Windows 7, "Repair your computer" F8 boot option not working (SOLVED)
I'll be glad to help sort out the Windows Recovery Environment portion of the BCD. Just post your current BCD contents if you need help with this.
Hello Mark
I have this problem
1. Insert your windows installation disc and restart your computer.
2. Choose your langugae settings, and then click next
3. Click "repair your computer."
Status: 0xc000000e
Info: The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible.
I'd be grateful if you can help me solve this problem.
here is my bcdedit\enum all
Windows Boot Manager
-------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
path \bootmgr
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {default}
resumeobject {00ffce38-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
displayorder {default}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {default}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {00ffce3a-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=D:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {00ffce38-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
nx Optin
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {00ffce3c-69b9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
device {ramdisk=[D:}\Recovery\00ffce3a-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34\Winre.win,{00ffce3d-69db-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment
locale
osdevice {ramdisk=[D:}\Recovery\00ffce3a-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34]Winre.win,{00ffce3d-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
systemroot \windows
winpe Yes
Windows Boot Loader
------------
identifier {00ffce3e-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Code Name "Longhorn" Preinstallation Environment {recovered}
locale en-US
osdevice partition=D:
systemroot \Windows\Windows
winpe Yes
Resume from Hibernate
---------------------
identifier {00ffce38-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\system32\winresume.exe
description Windows Resume Application
locale en-US
inherit {resumeloadersettings}
filedevice partition=D:
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}
{hypervisorsettings}
Hypervisor Settings
-------------------
identifier {hypervisorsettings}
hypervisordebugtype Serial
hypervisordebugport 1
hypervisorbaudrate 115200
Resume Loader Settings
----------------------
identifier {resumeloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}
Device Options
--------------
identifier {00ffce3b-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
description Ramdisk Options
ramdisksdidevice unknown
ramdisksdipath \Recovery\00ffce3a-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34\boot.sdi
Device Options
--------------
identifier {00ffce3d-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
ramdisksdidevice partition=D:
ramdisksdipath \recovery\00ffce3a-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34\boot.sdi
Lars:
The recoverysequence value in the main Windows 7 Boot Loader entry is incorrect. To fix, enter the following command in an elevated command prompt window:
bcdedit /set {default} recoverysequence {00ffce3c-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
The second-to-last Device Options entry is invalid and can be removed:
bcdedit /delete {00ffce3b-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed34}
i did what you said and this is the result for my recoverysequence
recoverysequence{00ffce3c-6db9-11e3-a1c0-8bb51acbed343}
i also removed the last device option
after i followed your instructions
I restarted my pc and it boots automatically to windows startup repair even without the Windows Repair disk.. i tried everything in Advanced Boot but it wont let me get past Startup repair
here's the result of bcdedit enumall
Lars:
Your BCD looks mostly correct now (other than some minor issues). I suspect that Windows is detecting some kind of a problem and goes directly to startup repair, now that the link to the recovery environment is correct. To get out of this loop you can temporarily disable booting automatically into the recovery environment:
bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No
Try this and see if you now boot directly into Windows 7. If so, then you have some other issue that Windows detects at boot time.
To re-enable the Recovery Environment, repeat the above command but change "No" to "Yes" at the end of the command.
Hi Mark,
I would like to ask for your help also.
I had a hard drive crash in one of my PCs, installed a new drive and restored the backup from WHS. After the restore the win 7 client doesn't boot with only the below message:
1. Insert your windows installation disc and restart your computer.
2. Choose your langugae settings, and then click next
3. Click "repair your computer."
Status: 0xc000000e
Info: The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible.
I have been pulling my hair out with this for 2 days and still no closer to the answer.
BCDedit output as below:
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {default}
resumeobject {5bda48cc-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
displayorder {default}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {default}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {5bda48ce-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
recoveryenabled Yes
testsigning Yes
osdevice partition=D:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {5bda48cc-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
nx OptIn
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {5bda48ce-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
Resume from Hibernate
---------------------
identifier {5bda48cc-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\system32\winresume.exe
description Windows Resume Application
locale en-US
inherit {resumeloadersettings}
filedevice partition=D:
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}
{hypervisorsettings}
Hypervisor Settings
-------------------
identifier {hypervisorsettings}
hypervisordebugtype Serial
hypervisordebugport 1
hypervisorbaudrate 115200
Resume Loader Settings
----------------------
identifier {resumeloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}
Device options
--------------
identifier {5bda48cf-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
description Ramdisk Options
ramdisksdidevice partition=D:
ramdisksdipath \Recovery\5bda48ce-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580\boot.sdi
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Andrew
I managed to restore the 3rd section as to what I think it should be, but the PC still isn't booting.
I remembered after posting above that I flashed the bios also in the process of restoring the PC, so I am not sure if the Sata mode was AHCI or IDE.
