[Windows 7] How to restore a Windows 7-based computer to a previous Windows installation by using the Windows.old folder

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971760

Steps to restore a computer to a previous Windows installation after you install a version of Windows 7

You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.

Step 1: Determine whether there is a Windows.old folder and whether there is sufficient free space on the Windows hard disk

1. Click Start
   
   , and then click Computer.
2. On the View menu, click Details.
3. In the Free Space column, note how much space is available for Local Disk (C:) under the Hard Disk Drivesarea.
4. In the Hard Disk Drives area, double-click Local Disk (C:), and then determine whether the Windows.old folder exists.
   
   Important If the Windows.old folder does not exist, you cannot follow the steps in this article to restore the previous Windows installation to this computer. You must backup and restore or transfer your files to the previous operating system.
5. Right-click the Windows.old folder.
6. Windows 7 will determine the size of the folder after several seconds.

Determine whether the Windows.old folder is smaller than the free space that is available for Local Disk (C:) in step 1.2.

Note If the Windows.old folder is two times as large as the free space that is available for the Local Disk (C:) entry, you may be unable to restore the previous Windows installation.

Step 2: Start the Windows Recovery Environment

1. Put the Windows 7 installation disc in the DVD drive, and then restart the computer.
2. Press a key when you are prompted to restart from the disc.
3. In the Install Windows window, select a language, a time, a currency, a keyboard input method or other input method, and then click Next.
4. In the Install Windows window, click Repair your computer.
5. In the System Recovery Options window, click the version of the Windows 7 operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
6. In the System Recovery Options window, click Command Prompt.

The Command Prompt window opens, and it displays the command prompt. The command prompt is where you will type the commands that are described in the following steps.

Step 3: Move the Windows 7 folders to a new Win7 folder

Note When you type one or more of the commands at the command prompt in the following steps and press ENTER, you may receive the following message:

The system cannot find the file specified.

If you receive this message, go to the next step in this section, and then type the command in that next step.

Type the following commands and press ENTER after each command:

C:

Md Win7

Move Windows Win7\Windows

Move "Program Files" "Win7\Program Files"

Move Users Win7\Users

Attrib –h –s –r ProgramData

Move ProgramData Win7\ProgramData

Rd "Documents and Settings"

Step 4: Copy the contents or move the contents of the Windows.old folder

Note When you type one or more of the commands at the command prompt in the following steps and press ENTER, you may receive the following message:

The system cannot find the file specified.

If you receive this message, go to the next step in this section, and then type the command in the next step.

Type the following commands and press ENTER after each command:

move /y c:\Windows.old\Windows c:\

move /y "c:\Windows.old\Program Files" c:\

move /y c:\Windows.old\ProgramData c:\

move /y c:\Windows.old\Users c:\

move /y "c:\Windows.old\Documents and Settings" c:\

Step 5: Restore the boot sector for the previous Windows installation

Type one of the following commands at the command prompt, as appropriate for your situation.

Note In the following commands, D: represents the DVD drive. If the DVD drive on the computer is represented by a different letter, such as E:, use that letter in the command.

• When the previous Windows installation was Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows 2000
  
  Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
  D:\boot\bootsect /nt52 c:
• When the previous Windows installation was Windows Vista
  
  Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
  D:\boot\bootsect /nt60 c:

Step 6: Restore the Boot.ini file for the previous Windows installation of Windows XP or of Windows 2000

Note Follow these steps only when the previous installation is Windows XP or Windows 2000.

Type the following commands and press ENTER after each command:

Attrib –h –s –r boot.ini.saved

Copy boot.ini.saved boot.ini

Step 7: Close the Command Prompt window, and then click Restart

1. Type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
   exit
2. Click Restart to restart your computer.

Note After you have verified that Windows XP is functional, you can remove the C:\Win7 folder if it is not needed for data recovery.

[Windows 7] Installing and reinstalling Windows 7

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-SG/windows7/Installing-and-reinstalling-Windows-7

[Windows] How to use the System File Checker tool to troubleshoot missing or corrupted system files on Windows Vista or on Windows 7

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833/en-us
Use the System File Checker tool (SFC.exe) to determine which file is causing the issue, and then replace the file. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
2. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   sfc /scannow
   The sfc /scannow command scans all protected system files and replaces incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions.

