System restore from a USB stick does not work

Dali362 · 25 Mar 2013

I have a Compaq 8200 Elite SFF PC and by an unfortunate accident I wiped out a part of my HDD - intended to format an external HDD, noticed my error and stopped the format process, but by that time bootsector, a part of the OS and what is even worse, the recovery partition was gone.
I thought I had a"worst scenario case" security copy of the recovery on my Sandisc cruzer 16GB USB stick(I made it right after I got the PC - actually HP urges you to make either recovery DVDs or a bootable USB stick right away - I did the latter) but the stick does not work - it will not boot. I managed to find the reason - the stick was supposed to be completely formatted before copying the recovery OS copy onto it, but it did not format completely, because apart from being a USB stick, it is also a sort of DVD(Called U3) and that part refuses to get formatted.
Now, I have the necessary system recovery files on the stick, but is there any way to make it bootable? I´d hate to have to buy expensive recovery discs if I can avoid it. Due to copyright reasons (only ONE OS recovery prer PC) I cannot transfer the recovery files to another medium.
Here´s list of files on the USB:
boot Folder
Documents Folder
hp Folder
preload Folder
U3 systems Folder
boot.mgr File
CSP.DAT DAT-file
hpdrcu.prc PRC-file
language config.
Launch U3 Program
Preload size Text file
RP CONFIG "
Set Duimp "
Set info "

Any ideas?

Kaktussoft · 25 Mar 2013

What exactly did you do with harddisk and with what software? did you format C or wipe whole disk?

What happens if you try to boot from usb stick? Give me error message. Are you sure the partition is primary and active? Sure you force in bios to boot from usb?

Dali362 · 25 Mar 2013

Sorry for the belated reply. I reformatted a part of the HDD (instead of formatting an external HDD) by G-parted. The whole HDD is not gone. but all the recovery partition and a part of the system partition are gone.
When I try to force boot from the USB stick, I get this message(rough translation from Norwegian)

Windows could not start. The required unit for startup is not available.

Solution: Insert a WINDOWS installations CD etc etc

Status: 0xc000000f

Kaktussoft · 25 Mar 2013

Dali362 said:

Sorry for the belated reply. I reformatted a part of the HDD (instead of formatting an external HDD) by G-parted. The whole HDD is not gone. but all the recovery partition and a part of the system partition are gone.
When I try to force boot from the USB stick, I get this message(rough translation from Norwegian)

Windows could not start. The required unit for startup is not available.

Solution: Insert a WINDOWS installations CD etc etc

Status: 0xc000000f

Sure you did format an not delete the partition?

Sure you did boot from usb? It is booting from some partition.... have to know for sure it's usb stick.
More info available except Status: 0xc000000f? For example:

File: /boot/bcd
Status: 0xc000000f
Info: an error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration data.

or

The requested system device cannot be found.
The “Windows Boot Configuration Data File is Missing Required Information
The “Windows Boot Configuration Data File is Missing
An error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration data

Kaktussoft · 25 Mar 2013

I assume recovery partition is gone. And old OS partition as well. There's no such thing as half formatted partition.

So you get The requested system device cannot be found.... I think.
Put the usb stick in a working machine. In my example I use G as drive letter. Replace G with actual drive letter. From Elevated Command Prompt

Code:

bcdedit/enum  all  /store  G:\boot\bcd > G:\bcd.txt

Post G:\bcd.txt. You may delete the file afterwards

Dali362 · 25 Mar 2013

I´m not sure I did not delete the partition, after I found out what was going on I panicked. Stupid of me to do computer chores when I was dead tired after a hard day´s work.

Anyway, the message I get after I try to force to boot from the USB reads actually (in proper translation now) The requested device cannot be found. Except for the Status 0xc000000f there is unfortunately no other message. I think that because the PC cannot boot from the USB stick. it then tries to boot from a no-good partition on the HDD. Maybe there´s a way to make the USB stick bootable - the system recovery files are all there, but this stupid U3 thing (a sort of a DVD on the stick) prevents from booting from it.

I´m afrad I´ll have to call it a day now, have to get up at 5:15 AM tomorrow, but hope to continue the discussion tomorrow.

Dali362 · 25 Mar 2013

Our replies got crossed in cyberspace. I´ll try the USB stick on a working machine as you suggest tomorrow and will let you know. Thanks a lot and good night.

Kaktussoft · 25 Mar 2013

Most likely to usb stick is sort of a double disk. One part is kind of dvd drive and one a fat partition. If you boot from it it actually boots from the dvd part and reads files from the fat partition, which you did format by making the recovery stuff. Best thing to do:

Use another usb stick. Make 1 primary partition on it and make partition active.
Copy all files over from stick to new stick (not the dvd part)

Be sure to copy everything, so make hidden and system protected files visible! Hidden Files and Folders - Show or Hide step 2 and 4
to make a partition active Partition - Mark as Active

Dali362 · 26 Mar 2013

I tried the solution you suggested in No 5, but it did not work (the fact that the recovery files are for WIN 64 bit while my laptop is 32 bit only might have to do with it, or worse - my HDD on the laptop is a "goner" - the laptop was sluggish and I could not get rid of some software that came with a hadrare product), trying to boot from USB nothing happened for some time and eventually BOOT MGR missing message appeared. And that was the end of operation of my laptop, it won´t boot (BOOT MGR MIssing every time I try to boot) and even the recovery discs do not help - they start to work, but after some time a message "Image Failed" and then again Bott Mgr Missing.
So, having no PC at all, I resorted to a desparte step - loaned a bootleg WIN 7 64bit DVD from an acquitance and installed it on my "erroneously reformatted" HDD machine and I´m using it right now. I tried the step described in No 8 answer, making the part active and showing hidden files worked, but then I found out that there was not enoguh space on the 8 GB USB I have (only about 260Kb space missing to get the recovery files on it!) so I´ll have to get a larger capacity USB before I proceed, this may take some time. By the way, you are right, the Sandisc is a sort of combined pendrive/dvd drive, it shows as such

System restore from a USB stick does not work-scrshot.jpg

I´ll have to leave the recovery of my HP PC for the time being and will return when another USB is in my hands. By the way, I checked the recovery didcs from Hp only to find that they were NO longer in stock, so I´m really stuck here and my only hope is that transfer of the recovery files from my Sandisk Pendrive/DVD combined stick to a regular USB stick really works.
However, as I have another problem on my neck - my laptop refuses to boot now with the BOOT MGR missing message- any ideas how to remedy this (Manufacturers recovery discs do not work) or find out if its HDD has "gone with the wind".

Kaktussoft · 26 Mar 2013

However, as I have another problem on my neck - my laptop refuses to boot now with the BOOT MGR missing message- any ideas how to remedy this (Manufacturers recovery discs do not work) or find out if its HDD has "gone with the wind".

If bootmgr is missing on a boot partition on harddisk

is the right partition active
perform a startup repair Startup Repair