On my main PC I have the bios set to AHCI and in the 1st section the partition value is:
partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
Can you tell from the BCDEDIT output whether the sata mode was set to AHCI or IDE in the bios?
Anyway with the mods I made tonight I still can't get this to boot, any help would be appreciated, thanks.
BCDEDIT output as below:
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {default}
resumeobject {5bda48cc-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
displayorder {default}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {default}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {5bda48ce-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
recoveryenabled Yes
testsigning Yes
osdevice partition=D:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {5bda48cc-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
nx OptIn
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {5bda48ce-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
device ramdisk=[D:]\Recovery\5bda48ce-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580\Winre.wim,{5bda48cf-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice ramdisk=[D:]\Recovery\5bda48ce-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580\Winre.wim,{5bda48cf-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
winpe Yes
Resume from Hibernate
---------------------
identifier {5bda48cc-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winresume.exe
description Windows Resume Application
locale en-US
inherit {resumeloadersettings}
filedevice partition=D:
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}
{hypervisorsettings}
Hypervisor Settings
-------------------
identifier {hypervisorsettings}
hypervisordebugtype Serial
hypervisordebugport 1
hypervisorbaudrate 115200
Resume Loader Settings
----------------------
identifier {resumeloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}
Device options
--------------
identifier {5bda48cf-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580}
description Ramdisk Options
ramdisksdidevice partition=D:
ramdisksdipath \Recovery\5bda48ce-aed9-11e2-bd96-bbb429c77580\boot.sdi
Andrew:
I have two suggestions. Perhaps the PC boot process is failing because of a driver issue so it fails over to the recovery environment. From your post #558 the recovery environment wasn't set up, so perhaps the boot process just stops there. Try turning off the automatic failover to the recovery environment as an experiment:
bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled no
I also see that you have Test Signing enabled; you could also try disabling it as another experiment:
bcdedit /set {default} testsigning no
See if that changes your symptoms.
Hello,
I am desesperated, I have a HP Probook 4510s with W7 32 bits.
I tried to recover to factory settings but when I restart, I have this error:
*****************************************
Windows boots normaly and all other F8 boot options work fine, the only issue is the "Repair your computer" option.
Windows failed to start. A Recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:
1. Insert your windows installation disc and restart your computer.
2. Choose your langugae settings, and then click next
3. Click "repair your computer."
Status: 0xc0000225
Info: The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible.
*********************************************
I see that with bcedit is possible to resolve. This is mine:
C:\windows\system32>bcdedit /enum all
Administrador de arranque de Windows
----------------------------------
Identificador {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
path \bootmgr
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {d826911d-7a87-11de-8da8-cd2f0d790731}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
Cargador de arranque de Windows
-----------------------------
Identificador {current}
device partition=C:
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \windows
resumeobject {d826911d-7a87-11de-8da8-cd2f0d790731}
nx OptIn
Reanudar tras hibernación
-------------------------
Identificador {d826911d-7a87-11de-8da8-cd2f0d790731}
device partition=C:
path \windows\system32\winresume.exe
description Windows Resume Application
locale en-US
inherit {resumeloadersettings}
filedevice partition=C:
filepath \hiberfil.sys
pae Yes
debugoptionenabled No
Herramienta de comprobación de memoria de Windows
-------------------------------------------------
Identificador {memdiag}
device partition=C:
path \boot\memtest.exe
description Windows Memory Diagnostic
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
badmemoryaccess Yes
Configuración de EMS
--------------------
Identificador {emssettings}
bootems Yes
Configuración del depurador
---------------------------
Identificador {dbgsettings}
debugtype Serial
debugport 1
baudrate 115200
Defectos de RAM
---------------
Identificador {badmemory}
Configuración global
--------------------
Identificador {globalsettings}
inherit {dbgsettings}
{emssettings}
{badmemory}
Configuración del cargador de arranque
------------------------------------
Identificador {bootloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}
{hypervisorsettings}
Configuración de hipervisor
-------------------
Identificador {hypervisorsettings}
hypervisordebugtype Serial
hypervisordebugport 1
hypervisorbaudrate 115200
Reanudar la configuración del cargador
--------------------------------------
Identificador {resumeloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}
Opciones del disco RAM de instalación
-------------------------------------
Identificador {ramdiskoptions}
description Ramdisk options
ramdisksdidevice partition=C:
ramdisksdipath \boot\boot.sdi
C:\windows\system32>
I wait your answer, thanks a lot a lot a lot
Unai:
You are missing an entry in the BCD for Windows Recovery Environment. We will need to create one. Before doing so, I need to know the location of the recovery folder.
