Startup Repair adjusts image to new hardware!

gregrocker

Windows 7 shines on!
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When I travel I like to apply the exact image of my desktop to my laptop to take with me. I was ready to do this with the Win8 I have dual booting on my desktop, imaging it over to a second partition to add a laptop Dual Boot.

Normally I would use Acronis Universal Restore to adjust the image to new hardware as it images over. However it strangely didn't offer Universal Restore option so I was prepared to do the PNP Adjust using Paragon Adaptive Restore CD after image was applied.

Then things got stranger. The image couldn't be found to adjust by PAR, so I decided to boot into 8 repair to see if it was seen by that. Using flash stick installer repair it not only found the installation but when I ran Startup Repair it appears to have adjusted it to the significantly different hardware. At reboot I was given the Dual Boot menu which I'd previously added using EasyBCD from 7. It booted into Win8 after making several other adjustments which almost looked like first start after SysPrep. All I needed to add is my older lappy graphics and wireless drivers. It already runs as well on the laptop as it does on the desktop.

Since the SATA and most IDE drivers are almost always in the installer/Repair CD anyway, I've wondered why WinRE couldn't in previous Windows do the driver adjustments on changed hardware. Normally the deal-breaker is storage controller, but I've learned that SID and HID also play a role in the adjustments required.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7
Yes, that makes sense.

If you are running Win8 from usb - it will need to adjust to whatever you plug it into.

Probably don't need to run startup repair , even.

(You must be running an earlier version of Paragon - v12 can see win 8 and will run p2p adjust. It works fine - but from what you just said - it probably isn't necessary)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Si, I'm Dual Booting using Easy to add 8 from 7 so I get the Win7 style WIndows Boot Manager. Is there a known way to get Win8 style Boot Manager after the fact - when I've only imaged 8 and not installed it?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7
I haven't tried this - so give it a go.

Boot into 8, ( assuming win 8 os letter is C ) open an elevated cmd, type:

bcdboot c:\windows

Press Enter.

See if that does it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Responds "Failure when attempting to copy boot files."

Before doing that I installed Easy in 8, deleted Win7 entry and added it back. At reboot 8 was now default but I still had the Win7-style Dual Boot Menu.

Did this action itself copy the boot files so that another CMD now needs to be run to get the Win8 Dual Boot GUI?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7
I assume that is because you have the 100mb thing as system?

It works fine for me - I can switch back and forth between ui boot menu and 7 text style boot menu.

Try making win 8 partition system - or even making win7 partition system.

If that is not the case - and you already have win7 as system - then you need permission - so from within 8 - use windows explorer to browse 7 drive - if it says you don't have permisson - ok it .
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Nothing to do with the mbr this time Wolfgang.

Win 8 starts to load - that is to provide the environment for the immersive boot menu ui executable to run.

If you choose another o/s at that point - then you have to exit and reboot to get into the chosen o/s.

If bootmgr is throwing up the text menu - it doesn't need that mini o/s environment - so no need to reboot after selection.

The mbr has finished it's job way before you see any of that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Nothing to do with the mbr this time Wolfgang.

Win 8 starts to load - that is to provide the environment for the immersive boot menu ui executable to run.

If you choose another o/s at that point - then you have to exit and reboot to get into the chosen o/s.

If bootmgr is throwing up the text menu - it doesn't need that mini o/s environment - so no need to reboot after selection.

The mbr has finished it's job way before you see any of that.
You are probably right. You know more about this stuff than I do.

I only know that I keep getting the black double boot screen with only Win7 as OS after I threw Win8 out of the bootmgr. But once I cleaned the MBR it booted straight into Win7.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
The sequence is this:

mbr code parses partition table - finds Active partition - loads first sector ( that means it starts the partition code ).


the partition code looks for bootmgr and starts it up. Bootmgr looks for bcd store and parses it to find instructions.

I think it is here that win8 bootmgr decodes whether to load up min o/s and run ui menu - or simply throw up text boot menu.

Don't know yet exactly what is going on at that point.

Mahmoud doesn't know either.

It is early days.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Is there a known way to get Win8 style Boot Manager after the fact - when I've only imaged 8 and not installed it?

Run a normal Startup Repair from the Win8 CP DVD or USB?

(Remember how sometimes it takes up to 3x consecutive runs to make everything quote, unquote, perfect.)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
You're correct that SysReserved is still System Active.

So I'll move System flag to Win8 by marking Active and three Startup Repairs as in 7?

At this point it's experimental since I don't mind the 7-style Boot Menu. But this is how we learned the tricks of 7 at about the same stage. :geek:

Si, were you saying you think that 8 Startup Repair did PNP adjust to new hardware due to being run from flash stick?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7
After one very quick repair I get the Vista start animation then the 8 Dual Boot Menu GUI with both listings (Recovered). Startup is quicker. :party:

More repairs to get rid of the Vista uglomation?

What will baarod's command above do now?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7
I think win 8 might adapt itself to new hardware as a matter of course.

Haven't had time to test any of this yet.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Confirm BOOTNXT in C:

Won't take another 8 Repair from stick. But 8 is now System Active.

Still have the Vista uglomation.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7
Either way you need an active partition on the bios or uefi boot disk with bootmgr/bootnxt and a valid bcd store. That's how you get the 8 start animation. You have to use the 8 bcdboot from c:\windows\system32 and point it at c:\windows and use the /s flag to force it to the active volume -- i.e. /s c:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8CP
You're still running the Vista bootmgr looks like -- you might want to run bootrec.exe from the recovery console after bcdboot to get vista/7 in your win8 boot menu
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8CP
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