Windows 8 Recovery Error

popliverpool

New Member
Messages
1
Hi all, i'm a bit of a technophobe so please bare with. I am running Windows 8 on an Acer Aspire E1 series. I think at some point it got a bit of a chill and decided to stop working. I am trying to restart it from a USB recovery stick that came with the laptop when we purchased it from PC world a few years back. I thought i had sorted it and was very proud of myself but...... I have booted it with the USB stick inserted!
I have this screen with
RECOVERY
The boot configuration data file doesnt contain valid information for an operating sysytem
File: \Boot\BCD
Error Code: 0xc0000098
You'll need to use the recovery tools on your installation media (USB Stick)

The problem is, how do i get off this screen to find the recovery tools needed

and

how do i find the recovery tools?

A lost soul awaits your help
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer
Hello, a lost soul :)

It seems that you need to make another bootable USB drive with WinRE for OS installed on your PC. Please recall exactly the version of OS on your laptop (e.g. 8.0 or 8.1) and whether it was 32- or 64-bit. Then try to find any accessible PC with the same OS, take a USB drive with 2 or more Gb formatted as NTFS and create it this way:
Control Panel -> Recovery -> Create a recovery drive

After booting from this USB you can choose which kind of recovery use, like automatic repair (better to start with it), system restore to the last good (bootable) configuration, or reset PC (wiping all personal files, it's the last solution).

But before doing any repairs I'd suggest to make a backup copy of your PC drive in its current state. This will preserve all your valuable files. All you need is a proper backup program on the bootable USB and an external USB HDD with sufficient free space, depending on the size of the drive in your PC.

For example, I use Macrium Reflect 7, free edition is enough for making a full system backup and restore. It also allows to browse the previously created image files and boot them in VM environment. As for HDD, it's your choice, I use WD My Passport 2 Tb. Install Macrium on any available PC and create the rescue media with Windows PE 5.0, 32 or 64 bit (this isn't important because it will be used only for backup/restore Macrium tool, 32 bit version is more universal).
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro; Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-12700K (Alder Lake)
    Motherboard
    Asus PRIME Z690-M Plus D4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus GeForce 1050 Ti, 4 GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 235PQ
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 (FHD)
    Hard Drives
    Windows 8.1: Samsung SSD 980 PRO, 500 GB (M.2)
    Windows 11: Samsung SSD 870 EVO, 500 GB (SATA)
    PSU
    Platimax D.F. 1050 W (80 Plus Platinum)
    Browser
    Google Chrome
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