HAFEEZUMAR: PC TIPS

Windows 8 Boot Issues? Try Fixing the Master Boot Record (MBR) or Boot Configuration Data (BCD)

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<a href="http://www.techspot.com/review/587-windows-8/" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(251, 187, 118) 0px -5px 0px inset; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; text-decoration: none;">Windows 8</a> received a decent amount of enhancements on the desktop side that I tend to appreciate versus running Windows 7, even if that means I get Metro standing in the middle here and there occasionally. One such area of improvement is notification management and how it handles updates and system restarts. Running the final version of the OS for a few months now, it’s been a painless affair until this past weekend.</div>
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I shut down my desktop PC with the purpose of connecting new hardware and on the way out I was prompted to “update and shutdown”. Sure, why not. I went on to install a secondary SSD for maintenance purposes and apparently that was enough for my system to refuse booting right after. I tried to backtrack to no avail.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"Reboot and select proper boot device"</span><br />I bet you have no love for the message, neither do I.</center>
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Because I had disconnected a few devices, it took me a while to narrow things down to my boot SSD, and for a second I even thought the SSD had gone forever kaput. After booting with a different drive and noting I could read all my data on the drive in question, I took a deep breath and started to troubleshoot the boot record. Once you settle on the idea that it’s not a hardware problem and you are unable to boot up, your best bet is to try to fix the MBR (Master Boot Record).</div>
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With a long history of dual booting different versions of Windows over the years, finding a corrupt MBR, boot sector, or Boot Configuration Data (BCD) is nothing new, but it took me longer than usual to come to a solution. Here are a few things you can try and hopefully get back to full speed in no time.</div>
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First of all, you will need a <a href="http://www.techspot.com/guides/539-windows-8-bootable-usb-and-dual-boot/" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(208, 220, 235) 0px -3px 0px inset; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; text-decoration: none;">bootable disc or pen drive</a>. Here’s a <a href="http://www.techspot.com/guides/539-windows-8-bootable-usb-and-dual-boot/" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(208, 220, 235) 0px -3px 0px inset; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; text-decoration: none;">quick guide</a> to accomplish that if you don’t already have one handy. Although it's not a requirement, to be on the safe side it's recommended at this point that you disconnect other storage devices from your PC and leave only the SSD/HDD that you are troubleshooting.</div>
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Booting into the Windows 8 setup, select “Repair your computer” in the bottom part of the window, then “Troubleshoot” and “Advanced options”. Here I was given a good reminder of another cool Windows 8 feature. If you have a restore point created you can go back to that working copy of the OS without losing your data. Well, I didn’t have any.</div>
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So the first thing you will want to try is the Automatic Repair.</div>
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If that fixes your boot problem, you had it easy and go on to create a restore point for another time you are out of luck. If Windows is unable to fix your issue, read on.</div>
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Go back to the Advanced options and choose the Command Prompt. Going for the next easiest way to fix the problem, enter the following four commands into the prompt:</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">bootrec /fixmbr<br />bootrec /fixboot<br />bootrec /scanos<br />bootrec /rebuildbcd</span></blockquote>
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After receiving a success confirmation. Close the CMD window and restart your PC.</div>
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If you are booted into Windows, excellent! If not, let’s try one last thing. Follow the previous steps until you have landed into the Command Prompt.</div>
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Enter the “bcdedit” command. A lists of items will appear under Windows Boot Manager and under Windows Boot Loader. Look for the following items:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 16.416px; list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Under Windows Boot Manager, the Device item should be set to unknown.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 16.416px; list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Under Windows Boot Loader, the Device and os device items should be set to unknown.</li>
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Run the following three commands to correct the settings:</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">bcdedit /set {default} device partition=c:<br />bcdedit /set {default} osdevice partition=c:<br />bcdedit /set {bootmgr} device partition=c:</span></blockquote>
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One last thing to try (though in theory, it's the repeating what we’ve done before) browse to the folder X:SourcesRecovery and then enter “StartRep.exe” which executes another automated startup repair utility.</div>
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Windows 8 Boot Issues? Try Fixing the Master Boot Record (MBR) or Boot Configuration Data (BCD)

Windows 8 received a decent amount of enhancements on the desktop side that I tend to appreciate versus running Windows 7, even if that...

