After full restore on Vista, F8 Repair Your Computer fails

Try restoring only the recovery partition.

Did the original restore change the size or partition sequence of the recovery partition?

dgibson:

Are you using True Image Home 11 or True Image Home 2011? Could run the following command  in Vista and post the output here:

bcdedit /enum all

This command needs to be run in an elevated command prompt window (right-click on cmd.exe and choose "Run as administrator").

Thanks for your replies.

Mark Wharton wrote:

Are you using True Image Home 11 or True Image Home 2011?

True Image Home 11

Mark Wharton wrote:

Could run the following command  in Vista and post the output here:

bcdedit /enum all

Here's the output from running bcdedit /enum all:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {768789e4-35e9-11dd-b461-e92a35599e1c}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
resume No

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d}

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {768789e4-35e9-11dd-b461-e92a35599e1c}
nx OptIn

Resume from Hibernate
---------------------
identifier {768789e4-35e9-11dd-b461-e92a35599e1c}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winresume.exe
description Windows Resume Application
locale en-US
inherit {resumeloadersettings}
filedevice partition=C:
filepath \hiberfil.sys
debugoptionenabled No

Windows Memory Tester
---------------------
identifier {memdiag}
device partition=C:
path \boot\memtest.exe
description Windows Memory Diagnostic
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
badmemoryaccess Yes

EMS Settings
------------
identifier {emssettings}
bootems Yes

Debugger Settings
-----------------
identifier {dbgsettings}
debugtype Serial
debugport 1
baudrate 115200

RAM Defects
-----------
identifier {badmemory}

Global Settings
---------------
identifier {globalsettings}
inherit {dbgsettings}
{emssettings}
{badmemory}

Boot Loader Settings
--------------------
identifier {bootloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}

Resume Loader Settings
----------------------
identifier {resumeloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}

Setup Ramdisk Options
---------------------
identifier {ramdiskoptions}
description Ramdisk Options
ramdisksdidevice unknown
ramdisksdipath \boot\boot.sdi

dgibson:

These lines are the reason that F8 does not work:

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d}
Entries for the device and osdevice objects are missing

Setup Ramdisk Options
---------------------
identifier {ramdiskoptions}
description Ramdisk Options
ramdisksdidevice unknown
ramdisksdipath \boot\boot.sdi
The pointer to the location of the recovery partition is invalid.

====================================

To fix these I need some additional information. When you are running Vista is the recovery partition visible in Windows Explorer? In your first post you said it is and it has the drive letter D:, so I just want to confirm that the partition is fully visible and has a known drive letter.

If the recovery partition is visible could you list the contents of the directory D:\boot so that I can see the files? Be sure that you can see both hidden and system files. Or, from a command prompt type dir d:\boot /ahs. In particular I'd like to know the path to the files boot.sdi and winre.wim.

If the recovery partition is NOT visible then could you post a screenshot of Windows Disk Management showing the partition layout?

Mark Wharton wrote:

When you are running Vista is the recovery partition visible in Windows Explorer?

Yes, drive D: is visible in Windows Explorer, but the subfolders are not.

I've attached screenshots of D:\ and D:\boot in Windows Explorer, and of the Windows Disk Management window.

As you can see, the contents of D:\boot are hidden, as are most of the other folders.

When I run the command dir d:\boot /ahs on D:\boot (or any of the hidden folders), it gives the following output:

