Error code = 0x490 due to power cut, now Windows completely missing!

[Rona88]

Hello everyone,

I have a problem I attempted to solve by following a tutorial but was unsuccesful.

My computer was installing windows updates when the power went out. From that moment, when restarted, it offer me a choice of
1. attempting startup repair
2. loading windows as if nothing happened.

When I tried 2. it would be stuck on loading windows logo until I restarted.

I tried Startup Repair and got 'Windows cannot repair this computer automatically'.

Startup Repair
Diagnosis and repair details:

Root cause found:
--------------------
Boot sector for system disk partition is corrupt.

Repair action: Boot sector repair
Result: Failed. Error code = 0x490
Time taken = 182568 ms
-----------------------
-----------------------

After this I googled 0x490 error and followed these instructions:

- I opened Command Prompt and entered 'BootRec.exe/fixmbr'

It said that operation was performed successfully however since I did this the computer cannot find an operating system at all!

When I restart it says Operating system missing.

After this I boot from Win DVD and open Command Prompt

I have since attempted this command 'bootrec.exe/fixboot' separately on all 3 partitions of the disk (while only that partition active).

After that I tried 'BootRec.exe/Scanos'.

In all 3 cases the massage I get is:
Total identified Windows installations: 0

This makes it impossible to try RebuildBcd.

I have also attempted running startup repair 3 times on each partition, unsuccessfully.

What can I do?

Thanks very much.

 

[Megahertz07]

From win 7 installation disk at command prompt run chkdsk /r
I would also run sfc /scannow.
Then try startup repair.

 

[Rona88]

Megahertz07 I did as you said however both commands were unsuccessful. I'm posting a pic with responses.

The drive is encrypted with Truecrypt so is that why chkdsk /r couldn't be performed? Thanks for your help.

 

[Megahertz07]

Sorry, my omission, you must go to disk C:
From win 7 installation disk at command prompt run chkdsk C: /r

 

[Rona88]

I tried it,

 

[Megahertz07]

Rona, your disk isn't formatted (RAW).
As you said that you were installing Windows updates, it can be possible that it's a logical problem and can be fixed or can be that your disk died.
Don't try to fix it, or you may loose all data on it.
Ask Jumanji for help. He is the disk guru. Send him a private message.
http://www.sevenforums.com/member.php?u=163641

 

[Rona88]

Something is clearly wrong as the disk has more than 900 GB of content. Megahertz07 thanks for trying to help me and, if it isn't too much to ask, could you put me in contact with Jumanji as I don't have enough posting privileges to send a PM. Thank you.

 

[torchwood]

Message sent.

Roy

 

[Rona88]

Thanks Roy.

 

[jumanji]

As far as data recovery is concerned, it may well be impossible since you have encrypted the drive with Truecrypt. Your only hope accessing any data in your system drive is to repair and restore your OS. That in any case is not my cup of tea and beyond my thought process. A complete system backup could have saved you from your current situation more so since you have encrypted the drive.

What you can do now is to present a pictorial representation of your drive and wait for other experts to work on it..

Download the Partition Wizard Bootable CD Free Edition version 9.1 ISO ( 32 bit or 64 bit as per your system OS) from Free download Magic Partition Manager Software, partition magic alternative, free partition magic, partition magic Windows 7 and server partition software - Partition Wizard Online

Download Rufus from Rufus - Create bootable USB drives the easy way

Use that PW ISO and create a bootable PW pen drive with Rufus.

Boot your PC from that pendrive using onetime boot menu and run Partition Wizard.

It will show your drive.

Take a snapshot using your mobile or any other camera and post the screenshot.

 

[Rona88]

jumanji, thanks for looking at the thread. I wasn't expecting that bad a news but I suppose there's nothing to do but try to save it somehow.

I have done as you said and downloaded Partition Wizard Bootable CD and Rufus and created bootable USB stick however the computer doesn't recognize it (this was always the case even when computer was healthy it didn't recognize booting from usb).

Is it ok if I create bootable Wizard Partition DVD/CD instead of USB?

