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Cannot finish upgrade to Windows 7 - Can't start User Account Control

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Latest post 11/07/2009 02:41 PM by ecrivainjack. 5 replies.
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Joined on 11/04/2009
Posts: 3
Points 45

Cannot finish upgrade to Windows 7 - Can't start User Account Control

04 Nov 2009 03:43PM

I keep sending this problem and get no satisfaction from Microsoft or Dell support. I cannot finish the installation of Windows 7, and I cannot go back to Vista without wiping my drive.

In the installation process, I reach a point where a pop-up window comes up saying: "In order to continue running this program which will install your Windows 7 ready software, you must click on the "Accept" button when the User Account Control window appears for the Dell Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant." (I get a choice to select Yes or Cancel) 

 But I can't get rid of that pop-up window to proceed with the installation! As a result, I cannot change my display colors, I can't read from a CD, and I can't do most of the functions an Administrator can do. When I try I get the following message:  "Windows cannot verify a digital signature for this file. A recent software or hardware change might have installed a file that is signed incorrectly or damaged or that might be malicious software from an unknown source."

 I tried Dell support already. One tech told me I had a virus, and he sent me to the virus support, where that tech told me my computer was working perfectly. I had to have him take over my PC so I could show him the problem I'm having. He had no answer. Does anybody have a solution to this problem?

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5 Replies:

Joined on 10/19/2009
Posts: 185
Points 3,676

Re: Cannot finish upgrade to Windows 7 - Can't start User Account Control

04 Nov 2009 04:36PM

ecrivainjack,

Thank you for contacting the Dell Community Forums.  It sounds like you're trying to upgrade to Windows 7, and I'm curious as to how far the upgrade proceeded.  Typically, the Dell Upgrade Assistant is run before Windows 7 is installed.  Is that what you did, or have you actually attempted to install Windows 7?  I ask because the Upgrade Assistant typically does not disable administrator functionality in Windows Vista (or at least I've never seen it do that).

  • Post Points: 20
Joined on 11/04/2009
Posts: 3
Points 45

Re: Cannot finish upgrade to Windows 7 - Can't start User Account Control

04 Nov 2009 09:23PM

Thank you for your reply. I have been trying to upgrade from Vista to 7. I ran the Upgrade Assistant first, then did the installation from the Operating System disk. The lengthy portions of the install seemed to go fine. The problem arises when the Upgrade Assistant is ready to reinstall old programs that it temporarily uninstalled to make way for 7. As near as I can tell, 7 is only half-installed. It seems to work just like Vista, but I can't do simple things like change my color scheme or my desktop background, or complex things like change my security level. I also can't get a CD to run; when I try any of these things I get the "Windows cannot verify a digital signature for this file" pop-up. Most of the Control Panel functions are blocked to me, with a little shield icon next to the function's name. I can click on them all day and nothing will happen -- just like the pop-up message that won't go away to allow me to complete the installation.

  • Post Points: 20
Joined on 10/19/2009
Posts: 185
Points 3,676

Re: Cannot finish upgrade to Windows 7 - Can't start User Account Control

05 Nov 2009 08:44AM

ecrivainjack,

It sounds like something may have gone wrong during the upgrade process, even though you didn't get an error message or other symptoms to indicate a problem while the installation was running.  We may be able to treat the symptoms you're experiencing and get your new OS running more smoothly.  To start, try disabling driver signature verification using the steps mentioned in this article.  If that improves your experience, try lowering the User Account Control Notification settings to see if that allows you to open applets from the Control Panel, using the steps described here.  Please post the results here.

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Joined on 10/19/2009
Posts: 185
Points 3,676

Re: Cannot finish upgrade to Windows 7 - Can't start User Account Control

05 Nov 2009 08:49AM

One other thing--what kind of user account were you logged in with when you ran the upgrade (i.e., what permissions did that account have)?  If you were running the upgrade from a limited user account, that might also explain the behavior you're seeing.  Is it possible for you to log in with a different user account and test?

  • Post Points: 20
Joined on 11/04/2009
Posts: 3
Points 45

Re: Cannot finish upgrade to Windows 7 - Can't start User Account Control

07 Nov 2009 02:41PM

Got 7 up and running, but the steps your earlier post referred to didn't work. Pushing F8 during bootup simply opened Windows in Safe mode. Didn't get any other options to deactivate account security. I finally ended up reinstalling Vista, then upgrading to 7 before adding any other software. The installation went fine, only took about three hours for both, and 7 works well. Thanks for your post.

Regards,

Jack

  • Post Points: 5
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