Repair Install

How to Do a Repair Install to Fix Windows 7


   Information
This will show you how to do a repair install (aka: in-place upgrade install) to fix your currently installed Windows 7 and preserve your user accounts, data, programs, and system drivers.
   Note
Do a Repair installation if:
  • A System Restore did not help fix your Windows 7.
  • There is no other easier option left that can fix your Windows 7.
  • You DO NOT want to do a Clean reinstall of Windows 7.
  • You DO want to preserve your user accounts, data, programs, and system drivers.
   Tip
ITEMS THAT WILL BE RESET TO DEFAULT OR AFFECTED:
  • Sounds
  • Services
  • Visual Effects Settings
  • Device Drivers - Be sure to have these handy to reinstall. They do not always remain after the repair (upgrade) install.
  • You may lose the ability to sign on to MSN Messenger, to solve this problem have a look at this thread Unable to sign in to WLM.
  • You may lose your custom themes due to not having permisions set on the old themes. Go to the hidden themes folder at C:/Users/(User-Name)/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Themes, then Take Ownership of the themes folder and you will now have all your themes back.
  • It has been reported that you may also lose your Media Center gadget after doing the repair install.
  • Windows Updates will need to be checked and reinstalled again.
   Warning

  • You can only do a repair install with the same edition Windows 7 installation disc for the same edition of Windows 7 that you have installed.
  • You cannot use a OEM Windows 7 "Factory" Restore/Recovery type of installation disc that came with or created from a store bought computer to do a repair install with. These can only be used do a clean install instead.
  • You can do a repair install on a factory OEM installation with the latest official Windows 7 with SP1 ISO file here: Microsoft: Windows 7 Direct Download Links, and use Windows 7 USB-DVD Download Tool to create a bootable DVD or USB flash drive with the ISO to do the repair install from within Windows 7.
  • You can use a retail OEM Windows 7 installation disc to do a repair install with.
  • You can use a retail (full or upgrade) Windows 7 installation disc to do a repair install with.
  • You cannot do a repair install with a System Repair Disc. A System Repair Disc is not a installation disc, and will only boot to the System Recovery Options screen.
  • If you have a 32-bit (x86) Windows 7 currently installed, then you must use a 32-bit Windows 7 installation disc to be able to do a repair install with.
  • If you have a 64-bit (x64) Windows 7 currently installed, then you must use a 64-bit Windows 7 installation disc to be able to do a repair install with.
  • You can use a retail Windows 7 SP1 installation disc (ex: Technet (available), MSDN (available), or retail (when available)) to do a repair install with on a currently installed Windows 7 SP1.
  • You can use a Windows 7 SP1 installation disc (ex: Technet (available), MSDN (available), or retail (when available)) to do a repair install with on a currently installed slipstream Windows 7 SP1.
  • You cannot use a slipstream Windows 7 installation disc to do a repair install with on a currently installed Windows 7 SP1.
  • You cannot use a slipstream Windows 7 installation disc to do a repair install with on a currently installed slipstream Windows 7 SP1.
  • You can only do a repair install from within Windows 7.
  • You cannot do a repair install at boot or in Safe Mode.
  • You must be logged into Windows 7 in a administrator account to be able to do a repair install.
  • You must have at least 8.87 GB + what is currently being used of free space (more if you have a larger installation) on the hard drive/partition Windows 7 is installed on to do a repair install.
  • If you changed the default location of a user account's profile folder, then you will need to change it back to the default C:\Users location first.
  • If you moved the default location of a user folder, then you will need to change it back to the default C:\Users\(user-name) location first.





Here's How:
NOTE: Be sure to back up anything that you do not want to lose first to be extra safe.1. Start Windows 7, and log on to an administrator account.

2. Disable any 3rd party firewall, antivirus, or other security program to avoid it from possibly preventing the repair in-place upgrade installation of Windows 7.

3. Do either step 4, step 5, or step 6 below depending if your retail Windows 7 installation ISO/DVD/USB has SP1 or not, and if your currently installed Windows 7 has SP1 installed or not.