Could you please run the following command and post its output into your next reply? From an elevated command prompt window:
reagentc /info
Hi, Mark I was reading the first page seeing that you have helped an Alienware owner before with multiple windows boot manager entries. Also I can boot and use the machine flawlessly, just cannot as others enter windows recovery environment. This is when pressing f8 and trying to enter it: giving 0xc000000e & 0xc000000f. Disk management screen shot is attached. The boot drive is the one with the recovery partition. Here are the commands I've tried so far.
1. bcdedit /set {6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2} device ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
2. bcdedit /set {6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2} osdevice ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
With a result of:
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
path \bootmgr
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-us
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {6ff8d7ea-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {6b4b2226-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
device ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\windowsre\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment (recovered)
locale
osdevice ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\windowsre\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
systemroot \windows
winpe Yes
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-us
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {6ff8d7ea-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
nx OptIn
useplatformclock Yes
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
device ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
winpe Yes
Resume from Hibernate
---------------------
identifier {6ff8d7ea-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
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=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
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}
{hypervisorsettings}
Hypervisor Settings
-------------------
identifier {hypervisorsettings}
hypervisordebugtype Serial
hypervisordebugport 1
hypervisorbaudrate 115200
Resume Loader Settings
----------------------
identifier {resumeloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}
Device options
--------------
identifier {6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
ramdisksdidevice partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
ramdisksdipath \Recovery\windowsre\boot.sdi
Brant:
You have two BCD entries for a recovery environment and each has a different path to the recovery files. The first entry and path is:
identifier {6b4b2226-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\windowsre\Winre.wim
The second entry and path is:
identifier {6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2\Winre.wim
As you can see, the folder in which the file Winre.wim resides is different between the two entries. The second entry is the one currently pointed to as the recovery sequence, and since it's not working, that's the one that I suspect is incorrect. Why don't you try changing the recoverysequence value in the main Windows 7 boot loader to the first entry:
bcdedit /set {default} recoverysequence {6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
Test to see if that works. If it does, fix the following missing items in the first recovery environment entry:
bcdedit /set {6b4b2226-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165} nx OptIn
bcdedit /set {6b4b2226-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165} locale en-us
bcdedit /set {6b4b2226-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165} description "Windows Recovery Environment"
Then delete the other recovery environment entry:
bcdedit /delete {6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
The problem still exists recovery environment is not accessible. Any other information would be great. Keep up the good work! Also the ones I bolded are the ones that might be causing issues correct?
Following all of your advice except deleting the other entry this is what we are looking at now:
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
path \bootmgr
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-us
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {6ff8d7ea-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {6b4b2226-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
device ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\windowsre\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment
locale en-us
osdevice ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\windowsre\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
winpe Yes
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-us
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {6ff8d7ea-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
nx OptIn
useplatformclock Yes
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
device ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
winpe Yes
Resume from Hibernate
---------------------
identifier {6ff8d7ea-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
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=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
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}
{hypervisorsettings}
Hypervisor Settings
-------------------
identifier {hypervisorsettings}
hypervisordebugtype Serial
hypervisordebugport 1
hypervisorbaudrate 115200
Resume Loader Settings
----------------------
identifier {resumeloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}
Device options
--------------
identifier {6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
ramdisksdidevice partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
ramdisksdipath \Recovery\windowsre\boot.sdi
Brant:
The recoverysequence entry in the main Windows 7 loader is still pointing to the second recovery environment entry, the one with the suspected incorrect folder names, unless you changed it and then changed it back. I also missed that an inherit statement is missing from the first recovery environment entry. The former may be a problem but I doubt that the latter is a problem. Anyway, to fix:
bcdedit /set {current} recoverysequence {6b4b2226-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
bcdedit /set {6b4b2226-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165} inherit {bootloadersettings}
If this doesn't work then you will need to find out the location of the two files Winre.wim and boot.sdi. According to the first entry they are on the second partition at \Recovery\windowsre\Winre.wim and \Recovery\windowsre\boot.sdi. According to the second entry they are at \Recovery\6ff8d7ec-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2\Winre.wim and \Recovery\windowsre\boot.sdi
An easy way to do this is to use Windows Disk Management to assign a temporary drive letter to the second partition so that it can be seen in Windows Explorer. Then browse or search for the files. You will need to enable viewing of both hidden and of protected operating system files in order to see them. Write down their locations and then you can remove the temporary drive letter to hide the second partition again.
