System reset and refresh options not working

[countrystrong]

ASUS N750JK notebook with OEM Win 8.1 pre-loaded by retailer on a 250 GB Samsung 840 SSD drive- This notebook has two drive bays, in the other one there is a 750 GB HDD.

Problem is,. F9 at boot does not work. It does not launch manufacturer's recovery options. Tried and tried, disabled Fastboot, tried with restart, warm boot, cold boot... but F9 at POST does nothing.
The key is not dead. though, as it works in Windows (Fn + F9 disable the trackpad).

Reflashing the latest BIOS firmware doesn't change anything.
Disablng Secure Boot in the UEFI BIOS doesn't help either.

Besides, it's not possible to reset or refresh the system in Windows, or to create recovery media (ASUS provides none).
The SSD drive has both Recovery and Restore partitions on it, but I can't get the PC to use them.
Even a Windows setup disk from another notebook with Win 8,1 doesn't do the trick.

 

[Darkbreeze]

You're using the wrong key. Windows safe mode and recovery options are always accessed using the F8 key. Begin pressing the F8 key as soon as you turn the power on until you see the safe mode and recovery menu.

 

[Jameson Clark]

Well you don't even need to reboot to refresh or reset in windows 8. Insert the disc, search pc settings, select update and recovery, recovery, and then you can select refresh, remove everything and reinstall, or advanced setup

 

[Darkbreeze]

He's not trying to refresh or reset, he's just trying, well, actually, I'm really not sure what the hell he's trying to do because he doesn't actually come right out and say what his goal is, but in any case, pressing F9 ain't gonna do it. So if he needs to access the repair options, which is what it sounds like he wants, then F8 is the necessary step to get there. If he wanted to refresh or reset he could do so using the repair menu after pressing F8. Or, if he has installation media he can just do a clean install.

 

[countrystrong]

Thanks for your replies, guys. Sorry if I wasn't clear in my first message. Let me try again.

My goal is, well, to be able to reset or refresh or repair my system, when needed. Now I am not.

ASUS doesn't provide any support disks, installation media or whatever, with this notebook.

ASUS provides, instead, a recovery environment and the system image which is pre-loaded on some partitions ("Recovery" and "Restore") on hard drive.

According to ASUS documentation the recovery environment can be accessed by pressing F9 at boot. From there you should be able to reset or refresh your system if needed. Problem is, on my system pressing F9 at boot does absolutely nothing.

I also tried the repair options in Windows 8,1 GUI - Charms menu - PC Settings.
They all fail.

In detail, REFRESH says it can't find a recovery environment.
RESET says it can't find any installation media.
The Recovery Drive wizard, to create a recovery drive, fails too.

Like I said, I have no recovery or installation media, and can't find a way to create any.

As to the standard Windows F8 key at boot, it has no effect either.
Actually it might have had one effect, perhaps. After pressing the F8 key repeatedly, I eventually got a 0x0000225 error at boot, which I managed to fix by rebuilding Windows BCD files.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well, if your unit didn't come with a recovery partition, or the recovery partition is corrupted, then your only option is pretty much to go buy installation media or create a USB recovery disk from another windows 8 computer.

 

[countrystrong]

Thanks darkbreeze!
Meanwhile, I got a Windows 8.1 disk from another notebook, a Toshiba Satellite Pro, but its recovery/reset/repair options fail anyway on my ASUS.

I guess I am going to take this unit back to the ASUS retailer where I bought it. They are supposed to provide technical support too. The shop's technician installed the SSD drive (in place of the original HDD) and loaded the system on it, but I feel something might have gone wrong.
For the record, the unit does have a recovery partition and a restore partition, they contain some .WIM files and other files, but I can't get Windows to use them.
Also, the weird "225" boot error after restarts (it has happened twice already) makes me think there is a wider problem, not just a corrupted/missing recovery partition.

 

[Darkbreeze]

The recovery partition was probably created using the original hard drive and since a new SSD was installed the recovery partition was probably not re-created at that time which leaves the recovery partition that was originally created incompatible with the new system configuration or possibly not useable since it's now on a different drive letter than when created. I'm not 100% certain on that but it seems highly likely. It's doubtful the tech recreated the recovery partition when he changed the drives. If the recovery partition has a different drive letter than when it was created, I don't think it will run. Again, I could be wrong on that and it doesn't explain why other installation media doesn't want to work. Could even be a bad drive. Might want to use Seatools and run the short DST test on both drives.

