windows 10 - Creators Update Broke Start Menu

Long Story Short. Creators update broke my start menu. I tried to fix it, see below and failed. Attempting to run the OOBE killed windows. I pulled the SSD from my PC and copied files that I wanted to keep and then returned it to my dead PC. I then loaded Windows boot media and deleted all the partitions on the SSD. Installed Win 10. Start menu works (small yay!). Win 10 immediately wants to update - it updates to creators update. Once again the start menu stops working. I attempt a repair windows... fail. Back to where I started immediately prior to deleting the SSD.

The rest of the story:

My PC finished updating to Win 10 creators update: 1703 15063.483 and now I am unable to:

• activate the Windows Key via the keyboard or left clicking the desktop icon


• get a right click menu for any icon in the task bar


• run Microsoft Edge (no great loss there)


• run Windows defender


• click on hyperlinks in some applications

TL;DR:

I am running Win10 Pro on a Dell Optiplex 9020. Based on information that I have found in various forums I have tried the following without success:

• PowerShell: Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}


• PowerShell: net user newUserName newUserPW /add


• PowerShell: sfc /scannow


• Hardware: different keyboard


• Hardware: unplugged x3 displays at PC (I'm normally running 4 displays)


• WindowsUpdate: checked for and installed additional updates


• Other PC: I have a 2nd PC (an old clunker used as a file server) with the same update and all seems to work well on it

The new user profile that I created has the same problem and I have rebooted the PC many times using the following command to disable hibernation: powercfg /h off.
I have also reviewed these posts, which are basically the same problem but (annoyingly) none of the solutions work for me:

It seems like I'm running out of options before having to reinstall Windows - dreading that thought :-( I have applications that will be very difficult to re-install.

Appreciate any insights, thanks :-)

Edit1: I have now also tried system restore which apparently rolled back to 'yesterday' but made no difference. I subsequently booted into safe mode with networking. Whilst in safe mode the Win button works as expected, both with the mouse and keyboard. Rebooting normally and the issue reappears. Drivers?

Edit2: Stumbled across the Microsoft Start Menu Trouble shooting tool and found that, apart from only running from cmd prompt / powershell as admin, that it reports the following:

Required applications are not installed correctly. Not fixed
"Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost" and
"Microsoft.Windows.Cortana" applications need to be installed
correctly.

This led me to an an article Windows 10 start up menu how to reinstall ShellExperienceHost, Cortana? which purports to be a way of reinstalling said applications. But it does NOT work for me. I feel like I am getting closer!

One user (@Vlad Schnakovszki) seems to have similar issues as reported here: Windows 10 ShellExperienceHost crashes but links to a tool with a rather dubious name: http://www.tweaking.com/content/page/windows_repair_all_in_one.html

I'm not sure I've been through enough pain yet to put my faith in tweaking.com :-/

Edit3: Tried to run the Start Menu Repair tool in safe mode, that does not work because the 2 services in question can't start in safe mode. Have also tried shutting down (hibernate disabled) then unplugging the PC then pressing the power button until it exhausts all the residual power from the MB - and rebooting (another fail). Currently looking here https://www.kapilarya.com/fix-microsoft-windows-shellexperiencehost-and-microsoft-windows-cortana-applications-need-to-be-installed-correctly-windows-10 and it seems promising in that system went from reparable to healthy

Powershell output...

 PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> sfc /scannow
Beginning system scan.  This process will take some time.
Beginning verification phase of system scan.
Verification 100% complete.
Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> ^C
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Repair-WindowsImage -Online -CheckHealth
Path             :
Online           : False
ImageHealthState : Healthy
RestartNeeded    : False
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Repair-WindowsImage -Online -ScanHealth
Path             :
Online           : False
ImageHealthState : Repairable
RestartNeeded    : False
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Repair-WindowsImage -Online -RestoreHealth
Path             :
Online           : False
ImageHealthState : Healthy
RestartNeeded    : False
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Repair-WindowsImage -Online -ScanHealth
Path             :
Online           : False
ImageHealthState : Healthy
RestartNeeded    : False

Edit4: Still not working. After reboot running Powershell: Repair-WindowsImage -Online -ScanHealth to see if the system still seems healthy (see edit3 report went from Repairable to Healthy after running Repair-WindowsImage -Online -RestoreHealth. Latest scan after a reboot suggests that the system is still healthy but the start button still does not work and Start Menu Repair tool is still unable to fix the issue. I guess I am 1 step closer to tweaking.com

Edit5: Downloaded the tweaking program via Major Geeks. Ran the fixes multiple times in 'Safe Mode with Networking' (but to no avail, at least not for the Start Menu issue). Then ran tweaking while logged in as Admin in normal mode; again multiple times. Start Menu is still not working.

