Help. restoring back to vista from a bad Win7 install

Following Article ID 971760 : How to restore a windows 7 based computer back to a previous install

Here is the article: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/971760/

I might be having a problem i don't want to mess up so I'm waiting to make sure i can go ahead, what do you think?

During step 3 of the process i was typing the command prompts and everything was fine until i typed:

C:\>Attrib -h -s -r ProgramDatac

it then responded: File not found - ProgramDatac
This was not in the instructions as something that might occur. Is this a problem?

Then I continued to follow the instructions and typed:

C:\>Move ProgramData Win7\ProgramData

it then replied:

The system cannot find the file specified.

Which according to the instructions , is fine.

So i went to the next step and typed:

C:\>Rd "Documents and Settings"

it then returned: C:\>

is everything looking OK so far? Not sure if I should move forward with the steps or wait as I might have something incorrect. I don't want to mess this up.

I'm mainly concerned about the "File not found - ProgramDatac"

The people at MS have not responded and I've had the command prompt section open and stuck at this point for over 24 hours.

If there is something wrong, how do i fix it?

thanks

 

It looks to me that there is a typo in their instructions putting an extra "c" at the end of the file ProgramData.

I would try again changing C:\>Attrib -h -s -r ProgramDatac to C:\>Attrib -h -s -r ProgramData
then
C:\>Move ProgramData Win7\ProgramData


*That makes more sense. You are changing ProgramData from hidden and protected and then moving it to the Win7 folder you created at the beginning of step 3.
I see no reason to change the attributes of a probably nonexistent file ProgramDatac and then move a different file.

 

I just checked my Win7 installation. The folder is ProgramData. There is no folder ProgramDatac. I'm confident it is a typo in their article.

 

thank you so much, sach2, we'll correct and move forward.

 

Good Luck!

Just so you know you will probably get an error of file not found if you repeat Rd "Documents and Settings" since you have already removed that directory. This is not a problem.

 

in step 5 of that process (for Vista)I get error message, system cannot find the path: which i assume means "D:" is not my dvd drive...but I don't know what my dvd drive is exactly and I'm in this prompt mode so I can't access my computer drives to locate which letter it is.

I'm typing:

D:\boot\bootsect /nt60 c:

I think that has the correct spacing.

Can you give me some options for what the drive might be?

I haven't changed anything from it's factory settings with the dvd drive.

thanks

 

D: or E: would be most likely.

Try typing dir D: and see if you get a list of files. Also try dir E:
The one that shows files should be the correct one. Just double check your \ and / but what you typed here looks correct.

I'm sorry but I have to be on my way out the door.

 

thanks, i think E is working

 

Hey mate

I have been trying to revert back to windows vista from windows 7 using the windows.old....

When I type
Attrib –h –s –r ProgramData

In command prompt I keep getting the message

File not found - ProgramData

Thanks

 

The command syntax looks OK, are you at the C:\> prompt?

Try typing attrib programdata at the C: prompt and see if it returns any results. (This doesn't do the same thing as the original command just sees if the folder is there.)

 

Yh I am at the c:\>prompt...
I have tried the suggestion u told me to do and it still says the same thing that file not found...

 

In Computer open C:
At the top left of window is Organize. Click to open and select Folder options. Then on the View tab> mark the circle for Show Hidden Files and also untick the box for Hide System Files. Hit Apply.
Do you see a programdata folder now?

 

Hi

Sorry to be a bother again.
I have done what you suggested and I still get the same response. Wen I type I attrib ProgramData I still get file not found.

Wen I typed in dir in command c promt I don't get the folders that exist in drive C...
But wen I type in D:
And type in dir I get all the folders that exist in C

What should I do.. This is so messed up

Thanks

 

I'll have to look over the instructions later. Had a wine tasting lunch this afternoon. :wine

I take you are booted from the CD and using the command prompt from there?
Then most of the instructions can be used just substituting D: for C: in all steps up until step 5.

There we have to figure out the drive letter for the DVD drive.

****
I will take a look at it later. Just to be sure you are saying that a dir of drive D: when booting from the CD it lists folders including Windows and Users? Then I am fairly sure you want to do all the steps up until 5 using D: wherever you see C:. BUT how were you able to complete the steps previous to attrib programdata if WINDOWS and Users were not on C:? You should have gotten an error for those steps too:

 

I did get an error that says
The system cannot find the file specified

But when u check the Microsoft website it does say you will get that error..

 

So you were able to only complete two commands C: and then Md Win7 and then got errors for the next three "move" commands in my last post?

If that is the case the problem is that from the Windows CD your drive is being seen as drive D: which is fine because you probably have a small System Reserved partition that is labeled as C:.

The point of the commands is to move several folders and then copy the old Vista versions from Windows.old. If your copies of these folders are on D: then that is the letter you need to use for the commands.

Go ahead and substitute D: for all commands up until step 5. So starting with the command C: you would use D:. Then md win7 etc.
I, personally, would alter the command rd "Documents and Settings" to rename "Documents and Settings" Docset7 This just renames the Docs and Settings folder rather than deletes it. It can be deleted later after you determine if the Vista restore worked or not.