my toshiba satellite laptop sound on all programs (win media player, Internet etc.) sounds like digitized static. it will reset itself upon restart, but then at some point revert to static again. this follows suit with the login screen as it will look clear when sound is good, but then have scan lines going through it when sound is bad. this is following a complete wipe from windows vista and installing windows 7.
View 3 RepliesWorking on a client's computer that was blue screening with Vista 32 bit HP desktop gl309aa. She cannot find the original Vista install CD. I determined that the culprit was probably the wifi driver, and hoped to install updated drivers for that, plus video card and sound card drivers. After much fiddling with the system, I finally got it started through Startup Repair long enough to install the video driver. I had to go through 2 sets of memory diagnostics to start it at all, since even safe mode was not working. When I went to do the sound card driver, it required an uninstall first, so I did that, and foolishly went along with the restart to finish the process. Lacking a sound card driver, it blue screened all over again. Tried everything, including many times with HP Recovery, but every time it blue screens before any process can complete. On top of this, while working on it, she had a power "flash" for a second, and now the system is missing BOOTMGR so it won't even try to boot into safe mode or anything else. I have the drivers on flash but cannot install them. I've decided to forget Vista (awful system anyway) and give her Windows 7 instead. Much more stable, and her data is backed up in case she loses it.
am I going to have any problems installing the Windows 7 if the computer still thinks it has no driver for the sound card? And is there a way to install the file before or during the Windows 7 installation so it will go smoothly? Again, BSOD every time I start HP recovery so there is no way to use that, and we will have a new Windows 7 CD to begin this process.
I ordered the 50$ Windows 7 upgrade disk. I realize that Windows 7 will need vista or XP already installed for the upgrade version of Windows 7. But if I want to upgrade my Vista 32-bit to Windows 7 64-bit, Will I be able to do it with this upgrade disk? after all I will need a fresh install (because 32 to 64) and this is the upgrade version...
View 9 Replies View RelatedI installed Win 7 RC on a new build and purchased Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM with upgrade to Win 7 Home premium. The Win 7 upgrade disc has arrived. I understand that Vista must be installed and activated for the upgrade to work. Attempts to install Vista with Win 7 RC running or booting from the Vista disc lead to error code 0x80070103, insufficient free space. My HDD has > 450 Gb free space in 2 partitions. Do I need to reformat the HDD in order to install Vista over Win 7?
View 9 Replies View RelatedI have currently installed ONLY XP Pro. I used to have Vista Premium installed on a separate partition, But I uninstalled that. I purchased Windows 7 Upgrade disk.
Here's the question, Do I need to reinstall Vista to upgrade to 7 using the Vista key?
I must confess from the get-go that my knowledge of the finer points of computers in general is limited, but I've heard that 64-bit is the way to go. I bought my system from Dell about 12 months ago. Since I didn't build it, I can't tell you what mother board I've got (Dell refuses to easily divulge that bit of info and it's kind of a huge problem), but I do know:
Intel Q6600 @ 2.4 GhZ
4 GB DDR2 800
Radeon HD 3870 512 MB
W/ Vista Ultimate 32-bit
can I buy an upgrade kit to go from Vista 32 to Windows 7 64 or will I need to straight buy Windows 7 64 bit and install it? Will I need to update the BIOS? Is casual gaming, photo and video editing and HD video viewing even worth 64-bit? Again, since I don't know what mobo I have, all this may be for nothing because the board may not do 64-bit at all...
is it worth it to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7? A lot of my friends say its the bomb but they do talk a lot lol so would like to hear from the pro's.
View 14 Replies View RelatedI purchased the Windows 7 upgrade for multiple compluters. I accidentally loaded the 32 bit disc on my 64 bit laptop. There seem to be a lot of issues with windows 7 on this laptop. Can I install the 64 bit on top of the 32 or doesn't it matter between the two? I understand that it takes more memory to run the 64 bit. yes? Can you uninstall the 32 bit version. I understand that the W 7 upgrade builds on the vista platform.
