Experiences with using Basic Windows 7 reload instead of HP bloatware

[jagman55]

I used the HP Home Premium for years on my desktop from HP
Was talked into replacing it with the Basic image on this forum and here is what I found.

1. Features that worked on HP do not work on the basic system. I dont know if HP has somehow fixed them but the HP system, though slower, works better and is more user friendly. For example, the Basic Window 7, you can not disable the internet if you use the cable. The wireless will disable but not the cable. I have spend a considerable amount of time trying to temporaryily disable my internet only to give up and unplug the modem or router. But, how many time do you need to disable the internet?
2. I have lots of USB hard disks and the HP OS will handle all of them up to the entire alphabet.
The basic system will not assign letters to all my disk, it will do about 75% and to get them to be recognized, I have to unmount the USB HD, use them, then resign them back. All will not appear on the Window explorer at the same time except for the HP OS.
3. There are other features that operate as advertized on the HP system that will not on the Basic image from the net.

The performance is better with the basic image, but, if you dont want to fight through features that are supposet to work, consider the errors you will run into using the basic Microsoft version.

 

[Ztruker]

Did you apply SP1 and all updates?

 

[jagman55]

Yes, first thing I did, SP1 came in the image (link supplied by this forum). Problems are iradic. Sometimes you think it will correct itself and then it goes into one of its crazy spells.
Yesterday, it would not recognize any USB flash. Then it refused the KB and mouse so I went to bed as it was getting frustrating. This morning, booted and the mouse and KB decided to work.
All my USB hard disks appear to be working but no Flash drives again.
Dont think is hard ware as the USB works on the same controller.
HP OS in three years, never acted like this.
I suspect part of the issue is Windows 7 has been modified, upgraded, changed so much, code gets weid as transfers, old code, mingled with new code and gets confused. That is why sometimes you just have to throw it away and start over with new clean code. I belive this from looking at problems/solutions on the net. Some solutions are really weird and some can not be fixed.
When was the last time you Google for a fix for Windows 7 and the 'code/options' were nothing like what you see when you drill down options. Looks like we all have different GUI's.

I wrote my first program in Fortran II back in 1962 on an IBM 1620, memory, 40,000 bytes, (variable word machine) console was a KP machine and a card reader/punch and console print out was cards listed on an old accounting machine. wired with patch bds/wires. You "keypunched a card, then Input was a card reader, then you throw the cards away we thought we were "big time" when IBM came out with an IBM typewriter for a console. This was not a 'play' machine, it was the research computer for the missiles launching at White Sands Missile Range.

 

[Ztruker]

When did you install your current copy of Windows 7?

Do you really mean Windows 7 Basic? What version did you install, Basic, Starter, Home Premium, Pro or Ultimate? What tutorial were you following to do it? Did you download from Digital River or Heidoc?

 

[jagman55]

Digital River or Heidoc? What I did was follow a link supplied by gregrocker to a copy of Home Premium. I have tried to find the link but can't. I can't find the tutorial either. I considered reloading the HP image but cannot find the tutorial that tells how to remove the HP add-ons so I gave up.

I don't know why the tutorials are so hard to find again.

 

[jagman55]

PS, I have a COA for each PC from Windows for my HP OEM that came with the PC's. What gregrocker offered was a copy of Windows for my COA's.

 

[Layback Bear]

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/174907-clean-install-factory-coa-activation-key.html

Go to the top of any page in the Forum and tick on Tutorials.
Once on that page type in a basic request.
In this case it was Clean Install.

 

[jagman55]

Thanks for the links.

What is the basic difference between:
Clean Install Windows 7
Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7

Can I assume the It is important that I installed the Factory OEM version since mine is a "HP" system or would the effect be the same if I used either load referenced here?

 

[Layback Bear]

Your post are confusing to me.
I don't know if you are using HP to mean Hewlett-Packard or Home Premium.

As Ztruker has requested; what Windows 7 are you trying to install and what Windows 7 did the computer come with.
Look on the Windows COA sticker on the bottom or in the battery compartment.

 

[Boozad]

Have you installed all the drivers for your system since reinstalling Windows? Have a look in Device Manager and see if anything has an exclamation mark by it.

