Windows 7 endless reboot answer evades Microsoft
Microsoft support offers ideas, but some PCs still crippled after upgrade attempt
Computerworld - Users remained stymied today by endless reboots after trying to upgrade their PCs to Windows 7, according to messages posted on Microsoft's support forum.
An answer has yet to be found for all users, who began reporting the problem last Friday after watching the upgrade stall two-thirds of the way through the process. Most users said that their PCs had displayed an error 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 vicious cycle.
Several Microsoft engineers, including the company's senior group manager for Windows supportability, have offered advice, but on Monday users continued to publish complaints on a growing forum thread.
"I think I've gotten to the point where trying to install Windows 7 is simply not worth it," said "Chimaera717" around 1 p.m. ET today. Chimaera717 was one of the first users to gripe about reboot hell. "I'm more content with actually having a working computer. Anyone know if we can get our money back?"
Earlier, Microsoft support engineers posting to the thread urged users to burn downloaded upgrades -- which were delivered as disk image, or .iso, files -- at their DVD drives' slowest speeds to reduce the chance of corrupting the data, one possible explanation for the endless reboots. At the same time, one user pointed others to a document published last July on Microsoft's support site that spelled out a possible solution.
Late Monday, Paul Aaron, Microsoft's senior group manager for Windows supportability, chimed in with a link to another support document. "From reading through the article, it looks like there is a service running in the background that is preventing the upgrade from completing," Aaron said. "Hope this helps."
The document, published in early September, noted that the "iphlpsvc" service -- which offers IPv6 connectivity over an IPv4 network -- may cause Vista-to-Windows 7 upgrades to hang at the 62%-completed mark. The fix that Aaron highlighted requires users to modify the advanced system settings of the PC.
Those instructions didn't do anything for some users, who said that their systems were still crippled.
Windows 7
- At CES, Microsoft sets stage for lower Windows revenue
- Windows 7 to crack 40% share by year's end
- Microsoft TV ads to target old PCs with anti-'good enough' angle
- Windows 7 share tops XP for first time in U.S.
- Windows 7 breaks 20% share barrier
- Microsoft to wind down Windows 7 Family Pack sales by year's end
- Microsoft delivers Windows 7 SP1 blocking tools
- Enterprises: We'll run Windows XP even after retirement
- Microsoft may face resistance to Windows 8
- Windows 7 Family Pack discount deal returns


- Excel 2010 Cheat Sheet
- Register for this Computerworld Insider Cheat Sheet and gain access to hundreds of premium content articles, guides, product reviews and more.
- Microsoft Volume Licensing Comparison - Small/Med. Business
- This quick-reference document lets small and medium organizations (i.e. those with five or more devices) to easily compare the available Microsoft Volume Licensing...
- Microsoft Volume Licensing Comparison - Enterprise
- With this quick-reference document, you can easily compare the available Microsoft Volume Licensing programs for enterprise organizations with 250+ devices, and tailor a...
- Microsoft Open Value Program Guide
- In this overview, see how Microsoft Open Value provides a flexible, affordable way for small to midsize organizations (i.e. those with five or...
- HP Software Licensing & Management Solutions for Microsoft
- See how HP Software Licensing & Management Solutions (SLMS) can help you identify the best Microsoft licensing program for your needs, get the...
- Microsoft Volume Licensing Reference Guide
- This guide provides an overview of the key features of Microsoft Volume Licensing programs. The information is presented by organizational type and size-two... All Windows White Papers
- Banking on the Mainframe
- This presentation will look at banking application issues and provide examples on how banks and financial market clients are responding to these challenges.
- Banish Poor Application Performance: Eliminate Business Disruptions, Increase End User Productivity
- End User Experience, 30-Min Webinar
Wed. Feb. 22nd ~ 11 AM ET
Are you ready to gain the proactive ability to rapidly respond... - Spear Phishing and the Modern Cyber Attack
- Learn how IT teams can protect against spear phishing tactics. Harry Sverdlove, chief technology officer of Bit9 offers a frank discussion about spear...
- Understand Your Data: The Future of Backup and Archiving
- Archiving and Backup are the foundation of the next generation of information governance. However, commodity data protection tools and basic archives are only...
- Customer Lifetime Value for IT
- Watch the video to learn how IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics enables marketers while reducing the burden on IT. All Windows Webcasts
