Deleted recovery partition but have a HDD backup

Hi,

I have upgraded my mSATA to 500GB one, I took an copy using the Recovery software and have that backed up on a USB HDD, how do I go about restoring that image and recovery partition?

The folder Structure is something like

SamsungRecovery > <Random String> and inside this folder is the install.wim file about 15GGB in size

Any help on getting the Recovery partition installed would be great

P.S My original mSATA was erased with the recovery software on there.......

Kind regards

Lewis

 

Did you try using the BIOS level Samsung Recovery Solution that you can access by tapping F4 a few times at the BIOS screen?

John

 

John,

Thanks for the reply, yes Pressing F4 does not take me to the recover screen, the new mSATA was completely blank, like I said I have a copy of the Recovery on a HDD but no method to deploy it

 

Hi Ronin Hunter, welcome to NBR.

It is great that you have that backup. But unfortunately there is no way to restore it without working Recovery partitions. And the only way to install those Recovery partitions was by using features in Samsung Recovery Recovery itself, while it was still working (I understand they were lost on the original SSD). There is no download from Samsung that will let you create Recovery partitions.

This post describes the four options you have to get your software onto a new SSD. In order to preserve Recovery on the new SSD, you have to either clone it (using Recovery's own Disk Copy feature or a cloning tool confirmed to preserve SRS) or by creating a so-called bootable Factory Image backup on a USB stick (which will contain the SRS software itself).

In your situation, your options are:

1) Start over with a clean install of Windows on the new SSD. However, this will not restore any installed programs or data from your backup.

2) Swap the original SSD back in and have Samsung service re-image it for you. This will allow you to clone to the new SSD and/or create that bootable factory image backup, so that you can get Recovery working on the new SSD.

3) Find someone with the same Samsung model as yours, who has the same version of SRS (at least it MUST be Samsung Recovery Solution 6) and use their computer to create a so-called Admin Tool on a 1GB USB stick. This can be used to re-partition a new SSD and create working Recovery partitions on it (although without a factory image).

The recent thread linked below has more discussion, including how to create and use that Admin Tool, which requires using a hidden menu in SRS:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...-np540u3c-moving-recovery-partition-issd.html

Edit: I see that John beat me to it while I was typing this. Indeed, unless Recovery partitions are present, F4 will not work (neither will the SRS app in Windows). And even WITH those partitions present, it requires some proprietary Samsung trickery in the partition table.

 

This is the best option and I am familiar with SRS admin tool, however nobody i know off has this version. Are there no links to the tool?

 

Got it. Unfortunately I am not aware of anything downloadable that can create an Admin Tool USB or re-create the partitions. There are definitely no official Samsung downloads. I've seen a full SRS5 Admin Tool ISO floating around on the interweb, but I don't think it can be booted like the Admin Tool USB -- and besides, you need SRS6.

I would love to know of such a source (assuming it is legal) since we get tons of questions from members who lost their Recovery -- which is why I incessantly recommend users to create bootable factory image backups while they still have a working Recovery.

I don't think Samsung are overly protective of SRS itself, as long as no factory image is included (which contains Windows software). In light of that, I suppose you could bring a 1GB flash drive to a computer or repair store and ask if they'll let you create an Admin Tool USB. If you brought your computer in to a store with a Samsung knowledgeable service staff, that's probably how they would fix it themselves.

Edit: Another thought: SRS5 actually used Microsoft's ImageX (the WIM maker) and I do recall one member long ago reporting that he was able to restore an image using ImageX directly. I don't know if this is also true of SRS6, but it may be worth looking into in your case. I cannot provide more specific advice, it's just a thought. And this wouldn't get your recovery back, just be a way to restore the backup.

 

I'm trying to reimage my X3D (W8, SRS6) to factory but am running into trouble. To free up space, I had used recovery to save the image partition and then deleted it. I had assumed I could then use recovery to recreate the partition and from there reimage to factory. Wrong. While F4 is working since I didn't delete that partition, I don't see any option to pull in the directory where I have the image stored. Do I need to create a recovery partition and copy the files over, or am I SOL? Thanks.

Since it's always coming up, maybe there should be a thread dedicated to SRS issues? Changing the title on this one wouldn't be a bad start. Unless there already is one.

 

If you created a backup on an external drive, you should be able to restore that backup from the external drive -- even if you no longer have the SAMSUNG_REC2 partition. We have reports of members doing that with SRS6 (not SRS5 which only has single Recovery partition). But that will only restore the factory Windows partition, not re-create the Recovery partition(s).

The only ways to re-create the Recovery partitions are (1) with USB Admin Tool or (2) with a bootable factory image backup. Non-bootable backups are only meant as "secondary backup" in case the bootable factory image backup fails.

Or are you saying that Recovery won't let you select a Source from which to restore?

