UEFI and backup ability

I have some experience with UEFI that while I don't wholly understand it, I have been able to work around it. In the last 6 months I've downgraded about 30 laptops with Windows 8 for people and the only way to do this - the only way to even boot to an optical drive - is to disable secure boot, enable legacy and all that. Fortunately in all these past scenarios I've been able to have access to Windows 8 first to back up and data and everything before wiping it. Not now.

This computer is crashed. Some kid downloaded way too much crap and the computer now only loops through HP's automatic repair / diagnosis system over and over again. I've made the changes in the BIOS (still calling it the BIOS, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be called "the UEFI" now, but you get what I mean) and can boot to a WinPE type CD which normally allows me the ability to perform offline back up, but the problem is once I'm there, there is no drive with the data on it. I'm sure this has to do with the secure boot type information... well congrats to them if it is this secure. :cry

Spent many hours with Google and looking through the forums here to no avail. I need help!

 

Think I'd take a look at it with a Partition Wizard cd. If still no drives visible it will try to recover them.

 

I might try it out if I can't get anything else to work. Researched some more and found that this PCwin Recovery program can create a UEFI USB capable flash drive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtCf8NK7Q8Y

I bought it but the video shows a newer version of everything I can currently find so I emailed their support for help.

This new UEFI is just a mess.. if you forget your Windows 8 password you are pretty much SOL.

 

Downloading a bunch of stuff, is not going to cause a boot loop. A bad hard drive, and the fact, that HP laptops these days are garbage, is the issue. As for downgrading from Win8, really you just need to show people how to use something like Start8, if they want to use the desktop and bypass the metro screen.

You are making more work for yourself than you should. Also, are these people paying for their own licensed version of Windows 7, or are you using a volume license in your name only?

 

Any progress with this? Even if you don't attempt any recovery or other changes I'd still boot to at least one other boot disk, Easeus Partition Master is another, to see if any drives show up. Don't know how old your PE disk is but there have been significant changes in NTFS in recent years, particularly partition offsets, so worth a try imo.

 

Thanks Earthling. Yeah I was instructed to ignore backing up the data so I just switched it to Legacy Mode and reinstalled Windows 8 freshly. Even with that, getting the product key and activating Windows 8 - from my knowledge - isn't possible. The key is tied to the BIOS somehow and even using a produkey type application and reinserting that serial doesn't work. For now I have to use an activator.. it's pretty disgraceful that they have a valid license but putting the computer in Legacy mode prevents activation.

I do have some PE disks that were made less than a year ago. Your advice is useful though and if I had been given more time I could have explored more methods such as this one.

I will respond on this subject - hopefully this week - when I receive replies from the support team of the Win PC Recovery people. I found the newer version of this RUFUS bootable flash drive creator that allows GPT/UEFI support, but I can't find the ISO that he uses in the video. Even without that ISO I should be able to boot to it but I've had no luck yet.

 

Produkey apps will never work on an OEM pre-installed system as every one in the batch had the same key. You need the product key from the COA attached to the machine.

 

They can actually. I have both the OEM discs and the retail discs for most every operating system, depending on what it needs and have had success. Like, I have the Windows 7 Home Premium OEM cd but it won't activate automatically with the persons COA over the internet but it will once you use the phone system, which is odd.

With Windows 8 they implement "activation 3.0" (Google that or "Windows 8 coa" and there's a lot of info about it) which reaaaally sucks. It's bad anytime that it's easier to pirate software as opposed to use what is legally yours. It's just punishing the people that pay for the product while the people that steal it don't have any problems at all.

 

There is no such thing as "activation 3.0", it is for OEM installs, not just regular installs, and not something to get your panties in a bunch over. They did the same thing when 7 came out, just tightened it with 8, but still easy to get around, so I do not know where you are getting that from, that the new activation process is sooo bad. As for your original problem, again, if the user Fubar's their own system, let them fix it. If they want another OS, let them install it.

From the sounds of it, you are placing more on your plate, than you really need to, and also really need to read up more on Win8, besides the fact, that all of us long term computer users (30 plus years ongoing), will tell you that metro sucks as a interface. Also we will tell you to use something like Start8 to get around it, and you will be back in the XP/Vista/7 desktop.

 

Really? You sound like you're maybe 15 years old. And you do not know what you're talking about. You could actually try using Google as it clearly shows "activation 3.0" is a thing.

I don't think when a customer calls me and asks me to fix their computer that I will say do it yourself.

You're basically arguing with yourself about whether or not someone should like Windows 8, so I'm pretty sure you can't be a very bright person and you're probably angry about it so you are trolling the internet trying to offend as many people as you can. Let me help you: You obviously have ZERO experience on the subject so leave because nobody cares about a single thing you have to say. :wave