NEED MAJOR Help!!! I ruined my windows!

[epic-r0flwaffle]

Hello,
Hehehe... this is probably going to sound stupid, but please bear with me.
I have a new Macbook Pro 15" 2.66GHz that I got for Christmas. This last weekend, I downloaded a copy of 64-bit Windows Vista Ultimate on my laptop.
The bad part was when I was being stupid and impatient and decided to hold down the power button to shut down my computer in the middle of updates. Now, my Windows won't start no matter what I try. Please help!

Thanks in advance.

 

[cwa107]

Windows updates frequently modify core OS components. Forcing a power down during these modifications can badly break the OS. Which is probably exactly what happened. Sounds like you just need to reinstall.

 

[harryb2448]

Downloaded a copy of Vista? I wonder where from?

 

[cwa107]

Downloaded a copy of Vista? I wonder where from?

Microsoft does sell their products in downloadable form. And it's quite common for Universities to distribute it (as per their license agreement) to students via a disk image.

 

[chscag]

Harry...

I've seen many folks confuse "download" and "upload" with "install". Could be that's what he did. ??

Regards.

 

[epic-r0flwaffle]

Will it allow me to use the same product key, or will I have to buy a whole new copy of Windows? I really can't afford that.

 

[cwa107]

Yes, you can use the same product key. The product key is usually specific to your hardware, not the individual install.

 

[epic-r0flwaffle]

Ok thanks a bunch. Just a few more questions and everything will be cleared up for me...
How would one go about reinstalling Windows? Clearing the hard drive, accessing the partition again, etc?

And I also enjoy playing Halo for PC. I've never tried it before, but will I still be able to use the same product key for that, too?

One final thing...
As I have Windows Vista Ultimate, there are a lot of large, memory-using updates to be had. What should I not do while downloading and installing updates?

 

[chas_m]

What should I not do while downloading and installing updates?

Anything.

Let it do its important work. Go outside and play, or read a book, or (if necessary) take a weekend road trip.

I'm being a bit of a hypocrite saying this, as I'm so tethered to my machine that I'm thinking of being buried with it, but updating (particularly on Windows) is a really good time to do non-computer activities.

 

[cwa107]

Ok thanks a bunch. Just a few more questions and everything will be cleared up for me...
How would one go about reinstalling Windows? Clearing the hard drive, accessing the partition again, etc?

I have not done it in 7 yet, but there are some new recovery options you might want to try first. See here:

What are the system recovery options in Windows 7?

Basically, you'll need to boot off the Windows 7 disc, go into recovery options. The first thing I'd attempt is the "System Restore" function.

And I also enjoy playing Halo for PC. I've never tried it before, but will I still be able to use the same product key for that, too?

Yes.

One final thing...
As I have Windows Vista Ultimate, there are a lot of large, memory-using updates to be had. What should I not do while downloading and installing updates?

You mean hard-disk space, not memory.

While the updates are installing, just leave it alone.