And yes, you're right, we (or I) should have created a dedicated Recovery thread long time ago. My plan has always been to create a FAQ style thread with links to existing threads and posts containing relevant answers. But there is always more important work, so I never seem to find (or take out) the time to do it

 

It appears I have two backups, and I'm not sure if one might be the bootable image. The larger (~12.2GB) has files named init.w01-03 while the smaller (~9.3GB) has files named user01.w01,w02. I also can't seem to select a source in recovery to test (either in windows or via F4). If one of these image is the factory backup, is there a way to make it bootable (I guess as GPT?). Or is there a way to manually recreate the SAMSUNG_REC2 partition (in diskpart?) and copy the files over? I'm guessing not.

Understandable, as always appreciate your tech support.

 

The backup with init.w01-w03 files is the factory image (they used to call it Initial Image) while the one with user*.w01 (etc) files is a state backup. Both of them contain just the Windows partition image, not the necessary data and software to re-create Recovery partitions.

In fact, even if you created these backups with the Create Boot Disk option, it would only work if they were saved to a USB stick that behaves as a Removable Disk, NOT to an external HDD (or a USB stick that behaves as such). SRS gladly saves such a backup without giving the user warning that he/she will never be able to boot it.

Knowing you (and knowing that you know what you're doing) I can think of a couple things you could try:

1) You could try and restore JUST the SAMSUNG_REC2 partition from your original Clonezilla image backup (assuming you still have that). I know I always say to only image the entire disk, so as not to damage the F4 link in the partition table, but it's actually SAMSUNG_REC (the Recovery Boot partition) that concerns me the most in this regard. I have a feeling it might be OK to restore SAMSUNG_REC2 and F4 will still work. Just be prepared that it might damage F4 after all, and you would be forced to restore the entire disk image (either your original image or if you make a new image now before trying this).

2) You can try and create a SAMSUNG_REC2 partition manually as NTFS partition, copy everything over from the factory image backup (with the init.w01-03 files) then change the partition to Recovery type ( SET ID=27 OVERRIDE in DISKPART). I have a suspicion SRS still may not automatically pick it up, but it is worth a try.

Note: It would be great if someone with SRS6 can confirm that 27 is indeed the ID of their SAMSUNG_REC2 partition (as is the case in SRS5).

3) You could combine (1) and (2): Manually create an NTFS Recovery partition, copy file & folder contents from the SAMSUNG_REC2 partition in your Clonezilla image (if you cannot extract directly from it, you can restore it to a disk first, then copy from there), then SET ID=27 (assuming that is confirmed to be the correct ID).

4a) Create an Admin Tool on a 16GB USB stick (one that behaves as a removable disk), copy your factory image backup to it (with the init.w01-03 files), then use it to re-partition the drive with working Recovery, making sure to enable the Copy init image option. It is described in this post (I had forgotten I made that, and it contains the lowdown on how to use Admin Tool). This is the cleanest approach, but it will wipe your current disk in the process.

4b) Create Admin Tool as described in (4a) but see if it will let you create JUST a Recovery Data partition without changing the rest. I don't think it will, but it's worth a shot.

Since you have SRS6, your disk must be GPT for all of this, and OS Mode Selection=UEFI OS in BIOS (NOT true for those with Win7 models and SRS5).

BUT, I am still very surprised that Recovery will not let you change source and restore directly from those external backups. Other SRS6 users have posted how they did this after deleting their SAMSUNG_REC2 partition. Something must be different here, I just cannot think of what it might be

 

Of course.

Thanks, that's a lot of good ideas. Unfortunately, I did not make the clonezilla image on this machine. But wiping the disc is no problem (assuming it doesn't kill F4). I'll try to manually create rec2, but I'm guessing it probably won't work. The admin USB trick sound promising, I'll try that next. If that doesn't work, I'll just wipe it and install W8.1 and be done with it.

 

OK, got it. I didn't realize this was a different machine without the clonezilla image. That narrows your options a bit.

I definitely think you should make the USB Admin Tool first, before trying anything that could potentially break F4. If you lose that, you won't be able to create Admin Tool anymore. Once you have the Admin Tool (and tested that it boots), you can play with the partitions, and worst case you know you'll be able to re-create working Recovery with the Admin Tool.

Edit:

I am still puzzled why Recovery won't detect your backups on the external HDD. Do you remember if they were made with Create Boot Disk enabled? I ask because maybe SRS creates a different backup structure in that case, assuming this will be a self-contained, bootable backup (but one that must be created on a USB stick in order to work), and this structure isn't recognized by the regular restore function. Just a thought...

I wish I had an SRS6 machine and a few days with nothing to do. But neither is likely to happen anytime soon

 

Well, I successfully created the Admin Tool, but I still managed to destroy F4 with it. Before I did that, I did get recovery to recognize the backup off the external hard drive (I had renamed the folder, so it probably didn't see it) but stopped short of reimaging. I also made a clonezilla backup beforehand so hopefully I can get back to when I had F4 (without REC2) and try again. I tried the Admin Tool several times but when I reboot I can't get F4 going and the windows boot partitions are still there for some reason?