Perfection, your second command had a syntax error but I searched online and fixed that. After all that it worked and I deleted the invalid entry. Perfect advice mark and you got my problem of 1 year fixed lol! Here is what the correct version of my bcd looks like:
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
path \bootmgr
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-us
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {6ff8d7ea-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {6b4b2226-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
device ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\windowsre\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment
locale en-us
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice ramdisk=[\Device\HarddiskVolume2]\Recovery\windowsre\Winre.wim,{6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
winpe Yes
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-us
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {6b4b2226-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {6ff8d7ea-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
nx OptIn
useplatformclock Yes
Resume from Hibernate
---------------------
identifier {6ff8d7ea-3404-11e3-aff8-f01faf4a92a2}
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=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
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}
{hypervisorsettings}
Hypervisor Settings
-------------------
identifier {hypervisorsettings}
hypervisordebugtype Serial
hypervisordebugport 1
hypervisorbaudrate 115200
Resume Loader Settings
----------------------
identifier {resumeloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}
Device options
--------------
identifier {6b4b2227-8099-11e3-8116-c5953f763165}
ramdisksdidevice partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
ramdisksdipath \Recovery\windowsre\boot.sdi
Brant:
Ah, you're right - I forgot the curly braces around {bootloadersettings}. I edited the previous reply to fix the error in case anyone else stumbles upon this thread. I'm glad that you got things working.
Brant,
Curious as to what was the cause of the changes on your disk so that we all might benefit on prevention steps.
Was the current disk a "cloned copy" or a "restored copy" of a backup?
Is the disk a UEFI or GPT disk?
It was a cloned copy using the 2011 home edition Acronis. From an HDD to an SSD. And I don't use UEFI so I imagine it was GPT?
If you still have the original, it would be interesting to use Windows Disk management and view both the original and the cloned disk and compare partition sequence in both. It would appear that the partition placement was changed during the cloning process.
Do you ever recall running Startup Repair via the Wiindows installation disk?
Hi, Grover:
If the starting sector of the partition was changed or if the Disk ID was changed then the BCD entries will become invalid, since they are encoded by absolute sector. Windows Startup Repair will fix most of these issues but apparently it cannot fix the Recovery Environment entries as demonstrated by the large number of posts on this thread by people with this issue.
Mark,
In my limited knowledge, if the partition is restore to a differing location and the BCD entries become invalid, does this mean you have to locate the correct BCD entries via another means to get the needed informtion?
Grover:
I'm not sure that I understand enough about the details either, but from what I have seen, the BCD values survive imaging and cloning except things that refer to locations on the disk by absolute sector. For example, particular partitions. In these cases the starting sector of the partition is encoded in the BCD and if the imaging or cloning process relocates the starting sector then the BCD "points to" the wrong sector and the boot process fails. One way to fix these is with the bcdedit command-line tool. There are also graphical BCD tools from third parties.
You can poke around to see some of these details because the BCD is just a registry hive, and you can use REGEDIT to view it and its contents. Here's an example. If I type the command "bcdedit /enum all /v" then I'll list the contents of the BCD. The /v switch in the command causes the "friendly names" of the entries to be suppressed and instead you will see the longer {GUID} style names. These can be looked up in REGEDIT. See the picture below:
Here, the GUID for my main Windows 7 partition is {1891464e-9a7d-11de-9ebe-fe9c458232f8}, so I look for that identifier in the registry. The first element in this particular BCD entry is the partition reference (partition=C:), so open the first element and you'll see a binary value listed called "Element". Double-click on it to see its contents. Somehow the starting sector of the partition is encoded in the binary string.
If you image or clone a disk then the image will contain an identical copy of the BCD, but if the image is restored in such a manner that the partition's starting sector is different, then the stored information about the location of the partition's starting sector in the BCD will no longer be correct, and the boot process will fail. When you list the BCD contents with the BCDEDIT command-line tool it will display "unknown" instead of "partition=c:", which is a tip-off that something is wrong.
If you still have the original, it would be interesting to use Windows Disk management and view both the original and the cloned disk and compare partition sequence in both. It would appear that the partition placement was changed during the cloning process.
Do you ever recall running Startup Repair via the Windows installation disk?
I do not, this drive was formatted as a storage drive once it was cloned. And yes start up repair was ran it does fix the initial non booting errors but not the recovery environment as Mark is stating.
Thank you much, Mark, for helping me to understand some of what is happening.
and thank you Brant for the confirmation.
Grover
Hello,
Please i need your help.
I have an hp2000 412-nr which i want to restore to factory. I have a recovery partition that has a certain 17GB file called "base.wim" which i believe contains recovery files. Unfortunately, after so many suggestions in other places i have not been able to boot from that recovery.I also tried solving the problem with BCDEasy, manually pointing to *.wim file. But with BCDEasy I can only add a new entry . When I try this solution I get 0xc0000017 Error: Ramdisk device creation failed due to insufficient memory.
Please, help me if you can. I have realized that so many people here are posting their bcdedit.txt and partition.png so i have attached these to my comments.
Thanks in advance.
Obed:
I'm not sure that I can help with this one because I'm unfamiliar with how HP has set up its recovery environment.
