Troubleshooting System Recovery Problems in Windows Vista
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In this document:
Starting a recovery with the Recovery Manager
Recovery is taking too long
Recovery message asks to insert disc after disc is already inserted
Error: No system partition found
Error: Cannot extract the archive
Recovery software does not recognize the recovery discs
CD/DVD drive does not recognize the recovery disc
Other errors occur during the recovery process
Related support
This document pertains to HP and Compaq desktop computers with Windows Vista.
Performing a full system recovery takes time (up to 2 hours) and involves a large amount of data transfer. With so much data to move, problems can occur. Use this document to resolve recovery issues in Windows Vista.

CAUTION: A system recovery completely erases all files, programs, and saved work on the hard drive. Always back up important information before attempting a recovery.

CAUTION: If additional hard drives are connected to the computer, for example an HP Media Drive, disconnect the IDE and power cables from the back of the extra drive before performing a system recovery. This prevents possible data loss on the additional drive.

Starting a recovery
If system problems make it impossible to access the Windows desktop or any programs, start the recovery process by turning on the computer and pressing F11 repeatedly at the first logo screen that appears.
You will have the opportunity for the recovery software to try to back up data before it is erased. Your data at this point might not be salvageable, however, to try, you can plug in an external hard drive (first back up the data on the external hard drive) and reboot, pressing F11 again repeatedly at startup. You will get a dialog prompting you to back up data.
You can also start a recovery from recovery discs if you cannot get to the desktop: If you created discs previously from your current system using the Recovery Disc Creation application, be sure to run the recovery from the same drive that you used to create the discs.
Recovery discs can also be purchased from HP Support. Refer to Obtaining a Recovery CD or DVD Set (Asia, North America, South America) or Obtaining a Recovery CD or DVD Set (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) .
Starting a recovery with the Recovery Manager
If your computer is still working and you can access programs and files, you can use the Recovery Manager to automate system recovery. If you have any doubt that you do not have to perform a full system recovery, use the Recovery Manager for diagnosis.
You must be logged in as the system administrator to perform a system recovery.

Back up all data from the computer you want to keep.
The system recovery process deletes all your data. If you do not back it up, you will lose it.
Click Start , PC Help & Tools, and then Recovery Manager.
In the Recovery Manager, click Advanced Options to view a list of Recovery Manager tools.

Figure 1: Recovery Manager advanced options
Choose System recovery, and click Next.
The computer might automatically restart. This does not mean system recovery has begun, however, and you still have a chance to back up your data if you have not done so (and if it possible to do so), or to cancel out of system recovery.
The Recovery Manager window appears again, without giving you access to your desktop.
Click either Next, to start the recovery process (and get to the next screen where you can back up your data), or Cancel to get back to your desktop.
If you chose to start the recovery process, note it can take up to 2 hours to complete. You will know it is finished when the system automatically reboots, and the Windows desktop appears.

Recovery is taking too long
Wait a sufficient amount of time before concluding the recovery is stalled. It can take 2 hours for a system recovery, especially when using HP Support recovery discs.
If you are sure your computer has stopped responding after starting the recovery program, do the following:

Exit the stalled recovery process by pressing the On button on the computer until the power turns off; this takes approximately 5 seconds.
Before trying a recovery again, disconnect personal media drives, printers, scanners, cameras, camera-type memory cards, and other devices that did not originally come with the computer.
If you are using recovery discs, be aware of the following items:

If you created the recovery discs using the Recovery Disc Creation application, be sure to run the recovery from the same drive you used to create the discs.
Clean the discs with a soft, clean, lint-free cloth wetted with distilled water. Wipe from the center of the disc to the outside edge. You may also use disc cleaning kits or disc restoration kits from your local computer store. These kits produce better results than a cloth and water.
You may also use available CD/DVD drive cleaning kits to clean the laser reading lens of the CD or DVD drive.
Try running a full system recovery again after following this procedure.
If you have tried recovering at least two more times, and the recovery process continues to fail at the same point, the recovery discs should be replaced or the computer should be serviced (to replace the hard drive disk image or to replace a failed component).

Recovery message asks to insert disc after disc is already inserted
The first recovery disc was inserted and successfully completed but one of the subsequent discs asks for the same disc to be inserted again. For example, disc 1 has completed and a message appears asking to insert disc 2. After inserting disc 2 the message appears again asking you to insert disc 2.
When this happens, verify that the disc you are actually inserting is the correct disc. If it is, reinsert the disc. In some cases you may have to reinsert the disc many times before the recovery software recognizes that the correct disc is in the drive. Continue reinserting the disc until the message stops and the recovery process continues.
In rare cases, the disc set may be mislabeled. Insert a different subsequent disc that has not already been used unitl the message stops and the recovery process continues.