 

Thank you for the update. I am very glad to hear you were able to get Recovery to recognize that external backup after all. In hindsight, I should have asked if the folders had been renamed, since I remember Samsung pointing that out in their SRS documentation (such as this guide). Your confirmation that this works as expected is a relief, since I have advised others to use that backup feature.

But something is definitely wrong with that Admin Tool: Both if it doesn't write the F4 link and if the Windows partition is still there: It should re-partition the disk and create both SAMSUNG_REC and REC2 -- and of course the F4 link. On a UEFI/GPT system SRS6 may also create an EFI System partition (Boot partition) as well as MSR and Windows RE tools placeholder partitions. Someone posted a partition list after using SRS6 Admin Tool, but I don't remember for sure.

Here is what I can think of:

1) Did you use the options in Admin Tool described in this post? I apologize for even asking

I am a bit unsure about the Install Recovery Area option, what it does, and whether to check it or not. Maybe it wants to simply add Recovery to an existing disk instead of re-partitioning. Also, I assume MBR Fix should be unnecessary when re-partitioning, but it's worth trying it on, since the F4 link is somehow tied to the MBR.

2) Is SecureBoot enabled in BIOS? I don't really know if it must be enabled or not (SRS5 models like mine don't have that). But if it makes a difference that would be understandable. And I would like to know.

3) Is OS Mode Selection=UEFI OS in BIOS? Definitely CSM OS won't work, and I can see how UEFI & CSM OS (hybrid mode) could cause confusion as well.

4) Did you boot Admin Tool from a USB3 or USB2 port? SRS5 prefers USB2 (particularly if there is already a Recovery partition on the disk), although I believe SRS6 should accept either.

5) I wonder whether your USB stick is one that is incompatible with SRS' bootable backup functionality. Admin Tool probably has the same requirements as bootable factory image backups. The following quote is from our guide on that:

In other words, the safest bet is an old fashioned USB2 flash drive that shows up under Removable Drives in Windows Explorer's Computer window.

Good thing (and thinking) you made that Clonezilla image -- always have a fall back when dealing with disk operations. But it would be great if you can get Admin Tool working as well, both so you can have full working Recovery on that disk (including REC2) -- and to enrich this thread with solid answers.

Thanks again for keeping us posted.

 

1. Yes, I followed those options including Install Recovery Area but not MBR fix. I can try each. I was also thinking maybe I should delete all the partitions and start from scratch before trying the tool. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure exactly what partitions are there now, I'll check diskpart.

2. Secure boot is OFF. I will try with it on.

3. Tried with both CSM/UEFI and UEFI only. Same.

4. USB2 Port only.

5. I think it is a transcend usb stick, I've used it for windows and clonezilla, which typically don't work off my sandisk drive.

I'll tinker some more over the weekend. Thanks.

 

Ok, finished testing. Got F4 back using the admin tool, I think "fix mbr" was the missing piece. I was able to restore my saved image, but unfortunately it was not in the format that allowed the admin tool to recreate the REC2 partition, appears you need the BOOTABLE image. It looks like these recovery partitions are in a proprietary format as well (id=some long hexadecimal string NOT 27) so I don't think you can even access it to copy files over. So none of that does me much good, I'll just call it a day and clean install W8.1 before I try to resell it.

Oh, I did test if a clonezilla full disk image retains the F4 link with SRS6 as it does in SRS5. Good news, it does.

So your standard advice is still the best. If you want a full factory backup, you're best served creating the bootable thumbdrive. Though clonezilla provides one alternative.

 

Thanks a lot for testing and reporting those findings. I updated my post here about creating and using Admin Tool to reflect that MBR Fix should be checked.

Before you call it a day (if you haven't already): After re-creating Recovery on the disk (with both SAMSUNG_REC and REC2 partitions and with working F4) could you check in Management Mode (CTRL-ALT-F10 on the Recovery main screen, NOT in Admin Tool) if there is an option to Import initial image or similar? I find it odd that SRS6 will let us save (export) an UN-bootable factory image, but not import it.

As you know, SRS5 unfortunately has no feature to save a bootable factory image backup, BUT there is an option in Management Mode to Export the Initial image to a USB stick, and Admin Tool can import that Initial image when re-creating Recovery. As with the bootable factory image backup (in SRS6), this Initial image MUST be saved to a USB flash drive, NOT an external HDD, otherwise it cannot be imported.

As for the partition IDs, I was wrong: The simple SET ID=07 (to change the partition to NTFS) and SET ID=27 (to change it back to Recovery) only works with SRS5. On GPT disks the partition IDs are long GUIDs, as you pointed out.

But you should still be able to copy file and folder contents to and from Recovery partitions, even with SRS6 and GPT disks. Several members have done that to backup their Recovery and fix issues, some using 3rd party disk management tools (like Minitool or Linux Live CDs) others by forcing drive letters on the partitions (assigned with DISKPART or Minitool).

