» Windows 7 Error Recovery is a punch in the nuts for techies Within Windows

Dec 2008

43 Comments

Windows 7 Error Recovery is a punch in the nuts for techies

Today, while in a class, I installed some software in Windows 7. You know, to pass time. A reboot later, I was greeted by a driver-induced bugcheck, making me doubt the whole “Windows Vista applications will work fine on Windows 7” word going around… (but that’s another story)

I already knew what the problem was, so no big deal… I figured I’d just mash F8 a few times and boot up into the Last Known Good Configuration to prevent the culprit driver from loading and be on my way…

Clippy is back!

… but it wasn’t that easy. As you can see above, there is absolutely no way to return to the Windows boot choices menu from this newfangled Error Recovery menu. Don’t let the menu above trick you – my choices were really [keep crashing] or [waste my time detecting the already-known problem].

Biting my lip, I let Windows run the Startup Repair utility…

Do you want to apply an overzealous fix?

System Restore?! Oh come on. I just want to restore a working service Control Set! I tried clicking [Cancel] but that just put me in a never-ending progress bar loop.

I gave up and clicked [Restore].

Surprisingly it worked, as Bryant indicated… but that’s not the point. After everything was said and done, I felt like I just jumped through a bunch of technical support hoops to fix a problem I already knew how to fix on my own but couldn’t.

I will be finding a way to turn this “feature” off ASAP.

A reader suggested I click [Send Feedback]…

Pingback: Windows 7 error recovery: Dueling views - SuperSite Blog
Anonymous

You can do it Rafael!
http://www.aeroxp.org/2008/12/windows-7-error-recovery-actually-works/ Bryant

Ugh, I think our trackback system is fried.

Anyway, Raf… wow. Clippy’s application in the first shot is epic.
T Man

Or, instead of turning it off, click that little Send Feedback link so that MS can improve it in the future.
werejag

lol m$ improve windows????

you gotta be kidding right?
danz

@werejag: Really? an “m$”? That really helps us believe your point

Anyway, it doesn’t seem too hard to add those boot options, altough the error recovery seems very nice for users who aren’t too tech savy
loop

yea..i found this earlier today also after installing a new blu ray drive in vista and messing around with my ahci settings in the bios…its like windows repair for dummies…just might save microsoft some headaches in the future if it pans out
garyk

what happens if you would have pressed reset? could you have been able to get the old boot menu?
Pingback: Windows 7 Error Recovery - Windows 7 Forums
epobirs

Aw, poor techies. More stuff aimed at getting regular humans up and running after a failure and taking you out of the loop.

The fact that it worked really is the point. As a techie, I can take some pride in knowing how to root around under the hood but I’d rather spend my on-site time helping users to get new apps working or learning how better to use their systems than applying minor fixes. Especially if the process can be automated. If it works, it is a good thing.

Besides, it’s not even Beta. Adding a third choice for the traditional option is not a big deal if the case can be made for its need. But try not to sound whiney about it.
Pingback: Windows 7 Error Recovery Environment (WinRE)
anonymuos

Problem is it also repairs Vista installations. Now I had a dual boot setup and was switching between 2 primary partitions (making only 1 active at a time), one with Vista and other with Windows 7. But because it also “repaired” the Vista partition when it wasn’t active, things got screwed up and now Vista doesn’t work properly. I’ve tried repairing Vista from the Vista DVD, manually creating BCD entries, tried everything with both partitions active one at a time.
http://utvv.blogspot.com wisher

Wow, I am not the one playing with my PC at classes :-)
However you should consider that this is still a pre beta software. Things should be fixed. You could tell microsoft the error you encuntered to get it fixed in the definitive version.
JJ

LKGC works along the same lines as System Restore, except that System Restore includes multiple snapshots. Backups of startup files are saved, along with critical registry entries and such. It’s practically the same, and yet you sit there and chew about it even after it fixed your computer.
http://www.aeroxp.org Bryant

Everyone who just read JJ’s above comment, please scrub your brains clean.