It isn't surprising that your experiment failed to boot. When you boot from a RAMDISK, the amount of RAM has to be sufficient to hold the .wim (Windows Image) file. If your base.wim file is 17 GB then unless you have 17 or more GB of RAM, that isn't going to work. Most of the recovery image files are hundreds of MB in size; for example the Windows 7 recovery image file WinRE.wim is 140 MB. So HP must have a scheme that boots the PC from a smaller recovery image file and then copies the larger base.wim file to disk. But I'm only speculating - I don't know how that works.
Can you post the output of the following command to your next reply? Enter this in Windows 7 from an elevated command prompt:
reagentc /info
This command lists the setup parameters for the recovery environment.
Thanks for even replying me. I did what you asked me to with the command prompt. I have attached it below. Hopefully, you have an idea to help me out. Thanks in advance, Sir.
Obed:
I'm afraid that didn't shed any light on the subject. I would recommend going to an HP forum to get support or advice on restoring your PC to factory settings.
Hey, I have installed Windows 7 Pro 64bit to a SSD. This computer works but everytime I restart it I get error 0xc000000e and then my options are Esc which restarts the computer and then it goes all the way to windows and I'm able to use it. The other option is Enter which gives me option to do Memory Test or choose operating system (Windows 7) and if i choose that it gives me the error again. I have tried to fix it from CD couple of times but it haven't helped. So I am curious that how could that error be fixed. Thank you in beforehand.
Error says something about \Windows\System32\winload.exe
Here is also attachmented my bcdedit if it helps.
Mikke:
This might be an issue unrelated to the BCD. Yours looks normal other than you're missing the entry that allows booting to the Windows Recovery Environment.
One way the blue screen error can occur is if you had Windows installed to an IDE drive and then you switch modes in the BIOS to AHCI. Try using BING to search for "Enable AHCI in Windows 7 after installation".
Okey, I googled it and found a guide to regedit and change msachi folders start files value to 0(it was 0 already and my bios boot option was also ACHI) so no help there.
So the error im getting is this:
Windows\system32\winload.exe status 0xc000000e the selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt.
my options are Enter=Continue and ESC=Exit
Enter leads to window where i can choose an operating system to start, or press tab to select a tool(only tool available is Windows Memory Diagnostic. And other options are Enter=Choose or ESC=Cancel.
Pressing ESC in the error window leads to restart and PC restarts successfully.
I noticed that when it boots it flashed a blue screen with some text but there is noway that i would have had enough time to read it so i started recording video so that i could read it and now i have booted it like 10 times. And while i record there doesnt seem to be any kind of problem in the boot. It takes just under 30 seconds to boot so i assume that the SSD is also working on right speed. I am really confused. I did nothing to fix the problem. So i guess right now i dont need anymore help but if the problem comes back i will be back also :D thanks for the help i recieved i found this forum extremely helpful and i glad that there is volunteers like mark to help other people.
Yeah right. I ran Error test on my C: and after that restart the problem came back.. thou the blue screen did not come back. So if anyone has any idea what is wrong please help.
Mikke:
From your symptoms it still sounds to me like the problem occurs when Windows is starting up and is switching disk modes, so I still suspect the driver or a BIOS setting. I would recommend finding the forum for the manufacturer of your SSD and asking for help there. As an experiment you could try changing the setting in the BIOS for the disk interface that the SSD is connected to from AHCI to IDE to see if the symptom goes away.
Im trying to do a system recovery on a gateway using window vista... when I click on f8 at the start , it brings up the menue, but the repair your computer function isnt there to click on to take me into the system recovery. Not sure why its not there, is there another way I can do a system recovery? help please!! thanks
Mike:
You could try to find recovery disks for your PC, or you can post the contents of your BCD (Boot Configuration Data) file here and I'll try to help you restore the missing system recovery entries.
From an elevated command prompt window, enter the following command:
bcdedit /enum all > %userprofile%\Desktop\bcd.txt
This will put a text file on your desktop with a copy of the BCD contents. Attach it to your next reply.
Okey i noticed a funny thing. My boot option 1# was my 1 tb hard disk, changing that to my ssd i got error boot/BDC 0xc000000f and the pc wasnt able to boot. changing it back although "fixed" it and im able to boot successfully after the 0xc000000e error. Does anyone have clue what this might mean?
MARK PLZZ HELP ME
I can boot my pc
John:
I don't know what to suggest. Your BCD is missing the Windows Boot Manager entry and is also missing an entry that boots Windows 7. All you have are several redundant entries for the Windows Recovery Environment, and the first one is apparently the one that the computer starts up into. The entries reference 4 different partitions and I can't tell what's on each.
What type of PC is this? Who is the manufacturer? What is the model number?
