How to Fix Common Windows 7 Upgrade Problems

Nothing is more frustrating than unwrapping your new copy of Microsoft’s latest operating system - Windows 7 – and then running into issues with the installation. Despite the best efforts of the engineers at Microsoft, many users have faced serious upgrade bugs with Windows 7.

Don't fret – with this guide we will explain how to overcome the most common Windows 7 upgrade problems.

Multiple Reboots
The most common Windows 7 upgrade issue is the multiple reboot loop. This extremely annoying bug causes the system to reboot multiple times, present a message stating that Windows 7 could not be installed and that the previous version (Vista) has been restored, and then repeat the process over and over. If you see this message more than once after your PC has rebooted, then it’s time to step in and fix the problem.

To exit this repeating reboot cycle, select Vista from the boot menu at startup, and then insert your old Vista installation disc into your CD/DVD optical drive. After the Vista setup menu appears, choose to exit the setup. Then go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories and right-click Command Prompt. Choose Run as Administrator from the context menu. At the command prompt, type “D:\boot\Bootsect.exe /NT60 All” (make sure to replace the letter ‘D’ with the letter of CD/DVD optical drive). This command will reset the reboot parameters and allow the installation process to begin again.

Installation Hangs or Installation Stops Completely
The next most common installation problem most users have encountered may not be easy to spot at first glance. The problem occurs when the installation progress bar sits at 62 percent for more 15 minutes or longer. At this point, it’s safe to say that the installation has run into problems and needs intervention to be fixed. The cause for this problem is a service called lphlpsvc.

Fortunately, the solution to this problem is simple. First, you will need to reboot your PC first to get back to the desktop. Then go to the Microsoft website, download the automated fix package - MicrosoftFixit50319 - and install it. If you follow the step-by-step instructions in the wizard, you should be able to resolve the problem.

Invalid Product Key
This issue occurs when you try to activate your new copy of Windows 7, but you get an error stating that your product key is invalid. The fix for this problem is time-consuming, but it can be done as long as you have a good amount of patience.

First, here is the reason that the issue occurs:
The invalid product key error is usually caused by an attempt to install an upgrade edition of Windows 7 on a hard drive that has been formatted. According to Microsoft’s Windows 7 upgrade terms, you must install the upgrade edition on a PC that already has either XP or Vista installed on it. If the installation process is not able to locate an XP or Vista installation, then Windows 7 thinks it is a fresh install on a new PC rather than an upgrade.

Here is the step-by-step process to fix it:
1) You need to install either XP or Vista installed on your hard drive with a fresh installation.
2) Windows 7 requires you to have SP1 installed on Vista, and SP 3 installed on Windows XP. So you need to run the automatic update process to install the service pack for XP or Vista before moving on to the next step.
3) Once you've installed XP or Vista, along with the service packs, reboot your computer and then insert your Windows 7 upgrade disc to start the installation process again.
4) If you want to format your hard drive before installing Windows 7, select Custom (Advanced) as your installation type. You can then choose to format the hard drive and complete the installation without encountering the invalid product key error.

If you are still facing an issue after you have followed these instructions, your next step is to activate Windows 7 by phone. To do this, go to Start -> Computer -> Properties -> Click here to activate Windows now. Select the option to activate by phone, dial the number that is displayed, and then follow the automated instructions. If that does not work, then you can always choose to speak with a Microsoft technical support person. You may have to wait on hold for a while, but a technical resource will be needed if you are still facing issues after following all of these steps.

Conclusion
Overall, Windows 7 is a very good operating system that most people will love using (especially if they are upgrading from Vista!). And while this is by no means a comprehensive list of the upgrade bugs that you might encounter during the Windows 7 installation, it hopefully will address the vast majority of common upgrade issues. We hope this helps as many people as possible to get Windows 7 up and running!