Vista - Clean Install From Upgrade Vista

Hello FLVistaDude, and welcome to Vista Forums.

I'm sorry to hear that you eventually had to do a clean install to fix your problems, but happy to hear that you are running smoothly again.

Shawn

Im fixing to finish building my new computer and it has 4 gigs of memory installed on the MB, 2 x 2gig sticks. Am I going to run into problems if I don't physicall remove one of the sticks or should I be okay but the system just won't see the 4th gig until I install the SP?

Hi Bratboy, and welcome to Vista Forums.

If it is a newer motherboard, then you should not have any problems during the installation.

If you happen to have problems, then you can just remove a stick and start over with a clean install again. After you have finished, flash the BIOS with the latest edition to help have your motherboard support the latest hardware. You can then add the 2nd stick of RAM back.

The SP1 will trick the 32 bit Vista into displaying that you have 4GB of RAM, but a 32 bit OS cannot use more than 3GB of RAM. Only the 64 bit Vista will see and use more then the 3GB limit.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Shawn Thanks alot for the info on the clean install.I joined the forum a 1/2 hr and already learned a lot from it.Thanks again. Rex031

You're welcome Rex, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Shawn

Hi. Shawn, love this site, read here a lot
Can I still go back to Factory Install Default?
If so, witch Page do I study?
Present Condition of my Computer, Refurbished Emachine
Vista Home Basic 32 bit, SP1
C; used space 31.7 GB, free space 80.0 GB ( Recovery D partition no longer exist)long story.)
Operating System Disc that came w/computer has these files(Nov.2006)
Boot file folder 15.1 MB
Sources files folder 2.43 GB
Upgrade file folder 37.9 MB
Bootmgr file 428 KB
EFI file folder 11.6 MB
Support file folder 26.6 MB
Autorun Setup Info 43 bytes (option to install)
Setup Windows Vista 106 KB (option Run as Admin.)
I have made DVD Drivers and Application
srry for the trouble and thanks

Fritz

Hi Fritz, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Since you still have the OEM Vista Recovery CD/DVD, you should be able to. Run the Setup Windows Vista file to start the installation. It should have some option to select to restore factory default Vista installation. Just have all of your driver installation files on DVD, or some other media, to have them handy after you reinstall Vista to make it easier for you.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

thank you Shawn

fritz

You're welcome Fritz. I hope it installs smoothly for you.

Thankfully if found this how-to... inculding screenshots, very helpfull!

I have an Asus laptop with a OEM Vista Home Basic WITH SP1 32 bit, and an upgrade DVD for Ultimate (cheap student version) without SP1, so it won't install since my current Vista SP1 version is newer than the Ultimate.
And of course no way to uninstall the SP1, since it is preinstalled on the laptop!
(Microsoft makes it all so easy for us.....)

Just some questions before I'm gonna try it, cause your method is gonna help me al lot!:

1) I have a C partition with my Vista Home Basic installed, a D partition for my data, and a hidden Recovery Partition.
Since I it is an Asus laptop, and I've heared that the Asus Recovery DVD is crap (it will create a really big red ERROR on your screen beacause apparently it is missing or cant find a file during recovery, leaving your computer a vegetable...).

So I would like to keep my D: (all my data, but is also back-upped on an external hard drive) and Recovery Partitions.
During Install, can I just select the current C partition, only format that partition to install Vista (leaving the other partitions unharmed)??? Think its possible but I couldn't figure it out for sure from your descriptions...

2) And I also have a Asus DVD/CD with drivers and utilities, but I assume that the driver for my DVD drive is already in Vista probably, ...right? (If the driver is missing for my DVD drive after reinstallation, then its going to be hard to install them back from a DVD...)

3) When you choose the Vista version in the first installation, do you choose the one already installed (so for me Home basic) or the one you want to upgrade to (for me Ultimate)?

Thanks heaps!

Mara