Thank you,
Rona

 

[Layback Bear]

You should be able to use a CD/DVD player as long as you set it boot. You could try to get the CD to boot using your boot selection key. I don't list your system specs so I can't look that up.
My Asus boards use the F8 key for boot selection.
Try just installing the CD/DVD and turning on the computer. It might just pick it up and boot because it can't find anything else to boot from.

Because you did this in your post #1

After this I boot from Win DVD and open Command Prompt

You should have no problems using a CD/DVD with the programs that jumanji recommended.

 

[jumanji]

As Layback Bear suggested your motherboard manual should indicate the key to be pressed to bring the boot menu.

Otherwise you can enter into BIOS setup and set USB as the first boot device, save and then it should boot from your pendrive.

If your PC is UEFI ( not standard Bios) then you should set it to legacy compatibility mode and disable secure boot.

If you do not want to spend time on any f this or you are not confident, then of course burn the ISO to a CD and boot from the CD to run Partition Wizard.

 

[Rona88]

I apologize for the delay. I've run Partition Wizard and these are screenshots that first appear. Of the three partitions shown, Windows installation was originally on second (97.56 GB) partition.

Rona

 

[Rona88]

Since running a partition wizard I haven't done anything, in fear I'll mess the computer even further. If someone on the forum knows what I should do to attempt to restore windows or can recommend an expert I'd be grateful.

Rona

 

[jumanji]

Please wait. I have sent a request PM to DavidE to have a look at this problem.

 

[DavidE]

Hi Jumanji,

I've never encrypted a disk drive with TrueCrypt, so i have no experience
I think you have a good idea about changing the partition type to NTFS with Partition Wizard.
I also think the 100 MB partition should be set as Active.
I think that is the "System Reserved" partition with the bootloader.
I believe Windows will auto assign the letter C to the OS partition when it starts up.
That's the way it works for multi-boot PC's, each OS gets the letter C when it starts up.

I don't know if this quote about TrueCrypt helps answer the question about NTFS partition type.

Is it possible to change the file system of an encrypted volume?

Yes, when mounted, TrueCrypt volumes can be formatted as FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, or any other file system. TrueCrypt volumes behave as standard disk devices so you can right-click the device icon (for example in the 'Computer' or 'My Computer' list) and select 'Format'. The actual volume contents will be lost. However, the whole volume will remain encrypted. If you format a TrueCrypt-encrypted partition when the TrueCrypt volume that the partition hosts is not mounted, then the volume will be destroyed, and the partition will not be encrypted anymore (it will be empty).

Source: Frequently Asked Questions - TrueCrypt

 

[Megahertz07]

Rona, did you create the rescue disk?
I think that the HDD wont be able to recover the encrypted disk as Rona tried to restore the MBR.
This article explains how the encryption works: Encryption Scheme - TrueCrypt Documentation

 

[Rona88]

Jumanji and David, thank you for trying to solve this, I know it's a mess.

Megahertz, I used to have a rescue disk, from five years ago, and lost it in the move so all I have now is a password.

 

[jumanji]

Thanks @DavidE for chipping in.

From your clipping and also MegaHrrtz07's reference in previous post, I presume that it is really going to be difficult to resolve the OP's problem without a real understanding of how TrueCrypt works and what changes it makes to the system bootsector and volume bootsectors. So I have deferred my idea of changing the Partition Type ID to NTFS ( though in a normal case ( without encryption ) I would have done it). Let me not mess it up further.

And @Rona88, none of us seem to know much about TrueCrypt. Now tell us how you went about truecrypting your drive.

As Megahertz queried did you create a TrueCrypt Recovery Disk? EDIT: You have already answered which I saw only after posting.

Did you encrypt the whole system drive to prevent anyone else booting your PC or did you encrypt only the third volume which presumably is your datadrive.

Do you know how all the three partitions on your drive, the 100MB System Reserved Partition, the 97.6GB system partition and the third large 833 GB partition appeared in Windows Disk Management when the system was working? I am asking about the File System. Did these appear as "Other" or"NTFS?" ( PW shows it as Other now.)

How were you accessing your truecrypt drive?

I am hoping that someone with hands-on experience with TrueCrypt should be able to pickup from your answers.