Vista won't boot. Installing windows 7?

[walkerneo]

So, long story short, I have a computer with windows vista home premium which won't boot in safe mode or regular, and I don't have the vista installation disc (can't remember if it came with a disc or was pre-installed either). I asked around for someone who had Vista Home Premium even though I knew there was a fat chance of someone not only having it, but having the disc and being willing to lend it to me. I did find someone with Windows 7 and he said I could install that, but I need to save the files on my computer. So... is there another way to go about fixing my other computer? If I install windows 7 on my other computer, will it prompt me to save certain files, if so, how do I? I recently rebooted this computer with xp because it was terribly slow and full of viruses, and when I installed XP I had to erase the previous XP installed and wasn't asked to save anything from it, so I'm kind of scared of losing a ton of files like Itunes and homework. Or, can I install windows 7, burn a windows vista home premium disk, repair my computer's vista os, save the files, and delete vista?

My current plan is to try the windows 7 disc my friend will give me tomorrow and see what happens, and if the events are displeasing I'm going down to Bestbuy to pick up a new disk drive that I might soon need anyway, attach it to this computer, burn windows vista home premium, and repair the other computer.

PLEASE help me out here!! I'm poor and confused and I just need some freaking help.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Welcome to the Windows Forum.

First, please explain your computer situation; you write about "a computer with windows vista home premium", and later you write about "my other computer". Please give more details.

Regarding the Vista computer that won't boot, you can repair or reinstall Windows Vista with a disk from another computer, but you will need your own original license key.

You cannot just install Windows 7 with someone else's disk - you will need your own license key. (You would need to buy an upgrade disk/license.)

Regarding your data; I think that both Vista and W7 will make a backup of your current system, as long as you don't format your HD. If you do that, all your data will be lost.

[walkerneo]

Thank you. My friend said something about booting linux from a usb drive? He said I can just boot from the usb and back up necessary files onto a disc or online. Can I do this? If so, how?

[Hb_Kai]

You can use one of the many glories of Linux's bootable USB operating systems.

Puppy Linux, I think is a USB bootable

Damn Small Linux

...and there are loads more - these are the only two I know the names for.

Anyway, their websites will give more detail about formatting your pen drive and then writing the operating system to the device but you will probably have to search elsewhere for documentation leading to backing up your already formatted partitions.

Once you're booted in to the operating system you will have to, probably, mount the partition you are wanting to back up files from, use a file host and upload them and you're done after you've done everything.

You may also, if you don't already know, need to check (in your BIOS) if you can boot up from a USB device first too.