Volume in drive D is RECOVERY
Volume Serial Number is 5C2E-684F

Directory of d:\boot

23/06/2009 04:51 AM .
23/06/2009 04:51 AM ..
04/11/2008 10:37 AM 1,199 Desktop.ini
10/09/2002 09:14 AM 8,134 Folder.htt
12/09/2008 10:17 AM 381,873 protect.arabic
15/09/2008 08:57 AM 182,624 protect.bulgarian
16/09/2002 07:37 AM 181,898 protect.chinese hong kong
16/09/2002 07:37 AM 181,916 protect.chinese simplified
16/09/2002 07:37 AM 181,898 protect.chinese traditional
27/04/2006 09:19 AM 181,865 protect.czech
03/11/2005 08:21 AM 181,726 protect.danish
10/09/2002 06:56 AM 181,605 protect.dutch
10/09/2002 06:50 AM 181,651 protect.ed
22/11/2004 08:28 AM 181,648 protect.english
03/11/2005 08:20 AM 181,673 protect.finnish
03/11/2005 08:19 AM 181,736 protect.french
03/11/2005 08:18 AM 181,669 protect.german
23/11/2005 08:56 AM 182,689 protect.greek
23/01/2006 02:18 AM 182,605 protect.hebrew
28/08/2007 07:58 AM 181,696 protect.hungarian
03/11/2005 08:17 AM 181,554 protect.italian
19/06/2007 08:22 AM 182,351 protect.japanese
24/11/2005 04:24 AM 218,295 protect.korean
03/11/2005 08:15 AM 181,578 protect.norwegian
25/04/2006 07:44 AM 181,789 protect.polish
03/11/2005 08:13 AM 181,624 protect.portuguese
27/10/2005 12:24 PM 181,882 protect.portuguese brazilian
15/09/2008 08:57 AM 181,735 protect.romanian
28/06/2004 01:52 AM 211,936 protect.russian
04/07/2007 04:46 AM 181,954 protect.slovak
03/11/2005 08:11 AM 181,586 protect.spanish
10/09/2002 07:15 AM 181,602 protect.swedish
12/08/2003 03:37 AM 181,783 protect.turkish
31 File(s) 5,549,774 bytes
2 Dir(s) 2,107,166,720 bytes free

Mark Wharton wrote:

These lines are the reason that F8 does not work...

My computer has been freezing up a lot lately (but not in Safe Mode). Do you think this could be causing it?

Thanks Mark, I'm feeling much more optimistic already! :-)

dgibson:

The directory listing in your last reply doesn't show the files boot.sdi and winre.wim, so I'm a little confused. The picture that you attached, d.jpg, shows other folders of interest, namely RECOVERY and boot, so I wonder what's in them?

I'm going to make an assumption that the files are indeed in the D:\boot directory, based on the path shown in the last few lines of your BCD and go from there. If my assumptions are correct then the following commands should work. These three commands need to be entered from an elevated command prompt in Vista. You may want to use copy/paste to enter them:

bcdedit /set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d} device ramdisk=[D:]\boot\winre.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

bcdedit /set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d} osdevice ramdisk=[D:]\boot\winre.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

bcdedit /set {ramdiskoptions} ramdisksdidevice partition=D:

If any of the entries result in an error message when you enter them then I've made the wrong assumptions. If that happens, copy down the exact text of the error message and post it to your next reply. Also, since you can see the contents of the recovery partition from Windows Explorer, attach a picture that is similar to your previous attachment d.jpg but showing what's inside the folders D:\boot and D:\Recovery. Be sure to set Windows Explorer to display both Hidden and Protected Operating System Files.

If the commands are accepted without error but the F8 function still does not work, then re-post the output of bcdedit /enum all.

By the way, my apologies for reporting the wrong version of Acronis: I originally bought Acronis True Image 11 Home, but then I upgraded it and I am currently using Acronis True Image Home 2010.

Mark Wharton wrote:

These three commands need to be entered from an elevated command prompt in Vista...

I entered the commands by pasting them into an elevated command prompt, and the result for all three was "The operation completed successfully".

However, when I rebooted, pressed F8, and tried the "Repair Your Computer" option, it still failed.

Mark Wharton wrote:

...attach a picture that is similar to your previous attachment d.jpg but showing what's inside the folders D:\boot and D:\Recovery. Be sure to set Windows Explorer to display both Hidden and Protected Operating System Files.

