Solution 1:

Visual Studio is a complex piece of software, and can get itself stuck in a strange state if installation fails any time.

I would strongly recommend you do a new fresh Windows 7 install, and take careful steps to follow a path that should lead to a successful install. Starting fresh is often much better when something strange is happening with Visual Studio any edition.

  1. Fresh install Windows 7
  2. Complete patch of updates, including Service Pack 1.
  3. Install the .NET 4 framework prior to Visual Studio 2010 (had luck myself doing this)
  4. Check for new Windows Update patches
  5. Install Visual Studio 2010

Also Note: If you're installing a version of SQL Server that's not express edition, do that before Visual Studio 2010 (seems to work for me too).