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:

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
Hi does the repair install remove Startup programs ?
Thank you for your assistance
 

My Computer

Computer type
Laptop
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Hello Bladeg, and welcome to Seven Forums.

No. :)
 

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
You're welcome. Glad to hear it was able to help. :)
 

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
Installation hangs at Checking compatibility.

This was a very nice, concise tutorial. However, the installation hangs at "checking compatibility". I ran it for about 8 hours last night, retried this morning and it's been stuck for about 2 hours. Does anyone have any suggestions what to try next. Reason trying to do repair install is that I can't do system repair, backups, clone HDD, or run spc/scannow. This computer is about 5 1/2 years old and I'm worried about HDD failure. Thanks in advance for your help.
Mickey1
 
Last edited:

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Toshiba Satellite
OS
Win 7 Home Premium with SP1
Antivirus
Norton
Hello Mickey, and welcome to Seven Forums. :)

Do you have any installed 3rd party AV or firewall programs disabled or uninstalled? They can often interfere with a repair install like this.
 

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
Installation hangs at Checking compatibility.

Thanks Brink for your quick response. I did disable all anti virus and firewall apps, but it didn't help. I tried running program in safe mode, It got through "Checking Compatibility" but then pointed out that the program couldn't run in Safe mode. It identified a compatibility problem with iPhone app, which I removed. Still no glee.Any more thoughts. Thanks

Mickey
 
Last edited:

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Toshiba Satellite
OS
Win 7 Home Premium with SP1
Antivirus
Norton
If you are able to manually copy and paste any files that you do not want to lose to another location as a backup, then you might consider doing a clean install instead. It'll take more time, but you should be happier with the results in the end.
 

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
throwing in towel

Thanks again Brink. I think that's the route I'll have to take. Can the custom installation on
the repair disk perform a clean install?

MickeyB
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Toshiba Satellite
OS
Win 7 Home Premium with SP1
Antivirus
Norton
If it's an installation disk, it can. :)
 

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 repeated the download of the restore ISO and loaded it to USB instead of DVD. I was successful. I presume that writing to DVD corrupted some files. Anyway, I haven't tested it thoroughly, but now I can set restore points and run sfc/scannow. I'm now in the middle of installing 159 Windows updates. Thanks for the guidance. This is a great forum
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Toshiba Satellite
OS
Win 7 Home Premium with SP1
Antivirus
Norton
That's great news Mickey. Hopefully the updates won't take to long. :)
 

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
Thanks for the tutorial (and some tips)

Just posting to say thanks for such a rich and detailed tutorial. The repair installation was the only choice after my Windows started acting really weird (SFC would refuse to run, Windows Updates would give me permission errors, I could not install my new printer software, etc) and no system restore could help. Problem appeared to be related with registry permissions all messed up (I don't know how they got that way). As far as I researched permissions problems are hard to be reset to a default state.

Some problems I faced while attempting to perform repair installation and its respective solution (may be of some help to others):

1) Download of Win7 ISO files from DigitalRiver website is very unstable and I ended up burning a corrupted DVD and could not start installation. It took me a while to discover I had a corrupted ISO file. I tried many times with connection constantly dropping. My solution: use a download manager (ISO is about 3 GB);

2) If you have Win7 SP1 installed, you MUST use a Win7 SP1 ISO. Otherwise upgarde process will not continue.

3) After upgrade process finally began, it gave me a message: "Setup can't continue. Restart the computer and restart Setup. When prompted, try getting the latest updates.". This one was a little trickier. Analyzing the setuperr.log I could trace the problem to the registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Components. Permission and Owner flags were all messed up. I had to set owner to 'Administrators' group and later assign 'Administrators' with full access to all keys and subkeys. That did the trick and installation could enumerate all myinstalled programs.

I hope it helps somebody.

Thank you
 
Last edited:

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Made
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
Intel i5 750 2.66 GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte P55-U2M
Memory
4 GB Corsair 1333 MHz DDR3
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon R4830
Sound Card
Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
LG 19"
Hard Drives
Seagate 500 GB
PSU
Cooler Master P400
Case
Cooler Master Elite 554
Keyboard
Logitech
Mouse
Microsoft
After downloading and successfully installing most of the updates, computer went back to its state of being unable to set restore points. I am able to do backup with Norton Backup,but not Windows Backup. SFC/Scannow runs and finds no problems. I guess that I can get by just doing frequent backups of important files. The only remaining failed update is updating to IE 11. Since I rarely use IE, I can get by with that too. Thanks everyone for the help.

