Recovery Image not working

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

Accepted answers

All comments

Commodore_1995#

These are the files that appear on my recovery drive that is on an external hdd, see:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/bc/qrt3x7535cck.png

that's why i sent you the boot files (BOOT and BOOTNXT). these files are also created by the acer care center, but are hidden. Did you copy the BOOT and BOOTNXT files?

FlyFishter

This is the process that I did - link to the page where it is below:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026852/windows-create-a-recovery-drive

To create a recovery drive in Windows 10:

In the search box next to the Start button, search for Create a recovery drive and then select it. You might be asked to enter an admin password or confirm your choice.
When the tool opens, make sure Back up system files to the recovery drive is selected and then select Next.
Connect a USB drive to your PC, select it, and then select Next.
Select Create. Many files need to be copied to the recovery drive, so this might take a while.

It does state elsewhere (check the link) that the process doesn't image the HD. Thats what I wanted - no HD image. I just wanted the system files to "recover" the computer after the blast-off.

So if the system files are not accessible (what are perhaps still in the 2x partitions on the HD) - How do I get system files that pertain to this model computer so I can bring it back to an out-of-box state?

FlyFishter

egydiocoelho said:

These are the files that appear on my recovery drive that is on an external hdd, see:
that's why i sent you the boot files (BOOT and BOOTNXT). these files are also created by the acer care center, but are hidden. Did you copy the BOOT and BOOTNXT files?

All I got was a boot.rar file.

Also of note looking at your files (thank you very much for showing that by the way) - I do not have the BOOT folder on the root of the file set. See back in the thread a little bit. I have 3 screen shots showing what is in the root and what is in the 2x folders in the root.

Commodore_1995#

Download the program winrar to extract the files I sent you

billsey

The problem is that a Windows Recovery disk is not a backup, it's only the stuff needed to restore a backup and the drivers that don't come with the standard Windows load. The same is true of what was installed when you reinstalled Windows, the EFI partition is used to boot, the Recovery partition is used to launch the recovery software for restoring a backup. If the Acer factory image were still there there would another partition, close to 10GB in size.

FlyFishter

billsey said:

The problem is that a Windows Recovery disk is not a backup, it's only the stuff needed to restore a backup and the drivers that don't come with the standard Windows load. The same is true of what was installed when you reinstalled Windows, the EFI partition is used to boot, the Recovery partition is used to launch the recovery software for restoring a backup. If the Acer factory image were still there there would another partition, close to 10GB in size.

Comments pertain to the bold - That is precisely what I need.

FlyFishter

egydiocoelho said:

Download the program winrar to extract the files I sent you

Got the WinRAR extraction done. Everything is loaded to the USB drive now. Will give it a shot.

Can you get a screen shot showing what is in each of the folders on the root of your backup drive?

Thanks for all the assistance - from everyone - this far.

FlyFishter

I am trying to get in to the bios on the computer now and the F2 command at start up does not work. I tried putting the original SD card in the first USB port and tried the F12 command at start up. That does not work, either.

This is with the base windows 10 install running on the computer.

Is there something I need to do to enable the F keys at start up?

Commodore_1995#

Yes my friend:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/vl/kcgrxyako5si.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/7b/u6flmkme3oqf.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/ia/vkwb21fktgk0.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/xc/d5soknihbpuo.png

Commodore_1995#

Convert the usb with powershell admin:
diskpart
list disk
sel disk x
clean
convert gpt
create partition primary
format fs=fat32 quick
assign
After, extract the files recovery partition for usb stick or external hdd.

FlyFishter

Update - I found a way thru windows to get to it:
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5831-boot-uefi-firmware-settings-inside-windows-10-a.html

FlyFishter

I changed the boot order to the USB drive first then restarted the computer. The Recovery drive is working thus far - it is running.

I will post back once its complete.

Commodore_1995#

ok my friend.

FlyFishter

Well it ran, but it went as far as the original SD card got me - will not rebuild the computer, just wiped the HD.

Commodore_1995#

Convert the usb with powershell admin:
diskpart
list disk
sel disk x
clean
convert gpt
create partition primary
format fs=fat32 quick
assign
After, extract the files recovery partition for usb stick or external hdd:

FlyFishter

I think Im done screwing with the fornatting and loading files to the usb now.

I am putting the base windows 10 on right now. See below for a picture of the partition selection upon starting the install process.

Is there a way to get the factory recovery files from another source where I can use a utility, for example, to build the files on to the USB drive to reboot from? As in - specific to this computer and not a generic windows load like I am using right now?

Commodore_1995#

In this case, only by purchasing erecovery on the United States website acer.

FlyFishter

egydiocoelho said:

In this case, only by purchasing erecovery on the United States website acer.

Due to COVID-19 they are no longer processing Erecovery media orders.

https://store.acer.com/en-us/extended/recovery/#_ga=2.54609775.514944723.1587776294-1641178579.1587776294

Any other ideas?

Commodore_1995#

First enable safe boot in msconfig on windows. Then, go to the bios and change the sata mode to achi and then check if the recovery unit you created on the sd card or usb stick, works with the boot files I sent you.

FlyFishter

egydiocoelho said:

First enable safe boot in msconfig on windows. Then, go to the bios and change the sata mode to achi and then check if the recovery unit you created on the sd card or usb stick, works with the boot files I sent you.

I already answered that. The drive does what the SD card did - it wipes the HD. It does not restore.

What I need are the factory restore files for this computer.

If Windows has the license stored in the computer (license key as part of the bios) then it would appear any windows install will work. So if that is the case - can I get a complete recovery file set (factory, no other images than factory) from someone with another computer that I can load to the USB drive the same way I have been trying to mess with the files that I've already tried?

What gives me hope in that method is that we were able to get the USB drive (not the SD card I originally wrote the files to) to be recognized in the computer and run the recovery tool.

For my computer specs/details see the opening post of this thread.

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