 antiphishingPhishing Scam TerminatorPremium
join:2004-06-09
Wilkes Barre, PA
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| Trick or Treat, Windows 7 upgrade cripples Vista machines Windows 7 upgrade paralyzes some PCs with endless reboots
'I am stuck in limbo,' says user; Microsoft investigating
By Gregg Keizer
October 26, 2009 06:28 AM ET
Computerworld - Some users trying to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 have seen their PCs crippled by an endless series of reboots, according to reports on Microsoft's support forum.
A Microsoft engineer writing on the same forum said the company was investigating users' problems, but he downplayed them as "isolated issues."
Users began posting messages about the endless reboots Friday, saying that the Windows 7 installation would hang two-thirds of the way through the upgrade. They reported a message on their machines that claimed the upgrade had been unsuccessful and that Vista would be restored. Instead, their PCs again booted to the Windows 7 setup process, failed, then restarted the cycle.
"My upgrade failed in [the] last step," said a user identified as "Manjigani" in a thread titled "Windows 7 -- Install Message -- Upgrade Unsuccessful" on the Windows 7 support forum. "And now it is in continuous loop. I let it run overnight hoping that it will fix itself, but no luck. I am stuck in limbo."
"All the promises of stability and simplicity, and now there are so many problems with installation," bemoaned another used, "Derrty," on the same thread. "I can't even access my laptop nor do I have the ability to roll my system back to Vista. All indications are the install removed any trace of Vista."
Other than trying to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7, there did not seem to be any common characteristics among the computers or the users' actions. Some said that they had purchased a Windows 7 upgrade electronically from Microsoft's online store, and others said they had downloaded the upgrade from Digital River, the Minneapolis-based company that fulfills Microsoft's $29.99 offer to college students, while still others said they had bought a retail copy of the new operating system at stores like Best Buy.
Users vented their rage online in scores of messages.
"How on earth is Windows 7 so poorly manufactured that there even NEEDS to be a solution to installation issues?" asked "Chimaera717," who later reported receiving a marketing message from Microsoft while struggling with the endless reboots. "I just got an e-mail from Windows, titled 'Windows 7: Your PC, Simplified.' I really want to e-mail them back and say 'Windows 7: My PC, Crippled'."
Microsoft support engineers entered the thread Sunday, asking for information from affected users, such as the version of Vista running before the Windows 7 upgrade attempt and what, if any, antivirus software was on the machine.
Sunday afternoon, a support engineer named Keith said that some users' problems may be related to the optical drive speed when creating an install DVD from a disk image downloaded from the Microsoft store or through Digital River. "Make sure you are burning the image at the slowest speed possible to avoid corruption on the installation disc," said Keith.
"Digital River and Microsoft are investigating reports of this issue," he added. "This appears to be a series of isolated issues that are often related to the user's Internet provider or installed third-party software."
Students, who have faced other problems with their downloaded Windows 7 upgrades, were told by Microsoft to seek help from Digital River through a special help-request page.
One user pointed others to a document published last July on Microsoft's support site. The document outlined the endless reboot problem. "When attempting to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 the upgrade attempt may fail with the message 'This version of Windows could not be installed, Your previous version of Windows has been restored, and you can continue to use it,' " the support document stated. "However, the next reboot of the machine will launch the upgrade process again only to fail with the same message."
The document included steps users could take to try to regain control of their crippled computers.
This is not the first time that a Windows upgrade has crippled computers with endless reboots. In February 2008, updates meant to prepare PCs for the release of Vista Service Pack 1 brought machines to their knees with reboot after reboot. In May 2008, the upgrade to Windows XP SP3 did the same. Microsoft blamed computer makers for the XP snafu.
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1 edit | I personally do not see a rush to go out and get 7, same with when Vista was introduced. The numbers that MS is using, are inflated. What I have noticed, is there are the same inherent problems that are in Vista, that where brought over to 7.
The reboot problem was seen in Vista SP2 with dell & Hp OEM machines, so seeing it in 7 is of no surprise. |
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| reply to antiphishing
Upgrade is a lousy idea.
Clean install is the way to go, upgrade is just a catch-phrase.
As in "upgrade from Vista". |
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 FobulousPremium
join:2002-08-14
Missouri City, TX | While i agree with you that Clean Install is the best way to go but since M$ puts out Upgrade Versions that they should work without these snafus if you will.. Most of the people won't know that Clean Install is the best way to get win 7 and M$ has repeately made promises that Win 7 will be the best and easiest OS to date.. So we can't really blame the end users not doing an clean install.. |
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 JahntassaWhat, I can have feathersPremium
join:2006-04-14
Conway, SC
kudos:4 | reply to antiphishing
Once again, more than likely this isn't a Microsoft / Windows 7 issue directly.
Those users have probably done things to their Vista installations that could not be anticipated by Microsoft's update process. Or they have software that has modified the OS in some way that is simply incompatible with the upgrade.