To determine which files could not be repaired by the System File Checker tool, follow these steps:

1. Open an elevated command prompt.
2. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   findstr /C:"[SR] Cannot repair member file" %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log >sfcdetails.txt
   Note The Sfcdetails.txt file contains details from every time that the System File Checker tool has been run on the computer. The file includes information about files that were not repaired by the System File Checker tool. Verify the date and time entries to determine the problem files that were found the last time that you ran the System File Checker tool.
3. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   edit sfcdetails.txt
   The Sfcdetails.txt file uses the following format:
   Date/Time SFC detail

The following sample log file contains an entry for a file that could not be repaired:

2007-01-12 12:10:42, Info                  CSI    00000008 [SR] Cannot
repair member file [l:34{17}]"Accessibility.dll" of Accessibility, Version =
6.0.6000.16386, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_MSIL (8), Culture neutral,
VersionScope neutral, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:b03f5f7f11d50a3a}, Type
neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, file is missing

If the System File Checker tool cannot repair a file, follow these steps:

1. At an elevated command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   takeown /f Path_And_File_Name
   For example, type takeown /f E:\windows\system32\jscript.dll.
2. Type the following command, and then press ENTER to grant administrators full access to the file:
   icacls Path_And_File_Name /GRANT ADMINISTRATORS:F
   For example, type icacls E:\windows\system32\jscript.dll /grant administrators:F.
3. Type the following command to replace the file with a known good copy of the file:
   Copy Path_And_File_Name_Of_Source_File Path_And_File_Name_Of_Destination
   For example, type copy E:\temp\jscript.dll E:\windows\system32\jscript.dll.

[MultiBoot] SARDU – Multiboot USB Creator (Windows)

SARDU is another nice Windows based Multiboot USB Creator that can also be used to create Multiboot CD/DVD's. Created by Davide Costa, SARDU enables you to create a Multiboot UFD containing your basic essential Utilities, Antivirus, and Windows XP/7 Installers. On top of that, SARDU offers the built in ability to Defragment your USB Drive, and burn an ISO to CD/DVD.

SARDU – Another Multiboot USB Creator for Windows

Authors Website: http://www.sarducd.it

Simple usage example to create a Multiboot USB:

1. Download Unzip and Run latest version of SARDU
2. (1) Click the ISO Icon to select the folder containing your ISO's (2) Select your USB Drive (3) Click the USB Icon to Create the Multiboot USB
3. Restart your PC, setting your BIOS or Boot Menu to boot from the Flash Drive. Proceed to boot from the USB and enjoy.

[MultiBoot] - YUMI – Multiboot USB Creator (Windows)

Source from: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multiboot-usb-creator/

YUMI (Your Universal Multiboot Installer), is the successor to MultibootISOs. It can be used to create a Multiboot USB Flash Drive containing multiple operating systems, antivirus utilities, disc cloning, diagnostic tools, and more. Contrary to MultiBootISO's which used grub to boot ISO files directly from USB, YUMI uses syslinux to boot extracted distributions stored on the USB device, and reverts to using grub if necessary.

Aside from a few distributions, all files are stored within the multiboot folder, making for a nicely organized Multiboot Drive that can still be used for other storage purposes.

Creating a YUMI Multiboot MultiSystem USB Flash Drive
YUMI works much like our Universal USB Installer, except it can be used to install more than one distribution to run from your USB.

YUMI's Main Multiboot Boot Menu

YUMI-0.0.0.2.exe – March 15, 2011 – Changelog
Fixed FreeDOS entry. Added check to detect if an old MultibootISOs tool was used on the drive, if so, user is prompted to format.

How to Create a MultiBoot USB Flash Drive

1. Run* YUMI-0.0.0.2.exe following the onscreen instructions
2. Run the tool again to Add More ISOs/Distributions to your Drive
3. Restart your PC setting it to boot from the USB device
4. Select a distribution to Boot from the Menu and enjoy!

That's all there is to it. You should now be booting your favorite distributions from your custom Multi-Boot USB device!

How It Works: YUMI (Your Universal Multiboot Installer) enables each user to create their own custom Multiboot UFD containing only the Distributions they want. New Distributions can be added to the UFD each time the tool is run.

Store ISO downloads in the ISOFILES Directory created where the tool is run. Supported downloads stored there are auto-detected by the tool.

IMORTANT: If the Multiboot ISO tool was used on the drive, you must reformat the device and start over. YUMI utilizes Syslinux directly, and only if necessary chainloads grub, so it is not at all compatible with the previous Multiboot ISO tool.

