Can't restore Windows 8 64-bit

[Beast100]

Okay it has just restarted and come up saying:

"Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:
1. Insert your Windows installation disc and restart your computer.
2. Choose your language settings, and then click "Next."
3. Click "Repair your computer"

File: \Windows\system32\winload.efi
Status: 0xc000000f
Info: The application or operating system couldn't be loaded because a required file is missing or contains errors."


I don't have the installation disc, Pressing Esc takes me to the BIOS screen.
Hmmm.... Any ideas?

Edit: Also holding F9 on boot and pressing F8 no longer allows me to get into safe mode, the same message as above appears ^^^

 

[my2cents]

Hmmm.... Any ideas?

Yes. Now its time to try a factory restore by following the instructions starting with F9 but stay on track as advised by your manual and the screenshots that were previously provided.

 

[Beast100]

Hmmm.... Any ideas?

Yes. Now its time to try a factory restore by following the instructions starting with F9 but stay on track as advised by your manual and the screenshots that were previously provided.

Yeah F9 on boot, then F8 to get into safe mode doesn't work anymore.
I'm currently running a Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool, no idea what this is or what it's doing haha I just pressed Enter on it.

 

[my2cents]

Please read the instructions from the previous screenshot;

Are you doing "exactly" what it instructs you to do? if you think you are, then please tell us you exact steps and what exactly happens after each step. You will need to do this or I cannot help you any further with your issue because what you are saying is happening is not what I expected to happen.

 

[Beast100]

Please read the instructions from the previous screenshot;

Are you doing "exactly" what it instructs you to do? if you think you are, then please tell us you exact steps and what exactly happens after each step. You will need to do this or I cannot help you any further with your issue because what you are saying is happening is not what I expected to happen.

Sorry mate, I'll update you:
- So like I said, I did the restore command in the cmd prompt, it all seemed to go well, until it restarted my laptop, and came up with that message I posted in post #21.
- From there if I did nothing on the screen after roughly 20secs it shut itself down.
- Power back on, hold F9. I have the option of pressing F8 to go to the Safe mode options - this brings me back to the error message; or
- I press Tab to get to the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool option, to which I just pressed Enter because I wasn't sure what else to do.

It's currently at 83% complete, once that's done I'll post the results, and hopefully I'll be able to begin following the instructions from the manual.

 

[Wynona]

Hmmm yeah I'm not the best with computers but like I said just want to get it up and running in a normal state again.
Well I decided yesterday to get it sent it, it's under warranty so that should be all good.
Any ideas what the problem is in the first place? Like I said it started with the automatic repair loop randomly a few days ago. After tons of research and countless restarts I still couldn't fix it haha :/

Join the crowd of two of us now . . . I bought an HP desktop and got into some trouble, so decided to "recover" it. I did make the recovery disks. Also, there was a way to "recover" on the hard drive. I tried that first, but it didn't work, so then I tried the recovery disks. Each time it got to 57% (Disk 3) and quit on me. I would click OK and it tried to reboot, but couldn't.

By the end of the day, my HP could see neither my HDD nor my DVD drive. So, like you, I finally gave up and sent it back to HP under warranty. It's been gone for two days now, and I don't expect to see it again for a couple of weeks, based on repair time estimate and shipping time.

Thankfully, though, it's under warranty and won't cost me anything.

 

[Beast100]

Diagnostics finished.
EXACT same error message has come up.
I can:
Enter - OS Selection
Esc - UEFI Firmware Settings

OS Selection takes me to:
Microsoft Windows -> Takes me back to error message
Windows Memory Diagnostic -> Same thing I just completed.

UEFI Firmware Settings -> Takes me to BIOS screen

 

[my2cents]

Sorry but that is not what the manual says should happen if one follows the recovery steps to do a factory restore. Unfortunately, I have no idea where this process is going wrong for you. Maybe someone else would be in a better position to continue with assistance here. Good luck my friend.

 

[Wynona]

Diagnostics finished.
EXACT same error message has come up.
I can:
Enter - OS Selection
Esc - UEFI Firmware Settings

OS Selection takes me to:
Microsoft Windows -> Takes me back to error message
Windows Memory Diagnostic -> Same thing I just completed.

UEFI Firmware Settings -> Takes me to BIOS screen

In the UEFI, do you see your HDD and DVD drives? I'm just wondering how similar our problems are, since neither of us succeeded in getting back up and running. Read that: Can we blame it on Windows 8 or 8.1?

