Is repair install availble?

Churin--

I should have made clear (and I'll modify my links)--the best that I can
find out right now is that a repair install won't work for a number of
people in Vista the way it does in XP, (I included the links for it because
you don't have any downside to trying if it fails and in XP it's a great
help and in my hands 100% reliable). The other day on a thread Rock had said
he would contact Darrell Gorter at MSFT who is in the setup area and get his
view on this.

I haven't seen anything from any of MSFT's sites that says Vista supports a
repair install, and if I had access to a lab environment I'd break Vista a
significant number of times and ways to try the efficacy of a Repair
Install.

In XP this a Repair Install was alternately called an inplace upgrade in
some of the MSKBs.

CH


"churin" <churin.RemoveThis@new.postalias> wrote in message
news:OVcFXdQgHHA.4952@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Is a repair install as with Windows XP available with Windows Vista? The
> purpose here is to change the CD Key.

"Chad Harris" <vistaneedsmuchowork.net> wrote
> Churin--
>
> I should have made clear (and I'll modify my links)--the best that I can
> find out right now is that a repair install won't work for a number of
> people in Vista the way it does in XP, (I included the links for it
> because you don't have any downside to trying if it fails and in XP it's
> a great help and in my hands 100% reliable). The other day on a thread
> Rock had said he would contact Darrell Gorter at MSFT who is in the setup
> area and get his view on this.
>
> I haven't seen anything from any of MSFT's sites that says Vista supports
> a repair install, and if I had access to a lab environment I'd break Vista
> a significant number of times and ways to try the efficacy of a Repair
> Install.
>
> In XP this a Repair Install was alternately called an inplace upgrade in
> some of the MSKBs.

> "churin" <churin.TakeThisOut@new.postalias> wrote
>> Is a repair install as with Windows XP available with Windows Vista? The
>> purpose here is to change the CD Key.

Chad, several people have now said they have successfully done an upgrade of
Vista over itself, in essence a repair install, to fix a problem
installation. I think it was JimR who gave details on two systems he fixed
this way.

Darrell Gorter replied to my query. He said is should be a viable option.

Of course with all this, there is no information on how successful this
process is / will be overall.

--
Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]

"Rock" <Rock.RemoveThis@nospam.net> wrote in message news:%23BwSP$XgHHA.3372@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>
> Chad, several people have now said they have successfully done an upgrade of Vista over itself, in essence a repair install, to
> fix a problem installation. I think it was JimR who gave details on two systems he fixed this way.
>
> Darrell Gorter replied to my query. He said is should be a viable option.
>
> Of course with all this, there is no information on how successful this process is / will be overall.

I haven't seen anything definitive as to whether such a 'repair' install
a) preserves existing data
b) preserves installed third-party programs.
--
Gary VanderMolen

"Gary VanderMolen" <gary.TakeThisOut@NoMail.invalid> wrote

> "Rock" <Rock.TakeThisOut@nospam.net> wrote in message
> news:%23BwSP$XgHHA.3372@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>
>> Chad, several people have now said they have successfully done an upgrade
>> of Vista over itself, in essence a repair install, to fix a problem
>> installation. I think it was JimR who gave details on two systems he
>> fixed this way.
>>
>> Darrell Gorter replied to my query. He said is should be a viable
>> option.
>>
>> Of course with all this, there is no information on how successful this
>> process is / will be overall.
>
> I haven't seen anything definitive as to whether such a 'repair' install
> a) preserves existing data
> b) preserves installed third-party programs.


I believe it did in the cases JimR outlined. Maybe he will see this thread
and reply. I certainly wouldn't try it except as a last resort, and then
only after making sure all data was backed up.

--
Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]

pvdg42 wrote:
> "churin" <churin RemoveThis @new.postalias> wrote in message
> news:OVcFXdQgHHA.4952@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> Is a repair install as with Windows XP available with Windows Vista? The
>> purpose here is to change the CD Key.
>
> Answered in the general group by Frank.
>
> <quote>
> No need to do that. Just go to control panel/system and click on "change
> product key".
> </quote>
>
Thanks for your response. So, it is lot simpler to do it on WVT than on WXP.

pvdg42 wrote:
> "churin" <churin.TakeThisOut@new.postalias> wrote in message
> news:OVcFXdQgHHA.4952@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> Is a repair install as with Windows XP available with Windows Vista? The
>> purpose here is to change the CD Key.
>
> Answered in the general group by Frank.
>
> <quote>
> No need to do that. Just go to control panel/system and click on "change
> product key".
> </quote>
>
Thank you very much for the info.

Rock--

Thanks. This is helpful information. I haven't had any no boot situations
with Vista RTM yet, but I did have a few with different Betas. I'm glad this
is an option. The next time I have one or someone I know does, I will give
it a try.

I have seen no boot situations I couldn't fix with Startup Repair that
didn't fit the situation for some of the other components of Win RE--that I
was able to fix with System Restore (from the Win RE recovery link on the
DVD--and some I fixed with one of the F8 options--a safe mode to system
restore). A repair install would have been a good option for those.

I read where Gary VanderMolen raised the question of preserving existing
data and 3rd party programs, and

1) It has always preserved them when used in XP
2) I have not had an instance in no boot XP situations not caused by purely
hardware situations (like for example a loose memory stick or incompatible
memory stick) where a repair install has not been successful. I have had
two out of over a couple hundred where I had to do a repair install more
than once to have success --i.e. the first one didn't work so I tried a
repair install a second time.

