TWO ways to Repair a Win 7 Install gone bad...without reformatting. [Both ways requires that you have a full copy of Win 7 and with Option #2 you'll need your Win 7 product key as well.]
Option #1
*Check System Files for Corruption*
1. Set 1st boot device to your optical drive, via the BIOS. Insert the Windows DVD and reboot computer.
2. When the system starts and prompts you to press any key...do so.
3. At the language screen, make your choices and click "Next"
4. At the Win 7 installation screen, DO NOT click Install now. Instead, click "Repair your computer". Click "Next on the next menu that pops up.
5. The next menu will have two radio buttons, select the first one, and note in the text box, what the drive letter is for your system drive and click "Next"
6. On the next menu choose the lowest option: "Command Prompt"
7. In the following 'Command Prompt window', you will want to run System File Checker, to do that, type the following command:
8. sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c:\windows ...where c: is the operating system drive. [Note: Ther is a space between sfc and / .... and between \ and / ]
9. The scan will start, if the scan finds errors, simply rerun the scan using the same command from step #8, until you find no more errors.
10. When you are finished with scan(s), just type the command: exit and then click the restart button. Remove Win 7 DVD and you should now be ablr to boot Windows.
Option #2
*Reinstall Window 7 without losing Data*
1. First, grab you Windows 7 DVD and make sure it matches the Service Pack that is installed currently on the computer.
2. If your DVD has no SP1 but you computer does...Go to: Control Panel > Uninstall a Program ...then choose the option to View Updates.
3. You can the right click the SP1 service pack to uninstall it.
4. Inset Win 7 DVD into Optical Drive (Don't "boot" from DVD this time) and on the autorun menu, choose to "run" setup.exe.
5. Once more you will find yourself at the Windows 7 Install Screen. This time, DO click the large "Install Now" button.
6. After the Copying Temporary Files... screen, it will ask about getting updates for installation files... if you have a network connection, allow this.
7. When the installer asks what kind of install would you like, instead of Custom... we want to choose: Upgrade
8. Now just sit through the usual Win 7 install, with it's reboots and progress bars. When done, you'll have to reactivate Windows by entering the product key.
9. Lastly, just let Windows install any security updates or service packs, that it's missing, and reboot.
10. All your system files should now be fully restored. Without any data loss.
Actually, Option #2 should work even IF you can't boot into Windows...just, first, follow steps #1 - #3 from Option #1. This is of course assuming that your Win 7 DVD already has SP1 on it, and that your Win 7 install does as well.
This post was edited by ghot on Aug 21 2011 07:08pm