Once you start going in circles, something has gone desperately wrong with your computer. Hopefully, you have a backup one to use if you decide to go ahead and send it in under warranty.

 

[Beast100]

In the UEFI, do you see your HDD and DVD drives? I'm just wondering how similar our problems are, since neither of us succeeded in getting back up and running. Read that: Can we blame it on Windows 8 or 8.1?

Once you start going in circles, something has gone desperately wrong with your computer. Hopefully, you have a backup one to use if you decide to go ahead and send it in under warranty.

How do I check if I can see them? I don't think so though, under boot options there's only Windows Boot Manager.
I just want to get back into Safe mode haha

Edit: no other options? I really have no idea what else can be possibly done from here. Just packed it up ready to be sent away

 

[Beast100]

Nothing else to do here fellas?

David mentioned doing the complete factory reset (which I'm more than happy to do at this stage) just unsure as to whether that is even possible now in my case?

Thanks guys.

 

[SIW2]

If you can see what you have got in the sources folder on the usb, you can probably use command prompt to quick format the windows partition and apply the image. There are likely several split wim files in there. I managed it with a sony image. I have no idea if that would cause any difficulty with your warranty.

It is worth checking you can see everything form the boot media. Cmd prompt, type notepad > notepad appears>FILE>SAVE ( select all files in the dropdown ) and you can use that to navigate around. You will also see from that what your drive letters are (as seen from the recovery environment).

 

[Beast100]

Sorry dude I'm really confused - I've just plugged my usb into a working laptop and it doesn't have any "wim" files, just an "MBR" file and the recovery disc iso.
I've also got another recovery disc iso, if I remember correctly that may have had "wim" files on it, but that iso let me get access to the laptop from linux, I could backup my data from there. It allowed me to attempt automated repairs, backup files, etc within the Linux OS I suppose it was.
The current iso on the USB allows me to boot from it to the Windows recovery options, where none of them work. The CMD prompt is there but not sure what I can do from within that.

But yeah as the laptop currently is, I honestly just don't know how to get to anywhere within it.

 

[SIW2]

You are booting an iso from usb?

Usually the contents of the iso are extracted onto the usb.

The oem usb recovery drive normally looks like this:


Inside the sources folder, something like this, tho it is possible to have a single Install.wim instead of several .swm files:



If you have another working machine, your best bet is to make a bootable usb as above.

 

[SIW2]

The CMD prompt is there but not sure what I can do from within that.

I just posted at least one thing you can do from cmd prompt

SIW2

At Cmd prompt, type notepad > notepad appears>FILE>SAVE ( select all files in the dropdown ) and you can use that to navigate around

 

[Beast100]

^^ Yeah mate I saw you said that, but I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with that info. I'm at the point where I'm just exhausted from this whole issue. Learnt alot about the Windows OS in the process though haha.

It's being sent off within the next hour or so hopefully. Apparently won't return for another 2 weeks but I will update in here on the outcome and if I hear any feedback on the issue. Thanks for everyone's help!!

 

[David Bailey]

If you haven't shipped it yet read this:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2269-system-recovery-options-boot-windows-8-a.html

It might help.

 

[Beast100]

If you haven't shipped it yet read this:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2269-system-recovery-options-boot-windows-8-a.html

It might help.

Yeah thanks David, that was one of the original tutorials I saw upon joining these forums.
Nothing I could find that could help with my case.

And yeah I've still got the laptop, they didn't pick it up today.. :/
Willing to try absolutely anything to reset it, haven't got much time at the moment but if anyone has further ideas I'm more than willing to try. Otherwise I'll be hoping to get it into get fixed within the next 3-4 days.

 

[David Bailey]

I've read that people have a lot of problems with HP computers.
Maybe they will explain how it got broke & how they fixed it.

 

[Wynona]

How do I check if I can see them? I don't think so though, under boot options there's only Windows Boot Manager.
I just want to get back into Safe mode haha

Edit: no other options? I really have no idea what else can be possibly done from here. Just packed it up ready to be sent away

I'm sorry, I had to make a run to a client's house and fix his computer and couldn't get back to you in a timely manner.

I'm going to go back and read over your original post and then read the responses. Then I'll read my thread too to see if there's any comparison, which at this point I doubt.

I will say, though, that I understand your frustration because by the time I had contacted HP, I really just wanted to pitch the thing out the window and build myself one that is dependable. Or go back to this ancient (over 5 years old) self-built that's never given me problem one.