Mickey
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Toshiba Satellite
OS
Win 7 Home Premium with SP1
Antivirus
Norton
Hello Shawn I think I am going to have to do this as my Ivy Bridge looks to be in some real strife at the moment. The machine has been slowing down over the last few weeks and this evening is now freezing on boot to the Start Windows screen which I invariably have to hit reset and do the repair (recommend) option to even get the system to get to the main screen - again a very long process.

Now I am getting a message that Windows could not repair itself and as I do not really want to do a clean install or use the image method in case I pull over some nasties I may have picked up am wondering if that would still happen using this tutorial.

I have done sfc and chkdsk /f /r and system restore without any results and doing a SuperAntiSpyware scan that took over four hours to do!! It found a heap of trackers and one Trojan.
I have checked all drivers and other settings such as the BIOS and have nothing out of place.

The other option I thought of doing is running the Kaspersky rescue disk.

I have yet to do a MBAM and ADWCleaner scan and am wondering if SAS took so long how long are those going to take.
So my query is - is this likely to repair whatever Windows cannot repair itself - I know maybe it could be a hardware problem but am hoping it is just the OS gone walkabout.

My real dilemma / horror thought is that it is an Ivy board (Asus P8Z77-V) which if it has been damaged or has gone bad will be nigh impossible to replace if I can find one out here and will cost an absolute fortune if I can find one. Plus that thought is as you might agree not a pleasant prospect:(
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Own build (new) Desk1 / Asus ROG Win 7 / Desk2 1st build
OS
Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
CPU
Desk1 i5 3750K / Laptop i7 GTX 860M / Desk2 i5 2500
Motherboard
Desk1 Asus P877-V / Desk2 Gigabyte H67 UD3H / Laptop ?
Memory
Desk1 8GB (1866) / Desk2 16GB (1333) / Laptop 8Gb DDR3
Graphics Card(s)
Desk 1& 2NVidia GTX 650 & Laptops on board Intel
Sound Card
Desk 1 & 2 -XONAR DG Realtek High Def audio Laptop
Monitor(s) Displays
Desk 1 Benq HD 2450 / Desk2 Philips 24" / Laptop 17.5"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 D1 & D2 & Laptop 1
Hard Drives
Desk1 Samsung 120GB 830 SSD
Asus ROG 256GB 850 Pro SSD
Desk2 Samsung 840 256 SSD
Toshiba 120GB EVO
PSU
Desk 1 Corsair HX 1050/ Laptop ? / Desk 2 Corsair HX 650
Case
Desk 1 Cooler HAF XM ? Toshiba laptop / Desk2 Coolermaster
Cooling
Fans on all Desk1 -2 Desk2 - all Coolermasters 5 Laptop ?
Keyboard
Desk 1 MS Sidewinder X6 Desk 2 MS Sidewinder X 4
Mouse
Desk 1&2 - Gigabyte MS 900 gamer - laptop - Logitec wireless
Internet Speed
ADSL2+
Other Info
One other Desktop (tester) and spare Toshba laptop both with SSD's
Running Kaspersky 2016 ISS on all machines config'd identically
Logitec audio stereo systems on each machine (x3)
Canon MG5250MFC
Router/modem TP-Link running WPA2SK
Hello John,

Unfortunately, a repair install will not get rid of any malware or viruses. The safest way to do so is to format and do a clean install. :(
 

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
Ok Shawn I will try the rest of the scans if I can and then just do the clean install.

By the by I meant to mention the machine was making a repetitive noise like a device being plugged in for example a USB stick before it went real bad is that a sign of anything?.

