Problem with my partner's Advent Roma 1001 laptop.. OEM SLP..

I posted this in a another thread and felt that maybe it'd be better if I created it's own thread, to get the attention it needs.. :) Please don't think I'm cross-posting..

I have a problem with my partner's Advent Roma 1001 laptop..

I have to start by stating that the label on the rear with the Windows original key has been partially erased. it has been used by my partner for some 2 years and in common with thousands of microsoft users she just didn't appreciate the importance of preserving those numbers. It sat on her knee for many a month and has become partially illegible.

I have to say in her defence that if microsoft laminated those key labels and made them a little tougher or made the importance of them more obvious to the retail customer then maybe this wouldn't happen as often as it does..

Moving on..
Yesterday she complained it was running slowly and becoming a pain..

I discovered a whole bunch of corrupt system files that sfc /scannow couldn't repair. I decided ona repair install and without further ado, followed Brink's tutorial on a repair install for W7 and downloaded a W732 OEM disk iso from lifehacker and ran a repair install only to discover to my dismay that the saved product key taken directly from the original desktop using jellybean's magical keyfinder was an OEM SLP that doesn't work with the system repair.

Jellybean didnt tell me that...

I compounded the problem further by re-installing (Clean Install..) of another OEM W732 SP1 version from lifehacker and that too doesn't work.

I only discovered that my Windows Key was an OEM SLP version after using the online product ID: checker and there it was it's a genuine key and legal but it an OEM SLP version. (SLP = System Locked..)

So, to sum it up, there is a hidden manufacturer's recovery partition, I have an OEM SLP key that is legal, the original key that's printed on the back of the laptop is virtually unreadable (At least 25 percent of it anyway..) and the manufacturer's partition is non bootable despite being made active in the disk management tools.

The computer's own recovery manual states that it's factory restore option is made available through the windows F8 menu..

When I explore there, it's about 5 1/2 gig big with it's windows.wim intact.. I read today that that's the partition's recovery image?

So if I could only get it to boot using the F8 key and go to it instead of being redirected presumably by the new OEM install's instructions of bypassing the recovery partition to Window's own repair tools, (Selecting them does not bring up the recovery partition's own tools or even an option where they're merged with Window's own repair tools..) so how do I get them to work as designed?

B'rgds..

John.

Thought I'd add a MGADiag report.. diag.txt

Recovery loses it's hotlink to F8 during reinstall. You can try to Mark Recovery Partition Active then reboot to see if Recovery partition will boot on its own. This is what the F8 hotkey does.

If not you can create a boot manager to boot Recovery:

First give Recovery partition a drive letter in Disk Mgmt: Drive Letter - Add, Change, or Remove in Windows 7 - Windows 7 Forums

Then install EasyBCD boot manager, click on Add OS Entry tab, select WinPPE tab, browse in Recovery folder to boot.wim or winre.wim after unhiding System and Hidden files in Control Panel>Folder options>View tab, Save boot entry. Reboot to dual Boot menu, choose RAMdisk to boot recovery.

click to enlarge

EasyBCD (free Download at bottom of page - no name or email required)
Accessing my restore partition

Hi Gregrocker!

Logged on early this morning here in the UK and found your post..

It worked smooth as glass! :)

Have to say thank you so much, was getting to the end of my tether with this problem and was amazed that a tool like EasyBCD which I have used before many times to handle my own dual XP-W7 boot was the utility of choice! I just didn't realise it had that feature at all.. !

After following your instructions to the letter the recovery partition popped up after selecting it and I chose destructive recovery, it then ran a clean install of windows 7 32 bit, and validated the newly installed key as genuine. :) Took about fifteen minutes or less.

A huge thank you from us both.

One final question after giving the recovery partition a letter can that be undone? - Also how to remove EasyBCD's leftover dual boot menu entries at startup?

B'rgds.. John and Sylvia..

You can delete the RAMdisk (Recovery) listing on the Edit OS Menu tab of EasyBCD, then uninstall it if you want.

You can remove the Recov Partition Drive Letter - Add, Change, or Remove in Windows 7 - Windows 7 Forums .

Here are tips to Clean Up Factory Bloatware.

I would contact your computer maker to ask for help to retrieve your COA Product key, or at least send Recovery disks. If they will not cooperate you will need to google how to backup the SLP activation before a Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 .

Easiest perhaps is to save a Win7 backup image externally which will reimage your HD or its replacement in 20 minutes. Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

gregrocker said:

Recovery loses it's hotlink to F8 during reinstall. You can try to Mark Recovery Partition Active then reboot to see if Recovery partition will boot on its own. This is what the F8 hotkey does.

If not you can create a boot manager to boot Recovery:

First give Recovery partition a drive letter in Disk Mgmt: Drive Letter - Add, Change, or Remove in Windows 7 - Windows 7 Forums

Then install EasyBCD boot manager, click on Add OS Entry tab, select WinPPE tab, browse in Recovery folder to boot.wim or winre.wim after unhiding System and Hidden files in Control Panel>Folder options>View tab, Save boot entry. Reboot to dual Boot menu, choose RAMdisk to boot recovery.

click to enlarge

EasyBCD (free Download at bottom of page - no name or email required)
Accessing my restore partition

Having had the same issue on my Dell Inspiron N5110 where the repair/recovery option had been overwritten with the default W7 repair environment, and having spent two days trying to find a solution, I came across this post and I just had to post a reply to say this "trick" worked a treat. My recovery/repair option now has the Dell Datasafe and Recovery option in the repair menu!

Although belatedly, thanks for sharing this great tidbit.