Touchsmart PC Recovery Problem after HDD Partitioning

[KingRoach]

HP recovery problem. System is unusable.
System: Touchsmart PC, tx2-1035ee
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit

Hello.

I purchased my brand new tx2-1035ee only a few days ago and tested it. It was okay. I needed to partition the HDD so I have a personal data drive. I didn't know how HP's recovery works and what it does to different partitions, so I had to test it.
I first ran recovery on the original HDD setting. Everything went perfect.
The original factory setting ships like this:

C: windows partition / primary / 220GB
D: recovery partition / primary / 10GB

Then I partitioned my HDD, and rebooted. The system also booted and everything was smooth. I had my two personal drives and the system was ace.
What I did, basically, was shrink the windows partition (you can do that from within Vista), and create an extended partition from the resulting space. Then of course I divided that into two logical partitions:

C: primary / 50GB
Extended
D: logical / 70GB
E: logical / 100GB
F: primary / 10GB

However, I needed to know whether recovery is going to affect the logical partitions, erasing them and resetting the hard drive completely to its factory settings, so I had to try recovery again. This time, it was a huge failure. I've tried recovery over three times now, from both the recovery partition and the disks I've created, and the result is always the same. Here's what happens:

During the HP's software installation, at some point, something stops responding and closes down (its name starts with ui, but I didn't catch it). When recovery is complete, everything is different, and the HP-specific software doesn't work.

The system takes a ridiculously long time to boot, well over five minutes with nothing but a black screen and a pointer in the middle, and the HDD LED flashing. Then I get Vista's welcome screen without the "Shutdown" and "Accessibility" buttons, which then turns immediately into "shutting down", and the system reboots. Then I get the welcome screen again but this time with the aforementioned buttons, it logs in immediately without asking me to input anything (Country, units, username and password, etc. You should enter that info on the system's first boot!) The user folder is called Administrator. I don't get HP's welcome and registration application (the PC is personal again), and Windows Live Messenger starts on first boot!!! And last but not least, windows always gives me the "System Preparation
Tool" on startup, with its two options: 1. Enter system-out-of-box
experience, or 2. Enter system audit mode. I tried both options.

Moreover, the shortcut keys (settings, media and rotate screen) won't work. If I turn my laptop to slate mode, the screen won't flip.

Okay. Now if I reboot, or shutdown and then power on the system…. I get the same thing again!!! Ridiculous boot time, welcome-shutting down, reboot, welcome, system preparation and finally nothing works! Sometimes it even reboots twice before finally accessing windows. This renders the system completely unusable, and a three-day-old +$1k laptop is now a piece of junk!!! The PC is not personal again.

There doesn't seem to be a solution for this over here, since recovery is intact. And as I've said, I had tried it the first time and it worked. I need this fixed ASAP since I bought the piece because I want to use it to help me in my MA studies, and I'm very tight on deadlines. Without this any time soon, my future can be well in danger.

It is greatly appreciated if you tell me what to do instead of suggesting that I take this to a servicing point. My time really won't allow such a thing (I have a presentation to work on for next week, and this thing was supposed to help.) I have the experience it takes for doing many professional or semi-professional tasks and dealing with computers. If it's anything except having to change the HDD, tell me what it is and it is done.

I really would like to keep the logical partition setting because I need it. However, if reverting the HDD back to its factory setting is the only way, then please tell me if there's anything HP-specific that has to be done.

Eagerly waiting for your response,
Yours truly,
~KR

PS: I have just learned from the website that a two-minute black screen after Windows' welcome screen means the recovery manager needs updating. Maybe the partitioning caused the recovery manager to malfunction. I will try to update recovery manager in my hard-to-access windows and run it from there now.

[KingRoach]

I updated Recovery Manager, and it didn't work. The problem persists.

I noticed my message could be somewhat a little confusing, so I'll try to say things in different words.

