Windows 7 Installation Seems to Hang

[JLSchutt]

I am doing an inplace upgrade from Windows Vista Home Premium SP2 32-bit to Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit. My first attempt was yesterday, and the installation very quickly (after just a couple of minutes) told me I had to uninstall an old version of Trend Micro Internet Security. This was strange, because just last week I had updated to Trend Micro's latest version in anticipation of the Windows 7 upgrade. Anyway, I found some files hanging around from the old version, deleted them, and started the Windows 7 upgrade again. That's just background information and shouldn't be related to my current problem.

The second upgrade attempt seemed to go well, and after 2 or 3 hours the following four steps were marked as complete with a green check mark:

Copying Windows files
Gathering files, settings, and programs
Expanding Windows files
Installing features and updates

The last step - Transferring files, settings, and programs. - then started. My screen has not changed in about 11 hours, and I see no apparent evidence of activity. The message "Please wait..." is at the bottom of the screen. The mouse cursor arrow is in the upper left corner of the screen, and moving the mouse does not cause the arrow to move. Should it? Is the installation program still running?

When I ran the first short unsuccessful installation I remembered to turn off the Internet Security program. It is possible that I forgot to do this when I started the installation the second time, and I suppose this could be causing the problem.

I called Microsoft Windows Support yesterday at 866-234-6020 where I reached a couple of very knowledgeable techs when I was dealing with the first problem. A little while ago (5:15am Arizona time, 8:15am Eastern) that number reported that the office is closed, with no info about when it might be open.

What should I do next? Let the computer sit there for a few more hours? I really don't think it is doing anything. Stop the installation and hope everything gets rolled back to my Vista environment? If so, how? Power down the computer and then power up? I would appreciate any advice, and I'll continue to try to call Microsoft as well.

--Jim--

 

[DocBrown]

Welcome to SevenForums,

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http://www.sevenforums.com/installa...-use-help-installation-issues.html#post300660


http://www.sevenforums.com/installa...e-list-installing-windows-7-a.html#post305793


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" Doc "

 

[Saltgrass]

Maybe try uninstalling the webcam, and anything else you have connected you do not need.

I always check for hard drive activity or DVD drive activity to verify the install is still working. But even that doesn't mean it is or isn't, just makes me feel better. If the DVD shows always running, that is not a good sign.

 

[Minotar]

http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/33758-fix-delay-during-installation-windows-7-a.html

Not sure how this works but it could be worth a try.

Dan

 

[JLSchutt]

Problem Solved Thanks to Microsoft Technician

I reached Windows Tech Support while my computer was still hung up during the upgrade attempt. The technician had me power down and power up, which caused a rollback to my Vista environment. Then he had me define an environment variable (details to follow) and restart the upgrade. This time I remembered to disable my Internet security program. He also recommended not only powering down but also physically disconnecting any peripherals except the mouse and keyboard, so I disconnected my printer and scanner. The whole upgrade took roughly four hours, and the process transferred about 640,000 files, settings, and programs. A count is shown on the screen as the items are transferred, and couple of restarts took place during that phase.

Click here for a description of the magic fix that allowed the upgrade to complete successfully. After I talked to the technician I Googled the name of the variable he had me define and saw several references to this problem and fix.

--Jim--