Even with hidden and protected OS files showing in Windows Explorer, when I browse to D:\boot or D:\RECOVERY or any of the other subfolders, all I can see is a warning message. The d-boot.jpg attachment in my previous post shows exactly what appears on my screen when I browse to D:\boot in Windows Explorer.

So I opened an elevated command prompt and typed the command dir d:\boot /ahs. I listed the results of that command in my previous post, and other than language files, the only files that appear with the dir command are Desktop.ini and Folder.htt.

So I browsed the backup .tib file from which I restored, and in D:\boot on the backup I was able to find the boot.sdi file, but not winre.wim. I have attached a screenshot of D:\boot from my backup.

I don't know if you can answer this, but this raises the question: why weren't all of these files on D: restored when I did the full restore from my Acronis backup?

Mark Wharton wrote:

If the commands are accepted without error but the F8 function still does not work, then re-post the output of bcdedit /enum all.

Here's the current output of bcdedit /enum all:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {768789e4-35e9-11dd-b461-e92a35599e1c}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
resume No

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d}
device ramdisk=[D:]\boot\winre.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
path \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe
description HP Recovery Manager
osdevice ramdisk=[D:]\boot\winre.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
detecthal Yes
winpe Yes

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {768789e4-35e9-11dd-b461-e92a35599e1c}
nx OptIn

Resume from Hibernate
---------------------
identifier {768789e4-35e9-11dd-b461-e92a35599e1c}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winresume.exe
description Windows Resume Application
locale en-US
inherit {resumeloadersettings}
filedevice partition=C:
filepath \hiberfil.sys
debugoptionenabled No

Windows Memory Tester
---------------------
identifier {memdiag}
device partition=C:
path \boot\memtest.exe
description Windows Memory Diagnostic
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
badmemoryaccess Yes

EMS Settings
------------
identifier {emssettings}
bootems Yes

Debugger Settings
-----------------
identifier {dbgsettings}
debugtype Serial
debugport 1
baudrate 115200

RAM Defects
-----------
identifier {badmemory}

Global Settings
---------------
identifier {globalsettings}
inherit {dbgsettings}
{emssettings}
{badmemory}

Boot Loader Settings
--------------------
identifier {bootloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}

Resume Loader Settings
----------------------
identifier {resumeloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}

Setup Ramdisk Options
---------------------
identifier {ramdiskoptions}
description Ramdisk Options
ramdisksdidevice partition=D:
ramdisksdipath \boot\boot.sdi

dgibson wrote:

I don't know if you can answer this, but this raises the question: why weren't all of these files on D: restored when I did the full restore from my Acronis backup?

I'm sure that they were restored, but HP has something configured to block user access to folders on their recovery partition. Listing the folder contents by browsing a backup was very smart. But the F8 function still doesn't work because I made a bad assumption about the recovery image file name and its location. I suspect that the files that we need to reference in the BCD are not located in the D:\boot folder but rather in the D:\RECOVERY folder. So could you post the contents of D:\RECOVERY by again browsing the contents of your backup? We're looking for the recovery image file that's usually named WinRE.wim but HP may have named it something else. The Windows 7 recovery image file is about 164 MB in size; I forget the size of Vista's recovery image but it's probably a little smaller.

Mark Wharton wrote:

We're looking for the recovery image file that's usually named WinRE.wim but HP may have named it something else. The Windows 7 recovery image file is about 164 MB in size; I forget the size of Vista's recovery image but it's probably a little smaller.

I think I may have found it -- a 174 MB file called boot.wim, along with boot.sdi, in D:\PRELOAD\FactoryUpdate. I've attached screenshots (showing files sizes) for D:\PRELOAD and D:\PRELOAD\FactoryUpdate.

