HP recovery from embedded partition with F10.
Straight_Man
Geeky, in my own wayNaples, FL Icrontian
First, this one has been fixed, BUT, here is something you might want to know about.....
Background:
Boss brought me a box to restore, issue was random hangs. XP on board, box had a partition on HD for full recovery option or partial,non-destructive recovery option. Boss had tried to recover box himself, and things were kinda wonky with random hangs still.
Redid non-destructive recover, box proceeded to partially Windows update, locked 28% of the way through SP1 update. Looked at ancient virus scanner on box, and since customer had decided an AV upgrade was in order and had ordered same, and boss had said to do full recover (destructive) if could not do quick, non-destructive, recover, proceeded to do that. box was slow, and accomplished full recover 2.5 hours later.
Problem turned out to be:
Two files were bad on recovery partition, which I ID'd by CHKDSKing result of full recovery and then redoing whole recover and Disk Error check on my own time to validate my thoughts-- they were the icons for the AOL Access install HP likes to advertise. CHKDSK fixed, box runs REAL smooth now.
Lesson:
If a full recovery has unusual behavior afterwards, run CHKDSK or right click HD icon in my computer, choose tools, and then tell it Check for Disk Errors and then restart. Ditto for a quick and non-destructive recovery, if problems make XP check data on HD versus journals.
This was a Pavillion 512n, have had other problems like this with assorted HPs and Compaqs and it turned out NOT to be a hardware problem per se so given how many folks use HP stuff thought it might be a good thing to mention, and might save some reload loop (recover, wonky, recover, wonky, recover, wonky, looping like that) headaches. CHKDSK can break cycle, I pulled the AOL reg entries and the icons after fixing file system with Error Check, and XP now behaves.
--->WARNING, do NOT fix or try to fix or hack recovery partition per se, wiping files THERE can result in a recovery script failure unless you want to fix the recovery script also (I didn't fix EITHER part, but know it was recovery partition file system or bad files on recovery partition as could and did duplicate identically and have had other boxes do just this kind of thing replicably with those and other files).
John.
Background:
Boss brought me a box to restore, issue was random hangs. XP on board, box had a partition on HD for full recovery option or partial,non-destructive recovery option. Boss had tried to recover box himself, and things were kinda wonky with random hangs still.
Redid non-destructive recover, box proceeded to partially Windows update, locked 28% of the way through SP1 update. Looked at ancient virus scanner on box, and since customer had decided an AV upgrade was in order and had ordered same, and boss had said to do full recover (destructive) if could not do quick, non-destructive, recover, proceeded to do that. box was slow, and accomplished full recover 2.5 hours later.
Problem turned out to be:
Two files were bad on recovery partition, which I ID'd by CHKDSKing result of full recovery and then redoing whole recover and Disk Error check on my own time to validate my thoughts-- they were the icons for the AOL Access install HP likes to advertise. CHKDSK fixed, box runs REAL smooth now.
Lesson:
If a full recovery has unusual behavior afterwards, run CHKDSK or right click HD icon in my computer, choose tools, and then tell it Check for Disk Errors and then restart. Ditto for a quick and non-destructive recovery, if problems make XP check data on HD versus journals.
This was a Pavillion 512n, have had other problems like this with assorted HPs and Compaqs and it turned out NOT to be a hardware problem per se so given how many folks use HP stuff thought it might be a good thing to mention, and might save some reload loop (recover, wonky, recover, wonky, recover, wonky, looping like that) headaches. CHKDSK can break cycle, I pulled the AOL reg entries and the icons after fixing file system with Error Check, and XP now behaves.
--->WARNING, do NOT fix or try to fix or hack recovery partition per se, wiping files THERE can result in a recovery script failure unless you want to fix the recovery script also (I didn't fix EITHER part, but know it was recovery partition file system or bad files on recovery partition as could and did duplicate identically and have had other boxes do just this kind of thing replicably with those and other files).
John.
0
Comments
Drive is gone south - way dead! BUT, I was able to, without errors - FINALLY get a full copy of the restore partition. Details:
1) I am broke, unemployed, etc. cannot afford ANY $$ cost
2) Can someone PLEASE find what the HP recovery cd creation script DOES and find if there is a way to run it (or an equivalent script) against a 'full copy' of the recovery partition?
