New
#2040
A repair install will only leave you with the same as what you have installed now.
I think I may not have been clear as to what I was asking. Let's take a hypothetical. Let's say I get a Windows 7 ISO file, and it is NOT as recent a build as what I have now. And let us suppose that I CAN successfully remove (uninstall) SP1. Would that not leave the ISO file later than what I have (since the ISO file has SP1 and what I have would NOT have SP1 after I uninstalled it. Now, assuming that I could do all of that (which I understand is by no means certain), would a Repair Install then bring me back to whatever version was on the ISO file, AND leave my existing applications intact (Understanding that I would then have to run Windows Update to update whatever was updated between what I started with, and what the ISO file had)?
Two other questions for you. Since this would be a fairly risky move, should I choose to try it, let's say that I make a System Image before I begin. And let's say that for whatever reason, the Repair Install fails. Could I not then restore my System Image, and be back to where I am today (admittedly, with the same problems regarding Windows Update that I have now)?
And one probably minor question regarding the Repair Install itself. As I recall, there was a statement that the system would reboot several times during the Repair Install. That being the case, would one need to remove the DVD or USB stick that has the ISO on it to prevent booting to that, rather than whatever stage of the installation process we were at at the time? Or would the installation process be smart enough to figure out not to start over from the boot DVD/USB?
Answers inline. :)
Yes, but only if the ISO was the same or newer and if you were able to successfully uninstall SP1 without causing more issues.
Creating a system image before you start would be a smart thing to do. Normally if a repair install fails, it'll automatically revert back to how you were before you started. However, it'll be safer to have a system image as a backup incase something went wrong with the repair install preventing it from automatically reverting back.
You should be fine if you use a USB, but it would be better to have the ISO on a hard drive instead.
Thanks. On your last point, somewhere I got the notion that to do a repair install, that I had to boot from the install media (no doubt an error on my part, since I have read so much lately on various approaches to solving this problem.) But if I can run the ISO directly from a hard drive, that would be easier than creating a boot device. Can you run an ISO file from a hard drive? Shows you how much I know about ISO files.
You have been very patient and helpful to me. I'll have to give this all a good bit of thought before I decide what to do. I've been planning on buying a new computer eventually (mine is over 6 years old) with Windows 10, so this may be the time to bite that bullet. But even if I do, I'd still like to get the old machine in good working order and maybe use it as a backup. Of course, if I do that, I'd have moved or reinstalled most everything to the new computer, so reinstalling Windows from scratch (even from the Dell DVD) would be a more sensible option. Thanks again for your help.
"Can you run an ISO file from a hard drive?"
Yes,if you are using bios firmware (you obviously are ).
Set it up with Easybcd.Scroll down this link to get the free community edition:
EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies
so in the section where to extract a iso window file you have a E volume i dont have extra volumes on my computer and my D: is full mostly of recovery stuff even if i wanted to use it. so should i created a new volume on my laptop i have 464 gb free of 575 gb on my C:
and the part where it says check if user files are missing after the install repair, do i just check back and forth between the new files and old files that would seem like a lot of files and folders to look through or did you mean personal files or files in the actual folder named "USER"
Last edited by kenny lc; 02 May 2016 at 14:37. Reason: additional question
Hello Kenny, and welcome to Seven Forums. :)
If you have a USB flash drive, then you could extract the ISO to it to use. A 4-8 GB USB flash drive is pretty cheap these days.
USB Windows 7 Installation Key Drive - Create
Usually, you won't have an issue with missing user files, but you could just look in the copy of your user profile folder inside the C:\Windows.old folder to see if anything is there.
oh ok so using a usb flash drive is better than creating another volume on my laptop to use?