Windows 7 Repair Install of Windows 7

PattiChati

Active Member
My windos is acting so sporadically, freezing up, taking forever to open a site. I can get to mail but then cannot open it. I don't know what else to do but try another repair install. I cannot find a tutorial on it. Can anyone help:? Thanks.
 
Seems that they are very similar, just one having more detail. The Captain knows what he is talking about so if you are more comfortable using one as opposed to the other, then do what makes you the most comfortable.
 
Randy how close does the install disk have to match the installed version you're trying to repair? I mean with SP1 and hot fixes. I know in XP your install disk had to be very to close what was installed. If you were a couple month behind then the repair wouldn't finish. That's how I got involved with slip streaming.
Joe
 
Randy how close does the install disk have to match the installed version you're trying to repair? I mean with SP1 and hot fixes. I know in XP your install disk had to be very to close what was installed. If you were a couple month behind then the repair wouldn't finish. That's how I got involved with slip streaming.
Joe
Good question Joe and I would suspect that trying to do an upgrade / inplace repair on a system that had SP1 already installed with install media that was only the basic RTM might produce an upgrade error something regarding you already having a newer version. But that would be easily worked around by obtaining the install media with SP1 integrated already from here Download Windows 7 Integrated With SP1 ISO – Official Direct Download Links
 
Good question Joe and I would suspect that trying to do an upgrade / inplace repair on a system that had SP1 already installed with install media that was only the basic RTM might produce an upgrade error something regarding you already having a newer version. But that would be easily worked around by obtaining the install media with SP1 integrated already from here Download Windows 7 Integrated With SP1 ISO – Official Direct Download Links


I went and backed up my data on my external hard drive. I decided to just take a look at what was on there, and outside of the first set of backups which the other forum walked me through many months ago, the rest are not backups. Like I don't have the backup of what I just did. It just went to a restore point, didn't back up data on the external drive at all. Here all along I thought I was backing up. Can you tell me how to do it. I wanted to do one before doing the repair install. Thanks.
 
Repair install or system restore does not touch the user data - unless you muck it up. But backing up your data is always a good idea. Just copy/paste it to an external device (disk or USB stick). It is a bit easier and more precise with that: Add Copy To / Move To on Windows 7 or Vista Right-Click Menu - How-To Geek


I have everything backed up by going and looking through my data. Is there a way to save that data or the positions of that data, so next time I just hit backup and it will know what to backup?? Not that it takes that long manually, just so I don't forget anything one of the times around. Also, how do you create an "image" of your hard drive and is it something you would want to do?
Oh yeah, how do you backup bookmarks?
Thanks.

Okay, here goes the repair install!!!
 
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Repair install or system restore does not touch the user data - unless you muck it up. But backing up your data is always a good idea. Just copy/paste it to an external device (disk or USB stick). It is a bit easier and more precise with that: Add Copy To / Move To on Windows 7 or Vista Right-Click Menu - How-To Geek

I made an image of my computer and when I was all done I went to check it out and it gave me this: You don't currently have permission to access this folder. What does that mean and how do I change it?
 
Good question Joe and I would suspect that trying to do an upgrade / inplace repair on a system that had SP1 already installed with install media that was only the basic RTM might produce an upgrade error something regarding you already having a newer version. But that would be easily worked around by obtaining the install media with SP1 integrated already from here Download Windows 7 Integrated With SP1 ISO – Official Direct Download Links


Can you look over the rest of my questions, possibly answer the one abut not having permission to access this folder? If everything checks out I am ready to do the repair install. Let me know and away I go. Thanks.
 
I made an image of my computer and when I was all done I went to check it out and it gave me this: You don't currently have permission to access this folder. What does that mean and how do I change it?
I assuma you made the image with Windows Imaging and that the folder is called 'WindowsImage Backup'. When you get this message, just 'Continue". Then you get to a folder with your system name - same routine. Last folder is "Backup' with a date and a number - same routine. Once you open that, you will see a lot of files. The last one is the VHD (with a lot of bytes). There may even be 2 VHDs - you want the bigger one.

Now go to Disk Management. On the top left next to 'File' there is the 'Action' tab. Click on that and then click on 'Attach VHD'. There you browse to the folders where you have just been (WindowsImage Backup > the folder with your name > Backup > the big VHD). Double click on that VHD and then OK.

