My wifes laptop has Windows Vista, but needs reinstallation without losing her programs. How can I do this for her? She doesn´t have original disks because they didn´t furnish them when she bought the computer. I made disks for her when she first got it, and it has recovery partition, but I don´t know how to do the reinstallation without loss. Can someone here help me with this problelm?
What makes you think it need an OS reinstall? Have you tried a System Restore?
you’d need a Vista disc of the same version that’s on the PC (e.g. Home Premium) and I think you can do an upgrade/repair install.
The recovery partition is most likely a system image and if you use it, it’ll wipe everything out and restore the OS/Software to the way it was when you got the laptop. So don’t use that…
I’m not even aware of a way of re-installing an OS without “losing” the programs, as the registry would be redone as well (even if the programs aren’t deleted, the OS won’t be aware of them).
Try System Restore first. If that doesn’t work then do what **jz78817 **said, you need to get a Vista DVD of the same version that you have installed and boot from that DVD, then choose Repair Install. This has been available since Windows XP and it will ‘refresh’ your OS install without wiping any of your programs or documents. It will however reset all Windows updates (which may cause some programs to not work right) so the first thing you need to do if the refresh install is successful is run Windows Update and let it install everything. This may include Service Packs so it might take a long time and require many reboots, but you don’t want to skip this.
As far as the Vista DVD goes, hopefully you can borrow one from someone. As long as it’s the same version as you already have installed you won’t be breaking any laws using it to refresh your OS installation. I would make a backup copy of it if possible (product activation won’t let you pirate Vista anyway…)
Xp does this, vista does not have a repair install per se.
It can be done, but only by using a vista install disk of a the same or higher service pack that the current install. If you have SP2 installed but not a SP2 disk it wont work.
Thanks to all.