The screendump below shows the expected root contents of SAMSUNG_REC and SAMSUNG_REC2 partitions on a SRS6 installation. Unfortunately I did not take note of who posted it when I saved it, so I cannot give proper credit.



And for completeness, this is the typical partition layout on a disk with SRS6:

Note that SAMSUNG_REC (the Recovery Boot partition) is FAT32, while SAMSUNG_REC2 (Recovery Data partition) is NTFS. UEFI (used on all Win8.x models) can only boot from FAT32 partitions.

 

To sum it up after go45cvi's latest findings (and please correct me where needed):

Background

The following procedures apply ONLY to laptops with intact Samsung Recovery Solution (SRS). Signature models from Microsoft Store do NOT contain Samsung Recovery (but has Windows Recovery instead).

Computers refurbished by stores or bought used (eBay etc) often do not have working SRS if the previous users deleted or damaged it (in fact, many Samsung laptops are returned to stores because of this).

Samsung models originally delivered with Win7 come with Samsung Recovery Solution 5 (SRS5, and before that SRS4) which is quite tricky to backup and restore.

Samsung models originally delivered with Win8.x come with Samsung Recovery Solution 6 (SRS6), which has better backup and restore features, but still some serious gotchas.

BEFORE disaster hits
Actions to take on a new PC, before deleting partitions, performing major disk operations, Windows updates or clean installs.

1) The "official" way to backup and restore SRS6 is by making a bootable factory image backup on a USB flash drive, which can be used to re-image an entire disk to Samsung factory state (the original disk or a new one) no matter how messed up it becomes. Such a backup MUST be made to a USB flash drive, NOT to an external HDD. The procedure is described in this post, which includes tips on selecting the right type of USB flash drive (which is critical). This feature only works with SRS6, not with SRS5 or earlier.

2) As secondary backup, in case the bootable USB backup fails (as has been known to happen) a regular, non-bootable factory image backup can be saved to an external HDD. This backup can be used to restore the original Windows installation (factory restore) and will work EVEN if SAMSUNG_REC2 (the big partition) is deleted, as long as SAMSUNG_REC (the small partition) is left alone. This is also a way to save precious space on an SSD without losing Recovery. It is described in more detail here. But note that if anything happens so that Recovery can no longer be booted (F4 is lost by some pesky partition tool or the disk is damaged) there will be no way to restore this backup. That is why you also want the bootable USB backup described above. Note that the backup folders and files created by Recovery on the external HDD should NOT be renamed. This feature is also new to SRS6, although SRS5 has a hidden feature to Export its Initial Image (see Management Mode in step 4).

3) Alternatively, or as an additional backup, a full disk image can be saved with a recent version of Clonezilla (using a Linux Live CD) as described in member go45cvi's post here. Restoring this image (either to the original or a new disk) will preserve working Recovery, including the all important F4 link. It MUST be a full disk image: Imaging ONLY the Recovery partitions (SAMSUNG_REC and SAMSUNG_REC2) will lose F4 when they are restored -- and is almost impossible to fix. We have several reported failures (and no reported successes) using other 3rd party partition tools to image and restore Recovery partitions (such as Acronis and Paragon, here is why). Such tools can be used to image the Windows partition, as long as the Recovery partitions are not touched. This applies to SRS5 as well as SRS6.

4) It is also highly recommended to create a so-called Admin Tool USB while Recovery is still intact. This is a bootable tool created in Recovery's secret Management Mode, which fits on a 1GB USB flash drive (512MB is enough with SRS5) and can be used to re-create working Recovery on a disk (original or new disk). Other than the bootable USB backup (step 1 above) this is the ONLY official way to create working Recovery and working F4 on a disk. It can be used in combination with a factory image backup to also re-create the original factory image (also called Initial Image). The post here describes how to create and use SRS6 Admin Tool (includes Management Mode passwords for SRS5 and SRS4). The post here describes how to create and use SRS5 Admin Tool. In a pinch, Admin Tools can be created on another Samsung laptop as long as it is the same basic version (SRS5 or SRS6). But factory images (Initial Images) are unique to each model, and contain copyrighted Windows software, so please don't ask for copies of them here on NBR. Member dosibox shared ISOs of some Admin Tool versions in this post later in the thread.

5) Finally, regular copies of the file and folder contents of Recovery partition(s) can be very useful in fixing Recovery problems, particularly in combination with Admin Tool (which was generally how we recommended backing up and restoring Recovery before SRS6 came along). The simplest way is to use Minitool Partition Wizard or DISKPART to add a Windows drive letter to the Recovery partition (see this post) then use Windows Explorer (or any file management tool) to copy the files and folders to an external HDD. Make sure to also copy any hidden and system files. SRS6 has two partitions (1GB Recovery Boot and 16-24GB Recovery Data) while SRS5 has a single partition. Another approach (which I have frequently posted here) is to change the Recovery partition to a simple NTFS partition using the SET ID command in DISKPART. This works fine with SRS5 (on MBR disks) but NOT with SRS6 (on GPT disks).


