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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: SnakeEyes on May 25, 2012, 12:33:41 AM
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A while back, someone gave me a free LEGAL copy of Windows 7 (I think it was labeled as a family pack or something) and so I upgraded from Vista to Windows 7, which ended up being a completely awesome, amazing move. So, anyway - one time, something happened, I had to format my hard drive (no, not porn) .... I had a recording interface that my computer wouldn't "see" when I plugged it in, I thought it was a software issue..... the unit ended up being dead.
Problem is: I had to reinstall VISTA ..... first.... then, all of the dumb ass Vista UPDATES.....including SERVICE PACK 1. It literally takes hours..... and hours..... like, a whole day just to do this. Then, there's the Windows 7 installation. And, all the updates.... blah blah.
So, my question is: is there a way to just reinstall Windows 7 without having to borrow the Windows 7 CD that I used to first install it? It's kind of a pain because I have to borrow the CD from the guy, etc. I did create a "recovery disc," but I don't think that reinstalls W7..... I think it just chooses a restore point.
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.... oh, and actually, what I meant to ask: is there a way to reinstall W7 without having to reinstall Vista, like, AT ALL?
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.... oh, and actually, what I meant to ask: is there a way to reinstall W7 without having to reinstall Vista, like, AT ALL?
Not if what you have is the upgrade. In order to install Windows 7, you'll have to buy the full edition, unfortunately. The upgrade does exactly that: upgrades. The fact that it isn't a standalone install is Microsoft's reason for slashing 80 bucks off the MSRP.
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Actually, MetalJunkie, I just looked it up..... and, not to be argumentative in any way (honestly) .... apparently, you can do a clean install of Windows 7 with an upgrade disc. You can completely delete your entire OS, put in W7 upgrade disc and install W7. There are countless sites that describe how to do it. You can even go from Vista 32-bit to Windows 7 64-bit by formatting the drive, putting in the W7 upgrade and then doing a clean install of 64-bit.
An article with more information:
https://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/clean-install-with-windows-7-upgrade-media-get-the-facts/1505
Sorry, I should have just looked this up..... waste of a thread, I know. LOL
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Interesting. Didn't know you could do a clean install with an upgrade. I thought they enforced some way to verify you had the prior OS.
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Yeah, basically you do two installs.
1) Install the upgrade, but don't enter a product key when it asks.
2) "Upgrade" Windows 7 with a clean install, which it will let you do because it sees a qualifying version of Windows running.
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Interesting. Didn't know you could do a clean install with an upgrade. I thought they enforced some way to verify you had the prior OS.
Me too. Thanks, Fiery Winds.
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I've done it before. You have to make one registry change and when you put in your product code, you will have to call Microsoft's automated number to confirm. I don't remember the registry details but I found it by doing a quick internet search.
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Yep, I've done plenty of fresh installs of W7 with the upgrade version. Also, take a look at nlite:
https://www.nliteos.com/
It allows you to create "updated" versions of the installation cd, and integrate things like drivers, service packs and updates so you dont have to install them manually each time you reinstall.
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Thanks for that link!