Mate all i did was change the bootscreen of win7 to alienware boot screen by downloadn a file call alienware skins... An then this happn... Now i got the f8 to work but wen the window loads normaly it gives bluescreen of death... An bootn in safe mode gets stuck on please wait n den reboots...i had 2 winload exe so i renamed the winload~1 to the other one n it shown the f8 menu...il jst send u some file plzz check out..,an im usen 2 hd both have 2 part... My os is installd on E drive only.. An i have a amd fx8350 cpu iv build by my self
Check dis files
I'm sorry John, I can't help you with this. I suggest posting your help request on the Alienware forums.
Hi, Mark. Before going into my question I should point out that I really don't know much about the booting process for Windows or any other OS. I have been trying to educate myself a little bit in the course of searching for a solution to my issue but I am finding that a lot of the information turning up in my Google searches is beyond my comprehension or the solutions apply to scenarios that are different from my own. I began to realize that to solve the specific problem I am having will require the attention of someone with more knowledge about this and that it's not worth it for me to continue down my current course of never-ending trial-and-error! I managed to find this forum thread and you seem to be very knowledgeable about the subject of booting and the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store.
I apologize if you have already addressed a similar issue previously in this thread. I didn't read the whole thing. I am simply trying to clone a Windows 7 installation to a new, SMALLER hard drive because the original hard drive generated a warning at startup saying that hard drive failure was imminent (even though Chkdsk could find no bad sectors).
I am using Clonezilla. If that immediately disqualifies me from receiving support in this Acronis forum, I understand!
I have read guides saying that to clone a system to a smaller drive I should shrink the main partition (C:) to a smaller size (slightly larger than the currently filled portion of the partition), create an image of all partitions on a third drive, create new partitions on the new drive that are equal in size or larger (but not smaller) than the partitions on the original drive, and then restore the partition images into the new empty partitions on the new drive.
I followed that procedure. The original drive has 3 partitions, in this order:
-- A 100-MB partition labeled "SYSTEM".
-- The "C:" partition.
-- A partition containing the factory recovery image.
I had some issues with Clonezilla restoring the images into the wrong partitions on the new drive (and so one wouldn't fit and generated an error message) but I think I found a solution to that issue. (See steps 1-3 on this page for the solution I used.)
After finally getting the partitions cloned to the new drive, Windows would not boot, which I suspected would happen. I had to boot a Windows 7 repair disc, run Startup Repair, restart the computer, and then Chkdsk ran automatically at startup and subsequently started Windows.
I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking my struggles were over... But:
THE ISSUE is that if I press F8 while Windows is booting (to access the Advanced Boot Options menu) and select "Repair Your Computer", I arrive at a screen that says "Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause." (It recommends that I put in a Windows installation disc and access "Repair Your Computer" from there.) At the bottom it says:
Status: 0xc0000225
Info: The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible.
I suspected this had something to do with the 100-MB "SYSTEM" partition whose function I don't fully understand. As an experiment (because I have no idea what I'm doing), I tried erasing all the partitions on the new drive and installing Windows from scratch using a Windows 7 installation disc, just so that I could re-create the 100-MB partition from scratch, and then I cloned in ONLY THE OTHER TWO PARTITIONS from the original drive.
...The experiment was not a success. (You may already be chuckling at my ignorance.) I can still boot into Windows as before (although this time I do not think Chkdsk ran at startup), but I still cannot access "Repair Your Computer" from the F8 (Advanced Boot Options) menu. It displays a message similar to the one it displayed before but with a different "status" code:
Status: 0xc000000f
Info: The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible.
I was about to give up on trying to fix this issue since it doesn't seem to have any impact on everyday usage of the computer, but then happened to discover this thread in my last-ditch Google search. It looks as though you might have BCD-tweaking wizard-powers, and, although I know nothing about the BCD and couldn't even explain what exactly it is, I have a hunch that the solution to my issue might lie in the BCD. (I could very well be wrong, for all I know!) I have pasted the output of "bcdedit /enum all" below, if you are willing/able to take a look at it.
Please let me know if you need any further information. Thank you very much!!
P.S.... Does anyone know of a program or simple procedure to transfer a Windows 7 installation to a SMALLER hard drive without having to mess with the BCD manually? (....Something from Acronis perhaps?)
