ISO Install - What does "restart the upgrade" mean?

Thanks to some help I got here recently I am into the ISO install/upgrade procedure (from Win7). But now (during "collecting information") there is a large popup saying

... Remove the installation media and restart your computer so that Windows starts normally. I'm ok with that part, but then it continues ... Then, insert the installation media and restart the upgrade.

What does "restart the upgrade" mean?

Will there be a popup from Win7 inviting me to insert the ISO disk and then click a "restart the upgrade" button and then a part of the process will be done under Win7?

Or does it mean to do another (i.e. a second) boot from the ISO disk?

Or does it mean to insert the ISO disk and then reboot Win7?

Sorry, I know that a sane mind wouldn't be confused but my twisted, paranoid mind is.

Thanks, Bob

Did you try to upgrade by booting the computer from the Windows 10 USB flash drive or DVD? Booting the computer from the flash drive or DVD is for clean install only. To upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 you want to insert the flash drive or DVD with Windows 7 running and just run setup.exe from it from inside Windows 7.

Thanks for your prompt reply Commander.

I am not sure exactly what a clean install is but I want my apps and settings preserved so I am guessing that I do not want a clean install.

Is it too late to start over? Can I just do a standard Win7 boot up now and all will be forgiven? But then if I use the process you suggest will I not be doing the same easy process which I have tried so many times and which has failed every time. I am only trying the ISO disk because many people reported that it resulted in s successful install whereas the easy process did not. But I don't know - maybe they also did clean installs.

I suspect that it happens very seldom, but is there any chance that you are wrong? To continue to quote the message on my screen right now ...

... and restart the upgrade. [Do not select |Custom[advanced]| to perform an upgrade. |Custom[advanced]| installs a new copy of Windows and deletes your programs and settings.]

So I assume that further down the pike there will be some option other than custom which will preserve my apps and settings.

And ... I think that an initial prompt made me choose between something (upgrade? - I forget what it was called) and Custom and I think that there was a warning that Custom would lose my apps and settings. So the first choice, I assumed, would not lose my apps and settings.

Thanks for your help with this.. (You have helped me out before by the way.)

Bob

You will be fine to just pull out the USB flash drive or eject the DVD and restart the computer into Windows 7. It will boot into Windows 7 normally. Then run setup.exe from the USB flash drive or DVD after you insert it with Windows 7 running.

NavyLCDR said:

You will be fine to just pull out the USB flash drive or eject the DVD and restart the computer into Windows 7. It will boot into Windows 7 normally. Then run setup.exe from the USB flash drive or DVD after you insert it with Windows 7 running.

Thanks. So I tried that and for a while it seemed to be working. But eventually it failed. Same vague error as I've seen many times before. So I did some research and found that disconnecting unnecessary USB devices can help. So I disconnected all but my mouse and tried again. I'll spare you the details, but, after fearing for a long while that I would end up stuck somewhere between 7 and 10 with no option to move in either direction, it finally restored Win7. Whew!!

I am giving up. MS claims that this upgrade is free. Obviously they value my time as worth nothing.

Thanks again for your help. Bob