AFTER disaster hits
Windows messed up, boot problems, accidentally deleted partitions, or a new blank disk

6) If Windows is messed up and you don't have Windows restore points or backups, boot into Recovery (F4) and perform a factory restore. In SRS6, perform a Recovery as described in this Samsung guide and choose the earliest Restore point. In SRS5, use Complete Restore and choose Advanced to select partition settings.

But most likely you're reading this thread because Recovery doesn't work...

7) If Recovery does not work, and you previously created a bootable factory image backup as described in step (1) then use it to automatically re-image the entire drive, including Recovery and Windows partitions. This post has complete steps.

8) If you previously created a Clonezilla disk image as described in step (3) you just restore that. It, too, will restore both Recovery and Windows partitions.

9a) If you previously created an Admin Tool USB as described in step (4) you FIRST use it to re-partition the disk with working Recovery: Follow the links in step (4) for either SRS6 or SRS5. Member Aerobat pointed out in here that he had to wipe his disk completely before using Admin Tool, to make sure it re-created the Recovery Data partition. This will give you a working Recovery (bootable with F4) but empty (no factory or backup images). We now need the factory image (Initial Image), and Windows is then installed by using Recovery to restore the factory installation.

9b) If you previously created a factory image backup as described in step (2) Admin Tool SHOULD be able to copy it into place when it creates Recovery partitions. This works with Initial Images backed up in SRS5 (using the Export Image feature in Management Mode). But member go45cvi was unable to make it work with his factory image backup in SRS6. More testing is needed here, results are highly appreciated. In any case can the factory image backup be restored directly from the external HDD using the Recovery function in SRS6; this will restore the factory Windows installation onto the Windows partition, but Recovery itself will still be empty (no factory image on the Recovery partition).

9c) Instead of step (9b): If you previously created file and folder copies of the Recovery partition(s) as described in step (5) you now need to copy them back after Admin Tool has created the Recovery partition(s). Use a Linux Live CD for this. Or boot Recovery (F4) or Windows Setup (DVD or USB) and use XCOPY from the command line. This will completely restore your Recovery to factory state.

9d) Once you have re-created working Recovery (9a) and restored your factory/Initial image (9b) OR restored the file and folder contents of the Recovery partitions (9c), you now boot it with F4 and perform a factory restore as described under (6) above.

Congratulations, you are now back in business with a fully working Recovery and factory Windows installation!

10) If you don't have any backups and you have lost your Recovery partitions, there really is NOTHING we can do for you. If you Google or use the NBR search feature, you will find hundreds of posts about this just here on NBR. There is no download that will magically re-install Recovery and the factory image on your disk.

Member dosibox shared ISOs of some Admin Tool versions in this post later in the thread. This can be used to create working Recovery, but you still need a factory image or file and folder backup of the Recovery partition in order to restore anything.

Samsung will re-image the drive for a small fee if you send in the laptop. And for many people in that situation this is a good option. Alternatively you can wipe the disk and clean install Windows, assuming you have the proper Windows installation media.

If you still have intact Recovery partitions, but lost F4 (rendering Recovery useless) we can point to a few things you can try. But they require lots of technically knowledge and lots of work, with no guaranteed results.

Additional links to relevant posts:

Convert disk to GPT and restore Recovery with SRS6 Admin Tool

Re-image new drive with SRS6 Admin Tool instead of bootable USB backup

Creating and using SRS6 Admin Tool

Adding drive letter to Recovery partition to make it accessible in Windows

Backup and re-create Recovery with SRS5 Admin Tool

Manually creating a SRS6 bootable factory image backup

 

The import option in management mode seems to give me the same error as the admin tool. It's just this image I made is essentially only useable off an external drive, which is...stupid, Samsung.

You're right I was able to map the empty REC2 partition with diskpart and it is just NTFS. So I copied my files over, but I don't have all those folders, just the .wXX files. And when I went into F4 it does see it and will do a recovery from it, but at the end it gives a seemingly harmless memory reference error. It then reboots, gives a message that "system does not have recovery" or something but then begins windows configuration. Despite the message, F4/recovery is still working.

I also tried making a bootable usb system image as well, which it did. But when I try to run it it starts but reboots partway through and reenters recovery saying "this is the first time would you like to continue" and I can try again (and again) with the same result.

So this is it for recovery on this machine. Oh well, the old bloated W8 image with outdated drivers is essentially useless anyway.

Great job on this thread though. I think it's very useful and should probably be added to the sticky list. :thumbsup:

 

Thanks again for doing all this testing and reporting your findings.

It is frustrating to know that you HAVE everything needed for a working Recovery (partitions, SRS6 software, F4 link) and you HAVE a working factory partition backup on an external HDD, which you can even restore as a factory Windows installation using your working Recovery -- but SRS simply won't import that factory image back in to create a full Recovery with self-contained factory image.