Edit6: Attempted proposed solution by cybernard but to no avail (see comments below). Start Menu is still not working.

Edit7: Found a thread explaining a similar issue with MS Edge not working after Creators Update: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/apps_windows_10-msedge/edge-not-running-on-creators-update/cb57b694-3664-4265-af24-e6c03c81687c Attempted the solution (delete everything including folder here: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe in safe mode, run get-appXPackage... command in PS while logged in normally) and restarted but Start Menu is still not working.

Edit8: Found a thread providing a solution for MS Edge not working:
https://www.kapilarya.com/fix-windows-store-cache-may-be-damaged-in-windows-10 Despite that I have the exact same issue as addressed by the article (Windows Store cache may be damaged Not fixed) still no luck for me. It's looking more and more like a wait and hope OR windows in place update?

Edit9: 'Partially' following the advise of @cybernard I deleted what I could from C:\Users\\AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database\ and then ran: PS C:\windows\system32\sysprep>.\sysprep /generalize /oobe, (in Safe Mode) here is the resulting log file:

2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP ========================================================
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP ===          Beginning of a new sysprep run          ===
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP ========================================================
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f004d] SYSPRP The time is now 2017-07-20 14:15:27
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f004e] SYSPRP Initialized SysPrep log at C:\windows\system32\sysprep\Panther
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f0054] SYSPRP ValidatePrivileges:User has required privileges to sysprep machine
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f007e] SYSPRP FCreateTagFile:Tag file C:\windows\system32\sysprep\Sysprep_succeeded.tag does not already exist, no need to delete anything
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f005f] SYSPRP ParseCommands:Found supported command line option 'GENERALIZE'
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f005f] SYSPRP ParseCommands:Found supported command line option 'OOBE'
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f00d7] SYSPRP WinMain:Pre-validing 'cleanup' internal providers.
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP RunExternalDlls:Running platform actions specified in action file for phase 3
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f00ba] SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateSession: Successfully created instance with mount path C:, action file C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ActionFiles\Cleanup.xml, and mode 
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::Validate: Beginning action execution from C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ActionFiles\Cleanup.xml
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetStringValue: Getting REG_SZ value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Getting value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Warning               SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Error from RegQueryValueEx on value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep; dwRet = 0x2
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateXPathForSelection: Sysprep mode in registry is 
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetStringValue: Getting REG_SZ value PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Getting value PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateXPathForSelection: Processor architecture in registry is AMD64
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f0080] SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Found 'Sysprep_Clean_Validate_Opk' in C:\Windows\System32\spopk.dll; executing it
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP spopk.dll:: Sysprep will run on an upgraded OS.
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f0081] SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Successfully executed 'Sysprep_Clean_Validate_Opk' from C:\Windows\System32\spopk.dll without error
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f00d7] SYSPRP WinMain:Pre-validing 'generalize' internal providers.
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP RunExternalDlls:Running platform actions specified in action file for phase 1
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f00ba] SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateSession: Successfully created instance with mount path C:, action file C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ActionFiles\Generalize.xml, and mode 
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::Validate: Beginning action execution from C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ActionFiles\Generalize.xml
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetStringValue: Getting REG_SZ value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Getting value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Warning               SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Error from RegQueryValueEx on value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep; dwRet = 0x2
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateXPathForSelection: Sysprep mode in registry is 
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetStringValue: Getting REG_SZ value PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Getting value PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateXPathForSelection: Processor architecture in registry is AMD64
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f0080] SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Found 'ValidateBitLockerState' in C:\Windows\System32\BdeSysprep.dll; executing it
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f0081] SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Successfully executed 'ValidateBitLockerState' from C:\Windows\System32\BdeSysprep.dll without error
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info       [0x0f0080] SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Found 'SysprepGeneralizeValidate' in C:\Windows\System32\AppxSysprep.dll; executing it
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Info                  SYSPRP Entering SysprepGeneralizeValidate (Appx) - validating whether all apps are also provisioned.
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Error                 SYSPRP Package Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller_1.0.10332.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe was installed for a user, but not provisioned for all users. This package will not function properly in the sysprep image.
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Error                 SYSPRP Failed to remove apps for the current user: 0x80073cf2.
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Error                 SYSPRP Exit code of RemoveAllApps thread was 0x3cf2.
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Error      [0x0f0082] SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Failure occurred while executing 'SysprepGeneralizeValidate' from C:\Windows\System32\AppxSysprep.dll; dwRet = 0x3cf2
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Error                 SYSPRP SysprepSession::Validate: Error in validating actions from C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ActionFiles\Generalize.xml; dwRet = 0x3cf2
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Error                 SYSPRP RunPlatformActions:Failed while validating SysprepSession actions; dwRet = 0x3cf2
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Error      [0x0f0070] SYSPRP RunExternalDlls:An error occurred while running registry sysprep DLLs, halting sysprep execution. dwRet = 0x3cf2
2017-07-20 14:15:27, Error      [0x0f00d8] SYSPRP WinMain:Hit failure while pre-validate sysprep generalize internal providers; hr = 0x80073cf2
2017-07-20 14:17:21, Info       [0x0f0052] SYSPRP Shutting down SysPrep log
2017-07-20 14:17:21, Info       [0x0f004d] SYSPRP The time is now 2017-07-20 14:17:21

