Wasted $40 on Useless e-Recovery for Aspire F 15 571T 569T

Anonymous1234567890
Anonymous1234567890 Member Posts: 28

Tinkerer

So randomly 4 weeks ago I started getting an error on boot that
"Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed.
Insert Recovery Media and Hit any key
Then Select 'boot manager' to choose a new boot device or to boot recovery media"
The Acer website suggested that I had to buy a $40 e-recovery flash drive. So I did. It arrived today. Slipped it in, got the same error, followed the simply instructions (hit any key then selected to boot from USB device), and it just loops right back into the same error. What a waste of $40.
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Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    Did you try all 3 USB ports?

    Jack E/NJ

  • Anonymous1234567890
    Anonymous1234567890 Member Posts: 28

    Tinkerer

    Yup. 1 didn't recognize the USB at all. The other two showed up as an option in Boot Manager. But no matter which it was in, when I selected to Boot from the USB it went right back into an error telling me to boot to recovery media.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    Tap F2 to enter the BIOS menu on startup.

    (1) Make sure the boot HDD or SSD is listed in the BIOS Information tab. If it isn't listed, you're not gonna re-install anything.

    (2) Also make sure the F12 and D2D options are enabled in the MAIN tab.

    (3) Is the BIOS mode marked UEFI secure boot or Legacy in the Boot tab?






    Jack E/NJ

  • Anonymous1234567890
    Anonymous1234567890 Member Posts: 28

    Tinkerer

    Whoa...the F12 option wasn't enabled on the Main tab - enabling that now sends me to another error on boot that looks like a Windows error, instead ("your pc/device needs to be repaired - error code: 0xc000000f"
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    (1) Is the boot HDD or SSD listed in the BIOS Information tab?

    (2) Is the BIOS mode marked UEFI secure boot or Legacy in the Boot tab?

    Jack E/NJ

  • Anonymous1234567890
    Anonymous1234567890 Member Posts: 28

    Tinkerer

    The BIOS > Information tab shows the HDD Model Name and Serial Number - nothing about the SSD.

    The BIOS > Boot tab shows "Boot Mode: UEFI"
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    OK. In the BIOS Security tab, set and F10 to save and exit a supervisor password. Then re-enter the BIOS menu with the supervisor password. Then disable secure boot. F10 to save BIOS settings again. Then press and hold the power button again to shut the machine off. Insert the recovery stick. Turn the machine on and immediately start tapping the F12 key to try to boot from the stick.

    Jack E/NJ

  • Anonymous1234567890
    Anonymous1234567890 Member Posts: 28

    Tinkerer

    edited July 2021
    Did that and ended up in a screen for "Recovery" that would "wipe all data." It told me it could not find the required .xml file on the USB and to hit enter to try again. When I did that, it booted and (despite tapping F12 while booting) it goes back to the original error message from before changing anything in the BIOS..."Insert Recovery Media and Hit any key. Then select Boot Manager to choose a new Boot Device or to Boot Recovery Media." I click the "Ok," enter Boot Manager, select the USB, and right back to the same, original error message.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    (1) Did you enter the BIOS menu with the password to turn off secure boot and save settings? Better check that secure boot hasn't been turned off again.

    (2) What ACER website link did you use to buy the $40 recovery stick? Did you have to use your machine's serial number id (SNID) to get the correct stick? Some F5-571 series had factory Win8x.

    Jack E/NJ

  • Anonymous1234567890
    Anonymous1234567890 Member Posts: 28

    Tinkerer

    Yup, still had Secure Boot disabled and the settings saved. Was able to get back into the Recovery menu and the process went for about 15 minutes, then threw the error "Display fail, error message = Create partitions fail, error code=2147024809"

    Yup, I had to use my machine's SNID to identify the correct recovery media type. When I entered my SNID it showed the USB as the only available option for my machine.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    >>>Create partitions fail,>>>

    Looks like the HDD crashed. Don't worry, if you need to replace it, new bigger more reliable HDDs are supercheap nowadays.

    So let's check it out. First, get back into the USB stick's recovery menu. There should  be an advanced troubleshooting option. Click on that. We want to get into the command prompt. This'll be a black screen with white text resembling   X : \ >_ .  See if you can get to this prompt. Then we'll go from there.

    Jack E/NJ

  • Anonymous1234567890
    Anonymous1234567890 Member Posts: 28

    Tinkerer

    After clicking out of the error, it's been in the "Drive Configuration for Recovery" (at 100%) for 4 hours 37 minutes, and still counting...is it safe to just shut down the laptop during that? Because there's no other way to stop the process.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    As mentioned earlier, the HDD seems to have crashed. Accordingly, the installation stick can't configure the drive so that's what's taking so long.  So yes, no further harm will come to the HDD or to the rest of the laptop from pressing and holding the power button till it shuts off. Then turn it back on and get back into the USB stick's recovery menu. There should  be an advanced troubleshooting option. Click on that. We want to get into the command prompt. This'll be a black screen with white text resembling   X : \ >_ .  See if you can get to this prompt. Then we'll go from there.

    Jack E/NJ

  • Anonymous1234567890
    Anonymous1234567890 Member Posts: 28

    Tinkerer

    Nope...the USB's recovery menu just shows the 4 steps down the left side and an arrow indicating that I'm on the first step - "Notice." The right side explains the notice that if I continue it will erase personal data on the hard drive, with an "Ok/Cancel" option. Ok leads right into the recovery option. There is nothing down the left side that I can click - it's merely an indicator of which of the 4 steps I'm currently in, in the process.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    Try the erase-everything ACER recovery 2 more times. If the HDD sticks again, then go to this link and create a bootable generic Win10 installation stick. We can check the HDD integrity with this generic Microsoft stick. 

    Jack E/NJ

  • Anonymous1234567890
    Anonymous1234567890 Member Posts: 28

    Tinkerer

    I'll try and reply back! Creating the stick might be difficult - I can't do it on the non working personal laptop, and don't have the privileges to save to detachable media on the work laptop
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    If you can't get a friend to do it, and if the recovery stick fails to revive the HDD two more times, then you might want to consider biting the bullet and purchasing a new HDD because all the symptoms so far suggest the HDD's head is hitting and destroying the platter. I'd recommend the 1TB WesternDigital Blue WD10SPZX. $48 with free shipping

    Jack E/NJ

  • Anonymous1234567890
    Anonymous1234567890 Member Posts: 28

    Tinkerer

    Yup, it's failed 5 more times with the same error.

    I appreciate all of the time and expertise that you've spent trying to assist, Jack!

    Since this laptop always had a ton of problems since it came out of the box, and I'm losing all of my years and years of data anyway, I'll probably end up just forking out for a new laptop altogether, rather than giving a little more life to one that's been problem-plagued.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    >>>I'm losing all of my years and years of data anyway, >>>

    Hold on!!! Granted the HDD won't boot. But that doesn't mean you can't try to pull personal files off it by connecting it to the USB port of another machine with a 2.5" HDD-to-USB adapter, less than $10 from Amazon. It doesn't have to be bootable in order to read it. In fact, you can use the other machine to try to salvage the HDD via this USB connection.

    Jack E/NJ

  • Anonymous1234567890
    Anonymous1234567890 Member Posts: 28

    Tinkerer

    Holy moly...I did not know this! Jack, you're a life saver!