Help! Windows 10 Chewed up my Hard Drive and Spit it Out

[redmonkeytx]

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2015-08-22 - Midnight - NEVER MIND. I've just started deleting every file possible on my hard drive in the hopes it will somehow let me boot from USB or DVD (neither of which it has so far recognized). Windows 10 very persistently wants to take over and is the only OS choice offered in the startup options, which, incidentally, are accessed by tapping the Esc key during bootup. Resetting, restoring, reinstalling, recovering, every possible choice offers nothing but Windows 10 as a target OS. I'm about ready for the trusty ol' chainsaw.

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I really want to like Microsoft, but gee--they make it so hard sometimes.

My 8.1 HP laptop (purchased new a few months ago) got a Windows update that suggested I upgrade to Win10. So, like an idiot, I did.

Everything seemed to work sort of okay for the first couple of days, but then I got stuck in the infamous reboot loop. I couldn't get to a login screen but about twice in 5 days. And it would take hours and hours (days, even) of the circling dots until a login screen would unpredictably, miraculously appear.

When I was first able to log in, I changed the BOOT settings to boot from the HD last since I have a Macrium image from about a month ago on DVD and an 8.1 recovery flash drive. But the machine still wouldn't recognize either one. And naturally I had to reboot to learn that and get stuck in the loop yet again. Grrrr...

The next time I could log in, I told Win10 to roll back to 8.1. It fussed around with that for quite a while, then restarted a couple of times, saying "Working on it" or "Finishing up" or some such folderol. But then it restarted one more time and the message said "Undoing changes."

What the hell?!?!? I guess that last restart triggered the Win10 upgrade again. Just shoot me now.

So, I'm back in the reboot loop, but I figured out how to get to Cmd with Admin privileges. Using that to look around the drive, though, I couldn't find a lot of things I thought should be there. For one, the WINDOWS.Old file that is used to roll back from Win10. Theoretically, it seems.

Long story short (or not really that short--sorry!), I followed the bunny trail to TestDisk and ran some things. I've got the log file here on my ancient, creaking XP and will paste it in the next post, if possible, or attach the txt file if not. I'm afraid I'm not totally sure what all I did, though. I know I did 'P' with whichever folders I could access, but did so more than once--so some of the log file might seem confused or redundant. Like me, alas. Blame my ADD...

I suppose the last-ditch recourse would be to wipe the disk & do a fresh install of 8.1 somehow. But, if someone can decipher the log and kindly give me assistance with how to recover from this debacle, I'm more than willing to learn & try anything.

I'd be most beholden--
Jeanine

[redmonkeytx]

Since my log file is 26 times larger than the 6000-character limit here, I tried to upload it instead of copy/paste. But I got an error message saying "The extension txt is not allowed."

Huh?? Am I missing something obvious?

Thanks again for any assistance!

[redmonkeytx]

2015-08-19 - TestDisk Log.zip

Doh! I guess I said "Huh??" too soon. Even so, I wonder how some forum folks seem to have been able to copy/paste some of the very long log files I've seen. Surely they're not <6000 characters, are they?

Oh well, onward through the fog. Gratefully, of course!

(13.75 KiB) Downloaded 452 times

[redmonkeytx]

Well, hell. After about 30 hours, the Deeper Search finished and as I was getting back to the main menu, a message appeared saying that the log file was corrupted.

The only log file on the flash drive is virtually identical to the original Analyse file. I'll attach in case anyone's interested.

If it seems like I can do something useful without having to perform another scan, please, will someone kindly advise me? Otherwise, I'm about ready to wipe and reinstall. After spending pretty much the last two weeks wrestling this beast I'm growing quite weary. Sigh...

[Fiona]

Sry for late!
I'm still on vacation until September 12.
I already compared your log files.
Did you already modify something?
Reason is, your last unknown partition in your partition table is listed twice and both partitions have different values at start and size and overlap each other?
Example:
Current partition structure:
1 P Unknown 2048 1333247 1331200 [Basic data partition]
2 P EFI System 1333248 1865727 532480 [EFI system partition]
No FAT, NTFS, ext2, JFS, Reiser, cramfs or XFS marker
3 P MS Reserved 1865728 2127871 262144 [Microsoft reserved partition]
3 P MS Reserved 1865728 2127871 262144 [Microsoft reserved partition]
4 P MS Data 2127872 1930803412 1928675541 [Basic data partition]
5 P Unknown 1930805248 1932554239 1748992
6 P Unknown 1932554240 1953523711 20969472 [Basic data partition]
Have you been able to list files on all important partitions?
Mostly, unknown partitions have a different partition type and can be fixed in TestDisk through the menu Type.
Through this behavior, it's intended that partitions and data are not visible under windows, so that the user cannot change or modify something.
Did you already use Write in TestDisk?