View 3 Replies View RelatedI have an Aspire 5100 laptop. It is a 64 bit processor. It came with Vista. I have 2 GB or Ram. I bought the Win 7 upgrade. It came with 2 discs; a 32 bit and a 64 bit. I loaded the 32 bit by mistake. Is there as way to correct this or is it even necessary. I am having some difficulty with some of the programs, particularly Media player. someone mentioned that there may need to be additional drivers added to complete the upgrade.
View 1 Replies View RelatedI am wanting to upgrade to Windows 7 from Vista and do a clean install in the process. I plan to do this using a retail Windows 7 upgrade disk.
The machine is an older Acer Aspire running the 32 bit Vista OS.
My plan is to buy a new HD because I think the existing HD may be flaking out. Of course, the machine has gone through several iterations of software installs and unistalls in its 7 year life span. So, some of the problems being experienced could be related to those circumstances. That's why I want to do a clean OS install and reinstall of programs. Is this plan reasonable? What are the problems I might encounter?
Neither myself or the client is interested in doing something outside a lawful upgrade. Would a retail Win 7 Professional OS be better/easier to get the system running on Win 7 pro? EJ TLARbb has chosen the best answer to his/her question.Click here to view the answer that was selected.
HP pavilion dv6000 laptop running Vista. I'm currently running Vista but would like to upgrade to Windows 7. Would it be better to order a Windows 7 upgrade or can I just order a standard Windows 7 installation?
View 2 Replies View RelatedHP Pavilion dv6000 laptop running Vista. I'm currently running Vista but I would like to upgrade to Windows 7. My question is should I purchase an upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 or should I purchase a standard Windows 7 license and what would the benefits/downside of the upgrade vs the benefits/downside to purchasing a standard Windows 7 license. Other than cost.
View 1 Replies View RelatedI have a Dell E520 that came with Vista. After a year or two, I had had enough with Vista and bought the Windows7 upgrade. However the upgrade didn't go well and I got on the phone with Microsoft. They walked me through doing a clean install using the upgrade version that I bought. Windows 7 has been and still is working fine. My question has to do with my "Recovery D" drive. I'm assuming that what is on there is a Vista recovery, unless the upgrade changed that drive too(?). Since I never want to go back to Vista, is it OK to use that drive space? How can I make it a recovery drive for Windows 7?
View 7 Replies View RelatedI am trying to upgrade to Windows 7 on my laptop and I'm getting two error messages that conflict:"You can't upgrade 64-bit Windows to a 32-bit version of Windows. To upgrade, obtain a 64-bit version of the installation disc, or go online to see how to install Windows 7 and keep your files and settings." "32-bit Windows cannot be upgraded to a 64-bit version of Windows. To upgrade, obtain a 32-bit version of the Windows installation disc."I have Vista x64 but one thing I did notice is that I did have an x86 Program Files folder where my 32 bit applications go but that's about as far at it goes, my entire OS is x64 bit.
View 2 Replies View RelatedA couple of you know that I was given two laptops to clean off the Win 7 Security 2012. The one is not as bad as the other. Cleaned the HP. The Compaq was her husband's and after he gave it to me to fix, he called and gave me the laptop. I cleaned a virus off it last year, similar to the new one, so I do know how to reinstall Win 7. BUT for some unexplained reason, and probably to my advancing age, lol, I don't remember it going the way this has gone. Anyhow, now I have THREE instances of Win 7 on one partition, I think. At least when I booted up after putting in the product code, it asked me which of three I wanted to start. Is there a way to get rid of all instances of Win 7, leaving just Vista, so I can start over?
View 2 Replies View RelatedI am currently running windows vista 32 bit and am considering upgrading to windows 7. I cannot get windows upgrade advisor to connect to the server (tried for 3 weeks)
View 5 Replies View RelatedI have installed Windows 7 on my PC, and want to upgrade my wife's laptop from Vista. I have bought Windows 7.Can I do it without losing all her files, settings, emails etc.