 

[countrystrong]

@darkbreeze You nailed it. I can tell the system was not re-created when they replaced the original hdd with a ssd. I can tell that by looking at the dates of some files created on the first run on the original hdd, before they replaced it.
That would explain why pressing F8 or F9 at boot, during the system POST, does not find the recovery partition. Instead, it gives an error because the partition is not found.

Your remark does not directly solve my problem, but it helps me understand where the issue lies and possibly find a fix. So, I'll mark your answer as a "solution", for now, if that's OK for the forum rules.

 

[Darkbreeze]

It's fine. At this point I'd back up any important files you are able to and have the technician who installed your OS reinstall it and create the proper recovery partition. Or, if you have the installation media, you can do it yourself.

 

[countrystrong]

"...it doesn't explain why other installation media doesn't want to work."

As to that issue, I've just found out that the Windows disk wants hard drive drivers to be set to IDE, not AHCI, otherwise it will say it doesn't find the hard drive, or that it is locked, and so on.

After I set BIOS drivers to IDE, I could go on a bit further. But then there was another problem: the Windows disk (reset and refresh options) asked for the installation media!

 

[Darkbreeze]

I would start over fresh, with AHCI enabled prior to the initial installation. Make sure your optical drive is set to SATA and not IDE in the optical drive settings of the bios. Same with any hard drives. This could be an issue with those settings.

 

[countrystrong]

UPDATE: Good news! Maybe I found a solution myself! The devil knows why, Windows Recovery was disabled! I managed to enable the Recovery Environment by using the REAGENTC command, see the switches on MS Technet web site http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd799242(v=ws.10).aspx

Now Windows "knows" about the Recovery hidden partition! To be more specific, it looks for the WinRE.wim file in that partition.

The repair/reset/refresh options seem to work, finally. At least they do start, even if I did not complete a reset or refresh till the end of it. Anyway, I can reboot to the Recovery Environment.

RecoveryDrive.exe (the Windows utility to create a USB recovery drive) starts too, while it didn't before.
Again, I have not tested the thing thoroughly yet. but I am going to.
On the ASUS web site there is a custom utility to make a recovery drive, too: "Backtracker".



The F8 and F9 keys at boot time still don't work, but after some googling I came to the conclusion that there is a general issue on Windows 8.1 systems with a SSD drive. As I understand it, boot is too fast!

Also, I would like to be able to create Recovery DVDs with the ASUS factory reset image, just in case. Now the factory reset file (10 GB size) is on hard drive, but I would like it on DVD too. Thinking of it, maybe I am just going to copy it to a Blu-Ray disc!

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yeah, that' why as I always tell people, you have to start hitting the key IMMEDIATELY after pushing power and continue "mashing" the key until the menu appears. Glad to hear everything got straightened out for you and I'm going to bookmark this thread for future reference when folks have a similar issue, which I'm sure will be often enough.

 

[countrystrong]

Some more details about the Windows command I used.

To enable the Windows Recovery Environment (whic shows the repair options): REAGENTC /ENABLE

To set the file Windows will use for a refresh: RECIMG /SETCURRENT c:/RefreshImage/
after having created the said image in that folder, with RECIMG /CREATEIMAGE c:/RefreshImage/
A custom refresh image is a snapshot of current system files, drivers, and desktop apps, which you can use to "refresh" your system at a later time, if needed.

To set the file Windows will use for a system reset: REAGENTC /SETOSIMAGE /PATH ... /INDEX ...
The path is the folder where I copied the huge install.wim file from the Restore hidden partion, which contains a Windows image (actually two of them, index 1 and index 2).
Anyway, I don't think I am ever going to use the standard Windows reset, because I have got the ASUS Backtracker utility which allows a master factory reset.

To check all these settings: REAGENTC /INFO

All the commands I gave in an Admnistrator CMD box.



I must say I still have issues with the boot keys. Yes, you must be very quick, but eventually all I got by pressing F9 is a boot error again. I am going to look further into that.

There is a video on YouTube suggesting a workaround for this issue. I haven't tried it yet, but here it is:
"How to Restore Asus Laptop When F9 Does Not Work
by CanadianDavid3161 year ago74,418 views
If you are getting recovery/BSOD errors when trying to restore your Asus laptop by the F9 key after migrating from HDD to SSD or ..."
http://youtu.be/u0iEDk6n23k

 

[countrystrong]