HISTORY:

1. Bought the PC.

2. Burnt the Recovery Disks.

3. Tested System Recovery: SUCCESS!!!

4. Partitioned the HDD

5. Tested recovery again: FAILURE

   ○ Resulting system is not HP's (No initial user-setup on first boot \ No HP's welcome and registration wizard)

   ○ Every single time I boot the system, it takes a looong time before the windows logo, the Welcome screen turns immediately to shutting down, the system reboots, takes a long time again, and then it logs in as Administrator. Then the System Preparation Tool appears. This takes up to 8 or 9 minutes every time.

   ○ Keeps giving me Vista's "System Preparation Tool" on start up, which tries to configure files, but it keeps coming back every time.

   ○ Since there is no user setup, the system eventually logs in as Administrator. Don't think of going for "switch user" or "lock computer". Disasters happen.

   ○ I've set up a new user. Rebooted. No effect: same long time and reboots, then logs in as Administrator.

   ○ No slate function: screen won't rotate in slate mode

   ○ Shortcut keys won't work (settings, media, rotate)

   ○ Touch functionality will only work if you first try to touch the screen once, which will give no effect, but will initiate Touch.

   ◘ Other system and software issues:

   ○ Windows Mobility Center is missing objects, those related to HP, I guess.

   ○ Norton Internet Security shortcut is on the desktop, it wasn't before.

   ○ Windows defender doesn't start on systray.

   ○ The constant "are you sure" prompts by Windwos Vista aren't there. Probably because I'm logged in as Admin.

TROUBLESHOOTING

   ○ Tried both HDD and DVD recovery with the same result, over seven times now.

   ○ Updated Recovery Manager with no use.

   ○ Checked HDD and MBR for errors or bad sectors: none.

OBSERVATIONS

   ○  The main thing to notice is that, during System Recovery, after about 95% of HP Software Installation progress, Windows logs in in the background (I can see the writing panel tab on the left) and a certain process gets closed by Vista. Originally, Windows doesn't seem to log in until Installation completes and restarts the system.

 THOUGHTS

   ○ The first thought is that Recovery was corrupt. but I tried it the first time and it worked, and I had burnt those DVD's even before I tied it.

   ○ It therefore seems like a problem of "writing" data, not of "reading" it. And since partitioning the HDD was the only thing I did, I thought it could be a problem with sector size or architecture, or even with the MBR or something, but if there was anything wrong with that, Recovery wouldn't have completed, and Windows wouldn't have booted.

   ○ The boots and reboots that take place seem to be caused by the system's attempts to configure itself somehow. Failing to log in as anything but Administrator might be a result of a certain system failure in the first boot.

   ○ The appearance of the System Preparation Tool every time means that Windwos cannot save the configuration, right?

   ♦ The only one thing I can be sure of is that the system isn't being restored correctly. It is clear from the software issure that the HP software isn't configuring the Vista that comes with it. The question is how did this happen when both copies of Recovery I have were good, and what can I do? I am taking it to the dealer for warranty stuff, but I will only be able to do this after tomorrow, since tomorrow's the weekend, so I still have one day if anything can be attempted.

Finally, I've just noticed there's a section for tx pc's. Is this post in the wrong place?

This might be irrelevant, but if I change the brightness setting, a weird noise comes out of the bottom of the monitor. It goes completely off if I turn off brightness. seems like the resonance of a bad electronic component or something... It wasn't like that before.

[cmaddox53]

hi mate

ring hp support for recovery disks they will be free if your in warrinrty also i had the same problem with my hdx9250ea it was the optical drive faulty they are replacing the optical drive

mine did the same thing i waited 3 hrs and it failed and it also said this pc is not supported by the recovery disks when you get it sorted dont use the recovery disk use acronis image or ghost to back up your hardrive is saves a lot of time and it works great

[KingRoach]

I'm sure it's not the optical drive. As I said, first thing I did was burn the disks, then I tested recovery and it worked. Then, both the HDD and the DVD recovery gave the same result. this must mean it's a problem with writing data, or that the process which closes down is the reason why. I could only catch the first three letters of its name...

uia****32

The asterikes are unknown letters. Do you know what that process is and what it does?

