That won't be a solution either, using illegal keys, if the system files are compromised it's best to do a clean/or repair install.
i really really dont want to have to do a clean install or repair as i have a lot of work on here and not enough time to get everything back to how it was. obviusly if nothing else works it would be looking that way
you shouldn't loose anything by doing a repair installation if i go by what @Daz said : i don't know if by mentionning "programs", he means your installed applications. This point needs to be clarified.
i was just looking on ebay at license keys, but that to probaly wouldnt work as the activation has expired, sorry if sounding dump but i am not to clued up on how the activation works
yes sorry, i was reading it wrong i thought it said You DO NOT want to preserve your user accounts, data, programs, and system drivers. IT CLEARLY SAYS You DO want to preserve your user accounts, data, programs, and system drivers. been a long day, sorry ha
heading off for the night guys, i will check back in the morning, i really appriciate all the help, very responsive thank you
And I would suggest @leec18 to use something like this along with an SKU that support OEM:SLP activation too.
hi sorry for the very late reply, but i have been away on holiday shortly after my last post so decided to wait until i was back before testing. anyway the repair install wont work Windows 7 Enterprise cannot be upgraded to Windows 7 Enterprise. You can choose to install a new copy of Windows 7 Enterprise instead, but this is different from an upgrade, and does not keep your files, settings, and programs. You’ll need to reinstall any programs using the original installation discs or files. To save your files before installing Windows, back them up to an external location such as a CD, DVD, or external hard drive. To install a new copy of Windows 7 Enterprise, click the Back button in the upper left-hand corner, and select “Custom (advanced)”.
It looks like you didn't start setup.exe from the running windows 7 enterprise but booted from dvd/usb? To upgrade or do an inplace/repair install you have to start the setup.exe from the running windows install, not boot from usb/dvd.