Last Known Good Configuration reverts only the current control set to a previous control set (a backup retained whenever a change is made to the control set).

What is a control set? Basically the relevant hardware/driver and services information needed to get Windows up and running.

System Restore, on the other hand, looks at many other things in addition to just the control sets, including which applications are installed. This also means that if a person reverts to an older system restore point, some additional things may be lost which would have otherwise been preserved had the LKGC option existed.
AndyB

Could you imagine being an end-user and having to choose between…

Your System Failed to start-up would you like to…
“Go back to Last Known Good Configuration” OR “System Restore”?

I’ve been programming for 12+ years and even I wouldn’t know which one to use i given the choice (until I saw Bryant’s comment)

I guess this goes back to the problem with Simple/Normal Users vs. Advanced Power Users…someday Joel will make a blog about how there are 10 different ways to repair Windows (like his post on sleep vs. hibernate vs. hybrid sleep vs. shut off) and people like me don’t see what the problem is with more options (as long as there is some HELPful Description)
JonLaslow

@AndyB: It would be nice if they left the screen as-is, however still provided the option to “Press F8 to return to the Startup Options menu”, or some such thing in the bottom gray bar. Normal users are still defaulted to the best option for them, but power users can still play around with the various other ‘legacy’ options that we all know and (mostly) love.
Rafael

@All: As JonLaslow pointed out, the point of my post was to highlight the fact I had *no choice* but to use the wizard, which forced me to use System Restore, which in the real world, could cause data loss. Maybe I should have blogged about how when your machine crashes, you can’t even get into safe mode…?
JonLaslow

@Rafael: In Vista, the use of Startup Repair is governed by a file called ‘bootstat.dat’ in the %windir% directory. The only processes (that I’m aware of, anyways) that write to it are winload.exe (setting the value ‘LASTBOOTSUCEEDED’ to ‘FALSE’), and the Service Control Manager, setting the same value to ‘TRUE’. As such, if the boot process is interrupted after winload.exe is run and before SCM kicks in, the value is left at false Start Repair is called on boot (if WinRE is installed on the hard drive – if not, it’s called when you try to load WinRE).

If you’re feeling brave, and if this file is present in Windows 7, you could attempt to deny access to the ‘bootstat.dat’ file and see that will prevent the value from being changed and Startup Repair from being called. No idea if it would work, but maybe something to go on in lieu of a proper workaround or an actual change by Microsoft.
JRB

If you select “Start Windows Normally” you can press F8 and bring up the normal boot menu… Just like in vista.
Dan

F5 might also being up the alternate boot menu. It USED to be different from F8 but I think nowadays (XP/Vista) they do the same thing. Who knows, it’s worth a try though.

JRB’s suggestion also sounds helpful.

You could also try booting from a BartPE (or a Windows PE with regedit on it), mounting the SYSTEM registry hive, and replacing the “CurrentControlSet” key with one of the “ControlSetXXX” keys (I assume lower numbers are older). I believe this is essencially what LKGC does (probably uses the most recent).
DiDo FRGT/10

lol! Does that last pic means what I think it means?

Anyway, I think Microsoft is trying to help end users resolve their system problems with the need of an expert, hope I’m not stating the obvious, though I’m sure they’ll bring back the other options in future versions.

btw, I’m using that Norton Antivirus Gaming Edition you posted eariler, surprisingly it doesn’t overkill the system, though the activation messages are annoying. Just thought you should know.
DiDo FRGT/10

without the need*
http://runwin7fromusb.blogspot.com Run Windows 7 from an external USB harddisk

I also found several troubles when installing Windows 7 to run from an external USB drive:

http://runwin7fromusb.blogspot.com
Thunderbuck

Wonder if Recovery Console can be installed…
Neil

Neowin now has an article on the “bootscreen” of build 695X, and people are going crazy over it, they have already had over 5000 views of the article ( including two from me as well ). If this hysterya continues on the same way just imagine what will happen when and if Microsoft release a public beta of it !!
Nabeel

Where’s safe mode??
http://divy.co.nr/ Divyanshu

All the best!

and plz publish it here once ur done :)
Edootjuh

I noticed there is a recoveryenabled entry in BCDEDIT for Windows 7 entries. Could it be that if you set this to no, it won’t do this?
http://real-encounters.blogspot.com Emir

My bootloader of 7 broke, so I had to place my Windows Vista DVD in my computer and asked it to repair the damaged bootloader.

