Windows 8 reset with custom recovery image

Dear all,
I searched for two days now without being able to find any Information:
Is it possible to perform a reset with a custom recovery image on Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 ?
I tried multiple scenarios but I always receive the error message, that some files are missing and that I need to insert an installation media.
If I use e.g. Windows 8.1 Enterprise install.wim file all is working fine. But I would like to provide my users the options to make an OS refresh as well as OS reset with some preinstalled applications.
If it's not possible to use one Image for both, any way to get two Images working, one for refresh and one for reset?
The Internet is full of guides how to create custom recovery Images, but I can't find anything about reset and custom Images. Thanks a lot for your help in advance.
Best regards
Tobias

Hi,
I think we can create a recovery disc for refresh or reset via system image backup.
Windows 8 (8.1) – How to Create a Recovery Disc/Drive/ Partition
http://www.registryrecycler.com/blog/2013/08/windows-8-how-to-create-a-recovery-drive/
Hope this could be helpful.
Kate Li
TechNet Community Support

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hi Chevex,
Thanks for using Lenovo Community Forums!
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Windows 7 Professional PC hangs at "Loading files" when trying to boot with custom capture image on Windows Deployment Services.

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Hi Derrick Logan,
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Hi Alexander,
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Best Regards.
Steven Lee Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help. If you have feedback for TechNet Support, contact [email protected]

How to create an install medium of Windows 8 with custom programs (like an OEM install)

Hello all,
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Welcome to the forum.
I would not think that the scaling would be an issue, as it would affect the display of the GUI and maybe playback (though I would assume less so).
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Hunt

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This topic first appeared in the Spiceworks Community

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http://www.microsoft.com/en-hk/download/details.aspx?id=39982
The Windows ADK enables two key scenarios: Windows deployment and Windows assessment.
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Kate Li
TechNet Community Support

I have windows 8.1 recovery image in flash drive ,i want to burn the recovery in dvds

i have windows 8.1 recovery image in flash drive ,i want to burn the recovery in dvds.by mistake i deleted the partition drive which was on my computer ,please help me with this problem.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

rohit1317 wrote:
i have windows 8.1 recovery image in flash drive ,i want to burn the recovery in dvds.by mistake i deleted the partition drive which was on my computer ,please help me with this problem.
Hi,
Unfortunately you can create only 1 set of recovery media.
Copying and burning the recovery USB to DVD and then using DVD to do system recovery will not work.
What you can do is back up all your data to an external drive. Do a Factory Reset with the Recovery USB to get back all the partitions including the recovery partition into the HDD.
Regards
Visruth
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MDT - Custom Reference Image does not work with Task Sequence, normal Windows 7 Enterprise Iso media works fine.

Hi,
Our MDT server is acting strange!
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When i deploy the tast sequence, it install the custom Wim image, but it ends up with "login" screen as the administrator i have entered for the capture/deploy sequence, but it goes to stop at this point and applications is not installed.
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Regards,
Anders

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Md.Waseem Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you. Thank you.

Can you install Windows 7, then revert to a backup image of Vista with Rescue & Recovery?

I have a copy of 7 I want to put on my T61. I've partitioned the OS into one partion, and the files into another.
I've made backup copies of the OS with Rescue & Recovery already, so can I install Windows 7 over Vista, then if I find I don't want to stick with it, recover back to Vista?
T61 15.4" T9300 (2.5GHz 6MB L2) Windows 7 Professional x64 4GB Memory, NVidia Quadro NVS 140M

When you get to BOOTCAMP, that has to be changed from FAT to NTFS but you have to click Advanced Option.... button in order to change to NTFS.
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Satellite L300 Windows 7 back to Vista with Toshiba Recovery CDs