One last query I read your System Image Recovery and am thinking is that an option too?? The only problem with that is the image is on a 500GB external and my C: drive is a 250GB SSD and am not sure if it would work?
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Own build (new) Desk1 / Asus ROG Win 7 / Desk2 1st build
OS
Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
CPU
Desk1 i5 3750K / Laptop i7 GTX 860M / Desk2 i5 2500
Motherboard
Desk1 Asus P877-V / Desk2 Gigabyte H67 UD3H / Laptop ?
Memory
Desk1 8GB (1866) / Desk2 16GB (1333) / Laptop 8Gb DDR3
Graphics Card(s)
Desk 1& 2NVidia GTX 650 & Laptops on board Intel
Sound Card
Desk 1 & 2 -XONAR DG Realtek High Def audio Laptop
Monitor(s) Displays
Desk 1 Benq HD 2450 / Desk2 Philips 24" / Laptop 17.5"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 D1 & D2 & Laptop 1
Hard Drives
Desk1 Samsung 120GB 830 SSD
Asus ROG 256GB 850 Pro SSD
Desk2 Samsung 840 256 SSD
Toshiba 120GB EVO
PSU
Desk 1 Corsair HX 1050/ Laptop ? / Desk 2 Corsair HX 650
Case
Desk 1 Cooler HAF XM ? Toshiba laptop / Desk2 Coolermaster
Cooling
Fans on all Desk1 -2 Desk2 - all Coolermasters 5 Laptop ?
Keyboard
Desk 1 MS Sidewinder X6 Desk 2 MS Sidewinder X 4
Mouse
Desk 1&2 - Gigabyte MS 900 gamer - laptop - Logitec wireless
Internet Speed
ADSL2+
Other Info
One other Desktop (tester) and spare Toshba laptop both with SSD's
Running Kaspersky 2016 ISS on all machines config'd identically
Logitec audio stereo systems on each machine (x3)
Canon MG5250MFC
Router/modem TP-Link running WPA2SK
Ok Shawn I will try the rest of the scans if I can and then just do the clean install.

By the by I meant to mention the machine was making a repetitive noise like a device being plugged in for example a USB stick before it went real bad is that a sign of anything?.

One last query I read your System Image Recovery and am thinking is that an option too?? The only problem with that is the image is on a 500GB external and my C: drive is a 250GB SSD and am not sure if it would work?

Could be a USB device that doesn't have a driver installed and not being recognized properly. If Device Manager doesn't show an issue with a device, then you could unplug everything from the computer that you can to see if it stops, and connect them back one by one to help narrow down what device it could be.

For a system image, the size that matters is the size of the drive the image was originally created from, and if the drive you are restoring it to is the same or larger size. It doesn't matter how large the drive that you saved the system image on is.
 

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
Ok mate I have just asked Wolfgang too about the Macrium images as I took the drive size as being critical because the images are on a 500GB external drive and the SSD I did the images form is 250GB.

I asked him because I thought maybe to avoid doing that clean install I could just use just one of 6 images - making the drive size irrelevant. But I think you have answered what I wanted to know and that is that the 500GB even being larger than the 250GB SSD is going to be ok because all of the images I have are made from that very SSD in the first place.

Sorry to be a nuisance but I am just trying to work around what I have got as the install is a very unattractive proposition.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Own build (new) Desk1 / Asus ROG Win 7 / Desk2 1st build
OS
Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
CPU
Desk1 i5 3750K / Laptop i7 GTX 860M / Desk2 i5 2500
Motherboard
Desk1 Asus P877-V / Desk2 Gigabyte H67 UD3H / Laptop ?
Memory
Desk1 8GB (1866) / Desk2 16GB (1333) / Laptop 8Gb DDR3
Graphics Card(s)
Desk 1& 2NVidia GTX 650 & Laptops on board Intel
Sound Card
Desk 1 & 2 -XONAR DG Realtek High Def audio Laptop
Monitor(s) Displays
Desk 1 Benq HD 2450 / Desk2 Philips 24" / Laptop 17.5"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 D1 & D2 & Laptop 1
Hard Drives
Desk1 Samsung 120GB 830 SSD
Asus ROG 256GB 850 Pro SSD
Desk2 Samsung 840 256 SSD
Toshiba 120GB EVO
PSU
Desk 1 Corsair HX 1050/ Laptop ? / Desk 2 Corsair HX 650
Case
Desk 1 Cooler HAF XM ? Toshiba laptop / Desk2 Coolermaster
Cooling
Fans on all Desk1 -2 Desk2 - all Coolermasters 5 Laptop ?
Keyboard
Desk 1 MS Sidewinder X6 Desk 2 MS Sidewinder X 4
Mouse
Desk 1&2 - Gigabyte MS 900 gamer - laptop - Logitec wireless
Internet Speed
ADSL2+
Other Info
One other Desktop (tester) and spare Toshba laptop both with SSD's
Running Kaspersky 2016 ISS on all machines config'd identically
Logitec audio stereo systems on each machine (x3)
Canon MG5250MFC
Router/modem TP-Link running WPA2SK
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