Error: No system partition found
The following error message occurs while using the Recovery Manager: No system partition found.
HP and Compaq computers that come with Windows Vista hold recovery software on a recovery partition on the hard drive. If you used disk partitioning software to modify or delete the recovery partition, it may not be possible to run a recovery from the partition.
In this case, you have to perform a recovery using recovery discs. If you made your own when the computer was working, you can use those. To purchase recovery discs, refer to Obtaining a Recovery CD or DVD Set (Asia, North America, South America) or Obtaining a Recovery CD or DVD Set (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) .

Error: Cannot extract the archive
The following error message occurs while recovering the computer from recovery discs: Cannot extract the archive
This error message is normally caused by a recovery disc that has become dirty or scratched. Make sure the recovery discs are clean and scratch-free before attempting a recovery.

Recovery software does not recognize the recovery discs
This error can occur when using recovery discs that were made for another computer. Also, on more rare occasions, this error can occur when data on the hard drive was not properly configured at the factory.
To correct this error, obtain the correct recovery discs from HP. To purchase recovery discs, refer to Obtaining a Recovery CD or DVD Set (Asia, North America, South America) or Obtaining a Recovery CD or DVD Set (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) .

NOTE: If this error occurs with a set of recovery discs created from the same computer or from discs that were sent by HP, contact HP to receive a replacement set.

CD/DVD drive does not recognize the recovery disc
When the drive cannot read the disc at all (no errors), the disc may be scratched, dirty, or defective. Clean or repair the disc and try using it again to see if the drive will recognize the disc. If the disc is scratched, try using a chemical disc restore product to fix the disc (available at most home electronic stores). Insert the recovery disc again after it has been cleaned or repaired and restart the computer.
If the disc is still not recognized by the drive, the drive firmware may need to be updated. In rare cases the driver for a DVD drive may not be able to recognize the recovery disc media. Make sure the driver is up to date, download and install any available driver updates from HP that match the type of DVD drive installed in your computer. For more information about how to find and update the drivers for your computer, refer to the HP support article Obtaining Software and Drivers .
In some cases, the discs may be damaged beyond repair such as when discs are left out in the sun too long. When this happens, perform the recovery from the hard drive (if the hard drive recovery partition is still available) or replace the discs.

Other errors occur during the recovery process
If there are corrupt areas on the hard disk drive, errors can occur during recovery. If you are still able to use Windows, use the Hardware Diagnostic Tools feature to diagnose the problem.
Following the steps in this section may help to resolve the following errors:

Error 0x1002: Cannot extract the archive
Error 0x1003: Cannot create a folder
Error 0x1004: Cannot copy the folder source to destination
Error 0x1005: Unable to copy file from source to destination
Error 0x1006: Cannot load hive
Error 0x1007: Cannot create file
Error 0x1008: Cannot open registry key
Error 0x1009: Failed to move from source to destination
Error 0x100A: No system partition found
Error 0x100B: CRC error when copy file
Error 0x100C: Cannot get drive letter of a path
Error 0x100D: Syslock status is in FAIL position
Error 0x100E: Reimaging has failed
Error 0x100F: bcdedit.exe returned an error while processing command "commandline"
Error 0x1010: Cannot find physical hard drive

If you are performing a recovery from a hard drive partition (pressing F11 at startup), skip this step.
Remove and gently clean the surface of the disc using distilled water and a lint free cloth. Reinsert the disc and try again. If the error persists continue using these steps.
If you are performing a recovery from a hard drive partition (pressing F11 at startup), skip this step.
Remove the disc and examine the disc for scratches. If the disc is scratched, you can attempt to repair the disc using an optical disc repair kit. These types of kits use special chemicals that bond to the surface of the disc and fill in the scratches. Disc repair kits may be purchased from major electronic stores or places that sell DVD movies. Once the disc has been repaired reinsert the disc and try again. If the error persists continue using these steps.
Click Start , All Programs, PC Help & Tools, and then Hardware Diagnostic Tools.
The initial diagnostic tool appears and immediately collects information about your system.

Figure 2: Hardware Diagnostic Tools progress bar
The main window is visible after the initial collection step.

Figure 3: Hardware Diagnostic Tools window
From this window, you choose which areas of your computer to test.
Click Storage, and then click Hard Drive.
If no problems are found with the hard drive, click DVD-RW Drive to check for disc drive errors.