Stuck in system recovery

My laptop started to freeze up every now and then get really laggy and now whenever i try to start it back up it goes straight to system recovery without me telling it to and i cant get out of it.

Hi,
Shut down the notebook. Tap away at the esc key as you start the notebook to enter the Start-up Menu. Select the Bios option ( usually f10 ) and under the Advanced or Diagnostic tab you should find the facility to run tests on both the Hard Drive and Memory. Post back with the details of any error messages.
Note: If the option to run these tests is not available in the Bios Menu, use the f2 diagnostic menu instead.
Can you also post back with the following details.
1. The full Model No. and Product No. of your notebook - see Here for a guide on locating this information.
2. The full version of the operating system you are using ( ie Windows 7 64bit ).
Regards,
DP-K
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Similar Messages

Windows stuck on blue HP Invent screen and won't load desktop items after doing a system recovery

Hello, this is my first time posting here, as I am in desperate mode! I have a HP Pavillion Slimline s5304y desktop pc, using Windows 7, that I purchased in Feb 2010.
After getting a virus on my computer, I ordered system recovery disks from HP and did the recovery to original factory settings process (twice!), however, during the Windows setup process, it doesn't ever get past the blue HP Invent screen that says:
--Do not turn off your PC during this one-time setup process
--Your PC restarts several times during this setup process
--Messages may pop up onto your screen. Ignore these messages until you are prompted to restart or shutdown your PC
Towards the bottom of the screen it continues to say "Please wait..." with a scrolling green bar. All I see is the windows start buttom in bottom left corner but am not able to access anything and I don't ever get my desktop screen or desktop icons. I have restarted and shut down several times and as soon as I log on to windows, I just get that same blue screen.
The 2nd time I did the recovery process, I let it continue overnight (just in case I wasn't waiting long enough) and my computer never shutdown like it was supposed to when the installation was complete. Also, I watched the whole process the first time around and my computer never restarted like it said it was supposed to; it just seemed to be stuck during the rest of the windows setup process. It eventually just went into sleep mode.
I don't have anything else plugged in except the power cord, the monitor and the keyboard/mouse. I have not installed any new hardware since I purchased the computer.
I did a diagnostics test and everything passed.
I tried to get help from HP Support, but because I'm out of the warranty period, they cannot help me and want to charge me $99!!!
I don't know what else to do at this point. Can someone please help???
Thank you.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi,
I would try wiping the entire Hard Drive first and then reinstalling the Operating System as this may get around this issue.
Download and install Killdisk on the link below - ( despite the name, this application will just write zeros to the entire drive leaving it in a similar state to a new Hard Drive ).
http://software.lsoft.net/KillDiskSuiteFree-Setup.exe
Download and install ImgBurn on the link below.
http://download.cnet.com/ImgBurn/3000-2646_4-10847481.html
Go to the Kill Disk application you have installed in All Programs, open the main folder, then select Bootable Disk creators and from that select Bootable DOS CD Creator which will burn the bootable ISO to a blank CD.
During the next process do not worry about any warnings as your Recovery DVDs will reformat the HDD.
Insert this CD in to your PC that is unable to load Operating System properly. Shut the PC down, then start it again to boot from the Killdisk CD and follow the on screen instructions for Kill Disk.
A brief description of the process is here Killdisk.
Use this to wipe the whole of the Hard Drive, highlight (80h) and press f10 ( you will also have to type a confirmation and hit enter ) - ( this will make sure you include all partitions and then start the process - this may take a couple of hours! ).
When the process is complete, remove the Killdisk CD, insert your first HP Recovery Disc and try the installation again.
Regards,
DP-K
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****Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem****
****I don't work for HP****
Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

Stuck at "One time setup" process during System Recovery

My computer is HP Pavilion m7640n. I had purchased a system recovery disc set from HP, and tried to use it to completely format and recover my computer. It was fine to use the disc to format the computer; but after it done use the system recovery disc, and asked me to remove the disc from the CD/DVD drive and restart the computer, then computer run into the Window XP desktop screen, and there is a full screen that pop up and it said "During this One-Time setup process do not turn off computer" etc. something like that. So I waited it to do the works, and I waited whole afternoon and overnight, the next day i woke up it "seems" done and so i restart my computer; But again, that "one-time setup process" full screen pop up again, and it seem will take so long time to do the works/setup again, so I took my computer to Fry's Electronic store's computer service to let me help to check what is wrong with this system recovery. And this had past 2 weeks already and they also still stuck at that "one time setup" screen too...........
Now, my questions are, Is this "one time setup" usually take 24+ hours to get done? Is there anything wrong with the System Recovery Disc set that I purchased from HP? If the disc has problem, how do I exchange it and get a new disc from HP? Are there any local HP Stores out there?

