Solved Windows 7 Pro non destructive reinstall issues

[gregrocker]

I do not work for MS. I am a forums volunteer for Win7 since beta who has directly helped tens of thousands of happy consumers achieve a perfect install of Win7, and another million who have followed the tutorial I compiled.

That there hasn't been a single complaint is all the response needed to your claim that this is "horrid." The only time we hear those kinds of scare claims about a reinstall is beforehand, never once after achieving the best install of Win7 one can have. The satisfaction cancels out the worry. But you need to follow the steps for what works best and not try to apply outdated methods. If you do that they you'd have a backup image of a perfect install and never need to reinstall again, which you don't.

But if you don't have time for that now then follow these steps and we will see if anything is obviously blocking the install: Fix Windows corruption errors by using the DISM or System Update Readiness tool Post back the CBS log by pasting it in between the code tags using the # choice in Reply box toolbar.

 

[ScotiMac]

Thanks for your commitment to volunteering here. You obviously do good work. Those of us who do this in the field professionally don't post here after we've completed installs. We post here and surf here looking for answers when we run into problems. Once we've already spent the several days required to do a full install and look for and install all the client's software, we've got to get to the rest of our work that sat for several days while we were rebuilding the computer. Because we don't come back on here and complain about the time it took us to rebuild the computer does not mean we're happy about it, it means we accept it and move on. No scare claims. I was looking for answers on how to successfully do a non-destructive install. Never was able to do it, rebuilt the machine, and moved on. Don't assume that means we're happy with it. We just get behind having to rebuild operating systems that should have been able to be non-destructively repaired, and once completed, there's other things to attend to, as opposed to surfing or responding here.

 

[gregrocker]

I was waiting for your response to the initial steps to next recommend the steps to generate the cbs log as we have in residence here the best experts to read it who might immediately spot the problem if it is to be found. There's also another log we can call for if that isn't productive that might show what is failing exactly in the Repair Install.

But I understand your time constraints.

 

[Kaktussoft]

I've been having the exact same issues cocomo did a year ago.
Kaktussoft... you all discuss this as if a non-destructive installation of W7 is possible, however I've never been able to complete one. Error message is always the same:

"Windows 7 Professional cannot be upgraded to Windows 7 Professional. You can choose to install a new copy of Windows 7 Professional instead, but this is different from an upgrade, and does not keep your files, settings, and programs. You’ll need to reinstall any programs using the original installation discs or files. To save your files before installing Windows, back them up to an external location such as a CD, DVD, or external hard drive. To install a new copy of Windows 7 Professional, click the Back button in the upper left-hand corner, and select “Custom (advanced)”.

I'm trying to avoid a full reinstall from scratch because I cannot locate all the original CDs and keys from all the software I've loaded over the last few years. You all make this non-destructive install sound so possible, why is it so impossible for me to do? I've got SP1 installed on the computer, and the ISO file I'm attempting to load is W7Pro SP1. I've tried the setup in Vista SP2 compatibility mode (another suggestion found on the net.) I've tried everything I can think of.

You can upgrade win7 professional to win7 professonial. It's an repair install. Install DVD is same bitsize as installed win7 (for example both x64)?

Post cbs.log, install log files like panther.log. Maybe you can find relevant error info in event log(?)