I would consider the users in the article as the Minority. I personally have updated four systems from Vista to Win 7, (plus several clean installs) and had no problems with any of them. |
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| reply to antiphishing
This happens with EVERY version of Windows that has come out, so it's no surprise, nor should the blame lie solely on MS. They can't figure EVERY system configuration out there, and there are bound to be issues, which is why step 1 in these upgrades is "BACKUP YOUR DATA". |
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 rawwhidePremium
join:2000-09-03
The Sticks
2 edits | reply to Sindows 7
said by Sindows 7:Upgrade is a lousy idea. Clean install is the way to go, upgrade is just a catch-phrase. As in "upgrade from Vista". Isn't there a price difference between the full version and the upgrade version?
edit - Yep there is a price difference. Many will go with the upgrade version to save money.
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To talk much and arrive nowhere is the same as climbing a tree to catch a fish. |
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davePremium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio
kudos:7 | Upgrade versions don't require you to do an upgrade installation. Two different concepts. (At least they didn't in prior versions). |
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 billh491
join:2001-08-09
Pomfret Center, CT | reply to antiphishing
No need to pay for a full version to do a clean install on bear metal. You can use the upgrade version to do a clean in stall on a hard drive that has never had an OS on it.
Info is here »www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_···edia.asp |
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antiphishingPhishing Scam TerminatorPremium
join:2004-06-09
Wilkes Barre, PA
kudos:2 Reviews:
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| reply to rawwhide
said by rawwhide:Upgrade is a lousy idea. Clean install is the way to go, upgrade is just a catch-phrase. As in "upgrade from Vista". Isn't there a price difference between the full version and the upgrade version? edit - Yep there is a price difference. Many will go with the upgrade version to save money. The asking price is not worth the aggravation in my opinion.
I will stick with slow and highly Bloated Windows Vista. 
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 DavidI have a son- d3Premium,VIP
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL
kudos:68
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| reply to antiphishing
Slightly off topic but funny so I am compelled to post:
I thought operating windows was the trick, and it gives you a treat but it depends on if you want the treat or not.
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 CylonRedPremium,MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County
1 edit | reply to antiphishing
I wonder if any of those folks complaining bothered to image their hard drive before upgrading?
If they had - they would not have a crippled machine. An ounce of prevention (backup) - it better than complaining the PC is dead. Too many variables to prevent this type of thing from an upgrade path...
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Brian
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 aaronwtPremium
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
 ·Verizon FiOS
1 edit | reply to antiphishing
said by antiphishing:said by rawwhide:Upgrade is a lousy idea. Clean install is the way to go, upgrade is just a catch-phrase. As in "upgrade from Vista". Isn't there a price difference between the full version and the upgrade version? edit - Yep there is a price difference. Many will go with the upgrade version to save money. The asking price is not worth the aggravation in my opinion. I will stick with slow and highly Bloated Windows Vista. No aggravation at all. I did two installs last last night with Win7 64 bit. One on a laptop and one on a desktop. it went very smoothly. |
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| reply to antiphishing
I'm not quite sure why Microsoft should ever mention an "upgrade" version the way they do. You should not blame the end-user for advertisement such as this.
The end-user does not know of driver issues involved with an upgrade. How are those chipset, video, sound drivers? Let alone any other drivers that are running.
If you want to look at blaming the end-user though in all of this: the first question would be "did you uninstall that anti-virus program first before the upgrade?"
It's an easy process says the operating system manufacturer.....what a sales pitch. The end-user will believe this too.
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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke |
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 tvtekR.I.P Dad 1940-2010Premium
join:2004-03-07
Concord, CA | reply to antiphishing
I purchased the "upgrade" download for $49 and did a clean install. The only issue I had was with the email page we use for work through hover mail. Otherwise than that it works like a champ.
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Alumni "Mental State" |
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lmacmil
join:2001-01-26
South Bend, IN | reply to Sindows 7
said by Sindows 7:Upgrade is a lousy idea. Clean install is the way to go, upgrade is just a catch-phrase. So if I set up a dual-boot configuration with Vista and Windows 7, then eliminate the Vista partition, will that be the same as a clean install of Windows 7? |
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 Smith6612Premium,MVM
join:2008-02-01
North Tonawanda, NY
kudos:18
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| reply to antiphishing
A clean install will never fail. Upgrades are always more risky for things like this happening. Not to mention, a clean install does make people who back up their data think twice before they clutter things up on their disk again and don't use them
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"All your base are belong to me!" |
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 BlackbirdBuilt for SpeedPremium
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:2
·Frontier Communi..
| said by Smith6612:A clean install will never fail. ... Never? As in never, ever, it won't happen in human history? Or "never" as in it's very unlikely? "Never" can be a pretty extreme word, though it isn't always used quite that way... 
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If God wanted us to work with electrons, He'd make them big enough to see... |
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rawwhidePremium
join:2000-09-03
The Sticks | reply to dave
said by dave:Upgrade versions don't require you to do an upgrade installation. Two different concepts. (At least they didn't in prior versions). Most people won't realize this though and will actually upgrade. There shouldn't be an upgrade version to fool people. The full edition should be priced the same as the upgrade version.
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To talk much and arrive nowhere is the same as climbing a tree to catch a fish. |
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davePremium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio
kudos:7 Reviews:
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| said by rawwhide:The full edition should be priced the same as the upgrade version. Yes, but in the American system of free enterprise, manufacturers are free to set the price of goods they sell. Thus, should a company wish to offer lower prices to its existing customers in order to persuade them to buy a new version, it is allowed to do so. |
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