Recovery Image not working

FlyFishter

Acer Swift 3
Model # = N17W7
Manufacture Date = 8/18/2018
Windows 10

CPU = i5-8250U, 1.60GHz
BIOS = v1.14
GOP ver = 9.0.1074
HDD model = HFS256G39TND-N210A
Product Name = Swift SF314-54
Manufacturer Name = 3F5AF7E9-076C-A649-AA5F-1FC4DFB886EF


Steps taken:
- Backed up all files on other drives
- Built Recovery disk on to a 32GB micro SD card. Program for creating the image said I needed 16gb free. Total space on SD card is under 10gb = more than 6gb of it's estimate is not showing up on the SD card,
- Ran recovery from USB source to wipe things clean and rebuild
- Recovery runs
- Error at the end of Recovery run stating "There was a problem resetting your PC. No changes were made." 

Now all I get when I try to power up the computer is "no bootable device". 

Additionally, I tried the following:
- Copy everything off the SD card on to a USB drive. Prior to the copy I formatted (full format) the USB drive to FAT32 and changed the name to "RECOVERY".

Result:
- The computer will not recognize the USB drive. 

Current state:
- Computer will only recognize the SD card that the image was supposedly written on. After 3 attempts now I receive the same error stated above about resetting the PC. 

Questions:
- How much space should the Recovery image take up on the storage device? I've read some that state the image is hidden and there is only 1gb used that appears to be for Acer stuff (outside of the Windows recovery). I don't see that - mine shows under 10gb used of the storage device.  
- Does 6gb missing from the estimate sound like I am missing information?
- If there is missing information in the image I have - is there a way to find what that is and add it?
- If there is no way to recover from what I have available to me, is there a way I can download the recovery of the factory image as opposed to have the USB drive sent from Acer in the mail?
 
Thanks

Commodore_1995#

What happens when you press alt + f10 before the Acer logo?

FlyFishter

Without the drive in that I attempted to load the recovery image on I get nothing - it comes up with "no bootable device".

With the drive in that I attempted to load the recovery image on it doesn't appear to do much. Then it comes up with the start of the image booting process starting with the keyboard layout (I pick US) then it gives me the option of rebuilding everything completely, deleting data only/clean up, and powering off the computer. This is the same menu I got before the 3 other times I've tried to rebuild the computer from the image. 

Thanks

FlyFishter

Additionally, just for the heck of it, I went through all the repair options to see what I got. It acts like there is no recovery image at all.

That puzzles me - the process works all the way through until that point of loading the recovery. If it didn't write correctly to the SD card originally then I would have expected to get errors when trying to boot from the SD card from the beginning. It did not give me any errors until after it appears to have wiped the HD in the process. 

Commodore_1995#

Have you created a backup of the operating system image provided by acer, through the acer care center?

FlyFishter

The only image I have tried to do anything with is writing it from the tool on the computer from which I wrote the files to the device I am trying to recover the computer from now. 

There are no other images that I have tried to create anywhere. 

FlyFishter

I do not know what the tool on the computer is called off the top of my head. I used the search option on the computer to find the process for creating a recovery disk/drive etc. That is what I wrote to the SD card. 

As I stated before - what puzzles me is that the SD card is able to be run off of. That is where I am getting the recovery menu. If there was a problem with that process loading to the SD card then the computer wouldn't have recognized that as a bootable device, would it not? And doesn't the process to create that reboot device include the creation of the factory image file(s) at the same time? 

StevenGen

First, how did you backup your system and with what program? Was it with the option in Win-10 “Backup>Backup using File History”? 

Btw, the USB has to be formatted to a GPT formatted USB, not a FAT32, eFAT32 or NTFS and after that you copy the Backup on it, otherwise, you have to change the BIOS of the Swift 3 to 1st "Boot Mode - Legacy" and 2nd disable 'Secure Boot' then try your backup and restore.

Btw, with a UEFI BIOS and to be able to straight boot a USB, you have to format USB to GPT and do this:

1. Open an elevated command prompt by right-clicking Command Prompt and then choosing Run as Administrator.

2. Type diskpart (If the disk does not contain any partitions or volumes, skip to step 6)

3. At the DISKPART prompt, type list disk (Note the disk number you want to convert)

4. At the DISKPART prompt, type select disk 1 (e.g. 1 is the disk number you want to convert)

5. At the DISKPART prompt, type clean

Note - Running the clean command will delete all partitions or volumes on the disk.

6. At the DISKPART prompt, type convert gpt

7. Go to Disk Manager > right click on USB drive and “Create New Partition” then you have a GPT USB bootable drive

8. Copy all Windows Installation files or WIN=PE files

9. Now you have a GPT USB bootable drive

Note: In future you should backup your system with an easier backup software, my recommendation is use Macrium Reflect v7 (which is free) as they have a great Win-PE recovery boot OP system, which can be either created on a USB or on an imbedded pre boot option. Cheers and hope this helps.

