How do i recover now?

[dotted]

Hello

My laptop has a problem, it wont boot. So downloaded UBCD4Win and tried various potential solutions to my problem none of them worked.

Then i decided to run a FIXMBR, which only resulted in the 'press F11 to recover' thing disappered.

I've found out that the MFT has been corrupt and unrepairable (chkdsk refuses to run at all)

Best Regards
dotted

[pivert]

Why yoy think you'll get an answer here ?
UBCD4Win is a compilation of software of whom many should be bought.

This here is a forum dedicated to a particular software for imaging : only usefull if you have previously done a backup or image of your drives.

[dotted]

-{ Quote: "This here is a forum dedicated to a particular software for imaging : only usefull if you have previously done a backup or image of your drives." }-
I guess i wasn't clear of what i want.

I have a hidden secondary partition with an Acronis recovery imge on it, but i cant boot to the partition as the bootloader disappered after the FIXMBR.

And what do you mean by UBCD4Win contains software people should have bought, it consist only of free software afaik?

[Chutsman]

Precisely why I don't like using the Secure Zone feature of Acronis. Much better to have a USB external hard drive or DVD writer to store images. The extra cost is worth the added security.

One thing to do is remove the drive and put it in a desktop adapter to see if your documents and data can be copied off of it.

If the OS is WinXP, you can try booting with a BartPE cd to see if your files are accessible, but you will still need an external device (hard drive, thumb drive) to transfer the files.

[dotted]

-{ Quote: "Precisely why I don't like using the Secure Zone feature of Acronis. Much better to have a USB external hard drive or DVD writer to store images. The extra cost is worth the added security." }-
I agree, but since this is a laptop funded by the danish government i cant really do much about it.

-{ Quote: "One thing to do is remove the drive and put it in a desktop adapter to see if your documents and data can be copied off of it." }-
Naah can't do that, 1 it break the warrenty of the laptop, 2. i have to returnm the laptop when i have finished my education.

-{ Quote: "If the OS is WinXP, you can try booting with a BartPE cd to see if your files are accessible, but you will still need an external device (hard drive, thumb drive) to transfer the files." }-
I got that (UBCD4Win (http://www.ubcd4win.com/)), but the drive is inaccessable due to the corrupt MFT. But there seems not to ba a sector scanning recovering program on the CD tho :(

[Chutsman]

The BartPE cd is different to the UBCD ... and might work for you. If you take the hard drive out I'll promise not to tell.;D

[Menorcaman]

Hello dotted,

-{ Quote: "I have a hidden secondary partition with an Acronis recovery imge on it, but i cant boot to the partition as the bootloader disappered after the FIXMBR." }-Probably a dumb question but did you create a True Image bootable rescue CD (or floppy disks)? If so why can't you boot from that and restore from the (hopefully) whole disk image that's still in the Secure Zone?

Regards

[TheQuest]

Hi, dotted

See this post, Re: noob question #23 (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=543234&postcount=23)

Kanotix 2005-3 LiveCD (http://kanotix.com/index.php?&newlang=eng)

Take Care,
TheQuest 8)

[dotted]

-{ Quote: "Hello dotted,

Probably a dumb question but did you create a True Image bootable rescue CD (or floppy disks)? If so why can't you boot from that and restore from the (hopefully) whole disk image that's still in the Secure Zone?

Regards" }-
No i didnt, as the computer was set up with Acronis when i got it.

[bodgy]

What you might be able to do, is to borrow a proper copy of XP, boot into console mode and try fixboot and fixmbr from there.

Rumming diskpart you might be able to repair whatever has gone wrong.

Lyke til.

Colin

[dotted]

-{ Quote: "What you might be able to do, is to borrow a proper copy of XP, boot into console mode and try fixboot and fixmbr from there." }-
It was those things that made things even worse so :)

-{ Quote: "Rumming diskpart you might be able to repair whatever has gone wrong." }-
I may try that

[dotted]

doesnt their exist a free tool that can get my recovery manager back ?

[Menorcaman]

-{ Quote: "No i didnt, as the computer was set up with Acronis when i got it." }-EEK! :o. For any noobies stumbling across this thread, the golden rule is that you must create and test the bootable rescue media before you do anything else. Never, ever, soley rely on initiating a restore from within Windows or via TI's F11 Startup Recovery Manager feature.

Dotted, I'm afraid I can't help you mate but I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully someone can come up with something that will save you having to reinstall from scratch.

Regards

[dotted]

-{ Quote: "EEK! :o. For any noobies stumbling across this thread, the golden rule is that you must create and test the bootable rescue media before you do anything else. Never, ever, soley rely on initiating a restore from within Windows or via TI's F11 Startup Recovery Manager feature." }-
There is no media, the only way is to format and reinstall (which i would gladly do, but is not an option) or the F11 feature.