4. Repair Installed Windows 7 SP1 using Windows 7 with SP1 ISO

   Note
If you do not have a Windows 7 with SP1 ISO, then you can download an official ISO with your retail product key from Microsoft at the link below.

:ar: Microsoft Software Recovery

You can also download the latest official Windows 7 SP1 Media Refresh (SP1 U) ISO file at the link below, but this link is not always available for download.

:ar: Microsoft: Windows 7 Direct Download Links

A) If you have not already, you will need to install a program like 7-Zip that supports extracting a ISO to a folder.

B) Using the program (ex: 7-Zip) from step 1, extract the Windows 7 SP1 ISO file to a folder on a partition or HDD other than the current Windows 7 partition. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: For example with 7-Zip, right click on ISO, click on 7-Zip, Extract files, browse button, select where you want to extract to, and click on OK twice.7-Zip.jpg
C) While in Windows 7 SP1, open the folder that you extracted the ISO into, and run the setup.exe file.

D) Go to step 7 below.
5. Repair Installed Windows 7 SP1 using Windows 7 with SP1 DVD/USB

   Note
If you do not have a Windows 7 with SP1 ISO, then you can download an official ISO with your retail product key from Microsoft at the link below.

:ar: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-recovery

You can also download the latest official Windows 7 SP1 Media Refresh (SP1 U) ISO file at the link below, but this link is not always available for download.

:ar: Microsoft: Windows 7 Direct Download Links

Afterwards, you can use Windows 7 USB-DVD Download Tool to create a bootable DVD or USB flash drive with the ISO to do the repair install from within Windows 7 using this step.

A) While in Windows 7 SP1, insert your retail Windows 7 SP1 installation DVD into the DVD drive, or connect your Windows 7 with SP1 installation USB thumb drive, and click on the Run setup.exe option in AutoPlay. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If the AutoPlay window does not open, then open the drive folder in Computer and run the setup.exe file.AutoPlay.jpg
B) Go to Go to step 7 below.
6. Repair Installed Windows 7 without SP1 using Windows 7 without SP1 DVD/USB

   Note
If you do not have a Windows 7 without SP1 installation DVD/USB, then you can download the latest official Windows 7 Professional or Home Premium without SP1 ISO file here: Microsoft: Windows 7 Direct Download Links, and use Windows 7 USB-DVD Download Tool to create a bootable DVD or USB flash drive with the ISO to do the repair install from within Windows 7 using this step.

It is preferred to have SP1 installed on your PC and to use step 4 or step 5 above to do a repair install with instead though.

A) While in Windows 7 SP1 installed, insert your retail Windows 7 installation DVD into the DVD drive, or connect your Windows 7 installation USB thumb drive, and click on the Run setup.exe option in AutoPlay. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If the AutoPlay window does not open, then open the drive folder in Computer and run the setup.exe file.AutoPlay.jpg
B) Go to Go to step 7 below.
7. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

8. Click on the Install Now button to start the installation. (see screenshot below)Step1.jpg
9. If prompted, uncheck the I want to help make Windows installation better box (unless you would like to :) ), and click on the Go online to get the latest updates for installation option. (see screenshot below)Step2.jpg
A) Windows 7 will now check online for and install any available installation updates. (see screenshots below)Step2A.jpg

Step2B.jpg

10. Check the I accept the license terms box, and click on Next. (see screenshot below)Step3.jpg
11. Click on the Upgrade option. (see screenshot below)Step4.jpg
12. Windows will now check for any compatibility issues. If any are found like in the example below, click on the red X to cancel the repair install and close this "Install Windows" window, take care of any found issues (ex: uninstall any incompatible program), then restart the repair install process over again.Compatibility-Report.jpg
13. The installation of Windows 7 will now begin. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: During the installation process, your screen may flash and computer will restart a few times.Step5.jpg
14. After the final restart, you will see this screen for a moment. (see screenshot below)Step6.jpg
15. Type in your Windows 7 product key number. (see screenshot below step 16)

16. Uncheck the Automatically activate Windows when I'm online box unchecked, then click on the Next button. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: You can activate Windows 7 later after you make sure it is running properly. (see step 23 below)
If you chose to automatically activate Windows online when you set up your computer, automatic activation begins trying to activate your copy of Windows three days after you log on for the first time.Step7.jpg
17. Click on Use recommended settings. (see screenshot below)

:note: You will always be able to change your Windows Update settings at anytime in Windows 7.