I'll send the PC to the dealer tomorrow for warranty. If they'll take it, I'll send it, because of the noise from the bottom of the monitor.

I want to figure out what exactly happened and why, so other users and myself know how to avoid such an issue.

When it is sorted out, I will use Ghost. It's what I always do. However, my Hiren 9.6 boot disk won't find drivers on my laptop??? I wanted to try to write zeros to the C: drive's partition table and try again to see if it helps. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it.

[CherylG]

I have never seen HP Recovery from the hdd partition work on a user partitioned hdd. I'm actually surprised that it even launches. Recovery disks should remove the extra partitions and restore to original configuration, not sure what is going on with them.

I would remove the extra partitions and try with Recovery set again, or if you prefer the faster option of recovery from the hdd partition ,remove the partitions and Mark as Active the recovery partition (using Disk Management) .On reboot, the laptop should automatically boot into Recovery mode (don't tap F11).

Good luck, and if all fails..off to Service Center.

[KingRoach]

Always? I asked the HP technician about partitioning. I must say he did not give a direct answer to my query, but he sure did not mention anything about partitioning being a problem with HP's. We were trying to guess why recovery isn't working when he suggested "when you partitioned your HDD, the recovery partition could have been damaged."

I cannot really make use of the laptop without such partitions. Organization and data security issues.

Now of course the first thing you would think would be "partitioning caused the problem". So I did remove the extra parititons, making the primary windows partition 220Gigz again... Same result... all the friggin time.

I'm still thinking resetting the partition table could help, except I don't have much time left to figure out a way to boot a DOS disk manager of any sort.

If you have suggestions for booting Hiren Boot Disk on a tx2 (it doesn't load drivers for some reason).

[CherylG]

You need a boot disk with SATA spport.Try one of these;:

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/copywipe.php


http://partitionlogic.org.uk/

[KingRoach]

Too late. I guess I'll be signing off and out now. I tried to download these things, but my dial up didn't help. I guess I won't be able to try it, but I'll come back to this thread to update anything I've found out in order to eventually tell what's going on here.

Thanks a lot, Cheryl. Good links indeed.

[KingRoach · Accepted solution]

Hello everyone. The PC is back and working again.

It seems like there was a problem with the partition table that caused the writing process, or the execution of the copied files, to contain errors.

The problem could have been caused by my using Vista to first shrink C:\ down to 100GB, thus creating another 100GB logical drive,

and then using Paragon to shrink C:\ again to 50GB after deleting the logical drive, and finally creating the two logical drives I wanted.

Somehow, somewhere, the guy who fixed my computer claimed there was a RAW. He seems to have run a DOS application to scan it for errors, etc.

The least I can say is that, if the guy, whom I don't really trust, was telling the turth, then the problem has been addressed.

But I wonder if it is rightful to consider it solved before knowing how to partition my C:\ again, which is reset back to 220GB, the way I want, in a healthy manner, without having that set of problem's that I've had before. I can rest assured, at least, that the Recovery will only affect the system's Primary drive no matter what size it is, without affecting the other paritions, which, in my PC model's case, are allowed to exist. I'll mark this as solved when this final question has been answered, which should be very easy now.

[Askar]

Dear Friend,

I am doing same as you, I had 3 partioton that i created with partitoma manager Paragon ( C:/  d:/ recovery  E

after I read your last message I merge C and E  with PARAGON Partiton Manager software . The result is : drive C: with 220 GB (about) and D:/Recovery drive ) Then I start recovery but the problem was not solved and system preparation tool is appeare and other problem you write in first message...

Would you please help me?

Thanks

I have HP TX2-1105ee

Message Edited by Askar on 08-15-2009 02:14 AM