Hello Frederik,
See my signature. Not a stupid question at all. :)
Here are the basics.
repair install = A inplace upgrade install that upgrades the current installation with the same edition. Just about everything in the previous installation is still in the new installation.
clean install = Wipes out and formats the selected partition or HDD, then installs Windows 7 on it. Nothing from the previous installation is preserved.
heya Brink
idk if you have answered this already but i keep getting an error " upgrade could not be completed" or something to that extent during step 9 ..and i have tried turning off virus and firewall ..idk what to do ..suggestions ?
thanks a million
Hello Fenix,
It really depends on what the complete error message says. If you could write it down, and post back with it.
You might also check the red warning box at the top of the tutorial to see if anything listed may be a reason for the error.
New member alert! Amazing how often I've surfed on Windows issues and gotten the best hits at sevenforums.com, so I am glad to be here!
I have two questions. My installations started life as OEM Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit, and today of course my three PCs are updated to SP1, and in a couple cases I have used the command
dism /online /cleanup-image /spsuperseded
to rid myself of pre-SP1 updates and gain ~4Gb (and reduce my backups' size). So I have no original Windows 7 HP x64 installation disc from which to ever do a System Repair should such a thing be necessary, nor apparently can I build-my-own as Brink said it doesn't work. So to confirm: my only option is to purchase a newer SP1 disc, so I have it available "just in case"?
Secondly, I don't think I've ever had to do a Repair Install--is this really anything to be concerned about or am I best-off simply continuing to make Image Backups (Macrium and Acronis) and leave things at that? Thanks for any advice on these.
Hello Max, and welcome to Seven Forums.
A repair install is really just a last ditch effort to repair your Windows 7 installation to avoid having to do a clean install when nothing else worked, or you have no other option available.
I agree that keeping good image backups would usually be all that you need. It basically accomplishes the same thing, and is more reliable. :)
So, back at it after an uneasy 2 weeks of trying everything else. I've pulled the plug on all virus/spyware/malware etc. software. I've scoured the registry and used proprietary uninstallers for Kaspersky and Norton (just in case some app. was installed as OEM crud in my machine 3 yrs ago). I now cannot even install MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials), so I'm feeling really vulnerable. That issue is just as bad as any of the others I have and not even uSoft email support has it going for me. You'd think that this software could load just like everybody else's --- but I digress....
So, no such luck with a DVD Repair/Install in either normal or clean boot. The same error after loading the files and "Setup is Starting" --> "Windows encountered an internal error while initializing COM" I'm really hoping there's a light going off in someone's head 'cause it's blackened my day.
Hello, this tutorial is really helpful, but I'm stuck at one thing.
See, I checked all the warnings of the tutorial, made sure everything was as it should be, but when I get past step 9 I get a message saying something like this (I've translated it from Dutch to English, so it might not be completely accurate):
"You cannot perform an upgrade from Windows 7 Professional to Windows 7 Professional. You can install a new copy of Windows 7 Professional, but that is not an upgrade and with this all the files, settings and programs won't be kept. You must reinstall all programs with the original disks or files. Make a back-up on an external location, like a cd, dvd or external hard disk if you want to save the files before you install Windows. Click on the button Previous at the top left corner and select 'Custom installation (advanced)' if you want to install a new copy of Windows 7 Professional."
But off course, I don't want to install a new copy. I want to keep my settings and definitely my installed programs. I first had the error message saying I couldn't upgrade because I had a newer version installed already, but that was because I still had the Service Pack 1 installed (which is now uninstalled, as was required like mentioned at the beginning of your tutorial).
So here I am, asking this question, hoping you might know what to do.
I can't afford doing a clean install, really. I'm a student, soon to start my third year in bachelor IT, and I have so many programs required for classes that I just can't reinstall them all...
So please, perhaps you know what I must do in order to get rid of this error message I get? I must absolutely do an in-place upgrade, because my system has some corrupt/damaged files. I've done all the possible solutions already to fix the system, but nothing helped, so doing an in-place upgrade is my last chance of hope.
I really do hope you might be able to help, I have all my hopes on your tutorial, and I eager to finish it.
And apparently has its own pitfalls wrt how all the stars & planets must align in re the install-and-repair DVDs matching-up.
Thanks for confirming, I appreciate it!I agree that keeping good image backups would usually be all that you need. It basically accomplishes the same thing, and is more reliable. :)
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