The Basic Requirements or Essentials

Basic Essentials to create a MultiSystem Bootable USB Drive

• Fat32 Formatted USB Flash or USB Hard Drive
• PC that can boot from USB
• Windows XP/Vista/7 host to create the Bootable USB
• YUMI-0.0.0.2.exe
• Your selection of ISO Files

List of Installable Live Linux Distributions

YUMI can create a UFD containing one or all of the following

• KNOPPIX
• T(A)ILS
• PING
• Panda Antivirus
• PCLinuxOS
• Sugar on a Stick
• Debian Live
• Trinity Rescue Kit
• System Rescue CD
• Puppy Linux
• TinyCore
• EasyPeasy
• SLAX 6.1.2
• Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10
• Peppemint Linux OS
• Linux Mint 10
• Ubuntu 10.10
• Xubuntu 10.10
• Kubuntu 10.10
• Lubuntu 10.10
• Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Remix
• Damn Small Linux
• SliTaz Linux 3.0
• Ophcrack XP
• YlmF OS
• xPUD (Simple Netbook Distro)
• FreeDOS
• Partition Wizard 5
• Memtest86+ (Memory Diagnostics)
• RIP Linux (Recovery Is Possible)
• Redo Backup and Recovery 0.9.5
• Parted Magic
• Offline NT Password + Reg Editor
• GParted
• Clonezilla Maverick
• BKO boot.kernel.org-gpxe
• AVG Rescue CD (Antivirus Scanner)
• Avira Antivir Rescue CD (Antivirus Scanner)
• BitDefender Rescue CD (Antivirus Scanner)
• Jolicloud | Download
• EASUS Disk Copy | Download
• Hiren's Boot CD
• Edubuntu
• HDT (Hardware Detection Tool)
• Windows Vista/7 Install Disk | Create an ISO from your DVD

Known Issues and Additional Information

Known Issues:
Windows Vista/7 Installer, Hiren's Boot CD, Trinity Rescue Kit, and Avira Antivir files are stored outside of the multiboot folder. All other distribution files remain contained within the multiboot folder. I am open to a simple solution!

Known Issues and Additional Information

Vista/Win7 - User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile

Article from: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/135858-user-profile-error-logged-temporary-profile.html

EXAMPLE: Error Message in Windows 7

STEP ONE

---

Log On to the Computer as an Administrator

Warning

You must be logged on to an administrator account using either step 1 or 2 below before you can move on to do the STEP TWO section below.

1. To Log on to another Administrator account
NOTE: If you do not have another Administrator account, then proceed to step 2.

A) Go to the STEP TWO section below.

OR

2. To Boot into Safe Mode for the built-in Administrator account
NOTE: You may not need to enable the built-in Administrator account. If this was the only normal administrator account you had, then Safe Mode should automatically boot into the built-in Administrator account.

Tip

If you cannot boot into Windows and do not have a Windows installation DVD, then you can create and use the boot disc below to boot into Safe Mode with instead.

Windows 7: (Option Two at link)
How to Create a Windows 7 System Repair Disc

Vista: (Option One at link)
How to Create a Vista Recovery Disc

A) Boot into Safe Mode (in Vista) or Safe Mode (in Windows 7).

B) If Safe Mode did not boot into the built-in Administrator
account, then enable the built-in Administrator account. If it did , then go to step 2C.

C) Log off in Safe Mode, and then log on to the built-in Administrator account to logon with that account in Safe Mode.

D) Go to the STEP TWO section below.

STEP TWO

---

Delete the User Account Profle SID Key

1. Delete the User account profile that this error is for, but do not delete the C:\User\(user-name) folder at step 4 in that link.

Warning

You should backup anything you do not want to lose in this user account's user folders first. (See note in step 11) They will be located in the C:\Users\(username) folder.

2. Open the Start menu.

3. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.

4. If prompted by UAC, then click on Continue (Vista) or Yes (Windows 7).

5. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below step 7)

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

6. In the left pane, click on one of the S-1-5..... folders (SID key) with the long number in it. (See screenshot below step 7)
NOTE: It should have .bak at the end of it.

A) In the right pane, look at the ProfileImagePath to see if this is the same user account that you deleted in step 1 above.

B) Repeat step 6 until you find the one that you deleted in step 1 above.

7. To Backup the Registry SID Key
WARNING: You should backup this SID key to be safe in case you delete the wrong one in step 8 below.

A) Right click on the SID key, and click on Export.

B) Type in a name and save the REG file to a safe location.
NOTE: This is your backup. To Restore the Backup, right click on the REG backup file and click on Merge.

C) Continue on to step 8.

8. Right click on the SID key, from step 6 with bak at the end, and click on Delete. (See screenshot above)

9. Click on Yes to confirm deletion. (See screenshot below)

10. Close regedit.

11. Log off and log on.
NOTE: After you logon to the computer, the profile folder you are having problems with is re-created. If not, then try a System Restore using a restore point dated before you got this error. If this still dows not help, then you will need to create a new account and restore the user folder files afterwards from the warning in step 1.

