Win 7 inplace upgrade as non-destructive repair ???

[glnz]

I've been bugging MS to help me with a problem doing a 100% clean Reinstall of Office 365 Home 64-bit on my Win 7 Pro 64-bit PC. Each Reinstall of O365 creates 70± Warning messages in Event Viewer that certain registry keys are protected and cannot be modified by Office 365 Click-to-Run. (O365 actually works fine so far - I just don't like those Warning messages and want to Reinstall without them.)

The MS O365 help line tech 2 level person accessed my PC and showed me how my further Event Viewer error messages show errors with ntdll.dll and kernelbase.dll. He says the only way we can fix the problem with Reinstall of Office 365 Home 64-bit is to repair those dll's in my Win 7 Pro 64-bit OS, and the only way to do that in a non-destructive fashion is to do an "inplace upgrade" of my Win 7 off the .iso image of Win 7 Pro 64-bit.

What do you think?

First, please see the very interesting article about non-destructive repair using inplace upgrade at
http://mcs-notes1.open.ac.uk:8080/tbtknowl.nsf/0e36766f24334c4c80256554005a57dc/8779f10d83d5276e8025794400355753?OpenDocument

Second, following the instructions of the MS tech 2, I am downloading an .iso of Win 7 Pro 64-bit. [Source redacted.]
The .iso I am downloading is called en_windows_7_professional_with_sp1_x64_dvd_u_676939.iso. I see that the file's date is August of 2015 (last year), so that means I'll have to do a lot of Windows Updates afterwards (and carefully so as to avoid the updates that install the Win 10 "spy" features)? Do you think there are better .iso sources for the install, maybe already updated?

Third, he also showed me the normal MS Windows .iso download page https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/software-download/windows7 , but when I inserted my perfectly good Key for my Win 7 at the bottom of that page, it did NOT verify. He said that MS's verification server is down, and has been down for some days. (Really?) I know my key is good because I used it for a re-install of the OS almost two years ago on this PC.

Fourth, my PC is actually dual-boot Win 7 Pro SP1 64-bit and Win 10 Pro 64-bit. (FYI - I have separate keys/licenses for each - the 10 is NOT an upgrade of the 7.) Do you think the non-destructive repair of Win 7 using inplace upgrade will wipe out the 10? I think I'm OK because I did a destructive 7 repair about 1½ years ago, and that did not wipe out the other OS (which was then 8.1, since changed to 10). But is there anything special I should do to preserve the 10?

Fifth - reminder that my core problem isn't with the OS, which seems to be 100% fine. It's only that I am getting 70+ Warning messages about non-modifiable registry keys whenever I reinstall my O365 Home 64-bit.

Hey, what do you think???? Easy, huh?

Thanks.

 

[Megahertz07]

I'll recommend you to edit your post and remove the link for MS Win 7 download. I'm sure they won't like to see a link for their server on the web.
If you are having trouble with the existing register files, I'll recommend to do a clean install. I know it takes a loooooong time to do it, but there is nothing as a clean install. Along the years you get a lot of trash on your system and a clean install is the best solution.
For the updates:
KB3125574 contains all the security and non-security fixes released since the release of Windows 7 SP1 that are suitable for general distribution, up through April 2016.
It’s single, Multi language, 488MB update file (msu). On a recent installation, you must have first to install KB3020369.
For more information read this article: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com...17/simplifying-updates-for-windows-7-and-8-1/
If you launch Win 7 setup installation (from inside actual installation) it will do a "upgrade". It should reinstall win 7 keeping the others programs and settings. There is no reason to have your Win 10 installation modified. But, as always, backup your data first.

 

[glnz]

MHz - Thanks very much for your post. I've made the edit.

By "clean install", do you mean the "inplace upgrade" that has been suggested and that (we hope) won't touch (a) my existing installed apps or data or (b) my dual-boot?

Or do you mean a true new install wiping everything out?

[By the way, I have made almost no use of this Win 7 Pro 64-bit machine until a few weeks ago when I installed the O365 and worked on taxes on its Excel. Not even email. (I'm still relying heavily on an old Optiplex 755 with XP Pro SP3 and updates through the POS hack.) So not much has piled up or rusted on this Win 7 machine.]

Thanks - please advise.

 

[Megahertz07]

Clean install = Wipe actual installation and start from scratch.
Upgrade = Reinstall windows over the existing, that should replace Windows and keep other programs and personal data.

 

[glnz]

MHz -

Do you think an "upgrade" might work to fix that registry problem?

 

[Megahertz07]

I really don't know. In what part of the register are those non editable settings?

 

[glnz]

MHz - see the attached zip, which has an evtx file of all the Warning messages in my Event Viewer. The evtx file will open in your event viewer.

 

[Megahertz07]

I guess they are at HKEY_Local_Machine, but not sure. Also not sure if a Upgrade will clean the problem. Give it a try.

