HELP! I’ve screwed-up my netbook – need to copy the recovery partition.

Borrow one? Otherwise you'll have to take it to a local computer place, where they'll use one of the dozens of discs they have lying around to repair it in 5 minutes. Then they'll charge you up the crapper for it.
 
I've made a few calls, but no one I know has a XP disc, loads of Vista offers, but I've got one of them as that is what's on this laptop.

Somehow I'll just have to find time to escape from work over the next couple of days and get it down the 'puter shop, not sure how I am going to work that out, I can't believe I've wasted my whole Bank Holiday Monday trying to avoid that. :(

Still, thanks to everyone, esp Eriks, for trying to help. :)
 
DoctorWatsOn said:
I've made a few calls, but no one I know has a XP disc, loads of Vista offers, but I've got one of them as that is what's on this laptop.

Somehow I'll just have to find time to escape from work over the next couple of days and get it down the 'puter shop, not sure how I am going to work that out, I can't believe I've wasted my whole Bank Holiday Monday trying to avoid that. :(

Still, thanks to everyone, esp Eriks, for trying to help. :)
Click to expand...
Yeah, unfortunately there's not much you can do without the original installation media or the recovery partition. :(

Good luck. :)
 
Although this is for Dell, I've adapted making the right partition bootable for computers at work which some helpfull soul at some point had just manually installed Windows onto rather then using the recovery partition.

Might help you get into the Recovery Partition it might not. http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/dellmbr.htm

Edit: If you do try it, make sure you take EXTRA SPECIAL CARE while doing it as you could screw things up even more and also make a note of how everything is before you even do anything if you do decide to try it so that you can put it back if need be. Also, while I've used it, you obviously do it at your own risk. :)
 
ijeffers said:
Although this is for Dell, I've adapted making the right partition bootable for computers at work which some helpfull soul at some point had just manually installed Windows onto rather then using the recovery partition.

Might help you get into the Recovery Partition it might not. http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/dellmbr.htm

Edit: If you do try it, make sure you take EXTRA SPECIAL CARE while doing it as you could screw things up even more and also make a note of how everything is before you even do anything if you do decide to try it so that you can put it back if need be. Also, while I've used it, you obviously do it at your own risk. :)
Click to expand...
Don't do this. The problem here isn't the Master Boot Record, it's the Windows boot manager (a file/files that actually reside on the Windows partition). When DoctorWatsOn compressed the C drive, he compressed this file(s) as well, causing the error he has currently. :) Trying to repair the MBR will not fix this (and it can seriously mess things up, as I'm sure you know). :)
 
After just a couple hours sleep I woke-up worrying about this, among other things, so decided to have another go.

I managed to download Windows AIK and created a PE Tool file, and finally managed to create a bootable USB with that on it – bloody mission and a half all that was.

Anyway, after several hours, I was finally able to boot the netbook from this, but it only gives a command prompt box, this is not good for someone brought up on pointing at and clicking icons!

I found instructions for typing in the commands to get me to the C-drive and in turn Firefox, so I was finally able to see the C-drive > right-clicked on that for properties > UNSELECTED ‘compress this drive to save disk space’** > apply.

** An option that doesn’t display when viewing properties in ubuntu linux, otherwise I could saved myself about 12-hours of extra stress.

Now the hard drive is busy doing it’s job, I’ve no idea if I’ve done the right thing here
hmm.gif
, but after an almost sleepless night all I can do now is pray that in a few hours everything will be OK.
 
Went right through decompressing the C-drive and still when I tried to re-start all I got was: BOOTMGR is compressed - Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart < in a never ending cycle again. :(

Anyway, whilst doing all that I stumbled across this: How to: Fix “BOOTMGR IS COMPRESSED” error

And, for anyone stumbling across this thread in the future, option 4:
Command Prompt, in the command prompt, execute the following commands by typing them and pressing enter for each line:
c:
expand bootmgr temp
attrib bootmgr -s -r -h
del bootmgr
ren temp bootmgr
attrib bootmgr -a +s +r +h
Reboot.(If the 2nd line fail, go back to 1st line and replace C with the drive letter of where your windows is installed.)
Click to expand...

- worked for me and the netbook is finally working again. *jumps with joy* :D
 
ijeffers said:
Glad your sorted! :D
Click to expand...

Believe me so am I!

I’ve not backed-up that machine for a couple of weeks, because I am so busy sorting out this charity beer & music festival, and so much of that work was/is on that machine!

I was getting well stressed last night, still it’s sorted now – added bonus I picked-up a second-hand freezer today for £30, to freeze the ‘cooler-blankets’ to go over the 30 beer kegs I’ve ordered for next weekend, which solves another major problem.

Just struggling getting hold of the scaffold bloke, that has promised to be on site tomorrow to build the frame for the kegs to go on, and I’ve got £2,500+ of beer arriving on Thursday, so I need that in place.
 
DoctorWatsOn said:
I was getting well stressed last night, still it’s sorted now – added bonus I picked-up a second-hand freezer today for £30, to freeze the ‘cooler-blankets’ to go over the 30 beer kegs I’ve ordered for next weekend, which solves another major problem.

Just struggling getting hold of the scaffold bloke, that has promised to be on site tomorrow to build the frame for the kegs to go on, and I’ve got £2,500+ of beer arriving on Thursday, so I need that in place.
Click to expand...
Sounds like fun. :D
 
Top Bottom