I wouldn't have expected the recovery image file to be in the PRELOAD folder; that's usually a location for an OEM to store a copy of the Windows installation files for use when restoring the machine to factory state. I would rather have expected to see the image file in the RECOVERY folder, which is the location used by the Windows installer for storing the F8 "Repair Your Computer" recovery image. But anyway, here are the commands needed to point the BCD to the recovery image file in the PRELOAD folder:

bcdedit /set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d} device ramdisk=[D:]\PRELOAD\FactoryUpdate\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

bcdedit /set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d} osdevice ramdisk=[D:]\PRELOAD\FactoryUpdate\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

Since D:\boot and D:\PRELOAD\FactoryUpdate both contain the Storage Device Interface file boot.sdi, and your original BCD file pointed to the one in D:\boot, then let's assume that this is correct and let's leave the BCD pointing to this location.

After you enter the above commands the BCD entry for F8 Recovery should change from this:

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d}
device ramdisk=[D:]\boot\winre.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
path \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe
description HP Recovery Manager
osdevice ramdisk=[D:]\boot\winre.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
detecthal Yes
winpe Yes

To this:

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d}
device ramdisk=[D:]\preload\factoryupdate\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
path \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe
description HP Recovery Manager
osdevice ramdisk=[D:]\preload\factoryupdate\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
detecthal Yes
winpe Yes

Hopefully this will get the F8 recovery manager working again.

Mark Wharton wrote:

I wouldn't have expected the recovery image file to be in the PRELOAD folder ... I would rather have expected to see the image file in the RECOVERY folder

I just found one other boot.wim file on the backup, in D:\SOURCES. I've attached screenshots of both D:\SOURCES and D:\RECOVERY.

Here are the differences between the two boot.wim files I found:

Do you think I should be pointing to the boot.wim file in D:\SOURCES?

If so, would these be the correct commands to use?

bcdedit /set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d} device ramdisk=[D:]\SOURCES\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

bcdedit /set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d} osdevice ramdisk=[D:]\SOURCES\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

D:\SOURCES\boot.wim has a newer date and is larger than D:\PRELOAD\FactoryUpdate\boot.wim, so my best guess is that the one in D:\SOURCES is modified by HP and contains additional restore options specific to HP computers. Boot.wim from a Vista SP1 DVD is 127 MB, so the one in D:\PRELOAD must also be modified by HP.

It wouldn't hurt to try each one to see how they differ (just don't actually do a restore to factory image while testing)! I would think that the newer one in D:\SOURCES is the one. Your BCD commands to point to it look correct to me.

Success! I changed the pointers to D:\SOURCES, and it's working again. Thank you very much, Mark!

I'm hoping that this will also solve the problem I've been having with my computer freezing. If so, I may try restoring to a more recent backup.

So, just to confirm:

If I create a new full Acronis backup now, will it save the correct pointers for the recovery partition?

And if I do a full restore from any previous Acronis backup, will I need to make the same corrections again, as follows?

bcdedit /set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d} device ramdisk=[D:]\SOURCES\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

bcdedit /set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae2-0007e994107d} osdevice ramdisk=[D:]\SOURCES\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

bcdedit /set {ramdiskoptions} ramdisksdidevice partition=D:

dgibson:

The BCD pointers contain absolute references to each partition's location on the disk, so if a partition is moved then the pointer values in the BCD display as "unknown". So any restore that results in a new location for the partition will result in the same outcome. TI contains an algorithm that will automatically correct the BCD entry for the main Windows partition, even if the partition is moved, but it doesn't correct all of the pointers, as you have found out. And the algorithm can also fail for the rest of the operating systems in a multiboot installation.

If you create a new backup and then restore the partitions to the exact same locations on the disk then all of the pointers should remain correct. But if any part of the restore moves the starting sector of one or more of the partitions then the same thing may happen and you may have to manually fix the entries. But at least you now know how to fix the entries. You could put the commands in a batch file and then double-click on it after a restore to fix the BCD.

Hi Mark Wharton, are you there?

Can I use the procedure you were giving to DGIBSON?
I have a Dell Vostro loptop with Vista and when i go to Advanced Boot Options and press F8, then i highlight Repair Your Computer and press ENTER, it leads me to normal login window, instead to „Factory Image Restore.” Should i run the bcdedit /enum all: ?

Ted