Step8.jpg
18. Select your time zone and set your time and date settings, then click on the Next button. (see screenshot below)Step9.jpg
19. Click on the option for your computer's location to select the correct network location type settings to be applied for that location. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: It is best to select Public location for the best security.Step10.jpg
20. Windows 7 will now prepare your desktop to startup. (see screenshots below)Step11A.jpg

Desktop.jpg

21. If you used a DVD or USB to do the repair install with, then you can remove the DVD or USB when the repair install has successfully completed and you are logged in to Windows 7.

22. Check to see if you are missing any user files. If you are, then you can copy them from the C:\Windows.old or the hidden protected operating system C:\$INPLACE.~TR and C:\WINDOWS.~Q backup folders. (see screenshot below)Old_Install.jpg
23. If everything checks out in step 21, then you can run Disk Cleanup (step 5 at this link). You will need to click on the Clean up system files button first, and then could check the Files discarded by Windows upgrade, Previous Windows installations, and Windows upgrade log files boxes. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: This will delete the C:\Windows.old, C:\$INPLACE.~TR and C:\WINDOWS.~Q folders from step 21 above.Disk_Cleanup.jpg
24. Refresh your Windows Experience Index (WEI) score.

25. When finished, activate Windows 7, and make sure that your 3rd party security programs (if applicable) are enabled again.
That's it,
Shawn





 
Last edited:
Ah man... too bad I didn't see that one...
Although... is it saying to use a second OS to recover the data? Cause I didn't have one installed previously...
Too bad... it's gone now..
So far, I've almost completed the formatting for a USB drive that I'm about to put W7 on to attempt a reinstall
Maybe it was the optical drive, but with SO many people seeing the same error that I had, I'm thinking it's gotta be a problem with RAM, motherboard, or similar...
well.. 50% done formatting... we'll see how it works out...
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Sager NP8662
OS
Windows 7
CPU
P9600
Memory
4GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA 260M
Hard Drives
128GB SSD
One thing I make to do here for any important things is to have some method of backup available. When first preparing to test the beta builds I actually added additional drives in on the desktop here as well as looking for alternate methods. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/615-backup-user-system-files.html?filter[2]=Backup Restore

On a single drive laptop or desktop the best option is backing things to an external drive if you have one. If you don't a second storage partition is an option where the backup/restore tool can play an important role in the event you are unable to perform a repair install. You can wipe the OS primary while still keeping your files safe in case you go through something like this again.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom builds = 2
    OS
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz - 965 2nd remote pc
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4-Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600 1.5v 16gb - Hyper X Fury 8gb 2nd
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 5750 1gb - MSI HD Radeon 6450 on mini tower
    Sound Card
    Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Audio P - Realtek onooard 2nd case
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW199T-P 19" HP 2082a Main-HP 2082a 20" remote pc
    Screen Resolution
    Asus 1440x900 - HP 1600x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Black 1TB HD per OS W7, W10, and pending W11 presently on 500gb OS Drive - Pending Triple 1TB HDs for Spanned Storage/backup volume
    Single 2TB external USB enclosure, single 1TB System 7 Host/Boot drive, Pending 8TB external HD for system image b
    PSU
    Corsair 750TX - primary / Corsair CX600 - second
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible / NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A
    Keyboard
    AZIO L70 Backlit Letters Gaming - ONN Cordless/USB
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 Programmable, Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade - primary hard wired - mini tower usb WiFi
    Antivirus
    GFI VIPRE Internet Security 2014 on W7 2016 beta on W10,
    Browser
    Cyberfox, WaterFox 64bit FF variants, FireFox x64, Pale Moon
    Other Info
    Accomdata fan cooled usb 2.0 PIDE/Sata II, III external enclosure.
    Sambient usb/eSata PATA/Sata II, III external enclosure.
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    CUSTOM ASSEMBLY
    OS
    W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Deneb 3.6ghz - 965
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X Fury 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 6450 DVI Output
    Sound Card
    Realtek onooard Creative or Other separate PENDING
    Monitor(s) Displays
    VIZIO 32" LCD TV Separate LCD Pending
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB OS Host/Boot WD Green 1TB Storage/Backup
    PSU
    Corsair 600W - THERMALTAKE 600W spare case
    Case
    NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Twin 120mm Top Fans - 240mm Side Cover
    Keyboard
    ONN Cordless/USB Logitech Cordless
    Mouse
    ONN USB/Cordless - Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    DSL 5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, FireFox, WaterFox x64, FireFox Nightly
    Other Info
    OS Testing-Remote Access to Main TeamViewer
Yeah, I definitely should have done that. Went crazy over the new lappy, and ignored what common sense would say. Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely keep it backed up w/ restore points once it's fixed.