Now go to My Computer. There you will see the VHD that you just attached (it looks like all the other partitions and has the same name as the partition that was imaged - only another partition letter). Double click on that and you will see what is in the image.
 
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Just in case, an image is used to restore your hard drive to a previous condition (wipes the current install). For instance, you current hard quits and you have to install a new one. The image would bring it back just like the first drive was still there at the time the image was made. It does depend, of course, on exactly what partitions you include in the image, but it is normally accessed through the Repair scenario and is not meant to be used for individual file retrieval. Although I have not tried Whs's procedure, it does sound interesting.

A backup of your files is a different thing and can be accessed through the Backup and Restore utility.
 
I assuma you made the image with Windows Imaging and that the folder is called 'WindowsImage Backup'. When you get this message, just 'Continue". Then you get to a folder with your system name - same routine. Last folder is "Backup' with a date and a number - same routine. Once you open that, you will see a lot of files. The last one is the VHD (with a lot of bytes). There may even be 2 VHDs - you want the bigger one.

Now go to Disk Management. On the top left next to 'File' there is the 'Action' tab. Click on that and then click on 'Attach VHD'. There you browse to the folders where you have just been (WindowsImage Backup > the folder with your name > Backup > the big VHD). Double click on that VHD and then OK.

Now go to My Computer. There you will see the VHD that you just attached (it looks like all the other partitions and has the same name as the partition that was imaged - only another partition letter). Double click on that and you will see what is in the image.

I don't know if I did this right or not, I am not seeing what you are explaining. I googled it and followed those directions, just can't see the info. Can you tell me how to do it and then hopefully I will see what you just explained. The folder does say windows image backup though
 
Just in case, an image is used to restore your hard drive to a previous condition (wipes the current install). For instance, you current hard quits and you have to install a new one. The image would bring it back just like the first drive was still there at the time the image was made. It does depend, of course, on exactly what partitions you include in the image, but it is normally accessed through the Repair scenario and is not meant to be used for individual file retrieval. Although I have not tried Whs's procedure, it does sound interesting.

A backup of your files is a different thing and can be accessed through the Backup and Restore utility.

So to do a repair install I don't need the imagebackup? Hope not since I can't open mine
 
No, I am only speaking of backups, not the actual Repair install.
 
I have everything backed up by going and looking through my data. Is there a way to save that data or the positions of that data, so next time I just hit backup and it will know what to backup?? Not that it takes that long manually, just so I don't forget anything one of the times around. Also, how do you create an "image" of your hard drive and is it something you would want to do?
Oh yeah, how do you backup bookmarks?
Thanks.

Okay, here goes the repair install!!!
Patti, backing up bookmarks depends upon the browser that you use. Many of them offers a way to "sync" your bookmarks, so that not only your bookmarks are backed up, you can even carry them from one computer to another by following whatever process they offer.

I use Google Chrome (mostly), all that I need to do when I install the browser, is sign into it using my GMail login & password, it takes less than a minute, all of my bookmarks, options & addons are there. Firefox has their version of sync, it's been a while since I've used it, but it was easy.

It's no big deal, whatever browser you use, just Google "backup bookmarks" along with the name whatever browser(s) you use. Hope that the repair install goes well.

Cat
 
Pretty simple actually. Some people make a big deal out of it but it is pretty straight forward, it just takes a while to complete.
Read this article from Microsoft.
How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 & Windows Server 2008 R2
Regards
Randy

I did most of the repair install, when it got to a certain part it gave me this error:

The following issues are preventing Windows from upgrading. Cancel the upgrade, complete each task, and then restart the upgrade to continue.

Windows needs to be restarted so necessary changes to system files can be made before continuing.



I must have restarted over 6 times and it kept giving me that error.. In the directions it says "the computer will restart several times during the upgrade", but it didn't, I had to do it manually. Can you tell me what I did wrong please? Thanks

 
Patti,

What media are you using to do or attempt the install? And are you doing it as a clean install?

Drew
 
Patti,

What media are you using to do or attempt the install? And are you doing it as a clean install?

Drew

I did a repair install and everything worked out fine. But I still have the "does not recognize USB" and yahoo mail still is very slow. The other websites are fine. I just don't understand that USB error. I took the disk out when it was safe to take out media. Got up this morning and the error was there and it wasn't when I went to bed last night. Oi Vai
 
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