Unable to access UEFI BIOS setup or boot into Windows after setting MBR with EasyBCD then resetting it

Question

I can't exactly remember what the menu items were called (because I can't boot into my computer), but I'll try my best.

Earlier I tried using EasyBCD with Windows 8 on a UEFI Lenovo IdeaPad Z580 laptop to add a boot loader option for Linux Mint. It didn't boot into Mint, and so booted back into Windows and, in EasyBCD set the MBR with the first option checked (Windows Vista/7 bootloader) clicked "Write MBR". I was still unable to boot into Mint, and I noticed that I could no longer access the BIOS/UEFI settings.

If I click the "Novo" button while the laptop is off I boot to a "Novo Button Menu":

┌──────────────────┐
│ Novo Button Menu │
├──────────────────┤
│  Normal Startup  │
│    BIOS Setup    │
│     Boot Menu    │
│  System Recovery │
└──────────────────┘

The first three items would all just boot into Windows, I didn't try the fourth (I'll get onto System Recovery later).

In the Windows 8 boot menu I opened command prompt and ran bootrec.exe /fixmbr to try restore the normal Windows bootloader and the BIOS options, but this did not work. Then booted back into Windows again and opened EasyBCD. I went to "BCD Backup/Repair", selected "Reset BCD configuration" then clicked "Perform Action". The program said I needed to create at least one bootloader item, so I created a "Windows" one and set the drive to "C:", saved and rebooted. Whenever I rebooted, I was faced with a similar screen to when I tried to boot Mint with the Windows bootloader:

Windows failed to start.
[snip]
File: \BCD
Status: 0x0000098
Info: the Boot Configuration Data file doesn't contain valid information for an operating system.

now the first three Novo menu items do this, too. The last item opens Lenovo's "OneKey Recovery", which isn't really that useful since it requires a previous backup or a complete restore to a factory state.

How can I boot back into Windows now? I don't have a Windows 8 recovery disc. Is it too later to create one? My laptop has the Windows 8 serial built in (not printed on case).

Solution

Using Visual BCD Editor change path of loader to "\Windows\system32\winload.efi"

This is the screenshot of a standard Windows 8 loader (menu policy is set to legacy - text boot menu)

You can also change path of loader using bcdedit.exe on command prompt:

bcdedit /set {default} path \windows\system32\winload.efi

Addition how to boot/repair non-booting Windows 8 (request from user Karan):

You can always download the 32/64 bit version of Windows 8 Evaluation iso corresponding to your installed Windows 8 bit version (it is either 32 bit or 64 bit !).

Burn iso to DVD or USB (USB must be formatted in FAT32 for be UEFI bootable!)

Boot DVD/USB (using UEFI way if your HDD is GPT style ! else use BIOS/compatible way) and go to command prompt.

Execute these commands:

bootsect /nt60 ALL /MBR ( this will write all boot sectors and MBR even on GPT disk ! Does not harm GPT disk/partitions !!! )

bcdboot c:\windows assuming Windows 8 is installed on c:, else change drive letter to map drive where Windows 8 is installed. Simple check is folder c:\Windows exists (execute command - dir drive_letter:\windows - e.g. dir d:\windows)

Comments

[Karan]

You can try deleting the BCD and running bootrec /RebuildBcd as detailed here from a Win7 DVD. If it works (I don't think the BCD format has changed in Win8) it might allow you to boot into Windows at least, although quite likely with the Win7 non-GUI bootloader. Best option of course would be to attempt this with a borrowed Win8 Core/Pro DVD, or one of the Recovery DVDs sold by the EasyBCD guys. The Enterprise Eval might also work.

[Admin]

Thanks for your help. I'll try this and get back to you ASAP, possibly tomorrow.

[Admin]

I've finally booted into Windows again, however only after a complete "system recovery" with Lenovo's tool. I'll write up an answer to this question now.

[Karan]

So in other words you started off afresh with factory Windows install using the recovery partition?

[Admin]

Yeah, but only because I was unable to boot from a USB device without removing the hard drive (since I was unable to access boot menus), and then inserting the hard drive after booting wouldn't mount it (even under Linux). I eventually went ahead and used the "System Recovery" option. Only later did I find out that holding F2 while powering up would go to the BIOS configuration options.

[Yorkziea]

EasyBCD is not UEFI capable. (at least v.2.2)

[Karan]

You might want to include in your answer just how someone should run your program on a non-booting Win8 system.

[Yorkziea]

Added way to repair Windows 8 booting using free downloadable Windows 8 Evaluation.

[Karan]

Ah, you added how to use WinRE commands from the Enterprise Eval (something I too had mentioned above). Since your initial recommendation was to use your Visual BCD Editor with a nice UI, I was hoping you'd add steps on how to use it from a WinPE 4.x LiveDVD/USB.

[Yorkziea]

I would not recommend running Automatic StartUp Repair as Windows 8 Evaluation is Enterprise flavor so the outcome against just Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro is not clear.

[Karan]

You're right, no idea what Automatic Repair will do since the version's different (might make for a nice experiment though!), but I guess bootrec (which I mentioned above), bootsect, bcdbood (which you did) run manually from WinRE should work fine...

[Yorkziea]

Karan, VisualBCD beside .NET uses some standard dialog boxes not available in PE4 - have to fix it. But I think people on reboot.pro will come with a general solution, so we will be able to run almost any program in PE4.

[Karan]

Nice, looking forward to a fixed version or an alternative solution. BTW, is VisualBCD currently fully portable?

[Yorkziea]

let us continue this discussion in chat

[ike]

@snayob neosmart.net/wiki/easybcd/system-requirements says otherwise

[Yorkziea]

@ike - you can put another comment in the year 2020. Which version is UEFI capable as of May 2015 ? I don't trust what Neosmart is writing in their wiki - only real tests can prove capability or functionality.

[Yorkziea]

@Karan - what about Windows 8 installed to USB (Windows 2go). Visual BCD Editor could run there;)

[ike]

neosmart.net/wiki/easybcd/uefi also explicitly says that it can work (but not by default). I'm not going to mess with a bootloader just to prove that it works. It says 2.2 is capable.

[Yorkziea]

I don't trust blindly writings of people/companies proved to cheat - example Neosmart "easyldr" = renamed ntldr - Microsoft product.