View 4 Replies View Relatedbasically I upgraded Vista to Windows 7. Is my Vista license void now or is it still valid? My other right needed a reformat so I put my original Vista on that computer. Will this screw with my validation on my windows 7 rig? If it does, what should i do?
View 3 Replies View Relatedeveryone, completed an upgrade this evening from Vista 64 bit to Windows 7 64 bit. I appear to have lost all my files, ie pictures, documents, desktop. I dont think they have been deleted, and i didnt have a backup device. where they are hidden, or can i do a backwards re install with Vista 64 bit, then do a backup before installing again Windows 7
View 7 Replies View Relatedive just installed win 7 pro oem after having vista. before i installed i did a full backup to external hard drive.
i installed win 7 oem and tried to restore from backup and its not working, internal hard drive is still showing 400gb of info on it but everything is hiding somewhere.
My laptop has Vista Home Premium and I now want to upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium (UK). My laptop also has Microsoft Works and Microsoft Office which were installed already when I bought it. However I have been told that if I buy the UPGRADE for Windows 7, I will lose Works and Office and will have to buy these separately. I'm also told that it won't have Windows Live Mail which I find really convenient as I can access all my email addresses on the same page. Is this correct, or have I been talking to the wrong people ?
View 4 Replies View RelatedI've been looking all over the internet for this and I've wound up getting a bunch of different information on the issue. I'm building a new system, and I can get a very cheap upgrade verison of windows 7. However, I'm not sure if I have an xp/vista install lying around anymore... and if I do, it'd be OEM from a branded PC. So this raises a series of questions:
1) If I find an old xp install disc (likely from a dell but the actual install, not recovery disc), can I use that to install a base xp on my system? Will I need an activation code before I can upgrade (I assume yes), and more importantly, if I were to use the Dell COA code from the case, the hologrammed cd card (if I have one), or a viewxpkey pull from the dell would it not work (since it's likely OEM COA and tied to Dell mobo)? Is there a way around this?
2) Could I borrow a legit install/key from someone to install the base for the upgrade and then give them back the disc/key (would their product key be free again for reuse)?
3) I see on ebay people selling COA's for various windows products (xp or vista), however most of these seem to have branding on them, wouldn't I encounter the same issue when trying to use that key?
4) Does the trick shown here actually still work? Basically allowing you to install upgrade software without having to first install the actual earlier OS?: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/h [...] c?page=0,0
4) Would a somehow otherwise *found* product key as a last resort work for an upgrade?
I can get Windows 7 Professional upgrade for 30 bucks using student discount. Is there enough of a performance, compatibility friendliness, and quality difference for me to make the switch? I do like the general layout and flow of Windows 7, but that's probably not enough alone to make me switch.
View 9 Replies View RelatedI am looking to upgrade my Gateay P 6301 laptop to a ssd and I am considering upgrading to win 7 for TRIM. i currently have 2mb's of ram and I use the laptop for basic business apps and presentations. What is my best upgrade path?
View 8 Replies View RelatedI have an Aspire One D255E Netbook from ACER. I am running Windows 7 Home Premium 32b. Recently I have gotten at least two BSOD's (possibly more overnight as I wake to my computer on the log-on screen). When CHKDSK ran during boot, it reported 4kb in Bad Sectors. If I low-level format or zero fill the HD, firstly, will it fix the bad sectors? Secondly, when I do this, will the computer still be able to recognize my external CD/DVD Rom drive which is what I will need to use in order to re-install windows.
View 4 Replies View Relatedi am trying to upgrade my other laptop from vista home edition to windows 7 and i get through the install fine untill the later part. It installs everything and gets down to where the "complete installation" part is and it restarts, But when it comes back up the install just totally starts over. Acting as if i didnt eve just install it.