The only explanation I can think of, is that true "Initial Images" must be exported to and imported from a USB flash drive (of the Removable Drive type) in order to have the proper folder structure and supporting files. This is true in SRS5, and apparently still true in SRS6.

So (as you and I have concluded before) the ideal set of backups would seem to be:

A) Primary backup consisting of bootable USB factory image backup (only SRS6) OR Clonezilla full disk image (requires Linux Live CD).

B) Secondary backup (fallback) consisting of USB Admin Tool AND file and folder copies of Recovery partitions. With SRS5 this becomes the primary backup for users who don't want to use Clonezilla.

I think we wrapped it up the best we can at this point.

I may add a few more links to that lengthy guide in my last post; some steps there were left without pointers to full procedures, even though I know I have those procedures posted somewhere. I remember you posted a more detailed step-by-step guide to the Clonezilla procedure, but I wasn't able to find it when I searched. Maybe I didn't try hard enough. Please let me know if you can find it -- or if you (or anybody) have other links or advice that should be included.

I agree, we should add this thread to the Sticky list. Ideally that guide should be broken down into multiple procedures for multiple scenarios, with SRS5 and SRS6 separated, and turned into a sticky thread of its own. We'll see if I ever get around to that

Thanks again for all your help!

 

Fyi,

Like many things linux, the clonezilla tutorials are pretty half @$$ed, the one that looked the most useful is of course a broken link. This article is slightly helpful in getting started with clonezilla. But it doesn't go into the restore operation, which is slightly different. Generally, if I haven't used it in awhile, I have to read the instructions and prompts, and then interpret what they really mean.

Save disk image

Tuxboot is useful in creating a bootable clonezilla or gparted thumbdrive.

 

Samsung Recovery Solution 3.0.0.6, 4.0.0.42, 5.0.2.5 & 6.0.12.4 - AdminTool

Moderator note: We have received two independent reports of browser hijacking and malicious ads when downloading from the mega.co.nz site used to share these files. Members are advised to show caution when clicking the links and downloading from Mega: Use an AdBlocker and open the link in an Incognito window.

These Admin Tools are a highly valuable resource to our Samsung community, we have received no reports of problems with the files themselves, and we thank member dosibox for sharing them. Also, I and many others have downloaded the files without problems, so obviously the ad issue is sporadic. Avoiding bad ads can be difficult nowadays, even for legitimate sites.

My Files
https://mega.co.nz/#F!s8gwWBxb!uEnBImJKatdqN64rN7utww
All links are interchangeable, you can take different parts on different hosts and start downloading at the same time.

SRS4_KOR_Admin_Tool.doc => Download SRS4 KOR Admin Tool.doc
SRS-6-Recovery-ENG-Admin-Tool_121031_Updated.docx => Download SRS-6-Recovery-ENG-Admin-Tool 121031 Updated.docx

To create a bootable UFD (USB flash drive). Only use 1GB stick (no need to use larger).
1) Start a Command Prompt as an Administrator :
diskpart
list disk
select disk 1 (if disk 1 is = stick usb)
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs=ntfs quick
assign
exit
exit
2) Copy the contents of AdminTool_for_SRS6.iso to USB. Please use a proper tool (Nero or UltraISO) for copy.
3) Change the BIOS settings for the booting sequence, making sure that the USB device is at the top of the list.

[CTRL]+[ALT]+[F10]
Passwords :
secclx
and
secos





===========
17/08/2014.
Enjoy !
By dosibox - popeye0

 

Looking for some help using SRS6 on my NP700z5c, Windows 8.
After a routine SW update, pc wouldn't boot. The screen is black with the message: "All boot options are tried. Press F4 to recover with factory image using Recovery or any other keys for next boot loop iteration."
Press F4 and entered the Recovery program and created a backup to an external hard drive.
Restart and enter Recovery program (F4).
Instruct Recovery to restore using backup file from external. This takes 2 hours.
No error messages. Once complete, I restart as instructed and I'm back to the original black screen.
It seems the Recovery can't find the backup file and gets stuck in this loop.
Any help you can provide is mucho appreciated.

 

Hi b.nana, welcome to NBR.

1) Assuming you can still get into Recovery (F4) create a bootable factory image backup on a USB stick (NOT an external HDD), as described in my guide a few posts back. Note the details about choosing the correct type of USB stick. Keep this backup safe, it can be used to completely re-image your disk to factory state.

2) Create and boot a Linux Live CD (or USB) to save any important data you have on the disk onto an external HDD. Make sure the Live CD you choose is relatively new and compatible with Samsung laptops. I am afraid I don't have recommendations, as I haven't needed one myself recently.