The one time setup shouldn't take more than 20 minutes. Be sure to disconnect all devices except the mouse, keyboard and monitor. Also disconnect from the internet.
You might have a hardware issue is another possibility.
HP DV9700, t9300, Nvidia 8600, 4GB, Crucial C300 128GB SSD
HP Photosmart Premium C309G, HP Photosmart 6520
HP Touchpad, HP Chromebook 11
Custom i7-4770k,Z-87, 8GB, Vertex 3 SSD, Samsung EVO SSD, Corsair HX650,GTX 760
Custom i7-4790k,Z-97, 16GB, Vertex 3 SSD, Plextor M.2 SSD, Samsung EVO SSD, Corsair HX650, GTX 660TI
Windows 7/8 UEFI/Legacy mode, MBR/GPT

System Recovery media does not support the computer. HELP!!!

Ok problem here the recovery discs that were created do not work. And this is where I'm stuck.
First the details. It's a DV7-6163CL Laptop with windows 7. The discs were created shortly after we got the computer. The reason we have to try and recover the computer is hard drive #1 failed and failed hard. Hard drive was replaced. Now after trying to use the recovery discs we get the error message after a few windows loading screens in Recovery Manger.
"The system recovery media does not support this computer. You are not able to restore this computer with the media."
Well Hp doesn't support his platform anymore due to its age.
Is there anything I can do next to formatting the computer and getting a new OS?

Many times this error is caused by missing info in BIOS. Can you enter BIOS-F10 at power on- and check for serial number,etc?
Sometimes a new hdd requires prepping with Cyberlink Utility cd first. Download and Save the file. Once download is complete, put a blank cd in your drive and click the file to create a boot cd. Boot with this cd and wait until you get a green check mark indicating hdd is ready. Remove the cd , insert first Recovery Disk and restart the laptop.
http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib/software11/COL32372/pv-80183-1/sp44645.exe
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Hp pavilion os system recovery (windows xp)

hi,
so im having some major problems when im trying to reformat my computer. first off i have a hp pavilion about 5 years old that runs windows xp. i've had to reformat in the past and i have 2 system recovery discs that i've used in the past and have worked. however this time when i try to run them i get to the black and white screen where it says "preparing recovery partition" it gets about 2 minutes in and then says "wrong system disk or disk error, press any key to continue". after i press any key it takes me back to the startup page where i can enter setup, let the operating system load (which i normally do when computer starts up) or go to the boot menu. if i dont go to the boot menu and tell it to run the recovery cd it just gets stuck on a black screen with a blinking cursor. but when i run the recovery cd i get the said error message over and over and over and over...when i do go to the boot menu and choose the recovery disc option a black screen comes up that says "no operating system installed or corrupt partition, press r to start full system recovery". so after i press r it takes me back to the preparing recovery partition screen, where once again it gets an error after about 2 mins of loading. im guessing that the corrupt partition part is whats causing me problems. WHAT DO I DO!? IM SO CONFUSED, i hope that by reading this your not also confused.
please help!

Try booting with a utilty cd to delete all partitions,create 1 and format hdd. I have had good results with the free Partition Wizard .Download the Bootable CD iso here .Get ImgBurn here to burn the image to cd.
Once all operations complete successfully with PW, reboot with Recovery Disks.
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Windows 7 System recovery help

Im stuck on a scrren that just show s a green check that points to a hand taking out a disc then it shows a picture with 3 other discs
I used the system recovery disc that said used this first then when it was done loading files it showed me it

Hello sunnysom,
I see you are having problems using the recovery discs provided by HP on your computer. I have some suggestions that may help resolve your problem.
I would suggest trying the recovery again with the discs first. Here is a link to HP steps to running a recovery using discs. Try the steps in the link and see if this helps.
If you are still unable to use the discs I suggest testing the hardware on the computer. Here is a link to test the hard drive on the computer. If that test passes you can test the memory (RAM) as well. Here is a link showing the steps to do that as well.
Let me know if this help or if you get any error messages.
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System Recovery Files

Got stuck in a repair loop while doing a system restore to a different date. Had to do a hard reset and had the option to back up files. I have the backup disk and managed to extract them to a system recovery file. How do I extract the files where they belong??