EDIT: So, I tried to install W7 using a USB drive. The same problem came up with the installation saying.
Windows cannot install required files. the file does not exist. make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation

I'm hitting my head against rocks here...
This time I'm going to try downloading Windows 7 32bit (last time was 64-bit, which it does run).
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Sager NP8662
OS
Windows 7
CPU
P9600
Memory
4GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA 260M
Hard Drives
128GB SSD
The 64bit flavor shouldn't be a problem with a look over of the specs on that seen at Sager NP8662 - XOTIC PC - (Built on Clevo M860TU) np8662 Gaming Laptop

A system image however will take up space you have to allow room for depending on the size of the drive and how much is on it. With 3 OS drives here I just finished restoring the second 64bit while starting the restoration process on the 3rd OS drive just having seen a fresh clean install of the 64bit RC there and yet once the image was restored to the second OS drive I'm booted in while posting this.

From the problem you are having there I have to caution that simply downloading the 32bit wouldn't make any difference if the hard drive has a problem. You ruled out the optical drive using the usb key made up where a bad download needing a second to replace that or running a diagnostic tool on the main drive itself for bad sectors would be a thought.
 

Attachments

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My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom builds = 2
    OS
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz - 965 2nd remote pc
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4-Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600 1.5v 16gb - Hyper X Fury 8gb 2nd
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 5750 1gb - MSI HD Radeon 6450 on mini tower
    Sound Card
    Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Audio P - Realtek onooard 2nd case
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW199T-P 19" HP 2082a Main-HP 2082a 20" remote pc
    Screen Resolution
    Asus 1440x900 - HP 1600x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Black 1TB HD per OS W7, W10, and pending W11 presently on 500gb OS Drive - Pending Triple 1TB HDs for Spanned Storage/backup volume
    Single 2TB external USB enclosure, single 1TB System 7 Host/Boot drive, Pending 8TB external HD for system image b
    PSU
    Corsair 750TX - primary / Corsair CX600 - second
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible / NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A
    Keyboard
    AZIO L70 Backlit Letters Gaming - ONN Cordless/USB
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 Programmable, Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade - primary hard wired - mini tower usb WiFi
    Antivirus
    GFI VIPRE Internet Security 2014 on W7 2016 beta on W10,
    Browser
    Cyberfox, WaterFox 64bit FF variants, FireFox x64, Pale Moon
    Other Info
    Accomdata fan cooled usb 2.0 PIDE/Sata II, III external enclosure.
    Sambient usb/eSata PATA/Sata II, III external enclosure.
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    CUSTOM ASSEMBLY
    OS
    W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Deneb 3.6ghz - 965
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X Fury 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 6450 DVI Output
    Sound Card
    Realtek onooard Creative or Other separate PENDING
    Monitor(s) Displays
    VIZIO 32" LCD TV Separate LCD Pending
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB OS Host/Boot WD Green 1TB Storage/Backup
    PSU
    Corsair 600W - THERMALTAKE 600W spare case
    Case
    NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Twin 120mm Top Fans - 240mm Side Cover
    Keyboard
    ONN Cordless/USB Logitech Cordless
    Mouse
    ONN USB/Cordless - Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    DSL 5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, FireFox, WaterFox x64, FireFox Nightly
    Other Info
    OS Testing-Remote Access to Main TeamViewer
Thanks for the reply,
I did run CHKDSK on the hard drive and some errors were found and corrected.
I attempted to reinstall Windows 64 bit again, and it failed.
I then tried using the Win7 32 bit DVD I burnt, that failed.
I then attempted a copy of WinXP. Put the CD in the drive, booted the computer, it ran the CD started loading files from it, then went to the Blue Screen of Death, saying that Windows detected a problem and shut down to avoid (whatever else it said).
I then ran to the store, bought Windows Vista (Upgrade, which might have been why it didn't work) and tried installing it. No dice. Prlly cause it was the Upgrade version... looking back, I should have gotten the Full one.... oh well.
The problem wasn't room, I had a 130GB SSD...

