Solved fix my roll back boot.

[ulao]

Ok, this seems to be the most knowledgeable forum out there, most places I have tried people don't even know what I'm talking bout.

So first, there is a thing call in-place upgrade, I believe it started in XP. This is where you install over the existing OS with the original CD. It replaces files but keeps your data. Windows 7 claims it dint have it but that's not true.

Here is how to do it.
How to Restore Your Files From the Windows.old Folder After Upgrading

Now my issue:

I did a in place upgrade from win7 ult. to win7 ult. ( same CD ). Setup did indicate all files and setting will remain so I proceeded. Everything went great until the final restart. Windows just said that it failed to upgrade and will now roll back my system. On reboot I saw my old "windows 7 64 boot option" and like an idiot I selected it just to see it it was done. To my surprise it didn't boot to the OS and instead finished the install that is said could not be completed. After that reboot I quick learned it was a new install. And on top of that Windows put a 32 bit windows 7 on there. Well no wonder if failed because you can install a 32 bit of a 64 bit.


So now I want to roll back but the boot loader option is gone. I do see the files windows made to the roll back, I just need to know how to set up the windows 7 boot loader to roll it back.

this is not the windows.old deal... ( again this is an in-place upgrade ) Most people dont even know about this.


here are the folders it made
$INPLACE.~TR
$UPGRADE.~OS
$WINDOWS.~LS
$WINDOWS.~Q


Here is most of my data

C:\$INPLACE.~TR\Machine\DATA
it has my old program folders, users, and windows folders.



Though its not organized right so I cant just fix the os from a UBCD, I have to tel windows do it. That or install a 64bit OS and try this all over, once these folder are made, I can try to swap them out for my good folders.



From what I know all I have to do is create the bootloader entry to roll back, so can any one here tell me how to do that.

 

[SIW2]

There should be a file called rollback.exe - can't recall which of those folders it may be during in place install.

You will need to have a look ,from winpe you can shift+f10 to get cmd promt, then notepad >file >save to browse.

 

[ulao]

How can I start widows pe? If I select restore, my computer boot to the window-ish Os, is that the same environment?

Also no hits on rollback.exe can I download it some where?
Should It know everything or is there also a missing in in file that went with it.

And 3rd, thx for the help, you're the first to understand.

 

[SIW2]

winpe is in the installation media. When you boot the install dvd/usb, the thing that boots up is winpe. It contains windows installation program ( setup.exe) and the windows system recovery tools.

Ther is tut to show you how to work it. See OPTION 2 here:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html

 

[ulao]

Ok that helps, so when I get to "system recover options" I dont use any of those option I just need to hit f10 and find this rollback file. So maybe I misunderstood you before. Will the rollback file exist on a ram drive or the CD? Because it does not exist on the current HD.

 

[SIW2]

Because it does not exist on the current HD.

It is on the ramdrive in the sources folder, but your best bet is to try startup repair and see what it offers.

Failing that, if you have shadow copies, you should be able to restore the entire os from that.You will need better winpe, though.

What os are you able to use right now?

 

[ulao]

tried the set up repair and selected each option. Unfortunately none of those options knows what the rollback data is, or Microsoft never though about a user wanting to do this. I didnt have shadow copying running. I did make a few restore points but for some reason they are gone. My guess is at some point a tool removed them?

I have quite a few systems in the house, right now I'm on the windows 7 32 bit that came of my above scenario. I also have 2 win7 64 boxes, another 32 bit win 7, and 2 Xp systems.

 

[ulao]

I tried the command prompt and rollback said it could not roster my previous windows. It mentioned the installation log, where is that?

 

[SIW2]

Usually would be here C:\$Windows.~BT\Sources\panther\setupact.log
You don't seem to have that, so could be here C:\Windows\panther\setuperr.log

Assuming windows is on C. It might have a different letter viewed from winpe.

 

[ulao]

C:\Windows\Panther\setuperr.log is 0 bytes
ill go back in to winpe and try find it there.

 

[ulao]

ok found it said rollback requires switch, did I fail to put in some option? I tried /? but it didn't like that either.

Also ram drive is X: does rollback need to know where my drive is?

 

[SIW2]

Looking back at your first post, I don't follow what you mean here:

And on top of that Windows put a 32 bit windows 7

If you started with 64 bit , how can that happen.

What makes you think it is 32 bit?

You are probably best letting someone remote in and see what the situation is.

