Win 7 Pro repair

I have an ACER laptop running Win7 Professional without SP1. The OS has become corrupted. I tried an in place upgrade using a Win7 Pro w/SP1 install disc. It was my understanding that this would work. I knew you couldn't repair a Win7 with SP1 with an older disc without SP1. The software stops the install and tells me to download and install SP1 before trying the in place upgrade. Since the communications software is part of the corruption, this is impossible. Both the computer and the disc are 64bit installs. I have a substantial number of programs installed and don't want to lose them. I am stumped. Any ideas out there or is this just impossible?

 

Do you still have the factory recovery cd? You can just ask someone else you know that has Win7 Pro w/o sp1 and use that disc to see if you can get it to work? Sp1 will only work as you found out on Sp1 O/S installed machines. Those programs can always be downloaded or reinstalled from the cd/dvd so that should be the least of your worries the data and files created by those programs should be the priority to backup and copied back to the customs programs folders to use again. Sounds like you have a Virus/Malware and might be more then corrupted files is the cause from Virus/Malware infection so if you going to fix the O/S you should double check to make sure your AV/Malware checker is up to date and working.