Since nothing seemed to be working at all, I pretty much gave up, forked up my hard earned Lifeguard money and handed it over to Staples. They said they'd fix it or die trying... either install Linux, Vista, or 7, or a combo... lol. So I'm waiting to hear back from them. Thank you everyone who tried helping.

It seems like it's maybe a problem with my SSD, or else a completely corrupted Windows 7 or BIOS.... who knows...
I'll post back with whatever solution Staples had.... (Prlly just downloading Fedora and installing it on my poor little lappy).
Thanks all,
Tim
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Sager NP8662
OS
Windows 7
CPU
P9600
Memory
4GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA 260M
Hard Drives
128GB SSD
Problematic SSD, possible memory faults, faulty optical drive! Corrupted downloads or bad burns twice of 7? Bad burns would be the answer on that one. Brand new Vista disk retail along with XP disk? Refer to first three indicated!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom builds = 2
    OS
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz - 965 2nd remote pc
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4-Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600 1.5v 16gb - Hyper X Fury 8gb 2nd
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 5750 1gb - MSI HD Radeon 6450 on mini tower
    Sound Card
    Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Audio P - Realtek onooard 2nd case
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW199T-P 19" HP 2082a Main-HP 2082a 20" remote pc
    Screen Resolution
    Asus 1440x900 - HP 1600x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Black 1TB HD per OS W7, W10, and pending W11 presently on 500gb OS Drive - Pending Triple 1TB HDs for Spanned Storage/backup volume
    Single 2TB external USB enclosure, single 1TB System 7 Host/Boot drive, Pending 8TB external HD for system image b
    PSU
    Corsair 750TX - primary / Corsair CX600 - second
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible / NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A
    Keyboard
    AZIO L70 Backlit Letters Gaming - ONN Cordless/USB
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 Programmable, Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade - primary hard wired - mini tower usb WiFi
    Antivirus
    GFI VIPRE Internet Security 2014 on W7 2016 beta on W10,
    Browser
    Cyberfox, WaterFox 64bit FF variants, FireFox x64, Pale Moon
    Other Info
    Accomdata fan cooled usb 2.0 PIDE/Sata II, III external enclosure.
    Sambient usb/eSata PATA/Sata II, III external enclosure.
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    CUSTOM ASSEMBLY
    OS
    W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Deneb 3.6ghz - 965
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X Fury 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 6450 DVI Output
    Sound Card
    Realtek onooard Creative or Other separate PENDING
    Monitor(s) Displays
    VIZIO 32" LCD TV Separate LCD Pending
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB OS Host/Boot WD Green 1TB Storage/Backup
    PSU
    Corsair 600W - THERMALTAKE 600W spare case
    Case
    NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Twin 120mm Top Fans - 240mm Side Cover
    Keyboard
    ONN Cordless/USB Logitech Cordless
    Mouse
    ONN USB/Cordless - Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    DSL 5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, FireFox, WaterFox x64, FireFox Nightly
    Other Info
    OS Testing-Remote Access to Main TeamViewer
I'll post back with whatever solution Staples had....
Tim
Would like to get that readout, to see how it 'fits' the symptoms...
Seems like it almost gotta be the SSD...
CPU is overall involved, but that seems highly unlikely...