Final update! The real solution to ALL the issues was a fresh start, like darkbreeze suggested.
I created a recovery USB stick with the Backtracker utility from the ASUS web site, and run a factory restore (BIOS being set to AHCI and UEFI Secure Boot). It wiped out everything, created all the needed partitions on the main disk (six partitions!) and reinstalled WIndows 8.1. Now the F9 bootkey (to start Windows repair options at boot time) is back and everything is fine!
Mind you, the ASUS master restore wiped out and repartitioned BOTH the hard drives on my system without a specific warning nor any user choice.
It also installed the bundled McAfee trial antivirus software.
But the $64,000 dollar question is why on earth ASUS did not include the recovery utility in the preinstalled software, nor any hint about it. It's not even in the recommended software links on the notebook support page on ASUS site. And if you look by product id on the site, all you get is... No recovery discs available for your model. Still, Backtracker is the way to go if you need to factory reset this unit, like I experienced myself and it was confirmed when I spoke with an ASUS tech from the official support team.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Glad you got it going. It's too bad it wiped the other partitions. I hope you didn't lose anything irreplaceable. Good luck to you and don't ever hesitate to ask if you need help. Take care.

 

[countrystrong]

I had a safety copy of everything, so it wasn't a catastrophe, but I was truly amazed by the fact that the master restore had wiped my second drive too, without warning. I'll bet someone is going to get burned!
Besides, the user has no say in the matter of how many data partitions are created during the recovery process. ASUS Backtracker created THREE data partitions: one on the main drive and two on the other drive.
Here is the list of partitions on my first drive after restore (256GB SSD, GPT)
1. SYSTEM (boot files) 100 MB
2. RECOVERY (recovery environment) 900 MB
3. RESERVED (empty) 128 MB
4. Primary WINDOWS OS 93 GB
5. Primary DATA 118 GB
6. Recovery (Factory restore image) 20 GB

 

[Darkbreeze]

You can just use Windows built in utility now to create a recovery partition or installation image on disc if you want. Then you can go back again and do another clean install without the recovery partition on the boot drive, if you want it on another drive. Or you can use windows disk management to delete the partitions created on the secondary drive and then create and format two new, blank , healthy partitions on there and then create a recovery partition there using windows utility.

Then wipe the boot drive partitions and reinstall windows creating only the necessary UEFI partitions on there to save the space used by the recovery partition. Your best best would be to create recovery and installation media on DVD disk, making a few copies in case of damage, and get rid of the recovery partitions altogether. Maybe make a disk image after your happy with the install using something like Acronis True Image and forget everything else. I use Acronis for image backups and I never have to reinstall windows.

I just reinstall the disk image any time there's an issue, which can be the original clean install, clean install plus applications or any periodic images you've made along the way, so that an installation is unnecessary. Acronis also gives you the option of making recovery media to restore disk images, which would have solved your problem from the beginning had you had one.

 

[countrystrong]

I see Windows 8.1 gives me more "recovery" choices, but they are confusing sometimes, and something is different from previous Windows versions. Here's what I've found out so far. I hope it can help others, too.

1. "SYSTEM RESET" (in Windows Repair Options), which according to REAGENTC /INFO is going to use the OEM factory image anyway, in my case, as I don't have a retail Windows installation disc.
.
2. "SYSTEM IMAGE BACKUP", after I created a SYSTEM IMAGE. By restoring said image, I can restore the Windows OS partition + hidden SYSTEM partition + other optional partitions of choice too, to a previous point in time.

In WIn8.1 I can get to the System Image Backup from a link in the left hand-side bottom corner of the File History page in the Control Panel (that's the way to find it, but FIle HIstory and System Image Backup are unrelated tools).
Another way is to run SDCLT.EXE from the Admin CMD.

3. "RECOVERYDRIVE.exe". In Windows 8.1 I am able to create a "recovery drive", by which they mean a USB stick (16 GB or more) that is made a boot device with Windows recovery on it. By booting from such USB stick, I can access the available Repair and reset options.

Please note I do have a DVD/BD writer on board, but I am not given the choice to create DVD or BD recovery discs.
I guess it could be done manually somehow, but it may be tricky.

However, I can boot from a WindowsPE CD I created myself with the Windows AIK and start recovery/repair options from there.


4. "REFRESH", after creating a "CustomRefresh" file (RECIMG /CREATEIMAGE) with system files, drivers and desktop apps, which I can later use to "refresh" said files (in case they get corrupted or overwritten, I guess).

5. "SYSTEM RESTORE", with automatic or manually created "Restore Points" (settings are in Control Panel - System - Advanced - System Protection).
I am not using it, though, as I read it might interfere with the SSD TRIM.

6. BCDedit.exe and other tools to restore or rebuild Windows BCD files and fix other boot issues.

7. SFC.exe to scan the integrity of Windows system files and fix them.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yeah, I think in your case using a third party application to create both a recovery image and recovery media would be the best way to go for future proofing against failures.