Recovery not working on Samsung 530U3C-A01

I'm running Windows 7, and it has been rather sluggish lately. Tried lots of programs, defragmenting, etc, but I couldn't see any major improvements so I think a fresh OS would be best.

F4 doesn't work, and neither does Samsung Recovery Solution 5. If I try to run any of them, I just get a "Invalid recovery area" error message after restart. Samsung Recovery Solution had a restore point, but it wouldn't work.
Someone said to try and reinstall SRS, but after uninstalling the previous version, the new one won't install. It says that there is no Samsung Recovery Area.
Problem is, when I check my disks, I have a 21.61 GB recovery partition in good condition. Why doesn't it work? Here is a print screen, sorry it's not in English. The recovery partition is the last one on the right, first row.
I did memory check and startup check on Windows, there was no problem.

I would rather not have to install Windows again, I have very little experience with drivers&co, I don't know where to get them and I might make mistakes.
Any ideas on how to fix the recovery partition?

 

Hey Zephyree, welcome to NBR.

Samsung Recovery Solution (SRS) depends, not just on the Recovery partition, but also on a hidden link in the partition table in order to function. And unfortunately that link is easily disturbed when using various partition tools. Common ways are restoring a partition image backup or changing partition layout using 3rd party partition tools such as Acronis, Paragon etc. These things can terminally damage SRS.

In a few cases, users have been able to restore the link by re-installing the SRS Windows app, but that is rare. Basically, if you cannot reach Recovery with F4, the SRS Windows app won't work either (and sometimes won't even install, as you found).

The newer SRS6 version has an easy way to back itself up on a USB stick, which we highly recommend all users do -- BEFORE it's too late. However, SRS5 has no such feature and must be backed up using some elaborate manual steps. The post here (that was a link) sums up all the various things you can do to backup and restore SRS5 and SRS6.

Assuming your Recovery partition is intact, there are a few things you can try. Your best chance is adding Recovery to your Windows boot menu, which may allow you to boot it. It is described in this post.

If you manage to get into Recovery, you can of course use that to restore the factory installation or any restore points you created in there.

BUT, that will not itself make F4 work again. In order to accomplish that, you need to create a so-called Admin Tool and make a full manual backup of all files and folders on the Recovery partition. You can then use that to re-image the disk with working Recovery (which will wipe the disk in the process). That is all described in that summary post above.

All of this is very elaborate, and only you can decide if it is worth the effort. In your situation, you probably received a Win7 DVD with the computer; otherwise you can legally download Win7 ISOs from Digital River and burn an disc yourself.

Installing Win7 is not that hard if you follow the exact steps in our Win7 install guide (post #40 in that thread). On your model you need to install from DVD (not from a USB flash drive).

Please keep us posted on what you decide and your progress.

 

Hi! Thank you so much for the reply.
After I figure this thing out I will make sure to backup everything (including the backups) properly.

Now that you mentioned it, I did use Acronis a year or so ago. That's probably the way that link got modified.

I will try to add Recovery to the boot menu first, anything to avoid reinstalling Windows. I didn't get any Win7 DVD, and the link you posted seems to be only a trial version (is there any way to keep my license code from the Windows I have installed currently? I can do that with my antivirus.)

Quite the opposite, I have no DVD drive, so my only chance is the USB.

Once I try the boot option, I will post an update.
Again, thank you.

 

Look on the PSU and the bottom of your computer for the Windows 7 key sticker. If you can't find anything then use Magic Jellybean Keyfinder to find the Windows key. However, it's possible that the pre-activated Samsung OEM key is not the same as the one on your sticker.

Windows installation from USB is possible but there are extra hoops to jump through because the Windows installer puts boot information on the ExpressCache SSD but it's a non bootable device.

John

 

Many people do that; it is only a problem because Samsung Recovery Solution is very sensitive. The backing up of partition images is usually not a problem, it's restoring them that destroys the F4 link. Also, backing up and restoring just the Windows partition is normally OK. I do that myself all the time.

Don't be confused by the fact that the guide I linked to mentions two Recovery partitions. That's a SRS6 peculiarity, SRS5 only has one partition. But this trick works for SRS5 as well, I have tried it myself.

Also, instead of using DISKPART to add a drive letter to the Recovery, you can download the (very easy to use) Minitool Partition Wizard and use that to add a drive letter.

No, those ISOs in the post I linked are complete Windows 7 ISOs, not trial versions. Make sure you download the one matching your factory installation (for example 64-bit Home Premium). And they are completely legal, posted there by Microsoft. (My fellow moderators would slap me hard if I discussed illegal downloads here. We strictly prohibit that on NBR.)

You have to use your Product Key to activate it. It is on the certificate on the bottom of your computer or on your power supply.

I didn't make myself clear: You HAVE to install Windows from DVD on this model. If you install from USB, you will get a boot problem caused by Windows Setup being confused by the small ExpressCache SSD (so-called iSSD). If you don't have a built-in DVD drive you need to buy or borrow an external one. There is a workaround (if you absolutely MUST install from USB) but if you are already uncomfortable about re-installing Windows in the first place, I do not recommend it.