Then, I noticed that the Recovery Options were no longer available. Is there a fix for this?
http://real-encounters.blogspot.com Emir

Vista’s fix on the bootloader overwrote 7′s.
akash3656

RAFEEL GO HERE: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/12/11/press-space-bar-to-quick-access-windows-boot-manager/

I haven’t tested this out because I’m having a windows 7 6956 WITHOUT the recovery tool.
IMO, I think the recovery tool is good tool Microsoft made for average computer people(read: noobs)
BTW, these “recovery tools” came with vista on some OEMs like Dell.
LIKE I SAID I DID NOT TEST THIS OUT….
Pingback: Startup Repair in Windows 7 ~ IT Professionals
lildudespider

I agree with what rafael said, as i have started to use windows 7 myself, the operationg system is made to be as simple as possible for every user

however some useres liek rafael liek to contro levery aspect of their operatign system, to fix this you shouldent post on your website, you should forward the option directly to microsoft. the operating system is still in beta for an estimated half year, and changes can still be made, you can be the difference
Chris

it’s all like it wasd before.. my w7 also crashed – when starting up press Space Bar or Hit F8
both of them will bring up the Startmenu with the regular boot choices…

the third way to get in to safe mode just hit and hold the CTRL key while booting up..

this has never changed on MS Windows Systems

hth
http://moreplav.ru чимчим

Просто отлично! На самом деле любопытно написано. :)
http://withinwindows Dennis McMillan

Try this One, I,ve figured it out! BUT do MS have anything on it????

My Beta version worked with NO problems NOW that I have got the New version in it,s Upgrade mode I have Two problems!

1 > Hangup city foolling around with game !!! and Buzzzz, lockup and sometimes it just locks up,looking at the errors!

I find a bunch of CDrom Error 11 at the time of crash! sometimes Hard drive Error 11 also. I get sound problems in Sound I lose Center/Subwoofer and Side speakers in realtek HD sound system on my Motherboard,yet it worked fine in the beta.

what the HELL is going on here,Beta worked fine .new version Crashes WHY! no reason for it! FIX IT pronto!

Cheers And to all Merry XMAS and a happy new year

Dennis
Mike

I installed a blu-ray drive and everything worked just fine. The next day I rearranged my room, so disconnected all USB devices, power cords, etc, moved it across the room and reconnected everything. Now when I turn it on the error recovery prompt comes up.

HERE is the problem: When I go to repair, it stops working at the “windows is loading files screen”.

When I try safe mode it also stops while loading windows\system32\drivers\disk.sys

No idea where to go from here.
Mike

Problem fixed.

I figured since it was stopping at disk.sys that maybe I had knocked a sata cable loose. So I opened the machine and disconnected and reconnected the hard drive and now error recovery works and now my computer works.
rushiraj

i have problem with open setups & program file.i will try to search its solution on lots of sites,but all sites give me only setup file, but there is my origanal problem,how to seetup me any registry clea\ning software
jonathan

My windows 7 ran into the same symptoms as the initial screen shot on this thread. It goes into repair mode but nothing happens. Since I had a partion, i was able to install another OS and access my files, but really don’t want to lose or re-do everything or transfer files and load windows 7 and all other applications again. Can anyone help with what else I can do get back to my original OS and my programs without going through the messy route. I promise to back up the next time!!!

Since I am able to boot from my partion, I am assuming it’s not a lose cable like Mike mentioned.

Thanks,
Jonathan
Davidsthomas

Windows 7 is for shit i should get an apple no problems it apple
Logan Warner

Hate Windows 7 right now secodn time it did this it blue screened after glitching helpful hint when you get to that dumb repair page push Crtl+Alt+Delete it returns you to the boot menu.