy to hear that it went smoothly for you.

 

[LapTopUser]

Looking for clarity

Hello – I have a laptop with Win7 currently installed. It was an upgrade from Dell to originally installed Vista operating system. I need to reinstall. I have backed up all my data on an external hard drive so I would like to perform a clean install. I will be installing over an existing Win7 that is no longer working optimally.

The three options at the brining ot this tutorial don’t seem to address my particular situation so hence the questions below.
I have three questions:

1) Partitions – the original from Dell had a “restore” partition. I was advised by Dell to blow away all existing partitions. Will the Win7 install automatically make any partitions it needs for optimal performance?

2) Drivers – another site recommended downloading all the current drivers for my devices before proceeding. Is this necessary or will the “get important updates” screen take care of that for me? Obviously I don’t want to be stuck without access to the internet needing to download drivers or necessary updates.

3) Activating Windows – Again I don’t want to be stuck in a bind w/possible loss of access to the internet. I assume I need internet access for both the confirmation of product key and for activating Windows. Are there any steps I need to take to insure access?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

see comments in bold

1) Partitions – the original from Dell had a “restore” partition. I was advised by Dell to blow away all existing partitions. Will the Win7 install automatically make any partitions it needs for optimal performance?

If you want to do a clean install, you should delete all partitions midway in the install when asked "where do you want to install Windows". Look for "drive options, advanced". Poke it. At the next screen you can delete any or all partitions.

I'd make Dell recovery disks before I deleted the Dell recovery partition.

After you delete partitions, Windows will automatically create the necessary partitions during the next step.




2) Drivers – another site recommended downloading all the current drivers for my devices before proceeding. Is this necessary or will the “get important updates” screen take care of that for me? Obviously I don’t want to be stuck without access to the internet needing to download drivers or necessary updates.

The Windows disk will have most drivers, but I would still go to Dell website and make sure I had the LAN driver so you know you can get on the net. You may as well get all drivers while you are there, although you shouldn't have to use most of them.

3) Activating Windows – Again I don’t want to be stuck in a bind w/possible loss of access to the internet. I assume I need internet access for both the confirmation of product key and for activating Windows. Are there any steps I need to take to insure access?


You'll need the LAN driver and a working modem for a net connection.

 

[Brink]

Hello LapTopUser, and welcome to Seven Forums.

It really depends on what type of installation disc you have? If this is a OEM factory restore type installation disc, then this tutorial wouldn't apply to you since it's for doing a clean install with a "retail" upgrade copy instead.

For your questions:

Q1) It depends on the above.

Q2) It is recommened to at least have you network (ex: LAN, ethernet, wireless, etc...) driver installation file downloaded and saved somewhere incase you need to install it before being able to have a internet/network connection.

Q3) Yes, you will need internet access to be able to activate Windows online from either during or after Windows installation. If you do not have internet access, then you could just install your network driver and be able to afterwards. If all else fails, you can activate by phone as well.

Hope this helps,
Shawn