[noonie]

dotted:
What brand and model of laptop is it?

[dotted]

-{ Quote: "dotted:
What brand and model of laptop is it?" }-
Acer TravelMate 541LCi

[noonie]

Not sure with this model:
Your fixmbr, you did should not effect this.
When trying to boot, get into your bios and look around. You may well have options there that let you access the hidden partition or a least make it visible. You will be looking for Acer's hidden partition (2 or 3 gig) and not the one from Acronis.
It should at least contain the i386 files that you can use to reinstall.
It may give you an option to create recovery cd's

On newer Acer's hit the F2 key to enter bios.

To recover to factory. boot and hit Alt F10.
Ideally, if you can get an acronis ti boot cd, do a total image to a network of the existing setup before you try this. You may be able to recover some data with this later.
I gather that you are a student and getting or making a ti boot cd from your institution may not be impossible.

[dotted]

There is no hidden partitions other than the Acronis one. This is not a laptop bought through a normal store so what ever you might know about Acer may not be true at this one :)

[dotted]

And the BIOS is also passworded :(

[noonie]

I'm on the US, so can only speak from experience with acer here.
Sounds like your left with getting the recovery cd's or the Ti boot disk from your school or doing a repair instal from a xp cd.

[dotted]

-{ Quote: "I'm on the US, so can only speak from experience with acer here.
Sounds like your left with getting the recovery cd's or the Ti boot disk from your school or doing a repair instal from a xp cd." }-
So i cannot restore the originall MBR somehow
and I cannot boot the hidden Acronis partition in anyother way than the F11 thing?

[noonie]

-{ Quote: "I cannot boot the hidden Acronis partition in anyother way than the F11 thing?" }-
You can also access it from a Ti boot cd as also described by Menorcaman.

Try getting the bios password. It's worth a try. I don't know what Acer uses to create their partitions. Some methods can very creative. For example Acronis cannot image an IBM Thinkpad hidden partition without making it visible in bios first.
It's worth a try.

If you don't want to/cannot contact your school, perhaps Acronis can let you download an iso image of the boot cd.

[dotted]

May i could use the BartPE plugin?

Tho since i didnt install Acronis myself and therefore dont have the serial key, i guess im out of luck :(?

[dotted]

I managed to get a bootable rescue CD, but the damn thing freezes when i try to activate the recovery manager :(

[Menorcaman]

-{ Quote: "I managed to get a bootable rescue CD, but the damn thing freezes when i try to activate the recovery manager :(" }-Did you manage to boot from the rescue CD and restore your system from the image in the Secure Zone? If so, why not dispense with the Startup Recovery Manager altogether and just rely on the boot CD?

Regards

[dotted]

-{ Quote: "Did you manage to boot from the rescue CD and restore your system from the image in the Secure Zone? If so, why not dispense with the Startup Recovery Manager altogether and just rely on the boot CD?

Regards" }-
Uhm how do you do that?

[Menorcaman]

-{ Quote: "Uhm how do you do that?" }-I'm sorry but your question isn't clear. I assume you know how to boot from the True Image rescue CD. Therefore do you mean how do you go about restoring an image from the Secure Zone (SZ) or how do you go about dispensing with the Startup Recovery Manager (SRM)? If the former, can I recommend that you download and read the appropriate <True Image User's Guide> (http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/download/docs/). After that, please feel free to seek any further clarification.

If, on the otherhand, you are familiar with the workings of TI and only require advice on how to dispense with the SRM then proceed as follows:

- Use the bootable rescue CD to restore the (hopefully good) disk image that's residing in the SZ.
- Boot into Windows and download/run the mbrautowrite file (either the CD ISO version or the self extracting bootable floppy creator) as detailed in the Acronis Support Sticky titled <Please Read Before You Post> (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=55317). This will reset your MBR to normal, thereby removing the SRM function but keeping your original SZ intact.
- You can also deactivate the SRM by using the Manage Acronis Secure Zone Wizard to remove the SZ (be aware however that removing the SZ will also delete any images that you currently have in it). After that use the Manage Acronis Secure Zone Wizard again to create a new SZ but this time make sure you don't choose the default option to also activate the SRM.

Regards

[dotted]

Restoring image, boot cd freezes
Activate SRM, boot cd freezes

How the hell, am I gonne recover when the damn thing freezes all the time :(?

[dotted]

Whoa i solved it.

Somehow the boot CD menu was different than normal suddenly, and i was able to select 'restore'.

Now I am back on track and a happy man.

Thank you all for your time.

Best regards
dotted

[Acronis Support]

Hello dotted,

I'm glad to hear that your issue has been solved.

If you have any further questions please feel free to ask.

Thank you.
--
Alexey Popov