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If you do finally decide to do a repair install of Win 7 you can get the iso's here...

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/soft...nload/windows7

Sure, i was going to do a windows repair, but nobody in this household has a CD for the correct version, so i was going to wait until tomorrow to get one but if there is a way with that link, i'll likely go for it.

Now, the first sentence mentions a Windows product key. :(
Not sure i will have that. Will check.

The free version of MagicalJellybean keyfinder works..

https://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/

How to find the Windows Product Key:

http://www.howtogeek.com/206329/how-...-product-keys/

https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en#h...et+product+key

jdc2000.... that works to get the key. First hurdle passed.

Hum... next step was to verify the key, and i get this error message:

Error

The product key you entered appears to be for software pre-installed by the device manufacturer. Please contact the device manufacturer for software recovery options.

Does that mean it won't work to get the Disc image?

Now all you have to do is verify which version of Windows you have. Also, it makes a difference if you have the Retail or OEM version when you select the .iso file to download for the repair.

Edit: It looks like you have the OEM version of Windows. You would need an .iso file for the OEM version you have.

OK, let's say that i am downloading and trying to use the wrong version, would it mess up something or just not work?
I could download more than one if needed!

And also in the instructions you directed me to, it says "After the product key is verified, select a product language from the menu.", but if i get an error, then i can't verify it. Where would i get the file/disc image then?

You should be able to download any version(s) that you need.

If you try the incorrect one, it should simply not work.

I guess i'll have to find another method to find the disc image as that link won't let me pass the verification step.

I will get my hand on the original OEM disk used for my computer, so i should be able to do a repair tonight. I'll update you after.

In the instructions for the Windows repair, it states to save all the drivers on an external location.
Silly question maybe but what are they and where are they?

Drivers are the software that works with your hardware. Examples would be software drivers for your network adapter, video display adapter, etc. If you have the driver installation media or files that came with the computer or add-on hardware, then you should be OK.

I am now terrified of doing this. What if...? What if...?
:(

You could always make an image backup of your system drive before starting the Repair Install. That way, you could restore it if anything went wrong.

Good idea... how do i do that?

You can use something like Acronis, which is what I use. I always boot from the bootable media to make my image files, that way no installation is required. Acronis is not free however.

Free imaging tools:

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/fiv...cloning-tools/

Cool, i just bought Acronis yesterday... what a coincidence!

I might no be able to do much today, as the backup seems it will take 12+ hours :(

How much space is used on your system drive? Note that the initial estimate for the backup time is likely to be hugely overestimated.

I had not reconfigured Acronis in a while, so maybe i was looking at the settings wrong, but i was only trying to get my C drive but somehow, it would not let me select only the system files, and i could only select the whole C drive.

Since i am kind of running late in various project doing this and not even be sure of the result (and risking even more trouble), i decided to bring it in the shop this morning. Crossing fingers they will figure out something for me (and not mess it up like i might have done).

I normally select to image the entire drive (all partitions). That way, if something goes wrong, in your case with a Windows repair install, it is possible to restore the system to exactly the way it was before.

If you back up only your files, then if something goes wrong, you have to reinstall Windows, update Windows, reinstall your software, restore your data, which is much more time consuming and involves a lot more of your actual time to perform tasks. A restore from a disk image might take a while, but you don't have to do anything other than start it up and check it afterwards.

Well as i mentioned earlier, i opted to bring the computer to the shop (they have more time and more expertise and if they mess up, they fix it). The tech has been working on it for 2 days, and they have not found a solution yet. They tried various things, including stuff on the registry, and also a Windows repair, and nothing has worked. They still have a couple of things they need to try, but if those are unsuccessful, the only option will be a reformat. NOT looking forward to the verdict tomorrow.

If the Repair Install failed to correct the issue, then most likely your system files are OK, and it is a setting somewhere, either in the registry or elsewhere, that is causing the problem. The authors of your beta software should be able to tell you what registry or other settings their software affects.

Another tester has brought up an observation of something else that the program might have touched, on Windows side: the details tab in the Image Information window contains different sets of data after installing the program. I can compare because my work laptop never had the program installed. Hopefully, the author of the software can make some kind of connection with my issue.

Fingers crossed!

After 3 days of work, the technician at the computer shop has not been able to find the actual cause of this issue but found that the Media Preview application makes my images and previews appear again. I am happy with it.

http://www.babelsoft.net/products.htm