Recovering RAW files

My windows 11 installation has been working fine but I was nosing around the BIOS today and found that my boot mode was set to LEGACY mode. I've read that it should be UEFI, so when I changed it to UEFI, it wouldn't boot. I then used a boot disk so I could run Aomei partition manager and converted the disk to GPT. Restarted the computer and changed the BIOS boot mode to UEFI but it won't boot, so changed the BIOS boot mode to LEGACY and still won't boot.

So I used the boot disk again to use AOMEI partition manager to convert the disk back to MBR and rebooted but again it won't boot. What do I do?

Just to add, my drive is fully encrypted using VeraCrypt and wondered if that was maybe why it was in Legacy mode?

Hi, I would think try rescue : https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/bootable-windows-pe-based-recovery-discs/  as for the encryption and what have done doubt will get far.   Would set it back to UEFI as you already formatted it to GPT

Did you have to enter a password at boot? This happens when you encrypt the full disk.

 

I could be wrong but going from MBR to GPT back to MBR hosed your Veracrypt encryption as it probably destroyed the veracrypt bootloader. Did you ever create a rescue disk?

 

https://veracrypt.eu/en/VeraCrypt%20Rescue%20Disk.html

 

FYI. Only Aomei Partition Assistant Pro can change a system disk from MBR to GPT.

Hi. Yes you have to put password in at boot. I do have a rescue disk so will try that.

Restored boot loader with rescue disk but still won't boot. What now?

So I've permanently decrypted the drive but still won't boot. How do I get it to boot again? ( pictures showing how the drive looks using different boot disks)

By the way, Disk 0 is my Windows 11 drive ( the one that won't boot anymore after converting it.

If you decrypted the disk I would boot a Windows PE disk like HirensPE and recover your data to a USB HDD then do a clean install after setting the computer to UEFI mode and not Legacy. Then follow the clean install guide pinned at the beginning of the Windows 10 forum.

 

https://www.hirensbootcd.org/

 

Your disk 0 looks to be MBR but the Windows partition is not marked as active. I'm not sure why it's labeled as G. You also have that unallocated partition at the beginning of the disk.

Is there ANYWAY of saving it without having to reinstall windows again?

Could I do this?

https://woshub.com/how-to-repair-deleted-efi-partition-in-windows-7/

You don't want to restore the EFI partition as that is used on a GPT disk and yours is now back to MBR. You can attempt to write a new MBR and boot sector . You also need to mark the Windows partition as active. If the below does not work then you are looking at a clean install. Set your BIOS to Legacy and not UEFI.

 

Backup your data first.

 

Scroll down the page until you get to 2.2, repairing an MBR and . You will need a Windows 10 install disk in order to access the command prompt.

 

https://www.digitalcitizen.life/command-prompt-fix-issues-your-boot-records/

 

https://macrorit.com/partition-magic-manager/set-active-partition-diskpart-command-line.html

 

Advanced Recover Options for command prompt using Windows 10 install disk

 

See Method 2

 

https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/windows-10-advanced-startup-options-menu

Edited by JohnC_21, 20 December 2023 - 09:11 AM.

I need to start a new thread as things have changed.

 

Thank you for your help and I might need your help again after my new thread.

Edited by 1974darrenh, 20 December 2023 - 11:37 AM.

Long story short, I was fiddling about trying to convert my disk from Legacy to UEFI and buggered it up.

All my files are still intact but it looks like I have deleted some important OS partitions and need to get them back.

The pictures below are my system right now, so I need to know what's missing and how to put them back

Tools at my disposal -

Win 11 iso
Hirens boot CD
Strelec Win PE
Ability to follow CMD commands.

I do NOT want to reinstall windows, especially as I know they are still on the drive. Just need to make it bootable.

Any help appreciated

Hello:

This appears to be a duplicate topic.

Is this the same computer?
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/792477/ive-messed-up-unbootable-legacy-uefi/