FlyFishter

The program is what was already on the comouter - I assume that is either a windows program or acer application. 

The computer appears to already be wiped. I am not sure if I want to take the risk of modifying the partition on the SD card. That is the only thing that has any glimer of working in the computer now. 

If I modify the partition type on the SD card now will I lose what is on there? Or will that partition change be over top of what is stored on there now? If so it might be worth a try.

Does anyone have any idea how much space the recovery device should show? And does my less than 10gb sound like it has everything? 

Why wont copying that information to a fresh USB drive be recognized as a bootable device? I could try editing the partition on the USB drive then copy the files from the SD card to that. However, I assume that wont work as the files arent being created directly from the computer? 

StevenGen

First, if you don't want to take the risk (which is not a risk) then you wont be able to do it, otherwise you have to format a NEW USB to a GPT format mode and copy from the old USB your backup file onto the GPT formatted USB. The Swift 3 has an OEM BIOS of UEFI and a normal MBR Legacy mode USB won't boot! Change the BIOS of the Swift 3 at the "Boot" section, like this and then try to do the recovery from your backed up USB, as  and a normal MBR formatted type USB won’t work, for it to work, you have to change the BIOS to ‘Legacy MBR’ like this:

1. "Boot Mode - Legacy" 
2. Disable 'Secure Boot'
3. Then try your backup and restore.

FlyFishter

The boot options in security appear to be pasaword protected. I am the original owner straight out of the box, no one else has messed with it, and I never set up anything beyond the factory set up. So how would things be locked out? 

Is there a default system password? 

StevenGen

Well then you have problems, call Acer and get a generic unlock password, as on this site we cannot recommend any BIOS protected means of unlocking!

FlyFishter

I was able to set passwords as it turns out. Getting a bit further... disabled secure boot.

FlyFishter

Under the Boot tab I have Secure Boot disabled. 

On the Security tab the Secure Boot Mode is in black (not blue) and I can not select it. See pictures.

StevenGen

Firstly, this is an Acer Community and it’s not connected in any way with Acer Service and/or Technical solutions. Have you tried pressing F2 just and after the first screen Acer logo appears, to get into BIOS? As Acer does not put a password on any new laptop or computer BIOS's, this is very strange as someone would have messed with your Swift 3. 

As I've suggested before, your best solution is for you to convert a new USB to GPT format and copy your backup files onto that GPT USB and see if it will boot? Then restore your system. That is all the advice and suggestions that I can give you, as having a locked BIOS is restrictive to solve your problem. 

StevenGen

Ok, try the USB with the backup that you have and see if it boots? If not, then that USB is not formatted as a boot drive, get a new USB and use Rufus to make it bootable and copy those files to the new USB, See if that works? Let us know.

FlyFishter

The f2 command is how I got in to the bios. I was able to set the passwords - they had never been set, which I would think is correct. 

I can navigate everything in the bios that shiws up in blue. The secure boot mode on the Security tab is black and I cant get to it.

I have not found any other "boot mode", which you say I need to change to "legacy", other than the Secure Boot Mode on the Security tab (set to standard). 

Is there a trick to open up the ability to edit the "secure boot mode"?

For grins I enabled the secure boot on the Boot tab. All the rest of the secure boot mode options turned blue, except for the Secure Boot Mode. See picture. 

StevenGen

Did you do the backup with 'Acer's Backup Manager'? if you did then see here: https://us.answers.acer.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/15943/~/how-do-i-use-acers-backup-manager-to-image-my-drive%3F to see how to restore your backup.

StevenGen

Leave everything as it is, don’t change "For grins I enabled the secure boot on the Boot tab" as UEFI Secure Boot is the boot path validation component of the UEFI specification (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) as of version 2.3 and it seems that your Swift does not utilise that, your backup USB is not UEFI/GPT and changing to 'secure boot' will change your BIOS to UEFI. Leave everything as it was and see your backup USB works? If not, then do what I've suggested above and either format a new USB with Rufus and copy your backup 'Acer's Backup Manager' type files to the new USB.

FlyFishter

Formatted the USB drive to GPT on another computer using command prompt. Now I cant do anything with it. It says I have to reformat it. That gets it back to FAT32 which is what I dont want. 

When I changed to GPT I had the backup files on it, but the process wiped them.

How do I get the files on to the USB drive in GPT format? Or am I missing something?

Thank you very much for the assistance thus far. 

FlyFishter

When I right click on the drive (E) in Device Manager this is all I get. There is no option to create a partition in the list. Same thing if I right click the blue partition line showing in the Disk 1 option below, though it does note the primary partition is "healthy".