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
path \bootmgr
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {6f0e6e66-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {6f0e6e68-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {6f0e6e66-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
nx OptIn
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {6f0e6e68-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
device ramdisk=[C:]\Recovery\6f0e6e68-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d
9a\Winre.wim,{6f0e6e69-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice ramdisk=[C:]\Recovery\6f0e6e68-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d
9a\Winre.wim,{6f0e6e69-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
winpe Yes
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {6f0e6e6a-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
device ramdisk=[D:]\Recovery\WindowsRE\Winre.wim,{6f0e6e6b-c292
-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment (recovered)
locale
osdevice ramdisk=[D:]\Recovery\WindowsRE\Winre.wim,{6f0e6e6b-c292
-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
systemroot \windows
winpe Yes
Resume from Hibernate
---------------------
identifier {6f0e6e66-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
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=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
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}
{hypervisorsettings}
Hypervisor Settings
-------------------
identifier {hypervisorsettings}
hypervisordebugtype Serial
hypervisordebugport 1
hypervisorbaudrate 115200
Resume Loader Settings
----------------------
identifier {resumeloadersettings}
inherit {globalsettings}
Device options
--------------
identifier {6f0e6e69-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
description Ramdisk Options
ramdisksdidevice partition=C:
ramdisksdipath \Recovery\6f0e6e68-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a\boot.sdi
Device options
--------------
identifier {6f0e6e6b-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
ramdisksdidevice partition=D:
ramdisksdipath \Recovery\WindowsRE\boot.sdi
William:
You have two recovery environments referenced in the BCD. The first one (with identifier {6f0e6e68-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}) is the one that will attempt to load the recovery environment when you press F8 at boot-time. I suspect that because of the way you first installed Windows, then replaced the C partition later, the file names and folder names are incorrect. They would be correct for the initial Windows installation but are incorrect for the cloned Windows (C) partition.
However, you do have another recovery environment that is located on the partition containing the factory image. This is the one that you should use. So all you need to do is to change the pointer to the recovery sequence. To do this, enter the following command in an elevated command prompt window. You can do this while booted to Windows:
bcdedit /set {current} recoverysequence {6f0e6e6a-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
Let me know if that works.
THAT WORKED PERFECTLY! Thank you!!!
So, looking back over the old BCD above, here is my understanding of what happened (even though I don't REALLY know what it means):
- The Boot Loader named "Windows 7" with the identifier {current} had its "recoverysequence" pointing to the Boot Loader named "Windows Recovery Environment" with the identifier {6f0e6e68-[...]}.
- Your commands set the "Windows 7" Boot Loader's recoverysequence to point to the Boot Loader named "Windows Recovery Environment (recovered)" with the identifier {6f0e6e6a-[...]}.
^ This "Windows Recovery Environment (recovered)" Boot Loader was found on one of the clone partitions and added to the BCD (perhaps by Startup Repair when I ran it?), but recoverysequence was not updated to point to this recovered Boot Loader. That is why I could not boot into the "Repair Your Computer" environment.
So now that this problem is fixed, is there anything else in the BCD above that sticks out as being wrong? I just want to make sure there are no remaining issues.
I would really like to be able to properly clone a Windows 7 or 8 system in the future. Is there any way to avoid this kind of problem in the first place? I guess I don't understand why the original BCD doesn't survive the partition cloning process and function the same on the new hard drive. Is the BCD not located within any partition? Or are its references somehow invalid on the new hard drive?
I'm also curious.... As I described, in my first attempt to clone the system, I cloned all 3 partitions including the 100-MB partition, but had a similar problem of not being able to boot into the "Repair Your Computer" environment. In that case, would the fix have been similar (simply updating the "recoverysequence" pointer) even though I was seeing a different error status code? Could there have been any other different issues with the BCD after doing it that way?
I am just hoping to know exactly what to do next time I have to clone Windows 7 or 8 partition-by-partition to a smaller hard drive. I suppose I could just post the BCD here the next time I do that and we could figure it out from there if that would be easier!
Thanks again VERY MUCH for your time and attention!
William:
Yes, your description of what happened is basically correct. First, a little background. When the PC starts up the Windows Boot Manager runs. This boot manager is only capable of doing the most simple, basic operations before the more-powerful operating system is loaded. The information it uses to start an operating system is coded into a data store or database called the Boot Configuration Data, or BCD. This data store contains information about where each executable operating system (Windows, Windows Recovery Environment, Windows Memory Checker, and other operating systems if present) is located on the disk. The locations are referenced by the starting sector number of the partition; not by drive letters or file names. At this point in the boot process the PC is too dumb to figure these things out.
When you clone or restore a disk partition to a different location on the new disk, the information in the BCD is incorrect. The BCD itself is, in your case, located on the first partition on the disk; the one that is marked as "Active" and called by Windows the "System" partition. This small (100 MB) partition contains the files needed to boot Windows, decode BitLocker encryption if present, and the BCD.
Here's what I think happened to you. The issue is one of invalid references in the BCD. When you cloned or restored partitions the Windows partition did not get put on the new disk in the exact same location as on the old disk, so some of the BCD information was invalid. You then used Windows Startup Repair to fix the BCD. I'm not sure of exactly what Startup Repair is capable of fixing, but from experience it seems to be able to figure out which partition should be active, update BCD pointers to the starting sector of the main Windows partition, or even rebuild a basic BCD if it's completely missing. Where it fails is in trying to fix pointers to Windows Recovery Environment, or to other Windows operating systems, if present. These issues seem to need manual intervention via BCDEDIT or via one of the graphical BCD repair tools. So your first attempt at repair succeeded in getting Windows to boot but not in getting the recovery environment working.
