Hi,

I just installed windows 8 consumer preview and want to reinstall windows 7. I have a disk for it and can do it only thru - my computer and then pause on the symbol of the driver. after I do it the computer stucks and freezes and I cant do anything.

please help. Thanks in advance.

Hi Hoffe4, welcome to our forum. I sughest installing windows 8 RP. Thats more wonderful than windows CP. If you have not downloaded it, click here to download. Please note that you should back up your file before you install. Also, you need to burn to DVD after you finish the download.

What are using to reinstall Windows 7? A genuine Windows install disk or a restore disk set?
Joe

I take it that the OP has what I hope is a genuine install disk, as only "a disk" was stated. Until the OP returns, we won't know. On both computers that I bought new, the recovery disk set that I burned is 3 DVD's.

Haven't had to use the MSI ones, but on the HP, all that the 1st two DVD's does is format the HDD. The last re-installs the factory programs & recovery partition. It's certainly not a quick format either.

Cat

I did that factory Restore disk set for a friend/customer of mine. It took a long time and five DVD's to back up the hard drive, the factory way.
Then I did a Ghost Backup using HIGH compression and it took only three DVD's but still quite a bit of time.

But the Ghost Restore will put the PC back to the moment when the backup was done, with all the initial setup done and all the options already set and the Garbage Software already removed. That beats the heck out of the Factory Restore.

I suggest doing something similar after installing Windows 8/RP, so if there's a Boo Boo, you can go right back to where everything was working fine.

Cheers Mates!
TechnoMage

I have already created 3 Images of Win 8 RP. I like to keep my Images Up to Date as the restoration is quicker that way. I store my Images on an ext HD.

I already have 2 images of RP, and still have the image of CP (along with 2 other Windows's OS's). I've heard that the older versions of Ghost is better than the newer ones. Mainly from forum feedback & Newegg's ratings for the software (terrible).

What I do, & didn't know that I could until recently, is I have an older Todo Workstation backup program, on 1 install, but it's boot disk can backup anything that can boot from CD. Also, I have a full install of Acronis TI Home 2010 on my ThinkPad, it also has the boot disk, but I haven't tried it on other computers.

Just so happened, I got that version of Todo Workstation 2.5.1, simply by writing a review, sent it by email (Outlook), I had the key & download link the next day. Of course, this was by invitation, probably from when I signed up for promos.

Todo makes really good software, their recent Free version (4.5) will take a mechanical HDD backup & install it to a SSD, there's a "Optimize for SSD" option to tick prior to restore. And it works! It shrunk my recovery partition (it's in the 1st position) from 10GB to 9.99GB, I suppose that's the 1MB diskpart that's required for SSD's.

Anyway, I've never seen a Windows 7 install fire up so fast, I have a USABLE desktop in seconds, before the security even has a chance to update. Sure, I've heard of it, but seeing is different from hearing, especially if on your own computer.



But the Factory Restore is good to have, it can be done the hard way (by the DVD's), which will format the entire drive, but as long as the proper "F" key works at boot, it only formats the partition that the OS is on, leaving the Data partition intact. Neither are as good as a backup image that's been cleaned of the crapware, but I'd rather have that than nothing at all.

Some of the re-installs that I do for others involves using this function, I used to do this at a lower cost than a clean install, but I figure if the user doesn't even know their own computer, that's just tough. I still have to update them, remove 3 to 5 year old pre-installed Norton AV/IS suites & other junk, so I'm really not saving that much time. $100 is reasonable, IMO. The local shops charges more than that & their computer can be tied up for a few days to a couple of weeks.

Normally, I pick up & deliver the same day, provided all that needs to be done is a re-install, using their recovery method. Clean installs takes me up to a day & a half. Those who knows, there's time & work in this sort of thing.

I hope that the OP comes back soon & let us know what's going on.

Cat