PatchySan's Guide to Clean Installing Windows 7 on the ThinkPad

I'm in the midst of a nightmare situation here, and am hoping you can help. I'm replacing the hard drive on my new W530 with a SSD (crucial M4 512gb) I went ahead and created the recovery media on my external hard drive before I read this thread. (And I accidentally overwrote 3 years of 3D models (my work) in the process. But anyway).

I followed the directions on this thread anyway, intending to use the hard drive instead, but when I got to the point where it prompts me to select the boot media I am unable to use the hard drive, although I can see it. I click on it, and it flashes and returns me to the same spot.

So now. I have two folders: boot and factory recovery, and two files: usb.tag and winRE.wim. What do I do with these? Can I save them to a USB or to disks? If so, is there a particular order in which they need to be selected?

I'm usually not such an idiot about these things, but I'm stumped.

Thanks!

 

I assume you have a W530 that has a stock HDD and runs Windows 7.

When you run the Lenovo application to create factory recovery media, you are prompted to select the boot media. This is usually a brand new CD-R sitting ready in an optical drive.

The factory recovery media creation procedure requires 1 CD (for boot) and up to 3 DVD's (for data).

(You could use a USB flash drive, but you must prep it beforehand to make it a bootable device. But I won't get into this.)

Don't mess around with any external hard drive that keeps your valuable personal data files!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Such question: I don't like that Lenovo recovery disk install system on to full hard drive with bordello programs.ThinkPad 430, pre-installed system Win 7 Prof.x64 and I can install Win7 Ultimatx64 but I can't activate with legal key - message: You cannot activate this version of Windows on this computer. How to activate system?

 

Of course. Your legal COA key is for activating a Windows 7 Professional installation ONLY.

Re-install using Windows 7 Professional disc. (You can legally download the .ISO file for it.)

Welcome to the forum.

 

It means that I cannot use Win 7 Ultimate on this computer, even with legal key for Ultimate? Only Win 7 Professional?

 

I thought you were talking about the W7 Pro COA key that came with your notebook.

If you have a legal copy of W7 Ultimate and a valid W7 Ultimate key, validation should be successful.

 

If it doesn't work, call Microsoft and they should sort it out.

 

Thanks to the OP for posting.

But, the words of the tutorial are being cut off on the right side of my screen and I can't read the whole thing.
IS there a fix?

 

Due to the recent forum upgrades it has pretty much destroyed the layout of this guide, I see what I can do but that will take time. For the moment it's best to read the guide in full screen and in vB4 Default Style which you can select at the bottom of the forum.

EDIT: I spent a good couple of hours overhauling the layout so any cut off issues should now be fixed.

 

THANK YOU.

I am so sorry.
I would have never mentioned it if I knew it was going to create so much work for you.
Thanks again.

 

Trying to install Win7 Home Premium (a full version I bought a few years ago) on a W530. The relevant drivers are on a USB stick. But, when, I browse to install the storage drivers at the partitioning stage of the install, I consistently receive a message that no signed drivers were found.

The USB stick is browsable, but the .exe files aren't being found.

I'm assuming I am supposed to find the appropriate .exe file on the stick, click it so it launches and runs the driver setup routine, and then continue with the partitioning. Ditto later on with the network drivers.

Or... should I somehow *extract* the contents of the .exe files on the USB, which would then, presumably, make the actual driver files visible to the installer? If that's it, I need to find a way to do that in Linux. That's what the W530 is running at the moment and I don't have access to a Windows machine.

Thanks!

 

You don't have to install the Intel RST drivers on Windows install if that is what you're talking about, Windows has a built in AHCI driver that will do the job during installation and even afterwards of you want to.

If you want to install a driver during the windows installation process, you need the .inf and associated files, they should be packaged in the .exe.

 

Since I could not find a way to extract the content of the .exe files in Linux, I did the install, then loaded the network and RST drivers from the USB stick, then ran system update which pulled down just short of a gig's worth of drivers, etc.

I had also misinterpreted the instructions here. I thought that the drivers in the .exe files were simply archived and that after expansion into a folder, I'd point Device Manager at that folder and the correct drivers would be found and installed. Of course, the .exe files are setup programs that extract and install their contents.

If I did it again, I'd put only the ethernet and wireless driver on the USB stick, install them after finishing the Windows install, and then use system update for everything else.

 

I was planning on using this guide to help convert from my hard drive to a new SSD and now that my SSD has finally arrived... the thread is missing!! Do you still have the original instruction guide that was posted here before?

 

PatchySan, would it be possible to re-publish the not-yet-fixed version of your guide while you are working on the improved layout? Or, if you have a PDF of the not-yet-fixed version, to upload it somewhere and post a link here?

Thanks.

 

^^^ +1. I second (third) the request. I am extremely grateful that you have this, and are updating it, but I'm trying to clean install an x230 right now, and really need your guide, even in a wonky layout. Thanks!

 

Guys I found the online copy of the clean install guide, it can be found here.

 

Did PatchySan get banned or something? He/She lost her avatar and has not posted in days.

 

Thanks a million, Lyndos, for posting this link – the guide was sorely missed. And thanks a billion, PatchySan, for creating this comprehensive guide in the first place!