 

[jagman55]

LAYBACK BEAR:

Your post are confusing to me. Fair enough

I don't know if you are using HP to mean Hewlett-Packard or Home Premium. When I say HP I mean Hewlett-Packard, When I mean Home Premium, I call it Home Premium.

As Ztruker has requested; what Windows 7 are you trying to install

NON Hewlett-Packard HOME PREMIUM 64bit.
That is, ELIMINATE what 'gregrocker" calls "bloatware" Everything, exactly the same WITHOUT the Hewlett-Packard ADD-ONS.


what Windows 7 did the computer come with.

PRE-LOADED on THREE partition on the C:/ drive:
small one called "SYSTEM"
Large one is the "C:/ ROOT " Hewlett-Packard VERSION OF HOME PREMIUM 64bit.
Medium size one called " HP_RECOVERY."

Look on the Windows COA sticker on the bottom or in the battery compartment.

Microsoft took the flimsiest, cheapest paper label they could find and printed the COA on it.
Hewitt Packard in its infinite wisdom, did NOT put the COA in the battery compartment but on the bottom and since I was UNAWARE of the importantaqnce of this "number" i did not remove it or save it so it became badly damaged. With ACDSEE, I was able to scan it, use various filters and actually read the COA that was not visable with the naked eye. The desktop COA is OK as they put it on the left side of the case.

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I purchased: Two Hewlett-Packard PC's: desktop and a laptop, both Pavilions)
Both pre-loaded with Windows 7 64bit Home Premium with Hewlett-Packard or what this forum calls bloatware.

"gregrocker", this forum, suggested I reload the OS but not recover with the Hewlett-Packard version they came with. Sounded like a great IDEA, I went to the link he provided, and downloaded a fresh Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit image already with SP1. THAT link for hte image was in the links provided by either gregrocker OR the post above by: LAYBACK BEAR. But cant remember anymore than that of the location.

I burned it to a DVD and reloaded a new image from that burnt DVD, from the sites above.
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BOOZAD:
I performed ALL the updates Microsoft says it needed to date.
Since them, issuers have popped up, all software. The worst is the Devices, external hard disk (USB) and USB Flash drives. I don't know anything about Digital River or Heidoc who or what they are, I suppose they are images of win 7 you can buy. But do not need as I have now, readable COA's for both PC's.

DRIVERS --- On the Device Manager, under the section: PORTABLE DEVICES, there are eight FLASH DRIVES listed. FOUR without the exclamation mark/YELLOW triangle, and FOUR WITH the exclamation mark/yellow triangles.
I have asked the EIGHT DRIVERS be updated and Windows says they ARE ALL UP TO DATE but the FOUR with exclamation mark/yellow triangles are still there. The first four WITHOUT the exclamation mark/triangles lists their correct volume names. THE last four with the exclamation mark/triangeles remaining say: WPD FileSystem Volume Driver
NO other devices on this list show any triangles.

 

[Layback Bear]

Well jagman55
You have a nice day.

 

[Boozad]

BOOZAD:
I performed ALL the updates Microsoft says it needed to date.
Since them, issuers have popped up, all software. The worst is the Devices, external hard disk (USB) and USB Flash drives. I don't know anything about Digital River or Heidoc who or what they are, I suppose they are images of win 7 you can buy. But do not need as I have now, readable COA's for both PC's.

DRIVERS --- On the Device Manager, under the section: PORTABLE DEVICES, there are eight FLASH DRIVES listed. FOUR without the exclamation mark/YELLOW triangle, and FOUR WITH the exclamation mark/yellow triangles.
I have asked the EIGHT DRIVERS be updated and Windows says they ARE ALL UP TO DATE but the FOUR with exclamation mark/yellow triangles are still there. The first four WITHOUT the exclamation mark/triangles lists their correct volume names. THE last four with the exclamation mark/triangeles remaining say: WPD FileSystem Volume Driver
NO other devices on this list show any triangles.

Windows will install generic native drivers, I presume the machine didn't come with a driver support disk? If not you need to find out exactly what hardware you have and download the drivers from the vendors' websites. If you don't know what hardware you have try downloading and running Speccy which should let you know exactly what hardware you have. Once you've done that start sourcing and installing the correct drivers.