Dell Inspiron 1720 Laptop,2G Ram,Vista Home Premium,32 bit,SP1 added,I am a novice with computers,forums.

Had a lot of problems(mostly blue screens,) from day one but finally got Vista running fairly well,that is until trying to download SP2 through Update!It crashed computer ,erased restore points and Restart Repair would not work until I got lucky and did full reboot and finally got message errors Files Can't Be Found (0x80070002) and on other occasions (0x8007000D),!Microsoft Help gave the usual list of solutions that I had already tried ,from using Update Readiness Tool ,running SP2 from Disc that they were nice enough to send,to complete Uninstall of 3rd party Software,turning off services etc.!Then they said to run scan now from Command Prompt which failed to fix problem and said some files fixed but others were moved to (Found? )!After running Scan Now again as Administrator it still would not let me view files but somehow I got Notepad to open and it said something about CBS.logs?
So Microsoft finally said they will send Windows Vista Disc with Sp1 at no charge (which "surprise", Dell would not do)so I can do something called an In Place Upgrade Repair Install!Has anybody done this and does anyone have full instructions for doing an In Place Upgrade Repair Install,this is only link I found (Repair Install For Vista is old and not for 32 bit,and gives me pause and a million questions ,is my product key really still good ,will reactivating work,how long will this Install take ,do I need to watch whole install for prompts,what reconfiguring is needed,will my wireless connection be oK?I am new to this, quite nervous and wondering if I should just skip SP2 as everything else is now at least working ,is it just a bigger headache ....but then every couple of days I still get a bad crash and would like some stability?
Sorry for rambling post but that's just how I feel now after constantly working on this Dell ,Vista nightmare since I got it ...Mad ,Hesitant and Confused!Any links ,suggestions or personal solutions about Vista In Place Upgrade Repair Install would be greatly appreciated!Thanks for the help and patience,Steven.

Dear Shawn,
Thanks so much for the quick response,you do a great service here,thanks for the e-mail also.I have some other problems and do not feel comfortable with a complete install right now.Do you have any links or full ,complete ,step by step directions for doing the In Place Upgrade Repair Install?Is reactivating a big headache in either a Repair Install or Complete Install?What about backup in Home Premium,I will have to buy an external drive how big should it be,can I backup all Programs and Settings and how do you do this ,how do you reinstall them?If Repair Install does not work and I do need a Complete Install how long does the complete install take,and will I have to install all drivers also,the disc Microsoft is sending is Windows Vista with Sp1 ,my Dell Disc's are all pre Sp1!I don't think this has my Dell drivers on it and the WLAN card has been a problem,that's another reason for not doing a Complete Install ,it is finally working!I am beginning to believe that these problems are as much Dell's fault as Vista's,I have a new HP G60 /Vista Sp1/3G ram and have not had any problems,do you think adding more ram to this Dell Inspiron 1720 (from 2G to 4G) might help? As I said I have very little experience with computers and appreciate any advice and full detailed instructions or links!
Thanks again,
Steven(urlnts)

Hi urints,

The precise instructions are given here:

Repair Install For Vista

When you get to step 15, you need to click Change product key, and enter the key that is on the dell dvd case they originally supplied - should activate fine ( you are lucky to have a Dell ).

Shawn is right, of course, you may be better doing a clean install - again, use the original Dell product key.

Clean Install with a Full Version of Vista

You may need to get a copy of the latest Dell drivers for your specific machine - you might need to install one or two of them.

Visit the Dell site and download the drivers - put them on a cd-r.

How much space you need to backup depends on how much data you need to save, obviously.

You could try Windows Easy Transfer - transfers your files and settings and the data - you will still need to reinstall programs , so keep the the program installation files - setup.exe , or whatever they are called.

Alternatively ( and simpler ) just make copies of any data and program installation files you want to save ( make sure you have product keys for the programs you want to reinstall) - copy and paste if there is not too much.

You can put your backup on an external HD (safest), or another partition.

Hi SIW2,
Thanks for the reply but this Vista -Dell nightmare is making me more apprehensive and I'm questioning the aggravation and need for Sp2?The Microsoft Help through email is hard to keep in touch with and does not give full directions as they know I am a total novice and having trouble !My Dell Disc was pre Sp1 so I ordered through Microsoft a Replacement Disc , Windows Vista,32 Bit,Home Premium,Sp1!Their only directions are to Back Up files(saying nothing about Windows Easy Transfer) ,turn off all Windows Features through Programs and Features(when do I turn back on before or after trying Sp2 again?) and then:
In-place Upgrade
=============
1. Insert the Windows Vista DVD in the computer's DVD drive.
2. Click Start and choose Computer.
3. Please find the "setup.exe" file in the DVD-ROM and double click it.
4. Click Install now.
5. When we are prompted to input the product key, please click Next without inputting any key. The setup wizard will prompt and ask if you agree to install Windows Vista without the key. Please choose to confirm.
6. When you reach the "Which type of installation do you want" screen, click Upgrade to upgrade the system files of Windows Vista.

Note: While performing the In-place Upgrade, the system will restart automatically (several times) to merge the files and programs. Please leave the computer alone and do not configure it until In-place Upgrade is completed. The system will start Windows Vista once it is upgraded.

When the In-place Upgrade finishes please restart the computer and install Windows Vista SP2 again.
--------------------------------------------------------

Are these directions complete,correct, and is it going to go that simply?My big problem RIGHT NOW is with the Product Key,there is a different number on the envelope the new disc came in ,She says to put in no Product Key at start of procedure but how do I activate and with what Key ,my old key or this new one?I have read of people's computers being put in a shut down mode (?)if they did not activate correctly?What does she mean by configuring ,I thought this Upgrade kept all files ,programs,settings IN PLACE?This is all getting too confusing and maddening,a new computer should not have this many problems!

I can also send a Checksur(?) file of the problem I found running Scan/now,they are the files that Sp2 said are missing or corrupted when I try to install,maybe we could replace those files manually?
Thanks Again For The Help,
Steven(urlnts)