Activation issue after clean install on new hard drive

Sounds like it's not able to locate the recovery partition and is simply defaulting to Boot Manager.

There isn't anything related to Recovery in Advanced Boot Options, is there?

F5ing said:

Sounds like it's not able to locate the recovery partition and is simply defaulting to Boot Manager.

I think because my 'recovery' is just a bunch of files in a folder, it's got no partition to utilise.

mrbongo said:

F5ing said:

Sounds like it's not able to locate the recovery partition and is simply defaulting to Boot Manager.

I think because my 'recovery' is just a bunch of files in a folder, it's got no partition to utilise.

But it does exist on the old drive, the machine just can't locate it.

So plug in the old HD exactly as it was plugged at factory. Set it first to boot (shouldn't make a difference tho).

Again what is the key given on first screen or in Manual for running Factory Recovery? Try that key repeatedly.

If it will work on old HD it may work when old HD is cloned or imaged over to new one.

F5ing said:

Sounds like it's not able to locate the recovery partition and is simply defaulting to Boot Manager.

There isn't anything related to Recovery in Advanced Boot Options, is there?

The first option is Repair my computer

which takes me to:

Have a look at the init.wcl and int.w00 files with a hex editor - hxd is free and easy to use.

HxD.zip

A .wim file looks like this:



The .sny files look like this:



Simple to replace those first 16 bytes with the correct ones.

Copy these and paste them in

4D 53 57 49 4D 00 00 00 D0 00 00 00 00 0D 01 00





Now if that worked, it is a .wim and opens fine with 7-zip.

Hopefully you will see these inside. If so, that is your Install.wim.



Just rename it to install.wim.

SIW2, this change can be made to the copy the OP added to a subfolder on the new drive? And then can be utilized from there?

this change can be made to the copy the OP added to a subfolder on the new drive

yes

And then can be utilized from there?

yes - he will need the wim he is installing from on a different patition than he is installing to.

It can be used again if needs to reinstall in the future.

I haven't seen a Samsung one before - it is extremely likely they have just changed the headers - like Sony do.

SIW2 said:

Now if that worked, it is a .wim and opens fine with 7-zip.

Hopefully you will see these inside. If so, that is your Install.wim.



Just rename it to install.wim.

Replaced initial 16 with those. Won't open in 7 zip, no idea what I'm doing wrong.

What I have done is using Macrium created an image of the Recovery partition on old drive, it now shows as drive H in my new one.

Does this make it easier to tackle now?

SIW2 said:

yes - he will need the wim he is installing from on a different patition than he is installing to.

It can be used again if needs to reinstall in the future.

She...