View this to restore your backed up files:
https://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c03460836&lc=en&cc=pt&dlc=en&product=390202
Please mark my post as SOLVED if it has resolved your problem. It helps others with similar situations.

How do I restore backup swm files created during system recovery from external hard drive

Good day,
I was facing some problems with my laptop (HP Envy 17 3D Notebook with windows 7 home premium, 64 bit) and I had to return it back to its original state using system recovery.
During the process I was asked if I want to back up my data. I have chosen to backup my data in the flash drive. Once the process has completed and my laptop is to the original state, I tried to recover my backup but it tells me:
The version of this file is not compatible with the version of windows you're running. Check your computer's system information to see whether you need an x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of the program, and then contact the software publisher.
If i click run as administrator it tell me:
Windows cannot find 'F:\Backup_2015-04-29 143842\Restore.exe'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.
there are files labeled like backup.swm, backup1.swm, backup2.swm. I can't open these files or do anything with them. In a text document it lists all the files it apparently copied. It is only a list of text, nothing else.
any help will be greatly appriciated.

Hi @Jef35,
Welcome to the HP Forums!
It is a superb place to find answers and information!
For you to have the best experience in the HP forum I would like to direct your attention to the HP Forums Guide Learn How to Post and More
I understand that while doing the recovery back to factory you opted to backup your personal files and would now like to know how to restore them .
Here is a link to HP PCs - Restoring Files that were Backed Up Using HP Recovery Manager (Windows 7)
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If this resolved your difficulty please select solution provided to enable other posters to locate this information more easily.
I hope this helps
Sparkles1
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
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Error message: this computer is not supported by the system recovery media.

I replaced a bad samasung hard drive in my Pavilion dv6z 3200 with a Seagate Momentus XT 750 GB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 32 MB Cache 2.5 Inch Solid State Hybrid Drive ST750LX003 and when trying to restore Windows 7 64 bit OS get the error message "this computer is not supported by the system recovery media"

Is the new hdd at least as large a capacity as the original? Can be larger capacity, but sometimes smaller will cause error.
Enter BIOS by tapping F10 key. Is all system info intact/complete?
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System Recovery Kit for dv7-3165dx fails to restore factory image to replacement hd