How Sysprep Works

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744512%28WS.10%29.aspx

Installing and reinstalling Windows 7

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Installing-and-reinstalling-Windows-7

Installing Windows 7 From a USB Stick From Windows XP (Bootable USB)

Source link: http://benosullivan.co.uk/windows/installing-windows-7-from-a-usb-stick-from-windows-xp/

nstalling Windows 7 onto a USB drive in Windows XP is harder than Windows Vista. This is because the "diskpart" tool that is used to prepare the USB drive is different to Vista and 7. So after looking threw a few tutorials and trial and error I installed Windows 7 onto my EEE 1000H. Here is my method:

Required:

• Usb Drive 4gb or more Buy
• Daemon tools (or other ISO emulator)
• The Windows 7 Disk or .ISO Buy

USB Install Method

• Insert the USB Drive
• Format the USB Drive with NTFS (Check this guide if NTFS is not an option)

• Open a Command Windows (start->accessories->command prompt)
• type in disk part (download diskpart here)
• type in listdisk and find the ID of your USB disk

• Next type in select disk 1 where 1 is the Disk ID

• Next type in select partition 1

• Finally type active (You will get a confirmation)

• Mount the Windows 7 ISO with Daemon Tools (make note of drive letter it assigns)
• Copy all files from the Windows 7 DVD to the USB Drive

• Run the following command (Where D:\ is the Windows 7 DVD and E: is your USB Stick)

D:\boot\bootsect /nt60 E: /mbr

• Set your Netbook or PC to boot from USB and your away!

How to Sysprep a Windows 7 Machine - Start to Finish V2 Read more: How to Sysprep a Windows 7 Machine - Start to Finish V2 | eHow.com http://www.ehow

Source link: http://blog.brianleejackson.com/sysprep-a-windows-7-machine-start-to-finish

http://www.ehow.com/how_5392616_sysprep-machine-start-finish-v2.html

This is version 2 of a step by step guide on Sysprepping a Windows 7 machine from start to finish. I cannot take full credit on this because my first article had so many helpful comments and discussions that this is simply a combination of all the good advice written into a working guide. (I would especially like to thank George for his input on Cscript for auto activation and Nathan for input on Sysprep Audit Mode). This will guide you through the following:

- Audit Mode
- Building the unattended XML file in WSIM
- copyprofile=true command to copy the default profile (no manual copy)
- Prompt for a computer name
- Enable Administrator account
- Administrator account logs in first time automatically
- Activate windows automatically with Cscript;
- Delete sysprep XML file automatically upon completion of re-image.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• - Latest version of WAIK : KB3AIK_EN.iso Version 1.0 - Windows Vista or Windows 7 Machine to build the XML file on - ISO or DVD of Windows 7 Installation (x32 or x64) - WinPE Boot Envir

1. 1

   First we are going to walk through building the XML file (answer file) and then we will walk through the actual Windows 7 imaging process. If you have a Windows 7 installation DVD, insert it now. Or if you have an ISO of 7, go ahead and extract it to a folder on your desktop. (I recommend 7-zip).

2. 2
   
   WAIK - Windows System Image Manager

   Launch Windows System Image Manager. Your start menu should look like the image below:

3. 3
   
   WAIK - Windows Image Selection

   Under the "Windows Image" header, right click and select new image.

4. 4
   
   WAIK - CLG file / Install.WIM

   You will now want to browse to the .CLG file in your Windows 7 installation (I am using Windows 7 Enterprise x64 in my example). It is located in the sources folder. See Image below. You can select either the .clg file or the install.wim. Both will have the same result.

5. 5

   Now we need to create a new answer file. Go to the file menu and select "Create New Answer File." Right after creating one, go ahead and simply go to file menu and select "Save Answer File." This will give your XML file a name and save location. Now you see we have two category folders, Components and Packages. Under the Components folder you see that we have 7 options:
   
   -1 windowsPE
   -2 offlineServicing
   -3 generalize
   -4 specialize
   -5 auditSystem
   -6 auditUser
   -7 oobeSystem

6. 6
   
   Sysprep - Adding Passes

   These are very important as these are the steps in which the XML file is sequenced.
   The next part is a little confusing. You are going to add components, from under the "Windows Image" section on the bottom left hand side to the passes on your Answer File. To add a component, you can right click on them and select "add to # pass". There are many different options you can add, but they have to be done in a certain order and pass otherwise your sysprep might fail. I am simply going to use the one I created as the example.

