Accidentally Unmounted Windows OS Partition

It appears that I have accidentally umounted my windows partition. I recently dual-booted a linux distro alongside my pre-installed windows 8 OS. Everything was fine (aside from me not being able to see both OS's at thr grub boot screen...which is another issue for another time). I was attempting to resolve a separate issue and was working with unmounting and re-mounting the GRUB bootloader to the same partition as my windows OS. At some point thereafter I rebooted and could no longer boot into windows. It gives me an error message now saying "Recovery. Your PC Needs to be Repaired. An unexpected error has occurred. I can't recall what the error message is but I think it was 0xc0000001.

Looking around the web, I think it might be that I somehow unmounted my windows OS while it was hibernated. Not sure.

I'm in semi-panic mode now. I can boot into linux and utilize that operating system, if that info help. I can access the BIOS and switch from UEFI to Legacy if need be. My linux only runs in Legacy for some reason.

I did attempt to download a version of the Windows 8 recovery software, utilize Power ISO to burn it to my flash drive and boot from that drive to see if I could repair the error, but it wouldn't read the flash drive...it would just return to the error.

Any help at all would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

The OS locked the drive when it hibernated. It's a nasty bug that bricks Windows and you can't unlock it. There are a few things you can try, but you may be facing a reinstall of Windows. Try loading a command prompt. Use Diskpart. You can try resetting and mount the drive from there. You may be able to run some commands, but it's such an old broken form of DOS. See if you can tell it to run Dism from in there and also try chkdsk /r C: There is a flag in Windows that bricks the OS when it thinks something went wrong during hibernation. It's locked. I don't know how to unlock it. I had a similar issue on a system and the only answer was a reinstall.

Ok. So I figured out how to remount the windows OS partition from inside of my Linux OS. Unfortunately I still get the Recovery screen when trying to boot into windows. It does give me this message now though:

"The Boot Configuration Data for your PC is missing or contains errors.

File: \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD
Error Code: 0xc000000f"

Perhaps I can access this file and repair it from my Linux OS?

Perhaps I can be pointed towards a download of some recovery software that I could load onto a flash drive and use in place of normal installation media. My PC came preloaded with windows 8, so I have no installation disk to speak of...:-(. And I'm slowly inching into panic mode.

I have yet to find a way to access a windows DOS prompt. Attempting to boot into windows just sends me to the Recovery screen. Leaving that screen sends me straight back to BIOS...

Any ideas?

That's exactly what happened to me. I have a pc that's bricked right now from it. Try Hiren's boot disc, see if the utilities on that will help you.
Hiren's BootCD Fan & Discussion Platform

Thank's Carri. I attempted your suggestion. I made a bootable USB version of Hiren's and switched up the BIOS boot options to boot from USB first...to no avail. It wouldn't boot to the USB.

Another other suggestions or ideas? I would really like to be able to get back into my windows OS. I have no installation disk to start over and I have precious files and pictures I'd like to recover.

Wait a minute, did somebody say it was hibernated just before all of that happened, or, did I miss-read an earlier post? Reason for asking: I used a usb Linux boot and deleted my corrupt hiberfil.sys file, warm booted, and Windows came up just fine. However, if hibernation is not a part of this problem -- then I'm going into listen mode and learn alongside of you all here.

Yes ,the hibernate can brick it, deleting that file can sometimes fix it. It does this thing where it flags the drive if it thinks something went wrong while it was asleep.

The only real chance you have at unbricking that drive is if you get a forensic software that will let you edit the boot file and the MFT. I did it once, many years ago. I was able to hack in with an old disk managing tool and I changed the bad lines in the MFT. When you do that, you cannot erase them, Windows must see they were changed because then it will automatically run chkdsk and it will fix it. The tool I used was an old dos thing for editing ntfs drives. There must be something like it still around.