I'm posting this wall of text here in case someone else has any suggestions before I contact HP Support to see what options they have.
My attempt to recover the factory image to a replacement hard drive in an HP Pavilion dv7-3165dx notebook is failing. An error occurs when SM.exe is trying to merge the WIM files. The SSRD.Log shows an error:
SM, 13, Set reference file fail
after that, SM.exe displays this message when run from a command line:
SM, Failure, Can not load imagex 1 from src WIM file
The following are the symptoms that the Recovery Manager displays on the screen.
The Recovery Manager reads the two DVDs and after a few seconds, it pops up an error message:
Reducer
C:\RM\Image\TempBASE.WIM was not found.
The message has on "OK" button that when clicked on, closes the message window.
After that, nothing happens. No disk or DVD activity for over an hour. The mouse moves, but no key presses have any effect, including CTRL-ALT-DEL. You can use the mouse to move the Recovery Manager window around, and there is nothing hidden behind it. Clicking on the Recovery Manager Back, Next, or Cancel buttons produce no response at all.
The only option at this point is to hold down the power switch until it powers down.
When the power is turned back on, the hard drive boots and Recovery Manager displays a message that incorrectly claims "Recovery is complete" and has a "Click Finish to restart" button. After clicking on "Finish", it reboots but since the System Recovery did not actually complete, all it does is display:
BOOTMGR is missing
Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart
Before attempting the recovery, the notebook passed all diagnostic tests.
The 2x2GB memory cards, which still have HP stickers on them, were tested with Memtest86+ V5.01 and completed over six passes in over seven hours with zero errors.
The replacement 500GB HGST Travelstar Z5K500 drive was tested with gsmartcontrol. The SMART status showed no errors in the past with over 400 hours of power-on time. Both of the SMART short self-test and extended self-test tests were run, which it passed without any errors.
The HP System Diagnostics from the Startup Menu were run on the memory and hard drive and they passed those tests without any errors.
While waiting for the HP "System Recovery Kit for Consumer Notebook (3 Disks)" Software Part Number 599357-001 to arrive, both Fedora 21 64bit and Windows Vista 64bit were successfully installed on the harddrive.
Both System Recovery DVDs were read on different machines without any errors. This System Recovery Kit supports the notebook's System Id which is 3638, so they appear to be the correct discs.
Now a list of workaround attempts that were suggested.
After the Recovery Manager failed a few times with the same error message, some googling came up with other users mentioning the "TempBASE.WIM was not found" error message. I tried these suggestions that I read about.
Run KillDisk to fill the HD with zeros.
Running Recovery Manager after that failed with the same error message.
Run the CyberLink Recovery Discs Utility (sp44645.exe).
Running Recovery Manager after that failed with the same error message.
Installed Windows VISTA 64bit again and upgraded the BIOS from F10 to F13.
Running Recovery Manager after that failed with the same error message.
Try only using a single 2GB memory card to see if it was a 64bit problem.
Running Recovery Manager after that failed with the same error message.
The BIOS does not have an option to change from AHCI mode to IDE mode.
I don't have a Windows 7 OEM install disc and am trying to avoid spending $100 to buy one.
That is when I decided that it is not a PC hardware problem, but a problem with the HP System Recovery Kit. Here are the details of what I think the Kit is doing.
After running Recovery Manager and getting the error message, instead of just re-booting and letting the "Recovery is complete" message appear, I re-booted with a Linux USB drive and inspected what was on the hard drive.
fdisk -l shows this:
Disk /dev/sda: 465.8 GiB, 500107862016 bytes, 976773168 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0xa5dddc41
Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sda1 409600 143013887 142604288 68G 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2 * 143013888 143833087 819200 400M c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
fsarchiver probe shows this:
[======DISK=] [=============NAME====] [====SIZE==] [MAJ] [MIN]
[sda ] [HGST HTS545050A7    ] [ 465.76 GB] [ 8] [ 0]
[=====DEVICE] [==FILESYS==] [=====LABEL=] [====SIZE==] [MAJ] [MIN]
[sda1 ] [ntfs    ] [<unknown>    ] [    68.00 GB] [    8] [     1]
[sda2                 ] [vfat    ] [SDV ] [ 400.00 MB] [   8] [ 2]
Running gparted shows about 200 MB of unallocated space before the sda1 NTFS partition. The rest of the disk is unallocated after the bootable sda2.
The sda1 NTFS partition has a \SSRD.Log file and an empty \RM\Image directory.
The sda2 FAT32 partition has the Recovery Manager application files in it:
/mnt/sda2:
total 400
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 15 Apr 9 23:36 SDV.FLG
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 4096 Apr 9 23:36 SYSTEM.SAV
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Nov 1 2009 BOOT
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Nov 1 2009 EFI
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Nov 1 2009 SOURCES
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Jul 27 2009 TOOL
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 383562 Jul 13 2009 bootmgr
The SOURCES directory has boot.wim, and the TOOL directory has all the programs, like Reducer.exe and SM.exe, in it.
After shutting down the Linux system and rebooting, the Recovery Manager then boots from sda2 and displays the "Recovery is complete" message and "Click Finish to restart" button. During this process, it removes the sda2 partition and marks the sda1 NTFS partition as the active bootable partition. When the PC restarts, all that is left is the sda1 NTFS partition with the empty C:\RM\Image directory and the SSRD.Log file, so there is no BOOTMGR to boot with.
The SSRD.Log file logs the tasks that the Recovery Manager performs.
The Recovery Manager runs some initialization tasks and then reads the two System Recovery DVDs. It then calls MergeWimFile which runs SM.exe and starts to merge BASE.WIM with the other BASE*.WIM files. SM.exe merges 20 WIM files with log entries like these:
SM, Success, refName= C:\RM\IMAGE\BASE22.WIM
SM, Success, refName= C:\RM\IMAGE\BASE23.WIM
SM, Success, refName= C:\RM\IMAGE\BASE3.WIM
SM, Success, refName= C:\RM\IMAGE\BASE4.WIM
SM, Success, refName= C:\RM\IMAGE\BASE5.WIM
SM, Success, refName= C:\RM\IMAGE\BASE6.WIM
SM, Success, refName= C:\RM\IMAGE\BASE7.WIM
Then, with only two WIM files left, BASE8.WIM and BASE9.WIM, the log shows:
SM, 13, Set reference file fail
This must be when Recovery Manager pops up the "Reducer C:\RM\Image\TempBASE.WIM was not found" error message.
That narrowed down the problem.
I copied all of the WIM files and the TOOLS directory to a Windows 8.1 system. The two DVDs did not have any errors while being read. Running SM.exe from an admin Command Prompt with the same parameters that were logged in the SSRD.Log produced the same error message. There was an additional error message that appeared in the Command Prompt window:
SM, 13, Set reference file fail
SM, Failure, Can not load imagex 1 from src WIM file
and the TempBASE.WIM was not created.
SM.exe /? did not provide a help message. I could not find any documentation on the SM.exe command.
If I removed three of the WIM files, (BASE7.WIM BASE8.WIM BASE9.WIM) then SM.exe could create the TempBASE.WIM file, but it would fail while merging index 2 of 3 with this message:
SM, 11%, Merge index 2 of 3 Processing
SM, Failed, Export image failed
The TempBASE.WIM is 3,421,518 KB in size after that.
This is where I came to a dead end and cannot think of anything else that I can do. Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but it appears to me that there was some kind of error building this System Recovery Kit and it is not able to perform a factory install on this notebook.
ps
If I can figure out how to add an attachment, I will add the SSRD.Log file. If not, then ask and I will post it as a followup.

Downloaded Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit which contains the latest imagex program.
Running imagex.exe on the BASE7.WIM file on the second System Recovery DVD:
imagex.exe /info K:\PRELOAD\BASE7.WIM
ImageX Tool for Windows
Version: 6.2.9200.16384
Error opening file [K:\PRELOAD\BASE7.WIM].
The data is invalid.
The same error message is shown for BASE7.WIM, BASE8.WIM, and BASE9.WIM.
The other WIM files in the PRELOAD directory, BASE5.WIM, BASE6.WIM, BASE10.WIM, BASE13.WIM, BASE15.WIM, BASE17.WIM and BASE23.WIM, could be read by imagex without any errors.

Yoga 3 Pro - Accessing BIOS, boot menu and System Recovery

The following tutorial will explain the following topics
How to access the BIOS Setup
Choosing a boot menu
Start a system recovery
It is not the idea to explain every single option of the above, since many of them are complex and it would be too extensive for such a tutorial like this.
To execute any of the tasks above you need to press the button marked with the red arrow in the picture below:
Press the button when the Y3P is off! Use a small pointing device, I use the tablet pen of one of my Thinkpad tablets
Once you press the button you will be presented with the following screen:
Use the cursor keys to move up and down, press Enter to choose an option.
1) BIOS Setup
The BIOS is where you can get technical information about your device, as well to change boot parameters and setting up security passwords. Be very careful when changing certain values, since it can affect the way the Y3P works and/or affect performance and security settings.
Information Screen
It gives the hardware details of the Y3P, like CPU, installed RAM, SSD capacity and so on. This is a display only screen, no settings can be changed here:
Configuration Screen
Time and date can be changed in this screen. Furthermore to deactivate the Wireless LAN and enable the Intel Virtual Technology. If you plan to use Virtual Machine software in your Y3P this setting must be enabled
Passwords can be set up in this section. Secure Boot settings can be changed here.
Primarily designed to protect users from rootkits and other malware attacks by blocking unauthorized executables and drivers from being loaded during the boot process, it must be deactivated if you plan to install Linux or having paralel operating systems
Boot Screen
Boot modes can be selected in this screen, you can disable booting from a USB stick or from a network for example
2) Boot Menu
This option is useful if you have Linux installed (using managers like LILO, GRUB, etc).
If you only use Win8 or higher there 's no much you can change.
3) System Recovery
This option will allow you to restore the system to either its factory setup, or to a previous backup done within Windows
A factory set up will leave the Y3P as it was shipped from Lenovo your private data and installed apps and/or programs will be wiped out. So make sure you have an external backup before such a reset

OK article. Doesn't answer my questions.