7. 7

   3 generalize
   
   amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP_6.1.7600.16385_neutral
   
   Set 1 for SkipRearm to allow up to 8 rearms
   
   4 specialize
   
   amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Deployment_6.1.7600.16385_neutral
   
   RunSynchronous
   RunSynchronousCommand[Order="1"]
   Order: 1
   path: net user administrator /active:yes
   WillReboot: Never
   
   amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP-UX_6.1.7600.16385_neutral
   
   SkipAutoActivation: true
   
   amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup_6.1.7600.16385_neutral
   
   Computer Name: Leave blank (we will deal with this at the end)
   CopyProfile: true
   Registered Organization: Microsoft (you must leave this in this section)
   Registered Owner: AutoBVT (you must leave this in this section)
   ShowWindowsLive: false
   TimeZone: Pacific Standard Time
   7 oobeSystem
   
   amd64_Microsoft-Windows-International-Core_6.1.7600.16385_neutral
   
   InputLocale: en-us
   SystemLocale: en-us
   UILanguage: en-us
   UserLocale: en-us
   
   amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup_6.1.7600.16385_neutral
   
   RegisteredOrganization: Your Company Name
   RegisteredOwner: Your Name
   # AutoLogon
   
   Enabled: true
   LogonCount: 5
   Username: administrator
   Password: Administrator Password
   
   # FirstLogonCommands
   
   SynchronousCommand[Order="1"]
   
   CommandLine: cscript //b c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX (windows 7 license key)
   Order 1
   RequiresUserInput: false
   
   SynchronousCommand[Order="2"]
   CommandLine: cscript //b c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato
   Order 2
   RequiresUserInput: false
   
   # OOBE
   
   HideEULAPage: true
   NetworkLocation: Home
   ProtectYourPC: 1
   
   # UserAccounts
   
   AdministratorPassword: Administrator Password
   LocalAccounts
   LocalAccount[Name="Administrator"]
   Action: AddListItem
   Description: Local Administrator
   DisplayName: Administrator
   Group: Administrators
   Name: Administrator
   
   Password: Administrator Password

8. 8

   K, now go ahead and save your answer file as sysprep.xml.

9. 9

   PART 2 - IMAGING PROCESS / RUNNING SYSPREP
   Install Windows 7 (Enterprise) from CD or USB flash drive, when you arrive at the welcome screen and it asks you to create a username, hit ctrl+shift+f3.
   This will reboot your machine and put your windows build in 'audit' mode.

10. 10

    On reboot, you'll automatically be logged in under the built-in Administrator account. A sysprep GUI box will appear, but you can close it and NOW begin to customize your profile.

11. 11

    Install any software/drivers, make any profile customizations, etc.
    If you need to reboot, the computer will boot you back into the Administrator account. You will be stuck in this audit mode until you run sysprep with the /oobe parameter. After doing so, sysprep will delete/clean up the Administrator account, but if you have copyprofile=true in your unattended answer file, it will copy the customized Admin account to the default profile before deleting it.

12. 12

    On the PC you are going to be running sysprep on, you need to create a folder called scripts in this directory: %WINDIR%\Setup\. Now you are going to create a CMD file within the %WINDIR%\Setup\Scripts directory. Right click and make a new text file called SetupComplete.txt. Remove the .txt extension and replace that with .cmd. You now have a SetupComplete.cmd file which windows will read the first time it boots up from the sysprep. We need to place a script inside the CMD file. Edit the cmd file with notepad and insert this line: del /Q /F c:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.xml. This script will delete your sysprep.xml file after it has been used. If you have passwords or cd keys stored in that xml file you don't have to worry about it being left on the computer.

13. 13

    Once you have everything configured correctly, Copy or move your sysprep.xml file to : C:\windows\system32\sysprep. Now to run sysprep, navigate to that sysprep folder, hold SHIFT and right click and select "Open New Command Windows Here". Next, input the following commands:
    
    sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:sysprep.xml

14. 14

    Turn the computer back on and boot to WinPE 3.0 environment (USB stick or CD/DVD). You can use my BrianLeeJackson WinPE3.0 BootLoader to boot up from USB or CD and capture your image. Capture image and save image to network location.
    A Dell 960 or GX755 is a good standard for capturing when you want a generic image for use with multiple systems. Might require injecting additional drivers for 3rd party brands, HP, etc. Most should work though right out of the box.

15. 15

    On reboot, Windows will run out of the box, as the /oobe is intended. As long as you put your cd key into the sysprep xml file, windows will be activated automatically in the background, you will be automatically logged into the administrator account, and the sysprep.xml file is deleted. You are now ready to use the computer or join it to the domain. Enjoy!

Tips & Warnings

• Be patient
• Be careful, read through multiple times if you need too.

Resources

• BrianLeeJackson WinPE3.0 Bootloader
• WAIK Version 1.0