Any time estimate from Staples?
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Gateway GT5056
OS
XP_Pro, W7_7201, W7RC.vhd, SciLinux5.3, Fedora12, Fedora9_2x, OpenSolaris_09-06
CPU
AMD 64x2
Motherboard
Yes
Memory
1 gig
Graphics Card(s)
Dunno
Sound Card
Realtek something
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster 940MW w/TV
Screen Resolution
1280x1024
Hard Drives
250 GB WD, USB Seagate Freedesk 1.5 T
Internet Speed
Cable modem
Other Info
1 + 1 = 10b,
7 + 7 = 16o,
a + b = 15h.
Thanks for the reply,
I did run CHKDSK on the hard drive and some errors were found and corrected.
I attempted to reinstall Windows 64 bit again, and it failed.
I then tried using the Win7 32 bit DVD I burnt, that failed.
I then attempted a copy of WinXP. Put the CD in the drive, booted the computer, it ran the CD started loading files from it, then went to the Blue Screen of Death, saying that Windows detected a problem and shut down to avoid (whatever else it said).
I then ran to the store, bought Windows Vista (Upgrade, which might have been why it didn't work) and tried installing it. No dice. Prlly cause it was the Upgrade version... looking back, I should have gotten the Full one.... oh well.
The problem wasn't room, I had a 130GB SSD...

Since nothing seemed to be working at all, I pretty much gave up, forked up my hard earned Lifeguard money and handed it over to Staples. They said they'd fix it or die trying... either install Linux, Vista, or 7, or a combo... lol. So I'm waiting to hear back from them. Thank you everyone who tried helping.

It seems like it's maybe a problem with my SSD, or else a completely corrupted Windows 7 or BIOS.... who knows...
I'll post back with whatever solution Staples had.... (Prlly just downloading Fedora and installing it on my poor little lappy).
Thanks all,
Tim

Perhaps its not the SSD, but a corrupted/wrong driver for your southbridge. I think that cause problems with the files on your SSD.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
me / #1
OS
windows 7 x64 Home Premium
CPU
intel q6600
Motherboard
gigbyte ga ep45 ud3l
Memory
g.skill 8gb ddr2 1066 (pc2 8500)
Graphics Card(s)
evga geforce 9800 gtx 512 mb
Screen Resolution
1680 x 1050
Hard Drives
wd caviar black 500 gb
wd caviar black 1tb
wd elements 1tb external hd x2
PSU
raidmax 500w
Case
smilodon (yes, t'was the pretty blue lites that got me!)
Perhaps its not the SSD, but a corrupted/wrong driver for your southbridge. I think that cause problems with the files on your SSD.

With XP you often needed a separate driver disk for the onboard sata controller in order for the Windows installer to be able to properly detect the drive. You seem to be thinking the same thing may be needed for the SSD on that particular system in order to get any version to go on.

