My OS is in auto repair loop, how can I install Windows on a new drive

dalchina · 30 Dec 2019

Hi, basic question: do you have a current backup of all files you might need?

If not, then you should make sure you do before attempting any significant repair. If your registry is damaged, then running System Restore offline might help - this can be done by booting your PC from a Win 10 installation medium e.g. a flash drive, selecting Repair your computer, and navigating to the appropriate option.

Do you know if you ever enabled System Restore?

Another possibility if the problem lies with your Boot Configuration Data (BCD) - possible from the error number- would be to try Macrium reflect's Fix boot utility - this could be run if you get a copy of Macrium reflect, or download what we know as Kyhi's live boot iso
Toolkit Item: Kyhi’s Rescue Disk – Win10.Guru
and create a bootable flash drive or DVD from that and boot your PC from it. You could also then readily run a check on your internal disk.

For the future: how could you prepare for something like this?
Again and again tenforums members recommend the routine use of disk imaging. E.g. Macrium Reflect (free/paid)

If you had a current Windows disk image, saved to an external storage medium, you would be able to restore your PC to a previous working state from the image files in perhaps an hour or so.

And you'd have a full backup.

zbook · 30 Dec 2019

There was a file that was automatically created by Windows that may have been able to fix registry corruption.
This file, regback, was a feature in earlier Windows 10 versions/builds.

Microsoft has a feedback hub:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...edback-hub-app

Windows 10 bug prevents Registry backup creation - gHacks Tech News

Please communicate with Microsoft via the feedback hub about the computer problems and how this prior Windows feature
could have possibly fix the registry problems.

I WANT MY GIFS · 30 Dec 2019

dalchina said:

Hi, basic question: do you have a current backup of all files you might need?.

I don't , the system restore option shows nothing.

zbook said:

There was a file that was automatically created by Windows that may have been able to fix registry corruption.
This file, regback, was a feature in earlier Windows 10 versions/builds.

I just found out as of nov. 12 2019, Microsoft stopped having registry back ups. So the regback folder will show no files.

zbook · 30 Dec 2019

I WANT MY GIFS said:

I don't , the system restore option shows nothing.

I just found out as of nov. 12 2019, Microsoft stopped having registry back ups. So the regback folder will show no files.

If it were available it may have been a solution for the current problem.

Microsoft can restore this feature to have backup options for registry corruption.

The more the feedback the more likely an impact.

So please communicate the problems you've experienced and how the feature may have fixed the problems.

I WANT MY GIFS · 31 Dec 2019

Can someone tell me if the 3rd option explained here is still viable?

Fix error 0xc000014C for Boot Configuration Data on Windows 10

Restore the default and uncorrupt Registry Values

This is kind of tricky. You need to be sure about what you are doing here; if you are not, I would recommend getting in touch with a technician or any other expert.

First, you need to physically remove the hard drive of the computer which is not booting up. We will call it Hard drive 1 and Computer 1 respectively.

Now, you need to have another computer which we will call Computer 2 and will refer to its Hard drive as Hard drive 2. This computer must be running properly.

You have to attach the Hard drive 1 to Computer 2 with the Hard drive 2 attached as well.

Now, boot Computer 2 from Hard drive 2 where the Hard drive 1 will act as a second storage unit.

In the System Partition of the Hard drive 2, navigate to the following location and copy all the files to the same location of the Hard drive 1,

C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack
You need to replace all the files

The instructions are not very specific. There is nothing inside the Regback folder on my original hdd or on my 2nd PC that I've have on hand. The article is cut and pasted by several websites so I don't even know who the original author is.
That's my last attempt before reinstalling windows and moving 2TB worth of content from my hdd.

zbook · 31 Dec 2019

Which windows version is installed on the computer?

Regback is automatic through 1709.

Enable Automatic Backup of System Registry when Restart in Windows 10

If the computer has 1803, 1809, 1903, 1909 then please contact Microsoft via the feedback hub to restore this feature.

I WANT MY GIFS · 01 Jan 2020

zbook said:

Which windows version is installed on the computer?

Regback is automatic through 1709.

Enable Automatic Backup of System Registry when Restart in Windows 10

If the computer has 1803, 1809, 1903, 1909 then please contact Microsoft via the feedback hub to restore this feature.

It had to be the latest update of Windows 10, as set it to update automatically. I guess there is no option to copy the registry files now.

dalchina · 01 Jan 2020

Regback was disabled by MS around build 1709.

Ztruker · 03 Jan 2020

You can re-enable regback. I have and it works fine. Here are the directions I used:

Starting in Windows 10, version 1803, Windows no longer automatically backs up the system registry to the RegBack folder. If you browse to to the \Windows\System32\config\RegBack folder in Windows Explorer, you will still see each registry hive, but each file is 0kb in size.

More information

This change is by design, and is intended to help reduce the overall disk footprint size of Windows. To recover a system with a corrupt registry hive, Microsoft recommends that you use a system restore point.

If you want to use the legacy backup behavior, you can re-enable it by configuring the following registry entry, and then restarting the computer:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Configuration Manager\EnablePeriodicBackup
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1

Reboot

You will see the registry files in C:\Windows\system32\config\Regback but they will be 0 length.

Open Task Scheduler and run the Registry (RegIdleBackup) task and the registry files in C:\Windows\system32\config\Regback will be populated, not 0 length.

Windows backs up the registry to the RegBack folder when the computer restarts, and creates a RegIdleBackup task to manage subsequent backups. You need to Edit the task Trigger to run at startup so it will continue to backup the registry each time the system if booted successfully.

Double click on RegIdleBackup (or right click on it and select Properties) to open Properties for the task.
Click on the Trigger tab.
Click the Edit button.
Click on the New button.
Click on the Begin Task dropdown and select At Startup.
Click OK then OK.
Close Task Scheduler.

Or .....

You can use these commands:

From Elevated Command Prompt or Powershell window:
REG ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Configuration Manager" /V EnablePeriodicBackup /T REG_DWORD /D 1

Reboot

From Elevated Command Prompt or Powershell window:
schtasks /run /i /tn "\Microsoft\Windows\Registry\RegIdleBackup"

You will still have to modify the task so it will run at startup as shown above.

zbook · 04 Jan 2020

Hi Ztruker,

Have you modified regback where it is automatic as it once was with older Windows versions or are you at times performing manual steps?
And have you confirmed after months of use that the regback file is sizable to permit a successful regback?

How did you modify the task scheduler?

Something to update the TF tutorial?