How to Repair Install
What is a Repair Install:
A repair installation is an alternative to a complete clean installation or upgrade installation. Repair installations will try to repair a corrupt or malfunctioning version of an operating system on a hard drive.
Repair Installations offer you the ability to keep your personal files, folders, applications and settings exactly how you had them while *hopefully* fixing the errors that maybe causing your operating system to function improperly. It operates by replacing all the system files of the operating system while leaving your personal files and folders untouched. It does however mean you will need to rerun the Windows Updates.
A repair installation is great for when you have a missing file or a corrupt system file/.dll or even files that may have been corrupted by malicious spyware or viruses. If you’re computer is too far beyond repair or you’re looking for a fresh start, I recommend a clean install then trying to repair install the computer; just make sure you have your system completely backed up!
Repair Installation Guides:
1) Windows 7
3) Windows XP
Repair Installation on Windows 7:
To repair an installation or a corrupt version of Windows 7, put the operating system disk in your CD/DVD-ROM drive and restart the computer. Follow any prompts that ask you to press any key to continue into setup and wait for the files off the DVD to load.
There are two options to repair Windows 7. You can try to repair any issues you have during start up by using the start up repair or repair the actual core files of the operating system using an upgrade install.
**To repair a Windows 7 start up issue, boot from the disk and wait until you see the Installation Screen. Be sure to chose the Repair your computer link on the bottom left.
The start up repair will search for problems automatically and attempt to fix them. If it cannot fix them, it will ask if you wish to restore your computer to an earlier time period when it might have functioned properly or offer you other options to restore your PC from a back up. It offers memory testing which is a great tool for checking your RAM for errors that prevent the computer from starting up properly.
**To repair Windows 7 and the core system files, you will need to do an upgrade install.
First, boot up normally into Windows 7 on the hard drive, do not boot from disk. After, insert the CD for Windows 7 and then select to Run setup.exe. Click Install now as if you were to do a regular clean installation. When it asks for your installation type, choose Upgrade Installation.
Follow the onscreen instructions it provides and wait for it to finish copying and installing files. You will be prompted to re-enter your product key and other information such as time time and date or network settings but you can reuse the settings you first selected from the original installation. I suggest you skip the option to download updates as it installs because it is much faster to install updates after the general system installation is complete.
When it boots back up to your desktop, be certain to make sure all of your files are there. If you are missing any information, run a Disk Clean up and see how many files were marked for deletion in the Files discard by Windows upgrade. If you need to browse these files, they are located in the C:\Windows.old, C:\$INPLACE.~TR and C:\$WINDOWS.~Q, folders. Feel free to browse them for any user settings and files that might have been marked for deletion from the old Windows folders in the upgrade installation.
Repair Installation on Windows Vista:
To repair an installation or a corrupt version of Windows Vista, put the operating system disk in your CD/DVD-ROM drive and restart the computer. Follow any prompts that ask you to press any key to continue into setup and wait for the files off the DVD to load.
There are two options to repair Windows Vista. You can try to repair any issues you have during start up by using the start up repair or repair the actual core files of the operating system using an upgrade install. If you do need to upgrade install to re-write any system files (which will not delete your personal files) then you will need to be certain your disk includes all the service packs you have installed on your computer or the upgrade will not work. If you have SP1 or SP2 you will need to slipstream those files onto the disk before you try and upgrade your computer.
**To repair a Windows Vista start up issue, boot from the disk and wait until you see the Installation Screen. Be sure to chose the Repair your computer link on the bottom left.
The start up repair will search for problems automatically and attempt to fix them. If it cannot fix them, it will ask if you wish to restore your computer to an earlier time period when it might have functioned properly or offer you other options to restore your PC from a back up. It offers memory testing which is a great tool for checking your RAM for errors that prevent the computer from starting up properly.
**To repair Windows Vista and the core system files, you will need to do an upgrade install. As stated above, be sure your disk includes the service packs that were installed on your computer or the upgrade will not work.
When you boot up from Windows Vista install disk, *do not boot into your normal OS and then the disk*, click Install now as if you were to do a regular clean installation. On the next screen proceed to enter in your product key or choose the version of Vista you are installing. When it asks for your installation type, choose Upgrade Installation.
Follow the onscreen instructions it provides and wait for it to finish copying and installing files. I suggest you skip the option to download updates as it installs because it is much faster to install updates after the general system installation is complete.
When it boots back up to your desktop, be certain to make sure all of your files are there. If you are missing any information, run a Disk Clean up and see how many files were marked for deletion in the Files discard by Windows upgrade. If you need to browse these files, they are located in the C:\Windows.old, C:\$INPLACE.~TR and C:\$WINDOWS.~Q, folders. Feel free to browse them for any user settings and files that might have been marked for deletion from the old Windows folders in the upgrade installation.
Repair Installation on Windows XP:
To repair an installation of Windows XP, just pop in the operating system disk into your CD/DVD-ROM drive and restart the computer. Follow any prompts that ask you to press any key to continue into setup and wait for the files off the CD to load.
When you arrive at the main screen do NOT select repair installation by recovery console. That tool is for more advanced users who are looking to pull off individual files from a command prompt environment and is not intended for 99% of users. Simply proceed as if you were doing a normal setup by hitting the Enter key.
Approve of the license agreement after reading its terms and conditions but on the next screen, highlight your installation of Windows XP and press the “R” key. Do not select a new installation of Windows XP or that will lead you into a path of other problems or even an unwarranted reformat of your hard drive causing you to lose all your data.
Allow the installation to re-download all the files off the CD to your hard drive and unpack and install them like normal. It may reboot the computer a few times but rest assure that your data will on the PC when it regains normal operation!