Troubleshooting System Recovery Problems

A System Recovery is a useful tool to return your Windows 8 tablet back to factory defaults. However, what do you do when the System Recovery isn't working!?
A full System Recovery can be a lengthy process as there is a lot of data being transferred. Patience is the key, as a full Recovery can take two to four hours to complete.
For more information check out HP's Troubleshooting HP System Recovery Problems for Windows 8. This document will help you get your Windows 8 tablet back up and running.
TIP: If you are planning on using the System Recovery make sure that you do not change or delete the HP Recovery Partition as that will make all but impossible to Restore your tablet using the HP Recovery Manager.
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Thank you,
BHK6
I work on behalf of HP

Have you created this disc on your own or you use original toshiba disc?
Do you use it for the first time?

System Recovery didn't finish and now I can't log into my computer. Help please...

My touchscreen was not working so I tried different steps to fix it and still nothing. So I did a System Recovery and still nothing..So then I did a System Restore to completly wipe everything out back to factory settings...and after I did it I tried to turn my computer on and it won't even go to login with my password it just says Windows did not install properly please restart and install again. I tried phoning Hp support but my warranty is up and I can't pay the 109.00 dollars for a year's worth of phone support and the tech guy nows exactly how to fix it but he couldn't help me can you believe that @#$*...So basically my comp does not work at all...if anybody can help I would so appreciate it...thank you...

SInce you already did it, make sure you have nothing but the keyboard/mouse dongle plugged in and do NOT connect to the internet via wired or wireless and redo a full System Recovery, that should resolve this since something died midway in the last recovery.

I have had to do a system recovery on my desktop computer. In re-installing iTunes, I am told that I have two libraries. How do I access the old one.

I have had to do a system recovery on my desktop computer and it was 'wiped'. iTunes had to be reinstalled. However, I can't access my old library. I am told that there are now two of them. I need to get to the old one.

I had to wipe my computer clean and I had backed up my I tunes on an external hard drive, but I also had all my music on my Ipod. Now that I reinstalled Itunes, it can't locate all my music that I have on my ipod. Did you find a way to do this? Please help if you have a solution.
Thanks

How do I restore backup1.swm files created during system recovery from external hard drive.

On my hp dm1 with windows 7 In full detail, this is what I did. I clicked to do a system recovery, it asked if I wanted to backup the files, I said yes. It said it backed up my files on the external hard drive. I continued the system recovery. It set my computer back to factory settings. I tried to recover my backup, it acted like it was restoring the files and showed them going into the c: area in a folder. I open the folder and it says the folder is empty. I hit properties and the folder contains 10mb+ of data. I go back into my LaCie drive, there are files labeled like backup.swm, backup1.swm, backup2.swm. I can't open these files or do anything with them. In a text document it lists all the files it apparently copied. It is only a list of text, nothing else. Have a 12 page research paper in these back ups that is due in a few hours so any help will be greatly appriciated.

@Daniella1985,
If the standard procdure of locating the program launcher (a .exe file) on the first backup media (disk 1 or the external storage device) is not working, then you can manually extract the files using 7-zip.
7-zip can be found here.
Once 7-zip is installed, open it and navigate to the first .swm file of the backup. Right-click the .swm file and select 7-zip>open archive. Once that opens, it should reveal the contents of the .swm files. If the file contains something you want to keep, you can either extract each invidual file or extract the entire directory. If you want to extract each individual file, highlight the desired file and click the extract button at the top. If you want to extract the entire directory, make sure no items are highlighted and click the extract button at the top.
This is a manual process and it can be a large task depending on how many files were backed up, but it is one method to get the backedup files when the standard procedure is not working.
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Stuck in system recovery

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