UPGRADE TO WINDOWS TO EVEN AFTER EXPIRY DATE OFFER ENDS.

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Microsoft officially ended their Windows 10 free upgrade program on July 29th, approximately a year after the operating system was released and just days before the <a href="http://www.techspot.com/news/65829-windows-10-anniversary-update-has-arrived.html" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(208, 220, 235) 0px -3px 0px inset; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; text-decoration: none;">Windows 10 Anniversary Update</a> arrived. Windows 10 is now running on 400 million active devices as of September, thanks in no small measure to that free upgrade offer.</div>
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There are still a lot of Windows 7 and 8 PCs out there, however. For those that did want to upgrade but didn't get around to it, there are still a couple of known ‘loopholes’ to get a free Windows 10 upgrade which Microsoft hasn’t bothered to close, even months after the offer formally ended.</div>
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Assistive Technologies Offer</h3>
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Microsoft is continuing to offer free Windows 10 upgrades to those who use assistive technologies, such as a screen narrator or magnifier. Anyone running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 qualifies for the offer, as Microsoft isn't really checking to see whether you are actually using these assistive tools.</div>
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The upgrade process couldn’t be simpler. Just head to <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/windows10upgrade" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(208, 220, 235) 0px -3px 0px inset; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; text-decoration: none;">Microsoft's accessibility website</a>, download the program that's listed on their upgrade page, and then install your free Windows 10 update.</div>
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There is no end date to the free Windows 10 upgrade program for assistive tool users as of writing, but Microsoft will make "a public announcement prior to ending the offer." The Windows 10 Anniversary Update brought new accessibility features and Microsoft wants to ensure that users who require them get the best experience, so they’re quietly keeping this upgrade path alive for those that need it.</div>
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Assistive technologies are designed to provide additional accessibility to individuals who have physical or cognitive difficulties, impairments, and disabilities. Back when this ‘loophole’ was first reported on, Microsoft noted that they are not restricting the free upgrade offer to specific assistive technologies, however it is not intended to be a workaround for people who don't use assistive technology and who missed the deadline for the free offer. In other words let your conscience be your guide.</div>
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Use an Old Windows 7 or 8.1 Key</h3>
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Another known and still available loophole to score a free Windows 10 upgrade is to enter valid Windows 7 or Windows 8 product keys into the Windows 10 installer -- or later in the operating system.</div>
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We'd expected Microsoft to close this activation workaround soon after it was uncovered back in August, but as it turns out, it’s still wide open. I created a virtual machine and installed Windows 10 using an ISO image obtained from the official <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10/" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(208, 220, 235) 0px -3px 0px inset; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; text-decoration: none;">Windows 10 media creation tool</a>. I didn't have an old Windows key readily available but you can get them for as little as $30-$40 on sites like <a href="http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx?TSID=17054&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2F" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(208, 220, 235) 0px -3px 0px inset; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.g2a.com/" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(208, 220, 235) 0px -3px 0px inset; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; text-decoration: none;">G2A</a> or <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/microsoftsoftwareswap/" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(208, 220, 235) 0px -3px 0px inset; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; text-decoration: none;">Reddit</a>.</div>
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Armed with a Windows 7 Ultra key, I entered it during installation and voila: free Windows 10 upgrade.</div>
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Microsoft hasn’t commented what’s going on here, or whether it will block this method in the future. They seem more concerned about getting as many people onto Windows 10 as possible, maybe they figure most users will indirectly end up paying for a license when buying an off-the-shelf system.</div>
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The Windows Test Bed</h3>
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For those that just need access to a fresh Windows 10 install temporarily there’s always the option to install Windows 10 into a virtual machine without actually activating it. The operating system will nag you about activating it, but if all you need is to run some tests this is one way to go about it.</div>
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You can also download a <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-10-enterprise" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(208, 220, 235) 0px -3px 0px inset; font-size: 17.28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; text-decoration: none;">90-day evaluation version</a> of Windows 10 Enterprise from Microsoft’s website.</div>
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UPGRADE TO WINDOWS TO EVEN AFTER EXPIRY DATE OFFER ENDS.

Microsoft officially ended their Windows 10 free upgrade program on July 29th, approximately a year after the operating system was release...