Edit10: After finally deleting the files specified I was able to get the OOBE to run. BAD - PC won't boot. Now I have a problem as described here: Can't Reset PC with Win10 & No BIOS Access (except I have BIOS access). Windows recovery is stuck in a loop always returning to a Hello there Let's get a few basic things out of the way. After seeing this screen a few times my heart sank. I have started to follow the advice here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-performance/troubleshooting-windows-8-and-10-failure-to-start/bcf8503c-1b39-4827-9734-a64fef725d0f?tm=1461970966687 specifically running these commands:

• Bootrec /Fixboot


• Bootrec /Fixmbr


• Bootsect /nt60 all /MBR

But I feel I might just be wasting time now. Time to pull the HDD, back it up and format for a fresh install. Thanks for playing!

Answer

Thank you to everyone that chimed in to help, especially cybernard.

I did several more tests trying to resolve this issue and ultimately started pulling out hardware. It turned out that functionality returned after removing a Nvidia NVS-310 dual display port graphics card.

Rest of the story:

Unfortunately I have completely wiped my original OS and now face the challenge of reinstalling all the software I use on a daily basis.

For what it's worth I installed a fresh version of Win10 from a USB that was a few months old. I thought it would be a good idea to disable updates and run the repair tool from Tweaking.com - surprisingly this crippled my system in the same way as Win 10 update did. I checked the update status and there were none - update history was empty. So... it was something on the PC OR the USB.

Decided that perhaps the SSD had died so I found a painfully slow 5400 HDD and loaded windows onto that. Same problem - conclusion: not the SSD.

From there I created a new Win 10 install USB which was based on Build 1703.0 - on the fresh install everything worked, after update PC is crippled again. That's when I turned to hardware.

I pulled half the ram, the extra graphics card, and an extra PCIe NIC - Win 10 works (well, lets not get carried away - start menu was back). A thorough process of trial and error eventually proved that the issue was somehow related to the graphics card.

windows 10 - PC won't sleep/wake after running script

I got fed up with my PC waking from sleep apparently at random intervals and did all the usual stuff, disabling wake timers, task schedules, disallowing LAN and other devices, running powercfg /sleepstudy etc. to no avail.

I found some scripts to disable all wake timers and ran that:

Get-ScheduledTask | ? { $_.Settings.WakeToRun -eq $true -and $_.State -ne "Disabled"} | % { $_.Settings.WakeToRun = $false; Set-ScheduledTask $_ }

Unfortunately, I also ran a script to disallow any device to wake the PC which appears to stall the sleep command until a key press and then shuts it down completely:

(/F "tokens=*" %A in ('powercfg -devicequery wake_armed') do powercfg -devicedisablewake "%A"

This produces several errors.

