DV9910US - F11 not working for recovery [ Edited ]

[stu_munch]

I have a DV9910US laptop.  If you know anything about it (or if you do enough forum diving), the DVD-ROM stops working after about a year, making it impossible to use recovery discs.

For some reason now, when I wanted to do a clean install of Vista from the recovery drive, F11 would not work.  It just went straight to the OS.  So, I went to "My Computer", right-clicked, chose "Manage", and made the recovery partition active.

On reboot, it pops up that it cannot load Windows because "winload.exe is missing or corrupt" and gives me the 0xc000000F error code.  When I go to the previous menu and hit Enter on "Recovery", it just takes me back to the same error code.  Now, my computer is stuck with a non-working DVD-ROM drive (so the recovery discs from HP are useless) and I can't get to the recovery partition OR the main OS partition.  Hitting F8 does nothing as well.

Ideas?

UPDATE: I was able to get a copy of the Vista Recovery Disc loaded onto a USB key, booted from that, repaired the start up so I'm able to get into Windows... but when I reboot the computer, I get the choice of three:  Recovery, xp, Windows Vista (recovered).  If I choose Recovery (or wait a few seconds), the next screen is (again) the "winload.exe" can't be found message, with the above listed error code.  When I go into Windows Vista and try to use the HP Recovery Manager to have it boot into Recovery, I get the same result.  I've checked under "My Computer" and the disk management section, and the Recovery partition is still listed as "active".

UPDATE 2: OK, so I went back into "My Computer" and changed the main OS partition back to being the active partition, and now it'll boot up fine with no error code or anything.  F11 still doesn't work, though.  So apparently, something is missing from the recovery partition or boot manager that is keeping F11 from working, the recovery partition working on its own when it's the active partition, AND keeping it from starting recovery when I choose that option in "Recovery Manager".

[Mumbodog]

I would borrow or buy a usb dvd drive so you can use the HP recovery discs to reinstall it.

[stu_munch]

Mumbo:

Yeah, I figured I could do that, but my drive is back at my apartment in China.  I'm currently in America for the next two weeks, and I was hoping to get this done while on a fast and decent internet connection for updating purposes rather than sit for hours waiting for things to download.  I figure I'll have 50+ updates, and that's after SP2 for Vista.  I've been asking around, but no one seems to have an external drive just lying around.

So while I can do this, it'll be a few weeks, and I'd (again) like to get this done sooner rather than later.  Any other ideas?

[Mumbodog]

I don't know of another way, unless you can find a regular Vista install disc (like a Dell branded disc) and then use the product key from the coa sticker to get it activated, but it won't have all the HP software and drivers preinstalled.

[stu_munch]

But doesn't that mean I would still need a working DVD-ROM?  I have the recovery discs, but no DVD-ROM.

Now, when I did the Vista Recovery Disc on a USB to try and fix the startup problem and get into the right partition, it initially gave me the option of Installing Vista or Repair Windows... obviously, I chose the Repair option to get in.  Any idea what would happen if I chose the "Install Vista" option?  Would that give me access to the recovery partition?  Or would it ask for an installation disc?

Also, is it possible to put the recovery discs onto a bootable USB key?  I.E. get an 8 GB key per disc (in my case 2) and just copy the discs over to the USB keys and then boot from that?

[Mumbodog]

I don't know the first question, all you can do is try.

You can copy the recovery discs to usb, but making the the usb key bootable is another thing.

Sorry I cannot be of more help.

[stu_munch]

I'm gonna try the USB key idea.  I figure since the recovery disc is bootable, as long as I copy everything over to the USB and boot from that (making it first on boot order through BIOS), it should work.

My concern with doing the other one via the Vista Recovery disc I made is that it might format first, THEN ask for installation disc... I dunno.  Thanks for the help, though.

[stu_munch]

OK, so I made a bootable USB disc, copied over the first recovery disc, it booted right up.

Formatted the OS partition.

I then got the dreaded error code: 0X4001001300001002

I'm going to assume it was what I've seen other people suggest, and that is the partitions got messed up somehow, and so it wouldn't work.  To that end, I bought a new hard drive, have it formatted, and am about to try installing with a USB key again.  I tried using a friend's external DVD drive, but the BIOS won't boot from it.  The only USB options it lists for the boot order are: USB Floppy disk, USB Hard drive, and one other one that isn't CD/DVD-ROM.  I'm hoping it's just a faulty/old DVD-ROM that's the issue (it's an ASUS one from 2003) and that if the USB thing once again gives me that error, that the drive I have in China will work correctly.

Just before anyone says anything, the recovery discs I have are NOT (I repeat NOT) ones I made from the recovery partition.  They are ones HP sent me a few weeks ago.