Your second attempt was to install Windows from scratch, which created new first (System) and second (Windows) partitions. The BCD for this new Windows installation was on the first partition and the Recovery Environment for it was on the second partition. You may not have noticed, but Windows Recovery Environment would have worked at this time. Then you replaced the second and third partitions only, which would have left the BCD untouched on the first partition, but would have written over the recovery environment on the second (Windows) partition, so now the BCD information about the recovery environment was incorrect.
Finally, fixing the pointer to the factory recovery environment on the third partition restored proper functioning of the F8 key.
Avoiding these issues is a problem unless you make an exact clone of a disk with no changes to the starting sector locations of the partitions. Most imaging software and the Windows Startup Repair can do this correctly for simple cases where there is only one Windows operating system on the disk, but they fail to do it all when there is more than one OS or when there is a factory image partition. So if you recover or image or clone to a disk of the same size and don't adjust partition sizes, you should be OK. If you do adjust partition sizes and/or locations, then manual intervention is necessary. An alternative to manually editing the BCD is one of the graphical editors like Visual BCD, which you might want to look into.
You do have a couple of minor issues with your BCD, so if you want to fix them then do these operations. The first two remove references to the non-working Windows Recovery Environment and the last two fix cosmetics on the working one:
bcdedit /delete {6f0e6e68-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
bcdedit /delete {6f0e6e69-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a}
bcdedit /set {6f0e6e6a-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a} description "Windows Recovery Environment"
bcdedit /set {6f0e6e6a-c292-11e3-9033-b64bc2b60d9a} locale en-US
These aren't necessary but if you want to, go ahead.
That is very informative! Thank you.
To summarize:
-- Cloning an entire disk to a disk of the exact-same size should result in no problems.
-- Cloning to a disk of a different size (and changing partition sizes in the process) will cause the start positions of partitions to change, which will invalidate sector references in the Windows BCD.
-- Imaging software or Startup Repair can sometimes fix all of these references, but not if there is more than one OS or a factory image partition (as there often is nowadays).
Therefore, to clone Windows 7/8:
-- Use imaging software such as Acronis or Clonezilla.
-- If the new disk is the exact same size, clone the entire disk. If the new disk is a different size, follow the procedure I outlined in paragraphs 4-7 of my first post (above) to clone all partitions to images on a third drive, and then "restore" the images to the new drive.
-- If you are having trouble booting into the "Repair Your Computer" environment (accessed by pressing F8 at startup and selecting "Repair Your Computer"), boot into Windows 7, run an elevated Command Prompt, and type:
bcdedit /enum all
to examine the BCD.
-- Correct the invalid reference to the Windows Recovery Environment using the command:
bcdedit /set {current} recoverysequence {[SECTOR # OF THE "RECOVERED" RECOVERY ENVIRONMENT]}
-- OPTIONAL: Clean up the BCD using commands similar to the commands in Mark's last post above.
That's not too hard now that I understand it! THANKS, MARK!!!
Looks like a good place for help! :)
This is what I get trying to repair Windows 7 from F8:
The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible. Status 0xc000000e
One first stop would be look into your bios and make sure the correct disk is selected as the boot disk.
Do you have an Acronis backup of the entire disk which could be restored?
Note to others: I have compared your disk.png attachment with other HP/Compaq units and the active partitiion is correct and the partitions sequences and partition size are identical to other units.
Byron:
You need to change the references to the Windows Recovery Environment. One is in the Windows Boot Manager entry and the other is in the Windows Boot Loader entry for loading Windows 7. Enter the following two commands into an elevated Command Prompt window:
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} custom:0x000000005400000f {027782c6-7c31-11e2-9a2e-9c977d2528ff}
bcdedit /set {current} recoverysequence {027782c6-7c31-11e2-9a2e-9c977d2528ff}
This should restore proper functioning of the F8 key. If this is successful, you can then delete the two non-working BCD entries and clean up some cosmetic issues:
bcdedit /delete {027782c4-7c31-11e2-9a2e-9c977d2528ff}
bcdedit /delete {027782c5-7c31-11e2-9a2e-9c977d2528ff}
bcdedit /set {027782c6-7c31-11e2-9a2e-9c977d2528ff} description "Windows Recovery Environment"
bcdedit /set {027782c6-7c31-11e2-9a2e-9c977d2528ff} locale en-US
bcdedit /set {027782c6-7c31-11e2-9a2e-9c977d2528ff} nx OptIn
bcdedit /set {027782c7-7c31-11e2-9a2e-9c977d2528ff} description "Ramdisk Options"