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Windows 8.1 cannot start after installing diskmod


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#1 RetrOpolis

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Posted 21 October 2013 - 06:23 PM

Hello, I'm in desperate need of help: I just installed this driver and now my Windows 8.1 PC cannot boot up  :(. Here's the order of events that resulted in this disaster:

  1. I upgraded from Windows 8 Pro to 8.1 Pro (64-bit) by downloading from the Windows Store.
  2. I downloaded TestSignRootCA.reg and merged it into my registry.
  3. I downloaded the DiskMod 0.0.2.2 zip from this forum.
  4. I typed "bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING ON" per the instructions, but got an error message saying some policy didn't allow it (maybe Windows 8.1 is stricter than previous versions?). I just ignored the error and continued on to the next steps (maybe a big mistake in hindsight).
  5. I unzipped diskmod_0.0.2.2.zip, right-clicked on the INF file, and selected "Install".
  6. Windows asked if I trusted the publisher; I selected Yes to install the driver. No error messages popped up, so I assumed it was installed OK (in fact, I think I even got a message saying the driver was installed successfully).
  7. I immediately rebooted my PC.

This was when my nightmare started. Windows went into "Preparing Automatic Repair", then "Diagnosing your PC", then "Your PC did not start correctly". I'm given two options: Restart and Advanced options. Restarting always results in the same loop above. I think I tried every option in advanced recovery options, but nothing worked (again, it goes into the same loop after every restart). I even selected System Restore to restore my PC to the last restore point (two days ago), but that also failed with the following message:

 

"System Restore did not complete successfully.... An unspecified error occurred during System Restore. (0x80070005)"

 

The only option that I haven't clicked on is Refresh your PC, because that would basically wipe out all my installed software and countless hours of tweaks that I have put into this system -- this is definitely my last last resort.

 

My last chance is this forum: could someone please help me try to fix this? I'm praying that there must be some way to repair this without doing a Refresh. I can access the command-line console and Registry Editor from Windows recovery, but I need instructions on how to uninstall this driver manually. I would like to undo everything that was done by the INF file.

 

Thanks in advance,

Tom



#2 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 21 October 2013 - 06:48 PM

So you have a recovery environment/PE running, right?

 

Can you try running in this PE Regedit and "mount" (LOAD) the hive "System" of the "dead" Windows (likely to be in C:\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM)?

 

When prompted for a name, use one that you can recognize, like "MySystemHive".

 

Then navigate to \system\controlset001\.

 

Check (open it in notepad or similar) the diskmod.inf file for keys to look at.

Most probably the "show stopper" is:

\Control\Class\{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318},LowerFilters,0x00010008,diskmod

 

delete the key.

Unload the hive.

Try rebooting to the Windows 8.1.

 

If nothing changes, redo, this time removing also the entry in "services".

 

:cheers:

Wonko



#3 RetrOpolis

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Posted 23 October 2013 - 03:10 PM

Hello, I did what you suggested, but still no luck :(. Here's a summary of what I did:

  1. Booted into Windows RE and went into command-line console.
  2. Loaded SYSTEM hive from C:\Windows\System32\config
  3. Removed all keys belonging to DiskMod (including service key)
  4. Unloaded hive
  5. Deleted diskmod.sys from C:\Windows\System32\drivers
  6. Rebooted

After the reboot the PC went into the same auto repair loop. Once when I selected the "7) Disable driver signature enforcement" option and rebooted, my laptop got as far as a blue screen saying my PC was not able to be repaired and the error message given was "INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE" and something about storahci.sys. With this new information I did some more digging on the internet and found some other solution, but none of them worked. Here's what I tried:

Again, everything I've tried so far leads to the same repair loop hell. I cannot believe that Microsoft is able to create an OS that can so easily lead to a total, epic disaster on the grandest scale (not even System Restore works!).

 

Does anyone have any other ideas?



#4 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 23 October 2013 - 05:15 PM

Maybe you are doing (and already did) "too much".

(if I wanted to delete all the things you did, rest assured I would have told you so).

Anything connected with bootrec, bootsect or similar makes very little sense.

Disabling ticking and hybrid shutdown might have been a "good move", but they represent not a solution to the issue at hand.

 

The general idea is "inspect/diagnose/calmly think about possible solutions/try them" as opposed to "panic/freak/do any number of crazy things before anything else" ;).

 

Now you are having a 0x0000007b (i.e. inaccessible boot device). 

 

The reference to storahci.sys may have been "right" or wrong, no way to say, in any case WHAT exactly have you changed in the Registry about STORAHCI?

 

Which PC is it (make/model or main motherboard characteristics)?

Is it a desktop or laptop/notebook?

Does it have a setting in BIOS (or UEFI/whatever) to disable ahci or to use "ide compatibility mode" or something sounding like that?

 

 

:cheers:

Wonko



#5 RetrOpolis

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Posted 24 October 2013 - 03:32 AM

Hi Wonko, before making any changes at all (i.e., immediately after rebooting after installing diskmod) I got the STORAHCI error; after making all these changes I'm now getting the INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE error. Did I just make a bad situation worse? I just really needed to use the computer at the time, so I was willing to try anything if there's even a 1% chance that it might fix it (because people who had similar repair loops as me tried one or more of those solutions and it worked for them).

 

Here's a record of my registry changes to storahci:

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\ - changed ErrorControl from 3 to 0
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\StartOverride - changed "0" from 3 to 0

I have a Sony Vaio S laptop (64-bit, Intel i7, standard HDD). It has UEFI, but it's very basic -- the option to change boot mode to IDE is not even there.

 

Tom


Edited by RetrOpolis, 24 October 2013 - 03:33 AM.


#6 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 24 October 2013 - 09:42 AM

The article you referred to provides seemingly TWO different ways to obtain the same result, ONLY the "manual" way is COMPLETELY different from what the .reg will do if merged to the Registry.

 

Really cannot say WHICH off the two different set of settings is "correct".  :dubbio:

 

:cheers:

Wonko



#7 RetrOpolis

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Posted 24 October 2013 - 09:57 AM

Hmm...at this point I'm ready to concede defeat and do a Refresh or even complete system recovery. As it is I have already spent more time than it's worth trying to resolve this.

 

Lesson learned: don't rely only on restore points (System Restore) -- make a complete system image before installing a driver, ESPECIALLY if the driver has the word "disk" in it LOL.

 

Thanks for all your assistance, Wonko.

 

Tom



#8 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 24 October 2013 - 11:26 AM

Hmm...at this point I'm ready to concede defeat and do a Refresh or even complete system recovery. As it is I have already spent more time than it's worth trying to resolve this.

 

Lesson learned: don't rely only on restore points (System Restore) -- make a complete system image before installing a driver, ESPECIALLY if the driver has the word "disk" in it LOL.

 

Thanks for all your assistance, Wonko.

 

Tom

What I would personally do would be to shrink a little that partition, make a new one and install to it another (temporary) instance of the OS, or make an image of the system "as is", there surely must be a way to exit that loop/issue.

 

Before that:

http://forums.mydigi...ot_device/page2

I would try removing the "StartOverride" key altogether.

 

:cheers:

Wonko






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