If you havewin7 installation media, you can make a sophisticated winpe on one of your working win 7x64 systems using this:http://www.sevenforums.com/software/300292-win-7-winpemaker.html


If you don't have the right media , it is here , the SP1 U ( media refresh ) is most recent

Windows 7 - HeiDoc.net

 

[ulao]

well your guess is way better then mine but I have a great memory for this sort of thing.

why do I think that??? I dont, windows does, or at least it reports that in the properties of mycomputer.

So let me shorten this and ask by line number if you need more details.

1) I put in my windows ultimate CDs ( from what I read all win7 CD contain both 32 and 64 installs ) then selected inplace upgrade. Then it copied and backed up all my files as shown on that link above.
2) I left to do some house work and came back to a screen that said windows fail to install, windows will now roll your os back.
3) I saw roll your windows back on the boot loader and also line 2 was "Windows 7 64 bit", so since I had the option I tried "Windows 7 64 bit" first. It then started to finalize the windows install.
4) after it was done and rebooted I no longer had the roll back option and soon realized it was a 32 bit os.

I dont know why it installed in the first place let alone why 32 bit? So I'd like to role back and try again. Is it posible that was a 32 bit only install I have 4 cd's here. If so why did windows even allow that?

I dont know anyone that knows more then I do, if anyone wants to help me by remoting in just give me a shout.

I'll try making this winpe thingy.

 

[ulao]

winpe didnt work due to the donor system no being simulator enough I guess. After boot it crashed on the ACPI driver. I thnk I'm going to have to install a clean win 7 on the same system and then try the winpe.

Also I just noticed this. a hidden folder called restore. in it I have
winere.wim
boot.sdi

Is that the rollback boot?


EDIT: ok I think this is what windows did. I'm pretty sure if I boot to this folder I'll be able to roll back. but easy BCD does not make this "easy" and wiki tell me to do this

Step 4: Configure BCD Store

In this step, you will create a new boot configuration file called BCD by using BCDEdit. BCD replaces Boot.ini. BCDEdit is a command-line tool that is designed to manage BCD stores. BCDEdit is available in Windows PE and Windows Vista. For example,



Bcdedit –createstore c:\temp\BCD Bcdedit –store c:\temp\BCD –create {bootmgr} /d “Boot Manager” Bcdedit –store c:\temp\BCD –set {bootmgr} device boot Bcdedit –store c:\temp\BCD –create /d “WINPE” –application osloader Bcdedit –import c:\temp\BCD



The last command returns a GUID value. Substitute <GUID> with this value in the following examples.



Bcdedit –store c:\boot\BCD –set <GUID> osdevice partition=boot Bcdedit –store c:\boot\BCD –set <GUID> device partition=boot Bcdedit –store c:\boot\BCD –set <GUID> path \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe Bcdedit –store c:\boot\BCD –set <GUID> systemroot \windows Bcdedit –store c:\boot\BCD –set <GUID> winpe yes Bcdedit –store c:\boot\BCD –set <GUID> detecthal yes Bcdedit –store c:\boot\BCD –displayorder <GUID> -addlast



Your computer is now ready to boot Windows PE directly from the hard disk.

but I need to change that to point to c:\Recovery\. Sorry about the formatting up there, the returns got messed up.

here is s snap shot of a working winre boot.
[FONT=Courier New, Courier, monospace]identifier {d1758ad0-da09-11de-87b2-fe21320b6b8c}[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New, Courier, monospace]device ramdisk=[C:]\Recovery\d1758ad0-da09-
11de-87b2-fe21320b6b
8c\Winre.wim,{d1758ad1-da09-11de-87b2-fe21320b6b8c}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New, Courier, monospace]description Windows Recovery Environment[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New, Courier, monospace]inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice ramdisk=[C:]\Recovery\d1758ad0-da09-
11de-87b2-fe21320b6b
8c\Winre.wim,{d1758ad1-da09-11de-87b2-fe21320b6b8c}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
winpe Yes

[/FONT]

 

[ulao]

Well to make the roll back work I just rigged a failed upgrade. I had my c:\recover backed up and I just copied over this rigged fail and it rolled it back for me.

 

[gregrocker]

If you had a Dual Boot menu and the new install was 32 bit then it was never an Upgrade Repair Install over 64 bit since the 32 bit installer will not even run on a 64 bit OS. You probably clean installed 32 bit to another partition from booted installer, possibly over your OEM Recovery or a data partition.

We need to see your Disk Management - Post a Screen Capture Image. Try to tell us what is on each partition as best you know. If in doubt you can rightclick each in Disk Mgmt to Explore.