MSFT usually qualifies those KBs with a caveat (which I imagine their legal
people ask them to add when they are talking about fixing catastropic
situations) but I fell a repair install in XP is a real ace in the hole and
a valuable high success tool. You have to have the CD (and in Vista you'd
of course need the DVD).

As time with Vista extends a few more months, I suspect there will be more
reports of repair installs--and maybe MSFT will address this in some future
KBs.

CH

"Rock" <Rock.DeleteThis@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:%23BwSP$XgHHA.3372@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> "Chad Harris" <vistaneedsmuchowork.net> wrote
>> Churin--
>>
>> I should have made clear (and I'll modify my links)--the best that I can
>> find out right now is that a repair install won't work for a number of
>> people in Vista the way it does in XP, (I included the links for it
>> because you don't have any downside to trying if it fails and in XP it's
>> a great help and in my hands 100% reliable). The other day on a thread
>> Rock had said he would contact Darrell Gorter at MSFT who is in the setup
>> area and get his view on this.
>>
>> I haven't seen anything from any of MSFT's sites that says Vista supports
>> a repair install, and if I had access to a lab environment I'd break
>> Vista a significant number of times and ways to try the efficacy of a
>> Repair Install.
>>
>> In XP this a Repair Install was alternately called an inplace upgrade in
>> some of the MSKBs.
>
>> "churin" <churin.DeleteThis@new.postalias> wrote
>>> Is a repair install as with Windows XP available with Windows Vista? The
>>> purpose here is to change the CD Key.
>
> Chad, several people have now said they have successfully done an upgrade
> of Vista over itself, in essence a repair install, to fix a problem
> installation. I think it was JimR who gave details on two systems he
> fixed this way.
>
> Darrell Gorter replied to my query. He said is should be a viable option.
>
> Of course with all this, there is no information on how successful this
> process is / will be overall.
>
> --
> Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]

"Chad Harris" <vistaneedsmuchowork.net> wrote in message
news:e7AO9zsgHHA.2432@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Rock--
>
> Thanks. This is helpful information. I haven't had any no boot
> situations with Vista RTM yet, but I did have a few with different Betas.
> I'm glad this is an option. The next time I have one or someone I know
> does, I will give it a try.
>
> I have seen no boot situations I couldn't fix with Startup Repair that
> didn't fit the situation for some of the other components of Win RE--that
> I was able to fix with System Restore (from the Win RE recovery link on
> the DVD--and some I fixed with one of the F8 options--a safe mode to
> system restore). A repair install would have been a good option for
> those.
>
> I read where Gary VanderMolen raised the question of preserving existing
> data and 3rd party programs, and
>
> 1) It has always preserved them when used in XP
> 2) I have not had an instance in no boot XP situations not caused by
> purely hardware situations (like for example a loose memory stick or
> incompatible memory stick) where a repair install has not been successful.
> I have had two out of over a couple hundred where I had to do a repair
> install more than once to have success --i.e. the first one didn't work so
> I tried a repair install a second time.
>
> MSFT usually qualifies those KBs with a caveat (which I imagine their
> legal people ask them to add when they are talking about fixing
> catastropic situations) but I fell a repair install in XP is a real ace in
> the hole and a valuable high success tool. You have to have the CD (and
> in Vista you'd of course need the DVD).
>
> As time with Vista extends a few more months, I suspect there will be more
> reports of repair installs--and maybe MSFT will address this in some
> future KBs.
>
> CH
>
> "Rock" <Rock DeleteThis @nospam.net> wrote in message
> news:%23BwSP$XgHHA.3372@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> "Chad Harris" <vistaneedsmuchowork.net> wrote
>>> Churin--
>>>
>>> I should have made clear (and I'll modify my links)--the best that I can
>>> find out right now is that a repair install won't work for a number of
>>> people in Vista the way it does in XP, (I included the links for it
>>> because you don't have any downside to trying if it fails and in XP it's
>>> a great help and in my hands 100% reliable). The other day on a thread
>>> Rock had said he would contact Darrell Gorter at MSFT who is in the
>>> setup area and get his view on this.
>>>
>>> I haven't seen anything from any of MSFT's sites that says Vista
>>> supports a repair install, and if I had access to a lab environment I'd
>>> break Vista a significant number of times and ways to try the efficacy
>>> of a Repair Install.
>>>
>>> In XP this a Repair Install was alternately called an inplace upgrade in
>>> some of the MSKBs.
>>
>>> "churin" <churin DeleteThis @new.postalias> wrote
>>>> Is a repair install as with Windows XP available with Windows Vista?
>>>> The purpose here is to change the CD Key.
>>
>> Chad, several people have now said they have successfully done an upgrade
>> of Vista over itself, in essence a repair install, to fix a problem
>> installation. I think it was JimR who gave details on two systems he
>> fixed this way.
>>
>> Darrell Gorter replied to my query. He said is should be a viable
>> option.
>>
>> Of course with all this, there is no information on how successful this
>> process is / will be overall.


I think in the two scenarios JimR described both systems could boot, but
there were other problems with it that system restore didn't help.

--
Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]