Anyone still running Windows 7?

Hey everyone—it turns out our little mystery was solved by pure chance. I was just cleaning up my room and stumbled upon an old CD lying around; curiosity got the better of me, so I popped it in to see what it was, only to find it was the original driver disc that came with my PC when I first bought it.
I had previously tried installing the Realtek drivers I downloaded from the internet, but they just wouldn't work—no matter what I did, nothing happened. However, this specific version from the disc? It works like a charm.
I really wanted to say thanks to all of you for the help.

Eric Wilson75 said:Well, yeah, so I guess I'm not losing my mind after all. But for me, the card doesn't actually expand—it just stays exactly the same unless I manually click it. And that little rectangle next to the clock that’s supposed to show the desktop when you hover over it? Nothing happens unless I actually click it.🤷 It feels like some weird hybrid version between Aero and Basic.

And what about this? Has anyone else run into this kind of messy interface?

cosmicrider5 said:Dammit, what even are "Shadow Copies" under storage devices in this American Device Manager?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/security/safety

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Copy

Yeah, I actually have the Professional week version. That’s why I don't have that specific feature.

Is there any way to actually scrub a program off my hard drive after I uninstall it? Like, really wipe it clean

I want to make sure the HDD doesn't even realize it was ever there when I try to run a fresh install on Windows 7

Douglas Garcia52 said:Is there any way to completely scrub a program from my hard drive after uninstalling it?

I want to make sure the drive doesn't realize it was ever installed when I try a fresh install on Windows 7.

By wiping its leftovers out of the registry:

"You just type regedit into the Run box and hit OK to pull up the Registry Editor. From there, you can use Ctrl + f to open the Find tool. Type in whatever you're looking to purge from the system and hit Find next. Once it highlights the first instance in the right-hand pane, just hit Delete. Then, tap F3 to search for the next piece of that specific data. You just keep hitting Delete then F3 until everything related to that program is gone from the registry." 🙂

Should I go with the 64-bit OS or skip it? What are the actual pros and cons here... and is all the software you grab online actually optimized for a system like this, or is it even worth worrying about? Thanks in advance!🙂

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/support/faq

So, I’m trying to figure out if I can burn a CD or DVD with Windows 7 on it... specifically one that lets me boot right into a fresh installation before the OS even loads. I need this for when things go south and the computer refuses to boot at all. Do I have to hunt down some special version online, or can I just burn it using Nero like I used to do back in the Windows XP days?

Do you actually have any version handy to make a bootable Windows 7 drive, or were you thinking about just making a boot image from the C partition?

I've got Windows 7 on a DVD and on my hard drive... but every time I pop that disc in, it just hits me with "disk not bootable" right at startup. How do I fix this? How do I get it to actually load? What am I supposed to do here?

silentlynx24 said:I've got Windows 7 on a DVD and on my hard drive... but whenever I pop that disc in, it hits me with "disk not bootable" right at startup. How do I fix this? Basically, how do I get it to actually load? What's the move here?

To make a "bootable ISO image," I just use CDBurnerXP (specifically Burn ISO image).

silentlynx24 said:So, I was wondering if it’s possible to make a CD or DVD with Windows 7 on it... something that lets me run a fresh installation immediately before the OS even boots up. I'd need this for those moments when Windows crashes and the computer just won't start properly. Do I need to hunt down a different version online, or can I just burn it using Nero like we used to do back with XP?

Is there any chance you're working on a laptop? If so, did it come with Windows pre-installed?

Quick question for the group—is there any way to actually order a recovery disc online if my Windows is legit? I’m talking about using the product key to get one or something? Thanks!

dustybear9 said:Quick question, can you actually order a recovery disc online if the Windows version is genuine? Like, using the product key? Thanks!!

Whose laptop is it? Maybe try reaching out to their support. I guess it should be possible, though they might charge you for it.😢

silentlynx24 said:I've got Windows 7 on a DVD and on my hard drive... but whenever I pop that DVD in and start up, it just tells me... disk not bootable... how can I fix that... basically, how do I get it to load... what should I do?

First, turn it into an ISO file. ☕

Burn that Windows 7 "normally" onto any DVD media, or if you have a rewritable one, use that so you aren't wasting a blank disc.

I used to run into issues trying to burn bootable DVDs from ISO files I'd made myself, until a random software update changed everything. It wasn't originally meant for this, but it handles it perfectly now.

Grab the latest version of Format Factory.

Once it's installed, go to > ROM device/DVD/CD/ISO

Then select DVD/CD to ISO/CSO
Assuming you've burned your Windows 7 to a blank DVD by now, just pop it into the drive.

Click Convert.

After that, just hit "Start."

