Windows 7 upgrade paralyzes some PCs with endless reboots

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 downplayed them as “isolated issues.”

Users began posting messages about the endless reboots Friday, saying that the Windows 7 installation would hang two-thirds 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 of the computers or the users’ actions. Some said that they had purchased a Windows 7 upgrade electronically from Microsoft’s online store, others said they had downloaded the upgrade from Digital River, the Minneapolis-based company that fulfills Microsoft’s US$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.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

CDN Staff
CDN Staffhttps://channeldailynews.com
For over 25 years, CDN has been the voice of the IT channel community in Canada. Today through our digital magazine, e-mail newsletter, video reports, events and social media platforms, we provide channel partners with the information they need to grow their business.

Related Tech News

Featured Tech Jobs

 

CDN in your inbox

CDN delivers a critical analysis of the competitive landscape detailing both the challenges and opportunities facing solution providers. CDN's email newsletter details the most important news and commentary from the channel.