Although I can understand much of it, I don't have the programming skills to write a script to correct it :-(

Can anybody on here help? (can't restore a system image at the moment - I lent my backup drive+caddy to a buddy who's away)(OK - I'm a Muppett)

EDIT:
OK - I ran
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> @echo off

for /F "tokens=*" %%A in ('powercfg -devicequery wake_armed') do (powercfg -devicedisablewake "%%A")
which gave an error of a missing '(' after keyword 'for'. So, I put one in:
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> @echo off
for (/F "tokens=*" %%A in ('powercfg -devicequery wake_armed') do (powercfg -devicedisablewake "%%A").
This appears to have worked, although I still don't understand why, because there appears to be one '(' too many.

EDIT 2
Is there a way to reverse it? Can I just replace -devicedisableawake with -deviceenablewake ?

windows 7 - restore bat file default, change its edit

I have windows 7 64-bit, I've been trying to figure out how to set up a bat file to run with admin privilege so my wife can back up her computer by just clicking on it. It's been a journey.

I'm a programmer, so I know something of how easy this should have been.

My current problem is that I've somehow messed up the behavior of double-clicking on a bat file in Win explorer. It opens it in my own editor (what I use instead of notepad). At one time I was trying to set it so that choosing 'edit' on the file would do that, but I didn't want it to be default. Now I can't figure out how to go back.

I've been in my now backed-up registry to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts.bat and deleted it and everything under it. That got me past the point where double-clicking a bat file in explorer started the CMD prompt but didn't run the bat file.

What I am hoping to do is restore the default behavior and create a shortcut, then give the shortcut admin priv so that it performs the backup correctly. The tricky part of that is that it cannot live on the desktop; I would really like it if it could be on the start menu, but I tried creating a shortcut, giving it priv, and then putting it on the start menu, but it lost the priv when I did that. Next I'll try putting it on the start menu and THEN giving it priv, once I get past this current thing. But if someone has a comment to make on that, especially if it's in addition to fixing my current default problems, that'd be great.

livecd - Linux EFI Live CD/USB

I was trying to boot from CD on a new HP Pavilion dv6 a few days ago with much frustration due to the Linux distributions I tried not working with EFI.

Additionally, the EFI Bios is Insyde H20, which I read has some issues regarding Linux as it is.

Specifically this: https://askubuntu.com/questions/150174/sony-vaio-with-insyde-h2o-efi-bios-will-not-boot-into-grub-efi

However, this appears to be related to booting Linux from the hard drive. I would just like to know:

1. What exactly do I need to be able to boot Linux from a CD/USB? Is it a kernel-dependant thing or do I just need a bootloader like ELILO or Grub2 that supports booting EFI?


2. Are there any Linux distributions that are distributed with the ability to boot in EFI as they are? Or rather, what would the easiest way to boot into a live Linux environment be using EFI and without the Legacy Booting?

Answer

Booting Linux in EFI mode requires both kernel configuration options and a particular layout of partitions and files on the boot medium. The kernel configuration options are extremely common these days, so that's more of a theoretical limit than a practical one. The disk/file layout issues are more of a limit. Basically, EFI uses EFI boot loaders stored in an EFI System Partition (ESP), which is a FAT32 filesystem in a partition flagged with a particular type code (C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B on GPT disks). For an OS installer on a removable disk, the boot loader would normally be EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi on the ESP of the removable disk. In the case of CDs, this file would be in an El Torito boot image with an EFI-specific method of preparation. For this reason, it's easier to prepare a bootable USB flash drive than a bootable CD/DVD image. Of course, boot loaders often have their own requirements, such as configuration files and support files.

Today, Fedora, Ubuntu, Mint, SUSE, and I'm sure many other distributions support EFI-mode installation. The last I tried it, Debian did not, although I've heard that's in the works or may even have changed with the latest version (I need to check that detail myself). Unfortunately, getting the installer to boot in EFI mode can be tricky. The problem is that most modern UEFI-based PCs include support for BIOS/legacy boot modes, and so when you try to boot, you could as easily end up booting in BIOS mode as in EFI mode. Hitting F2, F8, or whatever key you press to get a boot menu can often bring up a set of options with two to boot your medium: One option boots in BIOS mode and the other boots in EFI mode. Once booted, look for the /sys/firmware/efi directory. If it's present, you've booted in EFI mode. If not, you've probably booted in BIOS mode (although you might just need to insert the efivars kernel module).

