Solved Win 7 backup fails to complete because of unnamed Fat32 partition

[gregrocker]

What's most important is that when you boot into http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html during Steps 6 and 7 delete all partitions to create and Format New as you please, or just click Next and the installer will do that for you.

Next most important of the steps in http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html#post1839164 is have the network driver in your backup so if the installer doesn't provide it (it will often start up connected if plugged in by wire) you can install it. connect to run all rounds of Important and Optional Windows Updates, after enabling http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2803-device-installation-settings.html Option 3.

After all Updates are installed with requested reboots any drivers still missing in Device Manager can be found on the Support Downloads webpage for the PC or Device. We can help you find these.

Give plenty of time between each subsequent program install to see how they affect performance, report back any issues.

 

[absc]

Thanks again. It's all these little details that I'm trying to sort out before I wipe my system. My last re-install was more than 4 years ago on my old XP box and it's a bit hard to remember.

Hope you enjoyed Berlin. I was there for 5 days about 6 weeks ago. Nowhere near long enough!

 

[gregrocker]

It's not at all the same as reinstalling XP so be sure to study all of the steps, ask back any other questions.

Berlin is a great city undergoing a building boom. But even then the benefit of having wide boulevards with separate paths for pedestrians, bikes, buses, streetcars and lastly cars is not to be underestimated in calming a huge city's nerves. London is nearly opposite.

 

[absc]

Finally found the time to tackle this, knowing it would take hours. Thanks to all the good advice received it was all reasonably straight forward, but I have a problem.

I did an old fashioned install from CD even though the motherboard supports UEFI. Was that a mistake? I was surprised I wasn’t asked for the product key but everything appeared to proceed normally and the OS seemed to install and update OK. The disk has a 100 MB NTFS system reserved partition and a 931.41 GB NTFS C partition as required. I installed drivers from the motherboard CD. I’ve also reinstalled MS Office, IE10 and a video editor and all appear to work well. Unfortunately I picked up qov6 from a Mozilla Firefox download even though Norton was running, but I’ve uninstalled Firefox and cleaned up the registry manually (http://www.techsupportall.com/how-to-remove-qvo6-com-search-homepage-from-ie-firefox-chrome/) so IE10 is working fine again.

The only problem is that if the PC goes to sleep it doesn’t resume properly. Pressing return gives the Switch User screen and a long reboot that’s not always the same. Sometimes it goes through a long period (maybe 20 to 30 sec?) of frenetic disk activity with a blank screen, then it goes to the Switch User screen again and a seemingly normal but fairly slow restart on pressing return. Other times it gives the blue “A problem has occurred and windows had to shut down….” page, then the black Windows Error Recovery page with the choice of 3 start modes, and finally Windows restarts with the following panel, as if a program terminated incorrectly. I don’t have anything running in background other than Norton, and shutting that down makes no difference.

Needless to say it doesn’t return to where it was before it went to sleep.

Any ideas? All this happened before I edited the registry to get rid of the qvo6 infection so it can’t be an error there.

Thanks

 

[gregrocker]

This is why I specifically warned to follow closely the steps in Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 because Win7 is not at all like XP so an "old fashioned" install is going to get you in trouble with a modern, driver-complete OS. Yet you went ahead and blindly installed drivers from the mobo CD even though it specifically says not to do that in the tutorial.

Instead you were to enable Automatically deliver drivers via Windows Update (Step 3) and run all rounds of Important and Optional Windows Updates, with requested reboots, until there are no more when you Check for Updates after reboot.

Only then would you import any drivers still missing in Device Manager from the device's Support Downloads webpage.

The screenshot you provide shows a Win2000 theme which means something is horribly wrong with your display adapter or you've turned off Win7's elegant Aero theme. Make sure you have the latest Display adapter and run the Aero troubleshooter by typing Aero in Start Search box. If you haven't done so yet check Updates first, then check the Support Downloads webpage for your model display adapter, not a drivers CD which is dated the day it is pressed.

 

[absc]

@gregrocker. Mea culpa. Since I had the install CDs I thought I could save a couple of hours downloading the ISO and re-install from CD as per your initial Clean Install Windows 7 reference. That's what I meant by "old fashioned".

I’ll be away for two weeks but will re-do from scratch as per Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 when I get back. However, putting aside the unexplained FAT32 partition, I don’t understand why I should get into trouble repeating the steps done over the years from first build: install the OS and drivers from CD and install all the updates. Unless there could be a problem getting updates out of order.

 

[gregrocker]

Win7 provides its own drivers. You only need to supply the ones it doesn't provide after all Updates are installed.

What was the problem with the horrible Win2000 graphics theme? Did you get that resolved by updating the Display driver from WIndows Update or the adapter's Support Downloads webpage, or typing Aero in Start Search box to run the Troubleshooter. If you resolve that it should sleep correctly or work through Sleep Mode Problems - Vista Forums

 

[absc]

When I tried to update the graphics driver I was told it was up to date. Played around with aero to no effect.i must admit thegraphics looks ok to me. Perhaps because I don'know better.

I'm out of town and can't any more until I get back. I'm bginning to wander if I have a hardware fault

 

[mjf]

I suggest you use the ASRock (lower cost Asus) site to download your graphics drivers. IMO never let Windows update your graphics drivers.

 

[gregrocker]

If the driver which WIn7 (the first driver-complete OS) wants does not work correctly as can happen in about one in a million cases, then import the latest driver from the Device's Support Downloads webpage.

Then rightclick blank area of desktop, select Personalize, choose a WIn7 theme. If you dont' get transparent Aero window frames type Aero in Start Search box, run the Find and Fix Transparency troubleshooter.

 

[absc]

Nailed it. Problem was the USB 3 driver.

I'd added a USB 3 external HD for backups when I re-installed the OS and that's what was causing the wake up fault. The fault disappeared when the disc was unplugged or plugged into a USB 2 port. I've installed a new driver and that's fixed it.

Thanks very much to all those who've helped. Everything seems to be working now and I'm progressively re-installing software. One day when I have the time and energy I'll do it all again from the ISO image to see how much easier it could have been.

One last question. What's the best utility to check performance as I add programs??

 

[gregrocker]

You can use benchmarking software to compare performance if you want to be technical. I use my own judgement as to how a program's install has impacted performance.

The steps in Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 compile the steps, tools and methods to get and keep a perfect install.

 

[Pauly]

Dont forget to take a system image when your up and running and you will never have to clean install again

 

[mjf]

Dont forget to take a system image when your up and running and you will never have to clean install again

I do this and it makes sense. However, on 3 PCs I've never used it because I believe my "stable" point moves with time. I have quite a bit of free and paid software which have updates plus new software installs.
So I think storing multiple images staggered over a period of time is a good strategy. I think it would be unlikely that you would need to go back to a system image more than a couple of months old.

 

[gregrocker]

I agree with Michael and prefer a more recent image if available too. But keep the baseline image made after reinstall since it will be pristine.