It wouldn't be unheard of since SSDs are still relatively new.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom builds = 2
    OS
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz - 965 2nd remote pc
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4-Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600 1.5v 16gb - Hyper X Fury 8gb 2nd
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 5750 1gb - MSI HD Radeon 6450 on mini tower
    Sound Card
    Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Audio P - Realtek onooard 2nd case
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW199T-P 19" HP 2082a Main-HP 2082a 20" remote pc
    Screen Resolution
    Asus 1440x900 - HP 1600x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Black 1TB HD per OS W7, W10, and pending W11 presently on 500gb OS Drive - Pending Triple 1TB HDs for Spanned Storage/backup volume
    Single 2TB external USB enclosure, single 1TB System 7 Host/Boot drive, Pending 8TB external HD for system image b
    PSU
    Corsair 750TX - primary / Corsair CX600 - second
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible / NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A
    Keyboard
    AZIO L70 Backlit Letters Gaming - ONN Cordless/USB
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 Programmable, Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade - primary hard wired - mini tower usb WiFi
    Antivirus
    GFI VIPRE Internet Security 2014 on W7 2016 beta on W10,
    Browser
    Cyberfox, WaterFox 64bit FF variants, FireFox x64, Pale Moon
    Other Info
    Accomdata fan cooled usb 2.0 PIDE/Sata II, III external enclosure.
    Sambient usb/eSata PATA/Sata II, III external enclosure.
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    CUSTOM ASSEMBLY
    OS
    W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Deneb 3.6ghz - 965
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X Fury 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 6450 DVI Output
    Sound Card
    Realtek onooard Creative or Other separate PENDING
    Monitor(s) Displays
    VIZIO 32" LCD TV Separate LCD Pending
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB OS Host/Boot WD Green 1TB Storage/Backup
    PSU
    Corsair 600W - THERMALTAKE 600W spare case
    Case
    NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Twin 120mm Top Fans - 240mm Side Cover
    Keyboard
    ONN Cordless/USB Logitech Cordless
    Mouse
    ONN USB/Cordless - Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    DSL 5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, FireFox, WaterFox x64, FireFox Nightly
    Other Info
    OS Testing-Remote Access to Main TeamViewer
No time estimate, I'm bout to call them up today or tomorrow....
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Sager NP8662
OS
Windows 7
CPU
P9600
Memory
4GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA 260M
Hard Drives
128GB SSD
I wouldn't wait too long before you lose out on the return date expiration on the drive itself. It's still annoying but It does seem to suggest the drive is the problem.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom builds = 2
    OS
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz - 965 2nd remote pc
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4-Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600 1.5v 16gb - Hyper X Fury 8gb 2nd
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 5750 1gb - MSI HD Radeon 6450 on mini tower
    Sound Card
    Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Audio P - Realtek onooard 2nd case
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VW199T-P 19" HP 2082a Main-HP 2082a 20" remote pc
    Screen Resolution
    Asus 1440x900 - HP 1600x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Black 1TB HD per OS W7, W10, and pending W11 presently on 500gb OS Drive - Pending Triple 1TB HDs for Spanned Storage/backup volume
    Single 2TB external USB enclosure, single 1TB System 7 Host/Boot drive, Pending 8TB external HD for system image b
    PSU
    Corsair 750TX - primary / Corsair CX600 - second
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible / NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A
    Keyboard
    AZIO L70 Backlit Letters Gaming - ONN Cordless/USB
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 Programmable, Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade - primary hard wired - mini tower usb WiFi
    Antivirus
    GFI VIPRE Internet Security 2014 on W7 2016 beta on W10,
    Browser
    Cyberfox, WaterFox 64bit FF variants, FireFox x64, Pale Moon
    Other Info
    Accomdata fan cooled usb 2.0 PIDE/Sata II, III external enclosure.
    Sambient usb/eSata PATA/Sata II, III external enclosure.
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    CUSTOM ASSEMBLY
    OS
    W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Deneb 3.6ghz - 965
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H remote pc
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X Fury 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI HD Radeon 6450 DVI Output
    Sound Card
    Realtek onooard Creative or Other separate PENDING
    Monitor(s) Displays
    VIZIO 32" LCD TV Separate LCD Pending
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB OS Host/Boot WD Green 1TB Storage/Backup
    PSU
    Corsair 600W - THERMALTAKE 600W spare case
    Case
    NZXT Vulcan mini tower
    Cooling
    Twin 120mm Top Fans - 240mm Side Cover
    Keyboard
    ONN Cordless/USB Logitech Cordless
    Mouse
    ONN USB/Cordless - Logitech Cordless
    Internet Speed
    DSL 5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, FireFox, WaterFox x64, FireFox Nightly
    Other Info
    OS Testing-Remote Access to Main TeamViewer
i did a repair install on windows 7 rtm recently and i would like to mention a few things....in the step 18 when we go to disk cleanup there is no need to click the 'clean up system files' button first coz it no longer exists...instead the window which opened after we press the 'clean up system files' button directly opens whenever we start disk cleanup(in the rtm)

also i got 2 windows upgrade related entries in disk cleanup - Files discarded by windows upgrade and another one was windows upgrade log files which was about 450-500Mb
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
Hello Max,

