Can I use a retail windows 7 SP1 to repair my current OS which is not SP1?
As I said I don't a windows 7 installation media so I'm thinking of downloading an official retail ISO.
Let's say I already have that ISO, can I activate it using the serial number below my laptop?
I'm not sure about your first question, but you can certainly give it a try.
As for your second question, yes, you can. You own a Windows licence by virtue of your OEM operating system and product key.
Clean Install : Factory COA Activation Key
Seavixen: Does this apply to a REPAIR INSTALL too?
I'm downloading a Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit ISO atm (The one I downloaded before was with SP1). The repair Install tutorial only pointed out Repair Installing currently installed Windows 7 SP1. How about repair install for Windows 7 without SP1? Is there any guide for that? Please help, I'm still waiting for your reply.
Have a look here: Repair Install after SP1
To repair a non-SP1 Windows 7 you need a non-SP1 DVD and to repair Windows 7 SP1 you need a Windows 7 SP1 DVD.
So, in your case you need the ISO you are downloading now.
Repair Install
I couldn't swear to it - but I don't believe that there's any problem using an SP1 disk to do a repair install on an RTM install. It'd get SP1 installed, at least!
@ Noel: what's an RTM?
By the way, if I do a repair install will I lose my INSTALLED PROGRAMS on my drive C? I don't want to lose them I don't want to get in trouble with the device drivers. As i've learned before that a samsung laptop is dependent on the system recovery partition to install the device drivers and all.
I don't want to modify anything aside from my current OS which can't update to SP1 and also deletes every restore point I make upon reboot. These are the only 2 problem that I have with my unit.
RTM is 'Release to Manufacture' - the intial public release of the OS.
As always, back up your data to external media first!
You shouldn't lose anything by repair installing with either an original release disk, or with an SP1 disk - but this is Windows and strange things can happen. If you use the RTM disk, then you'll need to reinstall ALL the Windows Updates as well as SP1 - if you use theSP1 disk, then you only need the updates later than SP1 (WU should sort that out for you)
If I were you, I'd uninstall my Anti-Virus before attempting the repair - AV's can often get in teh way of the process, and will certianly slow it down - and you should also run the AV manufacturer's cleanup tool if they have one.
I'm using KASPERSKY INTERNET SECURITY 2012.
what do you mean by "Backup your data" ? Is it Image file backup of my whole system to an external drive?
I can do that with SAMSUNG RECOVERY SOLUTION 4 which is the one i've been using eversince.
But what if the samsung programs get deleted from drive c? that would mean that I can't run the SAMSUNG RECOVERY SOLUTION 4 to use the Image backup from the external drive.
I'm kinda confused now. I finished downloading the Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit ISO file. I just want to make sure now that I won't get the same trouble as that lady with the samsung laptop from this thread New laptop, changing partition disks?
Images are great - but totally useless if they are stored on the same physical disk as the original data. (Think - what happens if your disk fails?)
You need to back up the entire contents of your Libraries to external media for safe-keeping, as a minimum.
Repair Install
Kaspersky has a cleanup tool - Removal tool for Kaspersky Lab products
So long as you don't do anything silly, the built-in Recovery system for the Samsung should still be available for use to get you back to an expfactory state.
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