See if you can boot into my Rescue Disk (link in sig below)
Open command prompt and type
diskpart
list disk
list volume
select disk 0
list partition

post pic of cmd windows (using FScapture and firefox)
to connect to internet right-click PEnetwork (near clock) select show GUI > set network adapter > select wifi tab > select wifi > hit connect

Okay, so I was able to load up a windows 8 recovery tool off of a USB. I can now access the command line if that helps. I tried this tutorial:


Fix UEFI Boot: Fix for Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10


Everything goes well until I get to the "bootrec /fixboot" portion. It says that it can't find the specified file. I've read that this is because it is hidden but I'm not able to unhide it.


Anyone have any ideas now that I can access the command line?

Ok KYHI. I'll try your Rescue Disk next. Though I think I corrupted my USB drive. Will update when I've tried your suggestion...unless all you needed was to get me to the command line, which I've now accomplished.

ill get you a screen shot as soon as my USB drive is back up.

i appreciate the assistance greatly!

Here you are KYHI.

Just noticed that somehow my windows drive was not listed as the "c:" drive. Volume 1 was. I reassigned Volume 1 as "A:" and reassigned Volume 3 as "C:".

diskpart
select disk 0
select partition 1
remove
format quick fs=fat32 label="ESP"
assign letter="S"
set id=C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B

select partition 5
remove
assign letter="W"
set id=EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7

exit

bcdboot w:\windows /s S:

exit and reboot

Attempted the following commands:


bootrec /FixMbr
bootrec /FixBoot
bootrec /ScanOs
bootrec /RebuildBcdBootrec /RebuildBcd failed due to

"The Requested System disk cannot be found."

any ideas?

Did as instructed on your previous post. All seem to go well until I came to the "Bcdboot w:\windows /s S:" command. it returned: Failure when initializing library system volume. diskpart list Volume now shows this:

That's the exact same issue I had with my pc that died on me. It's now a blank doorstop until I can reformat it and put the OS back on. I did exactly what you're doing. I used Diskpart. But the BCDboot was either missing or corrupt. I'm starting to think it's another apocalyptic virus hybrid Too many of us are suddenly getting this same issue, it's either that or a badly corrupted Windows update. All I know is, my system was getting file corruption from somewhere. I couldn't fix it.

I don't know what else to suggest other than forensic software. You need the kind the FBI and police use. It's out there

I hope that's not the case Carri.

Any suggestions KYHI?

I know longer see my windows partition when I enter list volume. Was that intended KYHI??

No, that was not intended by my commands.....
Bootrec found 1 windows installation on volume 5 (PBR-Image) (Factory Recovery Image Partition) if on Disk 0

Otherwise by your screenshot it found the USB...

We need 2 files from your PC - winre.wim and the Install.wim / Install.swm(s) to preform a Factory Recovery...

You are using the Setup Media to access command prompt > have you downloaded or tried to boot my Rescue Disk???
That way there you can see and work with the harddisk..
Windows 10 Recovery Tools - Bootable Rescue Disk - Windows 10 Forums

I recently dual-booted a linux distro alongside my pre-installed windows 8 OS. Everything was fine (aside from me not being able to see both OS's at thr grub boot screen...which is another issue for another time). I was attempting to resolve a separate issue and was working with unmounting and re-mounting the GRUB bootloader to the same partition as my windows OS. At some point thereafter I rebooted and could no longer boot into windows.

Click to expand...

I am not sure what you did or how you did it, But
In one of your first attachments > the OS (901GB) partition was hidden and no drive letter assigned..
My commands set the ID as Primary Partition and assigned drive letter W

What I was trying to do is "Gain Access" to that partition..
If not to attempt a repair, then to allow you access to files and file recovery...

Needless to say you choose another route and method, then suggested.. then ask again for advice..

Also did you notice that in same screenshot you have 7 volumes and 10 partitions ??
Look at the partition offset - two partitions have the same offset..

Now you have 6 volumes all listed as healthy - missing the OS Partition, that is...
Which was hidden with no drive letter assignment.. but had prior 3 unknown partitions...

Try booting from my rescue media.. There are partition tools, file recovery tools and other windows tools
It is a mini windows OS in a WinPE environment, all loaded into system memory,
works in the same manner as you accessing the command prompt now...