In your case, often boot loops are also related to UEFI and Secure Boot.
Did you watch your BIOS/UEFI shell?
For example if anything got changed to your partitions, secure shell can block booting.
There are two things to watch.
It's Compatibility Support Module (CSM) and secure boot.
In some cases it helped to use CSM and switching off secure boot.
A possibility would be, to set your MS Reserved partition activ and have another try to boot.
Under Boot Options, you can set your your disk to boot and not UEFI related drives.
At least it would be a try and info will follow
Before you change or modify something to your BIOS/UEFI you can try to set it back to Default.
Most important would be to backup all important files first, which are created since last backup.
Please let me know which HP Laptop do you have?

Fiona

[redmonkeytx]

Ahh--Fiona the Great! Yay!

My machine is:
HP Beats Special Edition 15-po71nr

At this point, Macrium pops up at reboot (?), but didn't recognize it's own img from a couple of months ago. Aarrgghhh. Even though it wrote it to a Dbl DVD it now won't accept it. Clearly the C: drive is corrupt, so I had Macrium put the Recovery partition there. Now I get:
Boot config missing or corrupt
File: \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD
Error: 0x00000000f

Or, Macrium opens whether I want it to or not...

No, i haven't used FileTest's Write or Type. Haven't viewed files on other partitions, either (and wasn't sure how to), but they all show up okay in Macrium except for corrupt C:. I've also done diagnostics on everything and it all passes. My data should (theoretically) be cloud-safe--I just want my machine functional again. A wipe and clean install from my 8.1 installation disk would fine at this point if I could only figure out how to do even that!

I'll work on your suggestions, watch for more, and see what chaos I can create next.

So sorry to interrupt your vacation, Fiona--but thanks a million for your generous assistance!

Jeanine

[redmonkeytx]

I used all your suggestions, Fiona, as well as bazillion others online. Nothing works and each attempt just seems to open a new can of worms. (I am so fucking sick of this shit.)

So, I've taken the scorched-earth approach. Used diskpart to clean everything. I had only the main c: partition selected, but it cleaned off all partitions. Whatever. Then I had to rename all the Macrium executables to keep it from popping up at reboot since it didn't appear capable of accomplishing anything remotely useful.

I've had the boot order set with USB first and DVD second (and vice versa) in umpteen different configurations (CSM off, legacy boot on/off, all default settings, etc, etc). Nothing results in a boot from either drive. I even used diskpart to set the USB as C: and active. All to no avail.

Right now in diskpart, three drives are listed:
0 - Internal CD/DVD
1 - Hard Drive - 0 partitions - 0 volumes - 900+ GB size - 900+ GB available
2 - USB Drive (only if there's a flash drive inserted, I think)

Regardless of all efforts, reboot never seems to launch from USB or DVD, although both are obviously activated (if a whizzing from the DVD and a mostly constant lightup on the flash drive are any indication). Now at bootup an error message appears that says:
Boot Device Not Found
Please install an operating system on your hard drive
Hard Disk - (3FO)

Why oh why don't the recovery USB and installation DVD kick in??

I have SO much else to do that's hopelessly backed up, but apparently I'm obsessed with waking from this unceasing nightmare first. Guess I'm off to the web to search for remedies to the current state of affairs. I just can't stop myself.......

Fiona, if you (or anyone else) can please offer suggestions, I'll keep checking back in hopes that you can. BTW, your kitty-petting-duckling is simply adorable.

Cheers--

[Fiona]

I didn't get info about your HP Beats Special Edition 15-po71nr laptop.
Only the HP Beats Special Edition 15-po30nr one.
Did you create recovery DVD's?
Can you access your recovery console by pressing a button during sartup?
Afterwards it would be possible to use your Macrium backup.
Before, all recent files should be backed up.
Your partition where you're not able to access, a boot sector diagnose would be possible to list your data.
In case, it would be working, you can copy all data off of your partition to another healthy disk or partition.
Please let me know, which partition you cannot access?
Otherwise you'd need datarecovery software.
Please let me know which file types like *.jpg do you want to recover.
PhotoRec could help in case.
Info would follow.
If you have no recovery DVD's and you can't boot into your Recovery console, another user made the partition visible and started the recovery program from there and created recovery DVD's.
But it would be a workaround only.
Most manufacturer have an offer to order recovery DVD's for a small amount too!
It's a suggestion to recover your system from the scratch.

Fiona

[redmonkeytx]

Many thanks for all your suggestions, Fiona. Since my laptop is still under warranty, HP sent me a recovery kit with all the disks for a factory reset. Worked like a charm. Whew!

Next step is to see what the Macrium image will do. But at this point I'm thrilled and relieved to have something other than an over-sized paperweight in front of me, so TTFN.

Hope your vacation is splendid.

Cheers--
Jeanine