Help with an ongoing booting error

[jmd0116]

I've been plagued with a persistent booting error that really has me stumped. I am reasonable tech literate, but I know someone here likely knows a hell of a lot more and probably experienced this themselves. Here is the issue and the background.

System: An HP Pavillion 9000 desktop with some upgrade parts (RAM and video card) origially had WIndows 7 and has since been upgraded to 8.1

Recently I was having a drive issue. I replaced the drive with a new one. I have a Windows 2012 server so I just restored to the new drive. All went well. THEN THE TROUBLE BEGAN.

Out of nowhere on restarts I would get an error that a device was not able to be located and I could restart or use other start options. I could go to F8 and safe mode and get in with no issue.

None of the Windows 8.1 quick fixes worked. I then started to think the issue was the previous disk had a restore partition from HP (a D: drive). I had not partitioned the new drive. So I went back in, wiped it, partitioned it and named it the same thing (REPAIR_PARTITION) and ran the Server restore again restoring the C drive and the D drive HP restore partition.

Things looked good.

But throughout the next few weeks I continually have the same issue. On a restart I get a BSOD and the generic error message

RECOVERY

Your PC couldn't start properly - a required drive isn't connected or can't be accessed.Error code 0xc))))))e
You'll need to use the recovery tools on your installation media. If you don't have any installation media copntact your system administration
Press Enter to try again
Press F8 for Startup settings

I end up going through all kinds of things and nothing works - and then I end up with 8 hours of restoring form the server again.

I have a sneaking suspicion this is somehow related to a custom boot sequence and that D partition. The reason for this is because this usually happens after the computer tries to restart and then just stops three times. This is usually what triggers Windows 8 to go to recovery. I noticed the error message starts with RECOVERY.

I think maybe Windows wants to go to that partition to access the Windows repair stuff.

I don't know. But the bottom line is that every restart is a gamble and I am at my wits end.

It is the same set of error message and I can also get to safe mode, but it won't reboot to windows.

Very frustrating. Any info and assistance would be appreciated.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I think that you need to diagnose whether you have a hardware problem, or a problem with your Windows OS HDD / image.

Do you have another HDD available, that you could do a fresh install to?

Or make a bootable Linux LiveCD/DVD and boot off of that, and use it for a while, and see if it crashes, or won't boot. You might also try that with the "problem" HDD installed, and while in Linux, run both the SHORT and LONG SMART self-tests, and see what they say.

 

[Ketchup]

Yes, how bad is the old drive? If possible, just make a clone straight from it,

Your statement about working in safe mode does make it sound like you have a hardware problem, the other messages probably just pertain to data from the original hard drive that is not on the new one.

Your event viewer could be very helpful here, even taking a look at system messages for any hardware that is showing an error.

 

[jmd0116]

I have the original drive. I had originally thought there was a problem with it, that is why I replaced it. I guess I will try running the SMART and using system viewer. Now that I just restored it again there are now events. Of course, now I am not wanting to restart the darn thing

 

[Billb2]

What are you using for drivers as it appears HP doesn't support Win 8 on that computer.

 

[jmd0116]

I ran the SMART test and the drive passed.

Regarding drivers - which ones are you asking about? When I upgraded to windows 8 all the drivers were updated. This was way back when it first came out.

 

[inachu]

I ran the SMART test and the drive passed.

Regarding drivers - which ones are you asking about? When I upgraded to windows 8 all the drivers were updated. This was way back when it first came out.

Might work but if its not made for it then it is no guarantee that it would/should.

It "MIGHT" work but nothing from HP will say it will work fine.

But for arguments sake if you had an extra same model pc but with windows 7 on it and it works without any issue then you would have to make several adjustments to Windows 8 to make it function more like 7. Like disabling services and so forth or even disabling UAC permanently.

I've seen the same thing on a windows 95 machine work great but Windows 98 and ME will crash on it like crazy.
I blame the OS and not the hardware.

 

[denis280]

Your event viewer could be very helpful here, even taking a look at system messages for any hardware that is showing an error.

Did you look at it