On Windows 7 RC1, I've had trouble with the rule check with SQL Server 2008. It would constantly say I needed to restart when I didn't need to.

Here's a quick fix to bypass that rule:

  1. Navigate via command line to the directory of the setup. When uninstalling, this is located in: C:Program FilesMicrosoft SQL Server@Setup BootstrapRelease
  2. Run this command:

    setup.exe /Action=[un]install /SkipRules=RebootRequiredCheck
  3. Use "uninstall" and "install" where applicable.

Refer to this blog post for some other tips.