Hello all,
I have a Toshiba Satellite Series L300 (2008 model) laptop which originally had Vista but I installed Windows 7 Professional on it. I now wish to return back to Vista.
I noted that the 'Windows.old' folder created on the C:/ drive seems to be missing a lot of files and could have been altered since the date it was created. I think it would be too risky to use it to recover back to Vista.
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Hello sauza
Wait a moment. You mix two different things. If you want to install original recovery image it can be done on two ways:
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# Install image using HDD recovery method (recovery image saved on HDD)
>Ok but how do I use the Toshiba recovery disks to reset my computer back to Vista factory settings?
This question is related to method 1.
>I press F8 at start-up---> select Repair computer---> select my language----> Then it gives me Windows 7 Options to only Restore by Disk Image which I created at a earlier date.
This description is related to method 2 and has nothing with installation with Toshiba recovery disks as you wrote in your last posting.
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Hi petrmichal,
Thanks for Posting and welcome to the Lenovo Community,
I’d like to apologize to you for facing this issue but am sorry to tell you that the HDD partitioning caused that the recovery image won’t be working anymore and in the case that you want to create back system image recovery will be at the service center,
I’d like to provide you with the contact support number to able to contact them:
India
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B, C, E, G, H, K, N, Q, V, Y Series Products
Toll Free Number 1: 1800-3002-9929
Toll Free Number 2: 1800-425-9003
Email : [email protected]
9AM - 9PM
Monday - Saturday
Hope the information helps. Let us know.
Regards
Soha
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Help: Windows cannot restore a system image to a computer with different firmware

I want to recover a complete image of a Windows 7 operating system I have backed up to my other server. But I am getting the error "Windows cannot restore a system image to a computer with different firmware. The System Image was created by a computer using BIOS and this computer is using EFI"
The image was definitely taken from this machine - the firmware has not changed!
What do I need to do to restore the image?
Background Story ..
I bought a new HP 255 laptop per-installed with Windows 7 without Operating Systems instal disks (I will NEVER be stupid enough to do that again!).
I took a complete image of the systems, as suggested so that I was well backed up.
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I have tried going into the BIOS settings .. HP 255 has a "Legacy Mode" - which I have enabled, but this makes no difference at all!
I think that the kind of solutions I am looking for might be:
1. There is a clever way of disabling EFI on my 255 so that it looks like a legacy BIOS machine, or
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This has taken me about 2 weeks so far,please help with any suggestions!

DonOxley wrote:
Erico,
I suspect that "MSDOS" is what the Gparted tool calls "MBR" for a partition table, as explained here:
http://superuser.com/questions/700770/mbr-equals-msdos-for-gparted
I think that you are suggesting I give up on trying to recover the image I have stored on my server and just to instal Windows 7 from my new copy. There are two problems with this.
1. After having systematically downloaded all of the drivers from the HP 255 notebook support page, I am still seeing missing drivers listed. Install the AMD graphics softpaq driver first. It also contains the chipset drivers.
2. The machine is taking a hugely long time to boot up, and seems much slower with this version. Maybe that is a product of using "EFI" rather than "bios" - I don't know.
My assumption is that HP had some special set-up option with their version of Windows which makes the machine more performant. It does not seem to be a coincidence that the image they deliver the machine with is not quite compatible with a 'normal' Windows 7 instal.
So my original question stands: How do I recover the image that I saved away (as per instructed) when I first bough the machine?
You still have not said what you used to create the system image. What is the "image" file's extension?
You are mistaken in your comparison. MSDOS is an operating sytem MBR is a partitioning scheme. that is comparing apples to oranges.
The article is making an oblique reference in that using GPARTED is more or less equated to using the diskpart utility at the command line. Everything done at the comand line is essentially done by use of MSDOS commands. GPARTED does the same thing with LINUX commands via a graphical interface so you don't have to type in the commands in a Linux console.
Do you mean making a backup? a backup is not a clone which can be reproduced on different hardware. The SSD disk replacement does make the hardware differ from the original configuration.
Follow the instaructions on the following tutorial to make your disk a GPT type before installing.
http://www.disk-partition.com/articles/mbr-partition-table-to-gpt.html
****Please click on Accept As Solution if a suggestion solves your problem. It helps others facing the same problem to find a solution easily****
2015 Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience Consumer

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When I got it, I burned the recovery image over 6 dvd's. I also bought from HP the recovery disks for the laptop. The problem is when you recover the image it can take a couple of hours to download the image from the dvd's and setup all the software. Then it takes a another few hours to download all the updates for the OS, Cyberlink software and drivers from hp. I know this because I have previously had to do that because of a virus and I had to zero format the hard drive to remove everything.
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I can't use the One Key Recovery of my Y2P anymore, as I decreased the size of the C partition in favour of increasing D:\Data
OKR won't even start anymore...
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Freedom of Speech has just left the building

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