3) I cannot run any recovery, because HP computer drive has 'click-of-death' and will NOT boot - I was amazingly lucky to retrieve the recovery partition data - but now the click of death is constant and there's no way to get it to even boot.
4) HP NO LONGER SELLS my version of the (HP Pavilion 753c) recovery cd's (XP Home).
5) Since I'm busted/broke/unemployed, I couldn't afford to order them anyway.
6) Client has similar BUT different - hers are HP a320n. Both hers are XP Home, a bit newer than mine, and I was able to make recovery CD's from hers!
7) BUT, recovery CD's allegedly are ONLY for 'that specific model.'
so, question - how does it check 'model' ? Is it via BIOS? Can we 'fake it out' and make it think I have an "HP a320n"?
thx for any help. reach me at below.
I think your primary concern is the hard drive. If it's suffering the "click of death" it needs to be replaced as this is a sign of hardware failure.
Well, yes, that's a "given," but I appreciate the comment, because one never knows that the person posing the question may not know an IDE from a SATA.
Since the drive is constant COD (click of death), then tools won't run against it; but, yep, if it was just some bad blocks, CHKDSK could repair and route around those - believe me, I've tried almost everything; and yep, I've built some systems with 'non-OEM' builds or 'different' OEM stuff, and had to massage the drivers.
Hmm... well, if it is just a matter of mainly drivers, then I can hang with that; I can let it build (if it will) and then pull down the needed drivers. Somehow the recovery partition (correction: the copy that I made of the recovery partition) has all the drivers, so... hmm... I'll just have to see.
No, I understand I need a new HD - I have extras around the house. At least three are older, and are in the asthmatic COD stage. I have double backups of most everything, and am checking for older driver backups of this HP. If I let the drive get really cold, I might luck upon a good clean boot and maybe squeeze a recovery out of it, but it's doubtful.
FYI, I just use an ADS external drive case and read my drives with a laptop that I have borrowed - that lets me backup files and check partitions (on still healthy drives). I receive one link from HP tech, a 3rd party that sells the exact recovery set that I need, $27.00. Ugh.
If I wasn't unemployed, living on a wing and a prayer, I would order them.
I have a couple more HD's to browse through, before I find a decent one.
Have a 60GB and a 160GB, a 40GB, and an 8GB? Oh, and I have an old 20GB and even a 3GB somewhere. Problem with backup drives is - well, you use them as backup, then you have to backup the backup, so you can then use the backup drive as a main drive. LOL.
I will try to remember to post a success or failure posting, when I finish trying to rebuild this. Thanks everyone !!!
Apart from that it sounds like you are on the right track. It'll come down to if that recovery partition will work or not. On that subject if you use a friends you'll run into problems because the recovery partition will try and activate using an already legit code which should fail.
If you are on a budget though you do always have the option of installing linux as your OS. If all you need is a machine for non-gaming use then linux can cover it.
Thank you for the reply. It actually IS for gaming, so XP is about the only option to go with.
As for using the friend's CD's with similar model, I tried, and it didn't work; and it's not anything to do with 'activation.' As I said previously, the system does some sort of BIOS or motherboard or some such check, because the instant you try to run it (via CD-boot), it says, "These recovery CD's are not for your model..."
I went ahead and put 120-day eval of XP Pro, and also a dual-boot of Ubuntu Linux. Have yet to get the D-Link wireless card to work properly with the Ubuntu boot - I may have to run some more updates.
Oh, and I still should be able to get someone who has XP Home and I can build from theirs and just use my own Product Key, then when I call to activate, I just explain the situation to Microsoft.
So really, it's the principle of the thing. I 'paid' for XP, and I am licensed to use it, so I should be able to do so, even if my system crashed. I shouldn't have to go out an 'buy' another copy of anything.
I'm open to any more thoughts and suggestions.
Thanks again.
HP provides the ability to write the microcode to a reformatted drive, but I've long since forgotten the name of the process or the utility. You'll have to poke around on HP's website if this is applicable to you.