[Windows RT General] dalexop:
Vivotab Recovery Image

Hi folks,

I am posting a second stream to this thread as I think it's important to focus in on the Images themselves.

I really hope Apatcas, Stoekler, and Chatu60 are still monitoring this one !!.

My experience so far has been that the Apatcas image ( Vivotab.Rar ) is very stable.

I've deployed it several times on various sized USB drives and it works flawlessly on my TF600T.

This image brings up the Windows Recovery environment where I can gain access to the Command Prompt.

( This is the only aspect of the Win RE that works mind you, everything else concludes properly, but Windows RT never boots by itself )

I have also re-imaged my C: partition with the VivoTab.RAR Windows 8.0 RT install.wim file to bring it to 2012 file stamps.

( Which led me to my other string of issues in this thread specific to over-writing the BCD Store )

Stoekler's image however does not boot on my TF600T at all.

I have found that the following files are totally different in size compared to the Vivotab.Rar Image:

The sizes here are the working versions from that I replaced in the Stoekler image, from the Vivotab.rar image

USB\Bootmgr.efi 730k

USB\Reagent.xml 1k

USB\EFI\boot\bootarm.efi 732k

USB\Sources\boot.wim 182k

USB\Sources\Install.wim did not capture size, will update

USB\Sources\MD5.install Need to validate the complete name, will update.

My test was to create the Bootable USB hosting Stoeklers Image, then replace these files one-by-one until it works. It did indeed start working once I hit the MD5 file. I could start pulling files out until it stops again to understand which particular ones are important, but at this point, I want to concentrate on getting the image loaded.

The Stoekler image contains the Install.esd file, which is actually from the tablets 2.6GB Recovery Partition !

This is an encrypted image file that DISM will not deal with. You need esd-decrypter-v4c to extract it to form the DSIM directory + Decrypt.cmd file. Then you can create an complete ISO for Win 8 RT. However, I have found that the original activation key is required to do this, which is long gone post 8.1 upgrade. ( Unless you still have access to your backed up registry files, which I do not )

However I think Stoekler might have used the Windows Recovery Environment to deploy the image instead of creating the ISO. This is the part I have not been able to get working. I am trying to understand how WIN RE will "present access" to this recovery partition. It might be the BCD store which I am still working on.

Stoekler, if you are still following this thread, two questions.

1) I am guessing that your boot files are so different from Apatcas' because you have the TF600TG ?? Can you please validate that your bootable USB stick worked with just those files & folders, formatted FAT32, GPT.

2) Has anyone tested this image with a plain-jane TF600T ?

3) I assume you booted into the Windows Recovery Environment, then saw an option in the GUI to recover this particular image ? Is that true ? If so did you "tune" your BCD store ?

I am attaching my Disk Partition Tables to this reply because it's important to understand that there is a WinRE.Wim file in the 300 MB "Volume 1" hidden Partition and a 2 GB Install.ESD file in the 2.6GB "Volume 3" hidden Partition

Somehow, it must be possible to use these to boot into the Recovery environment and then "Factory Reset" the Tablet without the need for the original License Keys. For that, we need to understand how to get the WinRE.Wim file over to a bootable USB, and then provide access to the Install.ESD file from Win RE.

Has anyone out there used their OEM Recovery Image successfully themselves ?

:confused: