24 replies to this topic

[aivengo]

...here's the story.
My bro purchased HP DV6282 lately which comes with Vista.
This lappy, as many others on the market today, came without any restore disks, it has partition with Vista installation.
After installing WinXP i cannot boot into Vista restore holding F11 after POST anymore. I guess it had vista bootloader with boot settings of the restore in BCD, so my unaware XP installation squashed Vista's boot loader+bcd

The restore partition looks like this:
[codebox]D: | |-BOOT | |28,672 BCD | |262,144 BCD.LOG | |262,144 bcd.LOG1 | |0 bcd.LOG2 | |3,170,304 boot.sdi | |1,024 BOOTFIX.BIN | |87,552 BOOTSECT.EXE | |2,048 ETFSBOOT.COM | |385,024 memtest.exe | |-Fonts | |3,694,080 CHS_BOOT.TTF | |3,876,772 CHT_BOOT.TTF | |1,984,228 JPN_BOOT.TTF | |2,371,360 KOR_BOOT.TTF | |47,452 WGL4_BOOT.TTF | |-HP | |-RECOVERY | |0 HP | |17 MULTI.FLG | |24 REIMAGE.FLG | |2,408,448 RestoreWiz.exe | |764,383 Skin.smf | |-preload | |120 BASE.DAT | |4,149,484,138 BASE.WIM | |36 CD0 | |838 CSP.DAT | |-SOURCES | |213,043,164 boot.wim | |44 SOFTTHINKS | |-Tools | |-Flags | |120 BASE.DAT | |0 BASE.INP | |36 CD0 | |-WINDOWS | |-SYSTEM32 | |28,672 BCD_FINAL_RP.LOG | |3,177 BCD_FINAL_RP_TXT.LOG | |3,785 BCD_Manipulation_RP.log | |1,551 BOOT_WIM_RP.LOG | |194 CreatePage.log | |629 preload.LOG
| |3,098 REIMAGE.LOG
| |10,942 Restore7.exe.LOG
| |157 SSRDServiceKey.LOG
| |3,436 STFramework.log
| |116 ST_LOG.LOG
| |1,136 WINRELauncher.exe.LOG
| |4,332 wpeinit.log
[/codebox]

How can i boot into it again?
I wondered that it would be better that i'll make bootable DVD from it, but how?

any advices are welcome


Thanks in advance,

Dmitry

[aivengo]

Isn't it BOOT-LAND?

[Brito]

Yes, it is the land where boot methods are discussed but I guess few people have laptop's with the new restore Vista partition to properly test out these things..

Giving replies without actually giving good ideas and valid advices would only make this post seem bigger and others would look at it as already solved based on the number of replies and could likely ignore it - driving away people who might actually know better solutions.

If you bought this laptop recently I'd advise you to take it back to the shop and ask for support - I really have no idea how OEM Vista versions are handled or even if this sort of action is covered on the computer's guarantee.

[MedEvil]

I'm no Vista User!
Since you're able to see the content of the partition, you should be able to run the restore feature.
However i fail to see the image in your listing!

[was_jaclaz]

After installing WinXP i cannot boot into Vista restore holding F11 after POST anymore. I guess it had vista bootloader with boot settings of the restore in BCD, so my unaware XP installation squashed Vista's boot loader+bcd

From what you write, it appears that Vista has nothing to do with it.

Some manufacturer's, including IBM, Dell and, from what you report, HP, do use a F10 or F11 or F12 option at boot time to either change boot order or access a hidden partition.

In some cases this feature is in the BIOS, in some other cases it is in the MBR.

Have a look at these:
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=12447
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=18480
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=18840

Without the proper MBR code, it is not possible to get back the feature, even because without more information, it is hard to say which file is actually invoked by the "custom" MBR code.

As hinted in one of the given links, it is also possible that the code extends beyond the single sector MBR and also takes a few of the "hidden" sectors, if this is the case, some of your sectors 2-63 will still contain the code.

At first sight, ETFSBOOT.COM is a good candidate to be used as no-emulation bootsector to create the DVD from the files, see this:
http://msdn2.microso...y/aa460091.aspx

but cannot say more.

You can try using grldr (from grub4dos 0.4.2) to try chainloading the appropriate boot file (boot.sdi ? :unsure) either through a "normal" XP bootsector invoking NTLDR and BOOT.INI (with an entry like C:\GRLDR=Grub4dos), or using the bewish bcdedit feature:

First, you should copy GRLDR.MBR to C:\, and use the following commands:

bcdedit /create /d "Boot Manager" /application bootsector
bcdedit /set {id} device boot
bcdedit /set {id} path \grldr.mbr
bcdedit /displayorder {id} /addlast

Then copy GRLDR and menu.lst to the root directory of any FAT16/FAT32/EXT2/NTFS
partition.

Notice: These commands need elevated privileges, they should be used inside
cmd.exe which is started with "Run as administrator".

You'll have to make a few searches here and on 911CD forum with keyword "grub4dos", take your time to learn the syntax and take even more time experimenting.

jaclaz

[MedEvil]

If your HP Laptop does indeed uses one of those old HP taktics to boot. Your best place for help is HPs support. They are the only ones, who know what they did and how to fix it, if it's broken.

[was_jaclaz]

I'm no Vista User!
Since you're able to see the content of the partition, you should be able to run the restore feature.
However i fail to see the image in your listing!

