HP Stream 7-Windows 10 doesn't boot, I can't recovery 8.1 because can't boot from USB-HELP please!!

Question

Hi everybody, I'm new here!
I am (scuse me: WAS) enjoying a Stream 7
Some days ago I tried to install Windows 10 TP upgrading 8.1 with Bing. After some waiting time it succeeded, but unfortunately I forgave to put in the tablet's SSD the hp drivers, thinking they weren't necessary. So touchscreen, WiFi and all the other stuff didn't work. After I collegated via OTG a keyboard and a mouse I managed to use Windows 10.
Trying to install drivers, my fault, I opened an .exe of Realtek (maybe for the audio), tablet asked to reboot and after that I cannot access to Windows anymore.
I tried to boot Windows 8.1 from a USB, but it doesn't boot, the same even if i disable secure boot.
With disabled bitlocker Windows gives this error
In boot option I set these settings
I put the usb in this way:
The Stream doesn't consider the USB absolutely XD
If I enable again the secure boot Windows gives this error (that at 99% is caused by the .exe I installed):
Rebooting the Stream a couple of time with secure boot it goes in a menu (where touchscreen works) where there are a lot of options to reset Windows, but none of them works. If I try to format from this menu it asks for my account's password, but it doesn't accepts the mine :/
If I try to open the recovery (from volume minus button when it starts) it gives this message:
Waiting for help,
Thank you for your patience!
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Answer 1

Hi everyone. I think I have found a solution to this problem. Short background story, I too tried to install Windows 10 (10049) via Windows Update but I was never successful - got stuck at around 30% for more than an hour. I tried to restore to 8.1 but it gave me that 0xc000000f error. Luckily I had made a recovery image to USB before updating to Windows 10.
Please note that by doing this method, you will obviously lose your data.
Here's what you'll need:
- Recovery USB (if you don't have one, grab it from this link and I thank you that person from another post). Follow the instructions, this is just basically clean, format to FAT32, set primary and active, and then drag and drop the files and folders from the USB folder to the root USB drive. This particular recovery is from a 5701 model, there is actually no difference between Stream 7 models in terms of hardware, but software is configured differently (different language setup/format) depending on the country/region it's sold.
- OTG cable
- Powered USB hub
- USB Mouse and Keyboard
- A moment of your time
1. Plug in the OTG cable to the tablet, and then plug in the USB hub to power and to the OTG. After that, plug in the USB mouse and keyboard and Recovery USB to the USB hub.
2. Boot the tablet to BIOS by holding down Power + Volume Down at the same time, until you reach the Startup Menu.
3. Press F10 and navigate to System Configuration > Boot Options. In this menu, we'll have to restore the settings to default.
So if you have disabled Secure Boot, you first need to Clear All Secure Boot Keys and then Load HP Factory Default Keys. Then enable Secure Boot.
Make sure UEFI Boot Order is also default to as follows: OS boot Manager, USB Diskette, USB CD/DVD, Network Adapter.
If you did not make any changes, proceed to 4.
4. Be prepared to go back to the Startup Menu, because as soon as you press F10 and hit Yes, the tablet will automatically restart. So press and hold the Volume Down button after you hit on Yes.
5. Press F9 and select Boot From EFI File. If you've done the recovery image ghosting correctly onto the Recovery USB, you should see two entries. One should be RECOVERY and the other may depend (it could be SYSTEM or No label). Select RECOVERY, and then select bootmgr.efi.
At this point the tablet will boot off from the USB and will bring you to Windows Recovery.
6. Select your keyboard layout, and navigate to Troubleshoot > Reset your PC.
If the drive partition/boot manager is not damaged, it will ask for a recovery key. You can actually skip this step and hide the numpad, revealing the option Skip this drive if you don't have the recovery key anymore, or just really want to start anew.
If the drive partition/boot manager is damaged, the Reset will proceed and will ask you to select a target operating system. In my case it was Windows 8.1.
7. The next screen will be about Reset your PC telling you what's going to happen. Tap Yes > Yes, repartition the drives > Fully clean the drive > Reset.
The tablet will now do its thing and restore to factory default.
After restoration, a BIOS screen will come up asking if you want to clear the TPM keys. Select Yes, and this will create a new key for the restored installation, bringing you back to a fully factory default tablet.
Notes:
I recommend not installing a generic Windows 8.1 ISO that is copied straight to the USB drive using the Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool or RUFUS. They won't be compressed or the same as WIMBOOT, which will take up more storage space than stock recovery.
You could actually install another version of Windows 8.1 on the tablet, assuming you know what you are doing (ie. making a WIMBOOT image).
You could also actually install Windows Technical Preview directly, again, assuming you know what you are doing.
This is just a guide to help you try recover your tablet from a failed Technical Preview installation. I hold no responsiblities over your actions.
What I recommend is that use 8.1 for now, and wait for the official release (or at least a more stable Technical Preview release for this tablet if you can't wait that long) of Windows 10.