It’ll whip up an ISO file pretty quickly in Documents>FFOutput

Now, install ImgBurn.

Once you open it, go with the option Write image file to disk.

At the top, you'll see Please select a file... > click the little yellow folder icon and import that Windows 7 ISO you just made in FFOutput.

Put a blank DVD in the drive, hit "Write" at the bottom, and the program will automatically set the speed to 4x. Once it's done, your Windows 7 should be bootable (provided all the files are fine, specifically the bootmgr).

It sounds strange, but it's true—I struggled using other programs to make a bootable Windows boot, but this new version of Format Factory makes a flawless ISO file. ☕

Thanks a ton... that was exactly what I was looking for... saves me the hassle of burning a DVD since I’ve already got Windows 7 ready to go... but does this whole process work for any kind of data? I’ve got this one specific app—basically a little utility—that runs right at BIOS startup and supposedly wipes an account password. It would be a total lifesaver if you forget a password and don't feel like reinstalling Windows all over again. Let's just skip the Safe Mode talk (I really don't feel like getting into why right now)... can I set this thing up to be bootable just like my Windows 7 drive?

Anyone got a clue what I should do?😢

Running Windows 7 x64 and my PC keeps randomly rebooting on its own.😕

I can't even get this card installed properly:
AverMedia AVerTV Hybrid duo ii
Sometimes it shows up and works, other times it’s just missing from the Device Manager.
Honestly, I doubt it's the card itself, because even when I pull it out, the exact same thing happens.😕

Here's the build:
* CPU: Intel i7 920
* Mobo: Gigabyte EX58A-UD3R
* RAM: 2x DDR3 6GB (3x2GB) Kingston HyperX, 1600MHz
* VGA: Sapphire HD 4550, 512Mb GDDR3, 64bit, HDMI+DVI+VGA, PCI-E passive
* SSD: KINGSTON Solid State Drive 2.5" Serial ATA II-300 64 GB
* HDD: WD 2TB, WD20EARS, SATA II, 64MB Cache - 4 units
* HDD: Seagate 1 TB
* HDD: Seagate 1.5 TB
* TVC: AverMedia AVerTV Hybrid duo ii, 2×DVB-T + Analog TV tuner (MPEG-4)
* PSU: CORSAIR 550W, VX Series CMPSU-550VX
* CASE: Antec Three Hundred - US version, Midi tower

stormybadger8 said:Anyone got any ideas on what I should do?😢

So, I'm running Windows 7 x64, and my PC keeps randomly shutting down and rebooting itself constantly. It’s driving me nuts.😕

I just can't seem to get this card installed, no matter how much time I throw at it.
AverMedia AVerTV Hybrid duo ii
It pops up and works fine one minute, then the next, it just completely vanishes from the Device Manager. I guess it’s being temperamental.
I don't really think that's the issue, though. Even when I pull it out, the same thing keeps happening.😕

Here's what I'm running:
CPU: Intel i7 920
Gigabyte EX58A-UD3R motherboard.
RAM: 2x 6GB DDR3 (using 3x2GB sticks) Kingston HyperX, 1600MHz
GPU details: Sapphire HD 4550, 512MB GDDR3, 64-bit. It features HDMI, DVI, and VGA outputs, plus a passive PCI-E cooling setup.
SSD: Kingston Solid State Drive 2.5" SATA II-300 64 GB
Hard drives: Four Western Digital 2TB units (WD20EARS), SATA II, 64MB Cache.
Hard drive: Seagate 1 TB
HDD: Seagate 1.5 TB
TV Tuner Card: AverMedia AVerTV Hybrid duo ii, featuring dual digital tuners and an analog tuner (MPEG-4 support).
Power Supply Unit: Corsair 550W, VX Series CMPSU-550VX
CAS: Antec Three Hundred - US, Mid-tower case

So, what's the deal with the antivirus and Malwarebytes? Have you actually run a scan on your computer yet? 🙂

So, what exactly are we looking at here? Does the system just restart and stay silent, or are you getting a Blue Screen of Death with some actual error text on it?

silentlynx24 said:Thanks, that's exactly what I was wondering about... saves me from burning another DVD since I've already got Windows 7 on one ready to go... but does this procedure work for any kind of data? I have this specific app that's supposed to run right at the BIOS level—basically wipes an account password immediately upon startup. It would be a lifesaver if you forget a password and don't feel like reinstalling Windows entirely. Let's skip talking about Safe Mode for now (don't ask, just won't happen)... can I set this up to be bootable just like I did with Windows 7?

Just create an ISO file for that program the same way, burn it, and see if it takes.

It should work, provided the software was designed to run from the BIOS level.