 

[glnz]

To all - Before I try a "non-destructive repair" of my Win 7 Pro 64-bit, please consider that my PC is actually DUAL-BOOTING Win 7 Pro 64-bit and Win 10 Pro 64-bit. Each has its separate partition on the hard drive, and there are other partitions with the needed boot-loader/MBR and other things that we rarely think about.

How should I do the "non-destructive repair" of my Win 7 Pro 64-bit so that it only refreshes the Win 7 Pro and doesn't touch the Win 10 Pro or the needed ancillary partitions and keeps my PC as a dual-booting beauty?

Thanks.

 

[torchwood]

before you go flying of down that route.

would be interested in 2 things
1 from you scrubbing script output did it report any 0800713 errors, if so then that operation failed.

2) and whats here (products), see screenshot


Roy

 

[glnz]

Torchwood-

1) I do not see 0800713 anywhere. The event viewer Event ID is 1039 for every entry.

2) HKCR\Installer\Products currently has only a Default REG_SZ entry, and many sub-keys for other products, but not O365 or Office. However, I uninstalled C2R and O365 last week as thoroughly as I could so I don't think the current data is meaningful. What were you looking for?

 

[torchwood]

Hi Ginz,
those were both possible causes of the error code.
just hoping to save you a bit of effort.
notes
the error code i quoted will ONLY be in the script output - not event viewer
If ANY version of Office and the like is in the product registry then it DID NOT Uninstall correctly.

The only other things i can think of is that both Netframework and Visual basics could be interferring make sure thier upto date.

Roy

 

[torchwood]

Hi Ginz,
was looking at a totally diff thread reminded me of something
Avast has been causing problems with updates by changing certain registry keys and causing a roll-on permissions problem.
try uninstalling it with THIER removal tool in SAFE mode.

Roy

 

[glnz]

Roy - Thanks for your interest, and I think you're teaching me something new --

Q - What is the "script output" in this case? How do I look for this?

Now, I don't personally think that a "non-destructive repair" of my Win 7 Pro 64-bit will fix the problem I have with the 67± registry keys not being modified when I install or update O365. But, anyway, I've been doing some more reading about "non-destructive repair" if I end up trying it. There are two possible issues before I even get started.

First - I've succeeded in downloading a Win 7 Pro 64-bit img file from Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool, but that source and some other folks warn that, on my Dell system, I might need the "COEM" version and not the plain version. What do you think? My machine is a Dell Optiplex 7010 Mini-Tower - see my specs below - and I originally installed the Win 7 from an extra Dell CD that Dell was kind enough to send me (not from a plain vanilla Microsoft CD).

Second - before I do anything with the Win 7 Pro 64-bit img file, should I first try to use NTLite (for the first time ever) to integrate into the Win 7 Pro 64-bit img file the updates that Ed Bott recommends at Four steps to reduce the pain of Windows 7 installations using cumulative updates - Tech Pro Research ?

Third - if your answer to "Second" is yes, please note how Ed recommends first installing KB3020369: April 2015 Servicing Stack Update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and then installing his others. I've never used NTLite, but I'm guessing it doesn't work in stages (or does it)? How do I do things in the order Ed Bott recommends?

Thanks !!!

 

[glnz]

Roy - our two posts hit at the same time. You wrote

Avast has been causing problems with updates by changing certain registry keys and causing a roll-on permissions problem.
try uninstalling it with THIER removal tool in SAFE mode.

Do you mean try uninstalling O365 with Avast's removal tool? I didn't know Avast had a removal tool.

By the way, on at least one attempt to re-install O365, I put Avast in suspend mode. Didn't help.

 

[torchwood]

Hi Ginz,

Scrub output error

When you followed the directions in another forum,
yeah been checkin to see what else youve done
You ran a set of command line scripts to remove registry entries, this is run outside of the normal windows enviroment, therefor nothing will appear in the windows log
after each script command you will see either, error and the reason code or success,
hence my comment re 0x800713.
They are not stored, as far as i know, just trying to jog your memory.

Non destructive repair
Dell like to do quirky things in THEIR BIOS set-ups.
So if the recovery discs are labelled
Re-Insallation disc for use only on a Dell system
I would use them
note they will also contain the specific drivers for your system, the drawback being it might not include SP1.(lots of updating)

The generic iso you have will not auto-activate i suspect, you would have to use the COA sticker key on your comp. DO NOT post it, its your unique backup ID
COEM iso should/may auto activate, thats the only major difference.
Its no big deal getting a COEM SP1 for you, only 55 updates
(i know its 55, clean installed mine beginning Jan).
Not used Nlite, my 55 includes 3 special kb's to install first OFFLINE, to speed up the process
i can post a link/tutorial

Avast
I meant uninstall Avast
suspending it during Office install will make no difference, the registry entries are outside of that mode.


Roy

 

[Layback Bear]

If I'm understanding you correctly; the only way to do what you are calling

Win 7 inplace upgrade as non-destructive repair ???

Give this tutorial by Brink a read.

Repair Install

Jack