Installing updates via Windows Live CD

My computer bluesecreens a LOT (3 times just today), has been nearly since I built it 5 years ago and I've gone through everything to fix it. Last thing I've noticed is that there have been a couple of updates to my motherboard firmware but when I try to install them I just get an error that they won't work with a 64 bit OS (Windows 7 64).

I thought about using a live CD running a 32 bit Windows just to install the update. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Any reason it might not be a good idea? I looked around and just at first glance saw one called Vista pe that looked pretty decent.

Answer

1. work out why it bluescreens - I like nirsoft's bluescreenview for this


2. Run some tests - memtestx86+ would be a good strart.


3. If you're doing a bios update, these are often done from dos - which might be easier.

I'll update my answer, but 1 and 2 are essential for finding out how to make your laptop more stable.

hard drive - Can't see disk in Windows explorer

I purchased a new 4TB HDD and put it in an enclosure for external use. I formatted that HDD using the disk management tool (as GPT rather than MBR) and assigned a drive letter to it. I was able to use the HDD just fine. I found out, however, that on the box of the enclosure was listed "supports hard drives up to 3 TB." I was kind of apprehensive about continuing to use this enclosure, so I got a new one which supports 4TB hard drives.

However, with this new enclosure, I now cannot see the drive in Windows Explorer. When I go to disk management, I can see it listed as a Healthy GPT Protective Partition. When I right-click it, though, the only option is "Help."

Here's what I've tried:

When I use the diskpart command line tool, I am able to see the disk with list disk. However, list volumes on the disk returns "There are no volumes." list partition returns

Partition ###   Type           Size      Offset
-------------   -------------  --------  ------
Partition 1     Primary        3726 GB   4096 B

I also tried using the program testdisk. I tried the following: For Please select the partition table type, I chose [EFI GPT]; I then chose Analyse, then got Bad GPT partition, invalid signature. Trying alternate GPT. invalid signature., then did Quick Search when it said Try to locate partition. It located an MS Data partition, and I was able to explore it and copy files from it.

So why can't I see it in Windows Explorer, and why can't I assign a drive letter to it? And why is it not associated with a volume in the diskpart utility?

EDIT: Here are the products I have referred to:

The original enclosure which supports up to 3 TB: http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-3-5-Inch-Aluminum-Enclosure-EC-3US35/dp/B003CJQ69A/ref=pd_sim_sbs_pc_5

The new enclosure specifically tested with 4 TB drives (also has a fan): http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-3-5in-SuperSpeed-Drive-Enclosure/dp/B003F5NS9W

The 4 TB hard disk drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178338

ubuntu - Recover Windows 7 bootloader and its original drive letter (C:) back

I had Windows 7 installation, and my drive had following partition structure as I found in Gparted in Ubuntu LiveCD session.

• 100 mb system partition (Primary)


• Windows 7 partition (60 GB) (Primary)


• Data partition 1 (Primary)


• 25 GB unallocated space.


• Extended Volume.
  
  
  
  • Data Partition 2.
  
  
  • Data Partition 3.
  
  

Now, I attempted to Install Ubuntu in 25 GB partition, but installer didn't allowed me to install saying that I cannot have any additional primary partitions. Hence, I thought that 100 mb partition (which was primary) is not needed since it is created when we install Windows on a clean computer without any partitions existing. So I deleted that partition, and than proceeded with Ubuntu installation.

Everything went fine and I was even asked by Ubuntu installer to import any settings from existing Windows installation. But, when I restarted to boot into newly installed Ubuntu, I was not presented with boot menu to choose from booting into Ubuntu or Windows, and was directly booted into Ubuntu. I tried running sudo update-grub2 but it didn't found my Windows installation. So, I booted from Windows install CD and tried to repair it from there, but it was unable to find my Windows installation. Also, C: was no longer the Windows partition, instead it was E:.

I know I might have made a mess, but how can I recover my Windows installation back as it was before Ubuntu installation, I'm fine in removing Ubuntu for now if it is required to get Windows back.

Thanks.