View 2 Replies View RelatedHP pavilion dv5-1250us Vista home premium 64bit I have upgrade adviser, cleared all conflicts by uninstalling all conflicting programs and updating all drivers, (as in, NO conflicts), and went through with the upgrade for the third time now. Soon after it started, an error message came up saying that there was a problem with the keyboard, (we had already gotten the hp quicklinks driver updated and off the conflicts list however), but it continued on. It hung up twice during the install but this was remedied by ejecting and reinserting the disc. At the very end, (100% transferring/restoring files, last step), everything was copacetic, it finished restarting for the third time, (not in a row, but during the entire upgrade process), and once again declared that the upgrade wasn't successful and that it was restoring previous settings. It is still in that process as I'm typing. What went wrong this time? No explanation, no warning, just gives up after completing the entire installation. We cannot clean install as it is only an upgrade disc.
View 2 Replies View RelatedI'm installing Windows 7 upgrade for vista and it finds Kaspersky anti virus on my computer and tells me to uninstall. I have no knowledge of this programme and can't find it anywhere on my computer so I can't uninstall.
View 3 Replies View RelatedI have a two year old Acer Aspire that came with Vista Home 64 bit. Six weeks ago it crashed to a flashing cursor and I attempted to do a complete recovery following Acers eRecovery procedure from their hidden partition. During that upgrade, there were several BSOD incidents so I wiped the hard drive clean did a Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade. There were several BSOD during the upgrade and it took three times before Windows 7 actually installed. Anytime I use it now, there are always BSODs.
I have run WD diagnostics and the HD came back clean. I have run memtest for 9 passes and no errors were reported. Ive attached the minidump files.
Windows 7 vs. Vista - Upgrade Performance
The latest Windows 7 client has its precursor beat in terms of upgrade speed
Windows 7 is “outrunning” Windows Vista in more ways than one. Microsoft has labored to ensure that the latest Windows client outpaces its precursor in a variety of scenarios, from startup time, to common usage tasks, and to shutdown, to name just a few. Another aspect in which Windows 7 has Vista beat is upgrade performance. According to Chris Hernandez, from the Windows Deployment team, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 to Windows 7 upgrades are at least 5% faster than Vista SP1 to Vista SP1 upgrades.
In fact, when it set out to do the operating system upgrade measuring contest, Microsoft was looking for at least a 5% threshold for upgrade scenarios involving Vista SP1 to Windows 7 was in comparison to jumps from Vista SP1 to Vista SP1. The Redmond-based company explained that the Windows Upgrade team monitored the Windows 7 upgrade performance during the development process, and that it compared it against its Vista baseline.
“The reason we choose to use a Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1 upgrade instead of Windows XP -> Vista as our baseline was for the following: Windows XP is a vastly different operating system compared to Vista and an upgrade from Windows XP -> Vista would not be a good comparison with Vista -> Windows 7. Windows XP did not support 64-bit upgrades and we wanted to track 64-bit upgrade performance as well as 32-bit upgrades for Windows 7. Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1 is a valid upgrade path that ********s all upgrade code (this upgrade is commonly used by Product Support Services for a repair scenario),” Hernandez explained.
Now, 5% doesn’t make a huge performance gap between the two operating systems. Still, users have to keep in mind that Microsoft used the Vista SP1 baseline comparison, and while I have heard countless complaints about Vista RTM, the barrage of criticism subsided with the advent of Service Pack 1, indicating a far superior user experience.
At the same time, the vast majority of end users don’t actually perform benchmarks, or monitor performance metrics. For them increased performance in every aspect of the operating system, including upgrade scenarios, is a matter of perception. In this regard, 5% is more than enough to deliver a palpable impression of boosted upgrade performance for Windows 7 in comparison to Vista.
“The upgrade performance tests used the metric of total upgrade time to gauge how Windows 7 upgrade performed against Vista upgrade. The tests were designed to measure total upgrade time simulating different user profiles (with different data set sizes, number of programs installed and settings) against different hardware profiles,” Hernandez added.
I have a Vista Ultimate OEM currently installed on a PC, I am getting another Windows 7 retail soon.
Can I use just the Windows 7 upgrade as opposed to a clean install?