Reports about upgrade problems from Windows Vista to Windows 7 began to appear on Friday on several forums and support websites. Users who experienced these difficulties mentioned an endless reboot cycle after a failed Windows Vista to Windows 7 upgrade. The users received 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” during the upgrade process. The next reboot of the system however launched the upgrade again and not the Windows Vista operating system. A Microsoft Knowledgebase entry gives further details and a fix for the endless reboot issue (but not the failed upgrade).
Windows Vista will have been restored on the computer but the Boot Configuration Database (BCD) store has not edited to restore Windows Vista as the default booting operating system.The computer will continue to boot to the Windows 7 Setup and then fail until the BCD database has been restored to its previous state.
To resolve these issues, select Windows Vista instead of the default Windows 7 setup when you see the boot entry menu and then follow the steps listed below.
1. Insert the Windows Vista Media into the drive and exit the Windows Vista Setup when its launched
2. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, and then right-click the Command Prompt icon, and then click Run as Administrator.
3. Type the following command at a command prompt and press ENTER
Drive:\boot\Bootsect.exe /NT60 All
Note: In this command, Drive is the drive where the Windows Vista installation media is located.4. Restart your computer
This will simply make Windows Vista the default booting operating system. The Windows 7 upgrade issue itself is currently under investigation by Microsoft. An alternative would be to perform a clean install (see Clean Install Windows 7 With Windows 7 Upgrades) and use the Windows Easy Transfer tool to transfer user settings and files to the new operating system. (Thanks Dante for sending in the news)
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8 Responses to “Endless Reboot Vista To Windows 7 Upgrade Problems”
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[...] path for me anyway as clean installations are usually the way to go to avoid problems like the endless reboot which we talked about some days ago. A clean install on the other hand requires some preparations [...]
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[...] GHacks.net discusses Endless Reboot Vista To Windows 7 Upgrade Problems [...]
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[...] Windows Vista at this point leaving the user puzzled and confused. Some users even experienced an endless reboot problem which would initiate the upgrade process again only to fail again at [...]
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[...] Windows Vista at this point leaving the user puzzled and confused. Some users even experienced an endless reboot problem which would initiate the upgrade process again only to fail again at [...]
I just returned from a computer show which featured two representatives from Microsoft. When I posed a question regarding upgrade paths in relation to Windows 7, the rep indicated that a clean install was the best way to go. While that’s always been our shop policy, I never expected to hear the same from a Microsoft rep. He indicated that in his personal upgrade experience to “7″, that there were failures–hence his statement about clean installs. Don’t create more work for yourself. Perform regular backups, keep your installation disks/files/serial numbers/passwords. With these things in place, you’re ready to do a clean install of any OS.
So … in the Microsoft world, an “upgrade” isn’t really an “upgrade.” It’s better to backup your data, wipe the hard drive, and resinstall everything from scratch??
Fuck that.
My Mac Mini was upgraded from Tiger to Leopard to Snow Leopard by simply popping in the DVD, and clikcing “Upgrade”.
This commercial brought to you by an Apple geek!
Once again, and as usual, software to the market that has no business being in the market. This from an industry that uses, patches, as an everyday tool; similar to using duct tape to make something work. Except,duct tape actually works! Thanks again nerds!