5 replies to this topic

[Thojo]

Hi All, new here.

I have just got my dv9291 and cannot seem to burn a recovery cd from within windows.

Using Recovery manager / recovery disc creator I get the following error ... "The recovery partition could not be found" and then "No valid boot image found in recovery partition". This is the first attempt I have made at a recovery CD (I know we are limited to only one copy) - it is possible however that, being a demo model, someone else could have burnt the cd's and never given them to me? Is this the error for attemptind a second copy?

Some background - I am attempting a Vista/ XP dual boot and am already up to date with using bootsect.exe to change between nt52 and nt60 formats... could using Bootsect.exe have caused this problem? How can I manually (at command prompt) create the recovery disc? I asked the HP forum for help, but they simply suggest I contact HP support .... but I know I read somewhere about a command prompt option - I just cant seem to find it again It is difficult for me to get a CD sent to me as the dv9291 is not supported by HP South Africa (my home country).

I also have a second problem ... the F11 key (during pre boot) doesn't work. Could this also be related to Bootsect.exe??

I look forward to any insight here

Thanks again

Thojo

[Brito]

This is really a not so simple question and it seems HP takes a lot of steps for granted but gives very few technical support on a question like this..

I've looked on their user manual here:
http://h10032.www1.h...l/c00820655.pdf

But no satisfatory replies could be found:
http://h10025.www1.h...C...mp;lang=en

A couple of friends of mine have also bought some similar HP laptops last month - and I had the chance to peek the partition myself (they were also curious on why no recovery CD had been distributed).

HP seems to assume that few people would ever install another OS or that people would read their recomendations of creating the restore DVD's before applying this sort of changes - unfortunatelly I'm sure a lot of people won't actually be aware of this issue.

There's also the live chat feature from their tech people, look here:
http://h20180.www2.h...product=3360600

Maybe they can help you further?


You could try to revert back all changes you've made on the system and hope to get a valid restore partition, but this probably is not enough.


More details are needed here, can you be more specific:

What exact actions/steps have you done?

Have you modified anything on the restore partition?

Is this partition viewable from explorer?



If this is a demo laptop - do you have acess to another model in order to compare or even image the restore partition?

btw: HP's support is meant to be worldwide, otherwise how would it be if you ordered your laptop from US for example..


Hope you get some luck with their support.

[was_jaclaz]

It is possible, if you via bootsect.exe or another utility, managed to change the MBR that:
1) you lost the original "custom" MBR that has the F11 option
2) you also managed to delete the entry for the "hidden" partition

It is also possible that the partition entry is still there but the HP program needs to "recognize" it's own "F11 enhanced" MBR sector.

Depending on your PC knowledge, this should be a recoverable situation, I am supposing you are able to boot the PC with XP or some forms of PE build.

1) Use beeblebrox here:
http://students.cs.byu.edu/~codyb/
to have a look at the partition entries in your MBR to see if the "hidden" entry is present
Reference to common partition identifiers:
http://www.win.tue.n...on_types-1.html
2) if not try using TESTDISK:
http://www.cgsecurit...g/wiki/TestDisk
to find it
3) read these:
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=18840
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=18480
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=12447
AND links therein
to get an idea of the basic working of F10 or F11 recovery partitions
4) read this:
http://h10025.www1.h...cname=c00608578
5) Call HP support and see if they can send you "their" MBR
6) if not you must find a way to get a copy of it (asking online for someone with the same or similar notebook) or try and use an alternate MBR like the one talked about on 911CD.
It is very probable that the MBR is somewhere inside the image inside the Recovery partition, but couldn't say where and how to extract it
7) Check this also, maybe it can be of use:
http://www.boot-land...?...c=2037&st=0

BEFORE fiddling again with MBR or bootsector, if anything is not clear, post asking for any doubt you may have.

As a general rule ALWAYS, ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS , backup the MBR and bootrecords of a disk BEFORE even thinking of using programs that can affect them.
Use MBRFIX, MBRWIZARD or, more simply, Dimio's HDhacker:
http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/

jaclaz

[NightMan]

Thojo
May be you can try Acronis True Image? Or Symantec Ghost? Or Paragon Drive Backup? All programs working in VistaPE...

[carfan]

Thojo
May be you can try Acronis True Image? Or Symantec Ghost? Or Paragon Drive Backup? All programs working in VistaPE...

nightman

do you have a working plugin for paragon drive backup or know where ones is?

thanks carfan

[NightMan]

do you have a working plugin for paragon drive backup or know where ones is?

yes, but i not any drivers and mounting not working anyway

http://www.boot-land...r-85-t2055.html