I just added the pressing the 'clean up system files' button so that all system file options would be included in the Disk Cleanup to save the maximum amount of disk space in case there were other items people also wanted to check. :)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Gateway GT5056
OS
XP_Pro, W7_7201, W7RC.vhd, SciLinux5.3, Fedora12, Fedora9_2x, OpenSolaris_09-06
CPU
AMD 64x2
Motherboard
Yes
Memory
1 gig
Graphics Card(s)
Dunno
Sound Card
Realtek something
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster 940MW w/TV
Screen Resolution
1280x1024
Hard Drives
250 GB WD, USB Seagate Freedesk 1.5 T
Internet Speed
Cable modem
Other Info
1 + 1 = 10b,
7 + 7 = 16o,
a + b = 15h.
And you all thought I wouldn't post back ever.....
I just got my laptop back today....
I curse Staples.....
They had lost my phone number, and were waiting for me.... (I tried to call several times, but could never get through to the person working on my laptop).
I finally drove out there and settled it all...
Turns out my SSD was screwed..... Thanks everyone for trying to help...
I don't know what exactly was wrong with the SSD, but I got it replaced with a normal hard drive and everything is back up and running.
Thanks everyone.

Yeah... sorry, I thought I was posting on this forum... should have made sure...
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Sager NP8662
OS
Windows 7
CPU
P9600
Memory
4GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA 260M
Hard Drives
128GB SSD
hi, i tried this and all went well upto a point, then i got the following error message - Installation canceled by user - rolling back, at which point everything rolled back to my pre-repair state.

the only other error message i got was before installation started - which warned me about my ATI display and sound drivers not being compatable and told me to un-install them before continuing ... which i thought cant do any harm so i ignored it. could that be the root of the problem.

the actual installation process got as far as expanding files before i got the error message.

the only other thing i did differently from your instructions was that i copied all files to my hard disk then did the install/upgrade from there rather than the DVD.

i am using windows 7 RTM, which worked fine when i did the clean install about 2 weeks ago.

any thoughts?
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Toshiba Satelite
OS
windows 7 RTM
CPU
AMD Athlon x 2 64
Memory
4gb
Hello Bluemoon4ever,

It sounds like that may be the cause of it being canceled. Try uninstalling you ATI and sound drivers, then doing the repair install to see if it may finish then.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hello Bluemoon4ever,

It sounds like that may be the cause of it being canceled. Try uninstalling you ATI and sound drivers, then doing the repair install to see if it may finish then.

thanks i will try that, but this time i had a 4day old Image file created by win7 so i used that, and it worked perfectly, so i only lost 4 days changes lol.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Toshiba Satelite
OS
windows 7 RTM
CPU
AMD Athlon x 2 64
Memory
4gb
Not bad. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted. :)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I have W7 Pro RTM installed on netbook with 14G OS partition. After performing cleanups and removing everything I don't need, including relocating page file and hibernation files to another drive, I only have 6G free (my installed programs, but not data, are also on this partition).

At step 8 this procedure halts with a message that at least 8.87G free space is required to continue.

I was only testing this procedure, I don't have any problems to fix ATM. I'm sure I could still do the repair install if I compressed the drive, temporarily relocated my program files folder, etc. so it is probably not a stopper in my case.

Just wanted to mention this in case someone else runs into the same issue of not enough free space on the OS partition, to perform the repair.

Best regards,
--appyface
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Win7 Pro SP1 64-bit
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