URGENT! System Recovery Limbo

During the computer turning on, I picked up the keyboard and accidentally pressed a key that apparently starts system recovery.

The system recovery hasn't yet done its thing but it refuses to allow me to cancel.

Picture related, I'm stuck on this screen.
http://s14.postimg.org/v1kkkf1xs/20150129_211455.jpg

If I press next, all my files are in danger of being deleted, so I havent done that.

If I press cancel (which I have done) it asks "cancel and reboot?"
And when I click yes on that, after the reboot it says "files loading", then I see the same screen as in the picture again.

I'm unsure of how long I can keep the computer turned on, and on this screen, so this is somewhat URGENT.

PLEASE HELP ME MAJORGEEKS, YOURE MY ONLY HOPE!

 

Hi. Could you post specifically what brand and model of PC you have and specifically which version of Windows is on the PC, please?

You could try tapping f8 during the manufacturer's screen right at the beginning of the reboot to see if you can get into advanced boot options or into bios, whichever that starts on your PC.

Please post if you can get into advanced boot options. From there you have a number of things you can try.

 

I'm currently running Vista Home Premium SP2 on a heavily modified HP Pavillion (new gpu, psu, motherboard, ram) but nothing that should affect boot.

The storage situation is like so:
1st HDD:
C:\ containing OS, plus My Documents which contains about 30% of my files
2nd HDD:
D:\ containing the recovery partition
E:\ containing the majority of my files (50%)
Rest of my files were on a portable HDD which I extracted immediately. I also have recovery disks.

So my question in regard to the hardware and software situation would be - if pressing next is my only option, is it possible to go through the recovery somehow without damaging my files?

Thanks for the suggestion, I'm about to try this.

 

OK clicking F8 brings me to a boot menu that looks like this:
http://s24.postimg.org/ash2b3xbo/20150130_112414.jpg
There is only one option "Windows Setup" and it auto-activates after 15 seconds.

Then I see this screen, which I've seen with my last attempt to restart:
http://s3.postimg.org/4drxz6i76/20150130_112421.jpg
And finally the blue screen with the option to go next or cancel.

 

joki2400...

Not 100% sure, but I think this video is similar to what you are seeing when you boot, the difference being that the process uses f11 and the menu is much different:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzcsP-r-sBE

I'm not sure what you will see next if you press yes. I think it will give you the option to begin the recovery, but it is Vista, so I am not sure about this. Maybe someone here knows for certain.

Could you post the exact model of your Pavilion? I can be more specific with Google searches about your unit with that information.

 

It's HP pavilion media center m8530f.

But again, it has been modified.

 

Study this from Microsoft. It will demystify the situation and hopefully enable you to recover. You need to click the Win 7/Vista button on the right.

BTW you can turn the computer off with the power switch in this situation.

 

joki2400...

One thing you can try is turning off the machine and then unplug the PC at the back of the machine. Then press and hold in the power button for about 10 seconds to let the power drain from the system. Replug the PC and see if the boot leads back to the recovery option.

Don't think this will work, but it's worth a try. I'm looking around for solutions.

 

Oh thanks, the person I'm with right now is telling me to gtfo, and they need their laptop back, so I wasn't sure how long I could keep it on. I guess it's not that urgent.

Reading the info you provided now.

I'm going to try that right now.

Will check in when I find another laptop guys.

 

joki2400...

Looks like this is a sticky situation. I think it would be a good idea to tell the PC owner not to boot until someone (yourself or otherwise) has had a chance to fix the problem. The restore if it runs will get rid of everything on that PC (and restore the original factory setup), and I am not 100% sure that just clicking the next option won't immediately start the process.

 

Update and conclusion:

I tried shutting off the PC and draining power via computer button, however that didn't work and the computer booted back up the the same "Do you want to recover y/n?" blue screen.

After that I went back and read as much as I could about this, read also a few HP user manual documents, and realized that all HP recoveries are absolutely destructive.

So I made peace with losing everything, I crossed my fingers hoping Recuva or another deleted file finding program might find something, and clicked next anyway.

The recovery started but soon after an error screen popped up saying "Windows found problems with your computer's startup options. Do you want to apply repairs and restart your computer?". There was a "View details" button on the error screen which I pressed and got this:
http://s2.postimg.org/czxd3i0w8/20150130_131009.jpg
Apparently recovery couldn't be begun because the recovery partition couldn't be booted due to a boot error.

Remembering that a RECOVERY was destructive, while REPAIR wasn't, I clicked OK. The screen did a little loading bar for repair, then the PC restarted, and through a haze of my tears of joy I saw the admin login screen.

It turns out an error saved everything.

How often does that happen?


tl;dr happy ending through absolute accident, someone else reading this and having the same situation might not want to click next




Thanks for all the help guys, MG community has saved my butt four times now, directly or indirectly.

 

I'm in a hospital bed so need to keep it short - WELL DONE!!!

 

joki2400...

Superb work. Just don't go thinking you have it figured out now. :-D

Seriously, that has to be one of the best "saves" I have run across. It's horrible trying to come to terms with losing everything, and I think we all know the feeling.

Really happy it worked out and you were able to save your files this way...

 

joki2400, you really should devote some time to learning how to make images.
If you had an image (I do them about every 4 to 6 weeks), you could have let the factory image go through then follow up by running your latest image. The entire process would probably have taken less than an hour and saved you a lot of panic.

Prepare for disaster because with computers, something is more likely to go wrong than to have everything run smoothly all the time.

 

Seems like a reasonable thing to do, since only luck saved my butt this time - only one problem, googling "make an image" doesn't lead me to what I think you're talking about.

Does majorgeeks have a tutorial or links to some other resource on this topic?

 

I use a paid program: Acronis True Image but there are free programs that others here have posted about like EaseUS ToDo backup, and Macrium Reflect.

http://www.todo-backup.com/products/home/free-backup-software.htm
support for paid users http://forum.easeus.com/viewforum.php?f=14
but you can certainly read and find answers to questions free.

http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
support http://support.macrium.com/

You can also start a new thread here in software and ask questions about the program you are considering. People who use it will answer your concerns.

I make my first image by burning to DVDs. That can take quite a few if the hard drive is large. After that, I image to four different portable external hard drives. (We have four Win 7 computers in the house). I rotate where I put images just in case I lose one of the portables, I'd still have images at 3 other locations.

 

HERE is an excellent tutorial on imaging. I prefer Macrium personally but it is only one of several capable imaging programs used by the regulars here. Imaging is best done to a separate drive, at the very least to a separate partition and needs to be carried out at fairly regular intervals, monthly is good. It's best to study the tutorial carefully rather than just going ahead, and to give some thought to separating and separately backing up your personal data files from your OS and software. Imaging isn't really suitable for data backups.