3) Enter Recovery again, and perform a factory restore (Recovery to the earliest restore point) and make sure to enable Partition settings. This should re-partition your disk and restore everything to factory state. There is an option to Maintain user data that you can try, but you may still have to restore some data from your backup. Also, enabling that option may cause a "less thorough" restore and not fix the problem.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

 

Thanks for the help. Yes I can still access Recovery (F4) and I've created the bootable factory image backup.
Before I get started using your tips, a quick question:
If I perform a factory restore with the partition and chose the option to Maintain user data, will I lose everything on the drive?
If I've backed up the drie onto the external HDD, will this include programs? I have a lot of statistics and graph building programs that are expensive and I'd like to keep.
I should also add that I've been religious about backing up files using Backblaze, so restoring those files shouldn't be an issue. Really, it's the programs and OS I want to salvage.
Thanks again.

 

Thank you for the update. You are well prepared, that is good to hear!

Restoring with Partition settings enabled should wipe everything and get you back to factory state, that is the basic idea. The Maintain user data option will preserve your data (or some of it), but you already have those backed up.

Unfortunately you will have to install your programs again. But for most programs you should have a license so you do not have to buy them again. And if you have the data, you should be able to restore that. If that is not the case, it makes sense to look deeper at repair options for the current installation.

If you have a Win8 installation DVD, you can boot that, and access the Advanced Startup Options that way. That will provide some restore and repair options.

Unfortunately, getting proper Win8 installation media is quite tricky. See this post from earlier today. Your model has ExpressCache and runs in UEFI mode, which means you definitely want to use a Windows Setup DVD, NOT a USB stick. And you need either an official disc from Microsoft/Samsung or an ISO from MSDN to create it.

Let me know if you have those.

 

I kinda knew the answer to the programs question, but was still holding onto a glimmer of hope. Fortunately, my licenses are still relatively new.
The OS is a different story. No DVD for Win8Pro (lost in a recent move, I'm assuming). Should I simply proceed with the Recovery steps and go buy a new copy of Win8?
Thanks again.

 

Got it. Your computer may not even have come with a Win8 disc, many Samsung models (and others too) skimp on those discs. So your Recovery Factory Image backup is your only source for re-installing Windows.

But you OWN that Windows license, so you certainly should not have to buy it again!

Using Recovery to perform a factory restore (either with F4 or booting your recovery backup) will NOT lose your Windows license: It will simply put the hard disk back to factory state, like the first time you turned on the computer, including a fresh Samsung Windows installation. Windows will automatically re-activate. You will then have to install those programs again (for which you also have licenses).

Even if you install from a Windows 8 setup disc, it should automatically pick up the license (Product Key) which is stored in your BIOS. Samsung support can sometimes be persuaded to send such discs: They call them Recovery Media, even though they contain only Windows, not the Samsung Recovery software. You can try and call them, since such a disc is great to have.

But for now, if you have all your backups made, I would go ahead and run that factory restore in Recovery (F4) with Partition Settings enabled.

 

Also see the post here for another example of successful recreation of the recovery partition.

John

 

So I was looking to get rid of my recovery partitions and possibly windows as well on my laptop. I hardly use windows, but will need to restore it to (near) factory condition if I ever want to re-sell or something.

After reading at lot of threads and in particular the nice summary by Dannemand in Post #18
I can appreciate all the efforts people have had to go to in the past, but I'm considering not bothering with the samsung recovery software at all.

Recent changes in MS atitude to Win8.1 iso's and the Win8 install keys in the bios, makes it seem to me, to be much easy just to re-installing Windows manually;
- Win8 OEM key ( http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html)
- Win 8.1 Single Language ISO ( http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media)
- Downloaded Drivers from samsung added to ISO
(and apps, though they all seem pretty useless)
All fits in a 1 DVD sized bundle.
Negates the need for any recovery partitions and solves the problems related to them.
(If you got the skills to follow through on what post #18 outlines the above should be a dwaddle)

As opposed to ;
- 32gb flash drive (easily damaged and idling about in case it's needed)
and to be safe a 2nd back up of
- 1gb Flash drive ... noted it can be stored elsewhere as per post # 22
- Backed up recovery partitions ~25gb
(+ Win 8.1 upgrade files)
All of which are taking up ~10x the storage space.

The choice seems obivious to me. Have I overlooked something thats going to bite me later? I'd appreciate your comments.

(Afterwards Install my windows in Virtual PC for the odd 3rd party app that I can't use in *nix, and avoid re-boots, would be an added bonus)

 

Hi rexx72, welcome to NBR.

It is certainly true that not everyone needs SRS on their computer, and each user will have to determine for themselves whether they find it worth the effort.

And indeed, Microsoft originally made it difficult to get clean (and legal) Win8.x ISOs which was a contributing factor for many: That Recovery was their only install media (since Samsung doesn't include discs anymore). This is now much easier with the links you gave.

Other reasons to backup SRS are (1) in case you want to sell the computer (as you mention) and want to restore it to factory state; or (2) if you require Samsung warranty and need to convince them that you didn't just mess up the system. If something is still not working after a factory restore, that pretty much proves a defect.