A file with extension .wim around 4 Gb in size could be a good start:

|-preload

|	 |120	BASE.DAT

|	 |4,149,484,138 BASE.WIM

If your HP Laptop does indeed uses one of those old HP taktics to boot. Your best place for help is HPs support. They are the only ones, who know what they did and how to fix it, if it's broken.

Nice to meet you, Mr. de La Palice.

Can we extend this to the Microsoft Support guys and shut down the board alltogether?

Naah, maybe we should continue using our own brain....and keep on searching for (and hopefully find) our ways .....tough as it might be.

jaclaz

[MedEvil]

A file with extension .wim around 4 Gb in size could be a good start:

|-preload

|	 |120	BASE.DAT

|	 |4,149,484,138 BASE.WIM

Nahh, much to obvious, must be a trap!

Can we extend this to the Microsoft Support guys and shut down the board alltogether?

I had a problem, two years ago, with one of these old HP computers that have the configuration software for the BIOS in a hidden partition. Support Send me all the software with good instruction to get the computer going with the new HDD again.
Maybe i was lucky, but the support was very good.

Besides why always reinvent the wheel?
If one has the right HP software to rewrite the MBR, that's much better than patching something together.

[was_jaclaz]

Besides why always reinvent the wheel?

Something you, like the vast majority of people, might be unaware of, is that the original design for the wheel was a square.

after a very unfortunate attempt to reduce the number of bumps by using a triangle as shape....

...it was later re-invented as an octagon, with the new approach of reducing the magnitude of bumps....

....then the latter idea evolved into a dodecagon....

...and only relatively recently it was fully developed as a circle,

Why, in my day, all we had was...:
http://www.boot-land...?...ic=1908&hl=
and we LIKED it!



jaclaz

[MedEvil]

[aivengo]

Thanks jaclaz
I'll sadomize myself getting it back to work, until i will give up and put my hands up and call HP support (local HP support not that friendly actually)

i'll try the things you've linked to, I'll update...

[was_jaclaz]

Are you going to do yourself?

(I sincerely hope that your English dictionary is somehow defective, and you are NOT going to do what it seems)

jaclaz

[Stevie1]

hi all,

well i have somewhat the same problem but in my case its a fujitsu siemens laptop.
as i like a clean system, i did a complete re-install of windows. unfortunately i only
found out later, that there is a hidden WinRE partition. when pressing F8 before the vista boot
screen appears a new boot entry "restore system" is shown. i would really like to add this entry
to the boot menu again, but it seems harder than it is. i already tried to modify the boot menu with
bcdedit. but the problem is, that the WinRE partition is hidden. so i cant point to the partition to boot.
the only solution i found was to restore the WIM file with ImageX (part of the WAIK). but this has to
be done with an extra WinRE Boot CD. so its a bit complicated. does anyone still see a solution
to restore the boot menu entry?


greets stevie

[Brito]

Unfortunatelly at the moment the only solution seems to be Fujitsu-Siemens itself - look on the active topics and you'll see more users also refering the same issues and questions with their machines.

Hope someone else with a restore partition can help you..

[Stevie1]

hi Nuno!

well, i already called the FSC support. they say its irreversible.
but i dont trust those guys. im sure it is.

where did you read about those other FSC users?

[Brito]

Not directly related to Fujitsu-Siemens, but other manufacturers also adopted the same rescue partition method:

http://www.boot-land...tion-t2037.html
http://www.boot-land...ache-t2152.html

I agree with your opinion that it should be possible to restore back to factory defaults, but you would need another model from where to mirror the contents of the partition or at least study how it was done.

Until I get my hands on a machine of this sort I won't be able to help much, sorry..

[Stevie1]

hi Nino,

ahh, yeah, i read the 1st one of those.
well yeah, right, it should be possible.
if i only had done a backup before doing anything else, doh
well, keep us up to date if you get your hands on such a machine.
if u need further details i can maybe provide some, just ask.


greets stevie

[Brito]

If you have enough time and pacience I think we can learn more about this right now..

Can you post your initial question on a new topic so that we can start a new discussion dedicated to this "challenge"?

When you mean pressing F8, is this from Windows or from the BIOS?

Can you post your BCD file?

You find it at c:\Boot\BCD

I would like to compare it against mine for differences..

[Brito]

Maybe this tutorial from ms helps:
http://technet2.micr...3.mspx?mfr=true

[was_jaclaz]

Just to try and keep things as together as possible, I posted some more info/ideas on this thread:
http://www.boot-land...?...ic=2152&hl=

jaclaz

[Stevie1]

Hi Nuno and jaclaz!

Should I post in this new topic or start a new one?
Nuno, I can supply you with the information needed.


greets stevie

[Brito]

Start a new one please, and this way we keep reading easier for others in the future..

[Stevie1]

Start a new one please, and this way we keep reading easier for others in the future..

sorry a bit busy atm, ill post asap!

[AlexM]

Here is how I restored Vista on a NEC laptop from the hidden partition.

I copied image.wim and image2.wim from the hidden partition using Ubuntu 7.10 live CD to a newly created part ion "D".

Then copied imagex.exe and associated files from Microsoft to the same D partition.

Booted using vista DVD and selected repair command prompt option.
Then I typed:

format c:/fs:ntfs /q
imagex /apply D:image.wim 1 c: /ref D:image2.wim

[TheHive]

Ive posted youre comment on the tutorial section. That is a good suggestion. It might help someone else in need.

http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=3786