Repair or clean install?

Hi guys,

I have a serious problem with my OS. My EI doesn't open, backup interrupted (although it might be my backup disk's fault), and the SP1 fails to install. I consulted a tech guy at my school and he said I must do a repair of the OS using the Windows 7 CD. However, I feel like I need to do a complete clean installation because of the various problems I encountered from the get go. What should I do to start the clean installation process? I am currently using W7 ultimate student licensing version and have it installed on two machines. Should I deactivate the OS (and MS Office) on my machine first before I format my disk? Thanks for the help.

BBS

 

I may be incorrect, but I don't think there is a way to "deactivate" a Windows or Office key to install on the same or another computer. If you are not changing any of the hardware though, reactivation of the keys should not be a problem.

A repair install would be the quickest and easiest solution, since it doesn't require you to reinstall any of your apps after repairing Windows. Updates will have to be applied of course.

I'd say a repair install has a decent chance of repairing the problem. But a full-reinstall will definitely fix the problem.

Of course make sure your data is clean, and backed-up somewhere off-line or on a safe drive before doing any of the solutions offered.


Brian

 

Thanks for the reply. The reason that I am contemplating about clean installation is that when I installed W7 32-bit ultimate student version to replace the pre-installed W7 64-bit home version, the OS eats up insanely large disk space (~30gb). And I notice that I have two Program files after doing so. I don't know if this is normal but the OS has some glitches from the very beginning, as I mentioned before. Do you know what steps I should take to perform the clean installation after I backup my files? I am a newbie here.

 

Speaking as someone who reinstalls their OS about three times a year, I ALWAYS fully reformat and essentially start from scratch. I don't mind taking the time to reinstall my various applications... but if you do, then consider doing an Acronis or Norton Ghost-type save. I'm sure there's something open source (read "free to use") that will make that kind of full back up possible, though I never bother. I simply back up the files I want to keep and reinstall the applications "by hand."

As far as doing a "clean install": at some point on the Windows 7 install disk, you should be taken to a screen that lists the drives that are available to load the OS on, including their size (this assumes that you do not choose the "repair" option). There should also be something on that page that is the equivalent of "Advanced options" for your drives.

If you click on that, you should have the option to either reformat whichever drive you choose, or to delete it all together. I do both: I delete that drive all together, then I reformat it. It may be redundant to do so, but whatever.

Either way, if you delete or reformat the drive, EVERYTHING that was on that drive previously will be erased... so be sure to back up anything you want to keep to an external drive if you don't do something Ghost-ish to your files. If you have a second drive on the same computer (I have a C and a D drive), the one you choose not to delete or reload will still be intact after you reinstall the OS. Though I don't recommend it, you can, if there's space, back your files up to that drive.

That's all you have to do: load the disk, follow the screens, look for the "disk options" (sorry, I can't remember the actual wording), choose what you want to do, then hit the button to install the OS. It will be a completely fresh install, with no "old program" folders left behind.

 

Thanks kevalin for the advice. Do you know how I can backup my emails on Outlook?

 

Sorry, no. I never use Outlook. Best bet might be to google it and see if anyone has. Or maybe someone here on the forum can give you some useful information.

 

Also, try this. Open the Command Prompt from the start menu and type in this command "sfc /scannow". This will try to repair/fix corrupted system files if it finds any.

This has fixed some Windows 7 problems for me in the past and saved me the trouble of doing a repair/clean install of Windows.

 

You should be able to export your Outlook to a PST. That is definitely something your school's tech services should be able to help with.

 

@OP

Windows does not eat an insane amount of disk space. You most likely have system restore turned on and set to its default. Windows 7 by itself will use around 11 GB (tested in a virtual machine).

If you are using Outlook setup to access your emails via POP3, then your emails should all be in a PST file. If using IMAP, then only the emails you select to download will be in a PST file and the rest should still be on your school server. Note that most schools limit your server email space and actively delete emails.

What version of Outlook do you use?