With a 32GB USB stick it's really not much work to make that SRS backup. The additional secondary backups I describe in that guide are just fallbacks and not strictly needed.

What IS a lot of work (if not impossible) is to re-create SRS after it is gone, with no backup. So again, it is up to each user.

 

Thanks for your response. The "Samsung Warranty" bit I hadn't considered. Having to keep it on a flash drive still bugged me, I don't trust them for long term storage.

I also bounced around this forum chasing down the various posted that have been linked, however some are broken. In particular a link to why the other "windows" partitions shouldn't be touched.

So after making a bit copy image of the whole drive and 2 copies of the "factory image" usb. I been fiddling around with everything SRS, windows partition on the laptop ....

Here's what I found out.

Spoiler

1) The "factory Image" flash drive can be imaged and stored elsewhere. ( USB imaged, gzipped (I got 15% compression), split into parts, copied back onto same flash disk after a format, moved to a different pc, reassembled parts, re-wrote image to the usb, usb SRS worked perfectly on the laptop)

2) After removing the samsung recovery partitions, I removed the 2nd "windows RE" partition on the drive, with no ill effects. However when I removed the 1st Windows RE partition, Windows failed to boot itself or (via any of the efi boot locations I had in grub on linux).
Note: After using the USB factory restore ... this 2nd "Windows RE" partition was not recreated.

Original layout: |Win RE|ESD|MSR|win 8 (C:\)|2nd Win RE|Linux|MyData (D:\)|Sam1|Sam2|
Working Windows layout: | Win RE|ESD|MSR|win 8 (C:\)| 2nd Win RE|Linux|MyData (D:\)| Sam1|Sam2|
So I won't be touching the 1st 3 partitions in future, they are only about 1GB in total.

After the Factory Restore and having run through the windows 8 setup again, everything was fine.

Then I deleted the newly created C:\ partition, and copied over my original windows c:\ partiton from backup. Windows grumbled a bit at the start, then automatically run a auto-repair script. After a few minutes I was back using my old Windows 8.1 again. All working just as if I hadn't done any of the above

Free tools I used:

Spoiler

SystemRescueCD ( http://www.sysresccd.org/ ) Bootcd/usb with a minimalist Linux GUI with the right tools for this kind of thing.
- ddrescue ( https://www.gnu.org/software/ddrescue/manual/ddrescue_manual.html )
bit by bit copier - imho better than dd for this. Progress indicator, Error Count (you don't want any), logfile.
You will need to know a bit about how to get around in a Linux Terminal (command prompt) to use it. ( This guide should help, https://www.technibble.com/guide-using-ddrescue-recover-data/ )
- gParted (GUI Partiton manager) - create, copy, delete partitions
- spaceFM (File Manager)
I also used things like gzip, split, etc but if you are unfamiliar with them, there's plenty alternatives and pretty gui ones
Like http://peazip.sourceforge.net/ which has portable versions for linux and windows.

So I reckon I'll be keeping a compressed image of the USB "factory image" on a ext-harddrive, till the warranty on this laptop expires. After that the Win 8.1 DVD will suffice.

Thanks again for your reply and all the information you've supplied around the forum.

 

@rexx72: Thanks a lot for sharing that info. You are absolutely right that the factory image backup (on the USB stick) can itself be imaged and stored on an external drive along with other backups. This will both free up the USB stick and possibly provide a safer storage. I do that myself with my Admin Tool for exactly those reasons.

For anyone who wants to read up on this subject, this thread is now our preferred resource (and thus linked in the Samsung Forum Sticky list). The summary in post #18 deliberately includes a lot of links to previous discussions precisely for that reason.

But just now (as in this week) is just about the worst possible time to make such studies: NBR just switched to a new forum platform (XenForo), and links to individual posts from the old platform (vBulletin) are currently not working: They take you to the beginning of the thread rather than to the specific post. It is being worked on and we expect a fix for those links shortly.

 

After reading a few threads - it still isn't clear to me. Is there any way to upgrade / update the rec2 partition to have win 8.1? Otherwise I think I will just make a Microsoft recovery image and abandon the SRS tools.

Can I then safely delete REC2 partition to get more space?

 

There is no easy way to update the factory image to Win8.1 -- if that is what you meant. I guess "factory" really does mean factory

You can make state backups in Recovery, which can be saved to an internal or external disk. And Recovery should still boot and allow you restore such backups, even after deleting the REC2 partition -- although I'd still recommend creating a Bootable Factory Image before deleting it, just in case.

Adventurous users can enter the hidden Management Mode (see this post) to create an Admin Tool and a new Initial Image (factory image) from the current Windows installation, then use those to re-create Recovery on the disk with the new image. The disk will be wiped in the process -- though end up with the same Windows installation contained in the new Initial Image.

OR you can abandon SRS and use Microsoft tools instead, as you suggested. Might make for a simpler life!