How to repair Windows 7

Windows Tutorials: Written and Organized by Evan Omo (Updated August 2018).

Special thanks to Arie Slob and Bill Bright for providing advice and suggestions.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to repair Windows Vista or Windows 7 so that your computer will work properly again. Following these steps will most of the time solve various common problems such as Windows Updates failing to install, features of Windows missing or not working, and other 3rd party programs not installing completely due to permission problems.

1. For Windows Vista or Windows 7 follow the instructions in this link to download and run the appropriate version of the System Update Readiness Tool, Fix Windows corruption errors by using the DISM or System Update Readiness tool. After the tool has been run, continue onto the next steps.

2. Download the portable version of Windows Repair (All In One) from here, Windows Repair (All In One). Save the zipped folder to your desktop.


3. After you have downloaded the zipped folder to your desktop, make sure you boot the computer into Safe Mode with Networking BEFORE you run the program which will give you the best results. If you need assistance with booting the computer into Safe Mode with Networking then follow the instructions here, How to start Windows in Safe Mode.

4. Once you boot the computer into Safe Mode with Networking, right click the zipped folder and click Extract All. After the folder has been extracted open the regular folder. Then right click on the Repair_Windows.exe program and select Run as administrator to run the program.

5. After the program opens, click on the Step 3 tab and click the Open Check Disk at next reboot option button to have the program run Check Disk on the file system. Then restart the computer for Check Disk to run.




6. After the computer finishes running Check Disk, start the program again and proceed to the Step 4 tab.

7. Click on the Step 4 tab and click on the Check button to allow the program to run the System File Checker to find and fix any corrupt Windows files.


8. After the System File Checker finishes, proceed to the Repairs - Main tab.

9. On the Repairs - Main tab go ahead and click on the Open Repairs button.


10. The Windows Repairs window will open. Now ensure that ONLY the following checkboxes in the program are checked as indicated below:

Reset Registry Permissions
Reset File Permissions
Reset Service Permissions
Register System Files
Repair WMI
Repair Windows Firewall
Repair Internet Explorer
Repair MDAV/MS Jet
Repair Hosts Files
Remove Policies Set By Infections
Repair Start Menu Icons Removed by Infections
Repair Icons
Repair Winsock & DNS Cache
Remove Temp Files
Repair Proxy Settings
Repair Windows Updates
Repair CD/DVD Missing/Not Working
Repair Volume Shadow Copy Service
Repair MSI (Windows Installer)
Repair File Associations
Repair Windows Safe Mode
Repair Print Spooler
Restore Important Windows Services
Set Windows Services to Default Startup
Repair Windows ‘New’ Submenu
Repair Performance Counters

11. Then when those checkboxes are selected, click on the checkbox that says Restart/Shutdown System when Finished. Then choose the Restart System option and select the Always On Top checkbox.

12. Now click on the Start Repairs button to start the repair process.


13. The process could take some time so please be patient.

14. After the repair process finishes, the computer will be rebooted.

15. See if your computer has been successfully repaired after performing the above steps.

If the Windows Repair All in One tool does not repair your issue with Windows Vista or Windows 7 then follow these steps:

1. Start the computer and as soon as the BIOS has loaded, begin tapping the F8 key until you see the Advanced Boot Options menu appear.

2. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to select the Repair your computer menu item.

3. Follow the instructions in this link to access the System Recovery Options, How to Boot to the System Recovery Options in Windows Vista or Windows 7.

4. Once you are at the System Recovery Options area, follow the instructions in this link to run Startup Repair, How to Run Startup Repair in Windows Vista or Windows 7.

5. If Startup Repair fails to get your computer working then follow the instructions in this link to perform a System Restore, How to Do a System Restore in Windows Vista or Windows 7.

6. If System Restore also fails to restore your computer to a working state then go back to the System Recovery Options window and select the Command Prompt option.

7. When the Command Prompt window opens type the following commands, exactly as written below, in the order in which they are presented, and press enter after entering each command:

• Bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
• ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
• Bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd
• BootRec.exe /fixmbr
• BootRec.exe /fixboot
• sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c:\windows
• chkdsk C: /r
• exit

8. If you receive any warnings or notifications asking you are you sure, press Y to confirm.

9. After exiting the Command Prompt window, reboot the computer and see if Windows Vista or Windows 7 works successfully.

10. If after rebooting the computer, the machine still does not work properly then you will need to perform a repair install of Windows Vista or Windows 7 but make sure you backup your data first. Follow the instructions in this link, How To Perform a Repair Installation to Fix Window Vista or How To Perform a Repair Installation to Fix Windows 7.

11. Hopefully Windows Vista or Windows 7 will now be repaired but if not then the final solution will be to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista or Windows 7 which will remove all of your data on your hard drive so make sure you backup your data. Follow the instructions in this link, How to Do a Clean Installation with Windows Vista or How to Do a Clean Installation with Windows 7.

All the Best and Good Luck!

The WindowsBBS Team

 

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