Hopefully you will get Recovery going, and you will not have to re-install.

Edit: Oops, John beat me to it by 4 mins. That happens a lot around here

 

Only because I gave a brief answer instead of your comprehensive guidance.

John

 

So, after finding Acronis on my laptop, I searched around and I was able to find an old image. It was made shortly after buying my laptop, so I decided to give it a shot.
After loading it, the computer restarted, but it wouldn't boot anymore? I tried Safe Mode, the startup diagnostic tool, but it just wouldn't start. If I start it normally it just gets stuck on the loading screen.
I guess I can try to make a bootable USB stick and then retry to load the image with Acronis. Any other ideas?
Once I'm able to start Windows again, I will update. Thanks.

 

Did you try adding Recovery to the Windows Boot menu as I suggested?

If your goal now is just to get Windows working, I can see how restoring an Acronis image might be useful. But nothing you can do with Acronis will help you get Recovery working again. On the contrary, every time you use it, you risk damaging Recovery further.

 

No, I got too excited when I found that image so I tried that first. I also thought that switching back to the old version of Windows would fix recovery. Guess I can't really escape that.
I made a bootable USB with Acronis, but it wouldn't load. After disabling fastboot and switching to a USB 2.0 port, it booted from it, so now I'm trying to get everything to work.

 

Understood. Indeed, if you had updated to Win8.1, that too has been known to affect Samsung Recovery, sometimes even damaging it. And SRS5 is based on Win7, so you won't be able to use the SRS Windows app under newer versions than that.

I'll look forward to hear the results. Just know that sometimes it can be a day or two between me posting here.

 

I managed to use Acronis to put back the old image. It installed successfully, but Windows still doesn't load.
I heard the Win7 DVD has an option to fix the installed Windows, so I'm gonna try and find a portable DVD drive to borrow and try that.
I don't really understand what might have caused this problem. The computer worked fine, albeit slow, until I tried to install the Acronis image.
Anyway, I can't get the DVD drive until tomorrow. So don't worry about late replies.

 

Once you have a DVD drive, re-installing Win7 from a disc is really easy on these Samsung laptops. Particularly on models that came pre-installed with Win7 in the first place (you don't have to deal with UEFI and converting your HDD as with the Win8 models). Once Windows is up and running, SW update does most of the heavy lifting for you. You just just need to save drivers for your WiFi card beforehand. Again, our Win7 install guide has the exact steps.

Once Win7 is running on the computer, it is possible that your Recovery will start working again -- assuming the Recovery partition is intact and the F4 link wasn't damaged by Acronis or other partition tools.

 

After some trying I finally got Windows working again.

First it wouldn't boot from the Win7 DVD either, so I tried booting from a USB stick using Fedora. It started alright, but there was not much I could do from there. However, after booting from Fedora, it loaded the Win7 disk too. I ran a "Fix Windows", and after the startup repair checked for errors and whatnot, the computer started fine, using the image I mounted with Acronis. After it loaded, I checked the C: disk for errors, and it found nothing. Now I'm basically close to where I wanted to be in the beginning.

However, F4 still doesn't work, so now I'm gonna try adding the recovery partition to boot.
Should I try first to overwrite it and make a new restore point? Or add it as it is? So far I only installed a few programs, including my antivirus, a browser, WinRAR and BSPlayer.
Also, should I first uninstall Acronis?

I now noticed another problem, and if anyone has any idea what may be causing it I would be very grateful for any input. I would rather not start a new thread, so here it goes:
I had this problem even before trying to use the restore point, but now it happens much more often. When I scroll through a website, the screen freezes for a second, then it starts moving very slow for another 3-4, during which the computer starts making a beeping noise. Here is a recording of the noise, it is not exactly great quality since it was recorded with my phone, but it could give an idea about what it might be. Sometimes it goes on longer.
I installed CoreTemp and it shows quite high temperatures: Highest was 81, minimum was 52. SpeedFan mostly agrees.
Any other tests that I could run that may show what the problem is? The drivers look okay.
I am worried it might be a hardware problem, perhaps related to the fact I couldn't load Windows.


Throwing this here in case it might be somehow related - The laptop doesn't go in sleep mode when I lower the lid, even though it is marked as such in power options.

Anyway, thanks a lot for all the help until now, and sorry to bother you so much.

 

Some suggestions about the performance problems:

1. Use Task Manager to see the CPU usage when you scroll a web page. It may also be worthwhile checking the RAM usage and disk access.

2. Check the disk's SMART data. Preferably by using a diagnostic utility from the manufacturer but, if you can't find one then a program such as HWiNFO will try to understand the data.

3. Use Event Viewer to look in the system log to see if there are error messages at the time the computer should go to sleep.

John

 

Sorry for the late response.

I am a little confused when you say "the computer started fine, using the image I mounted with Acronis". I think you mean a Windows partition image previously made with Acronis, which you now restored to the HDD. If so, I suggest you just try and add Recovery to your Windows boot menu as described in that post I linked earlier ( here). Basically use Minitool Partition Wizard to add a drive letter to the Recovery partition (say R: ), then use EasyBCD to add a WinPE entry to the Windows boot menu, pointing to R:\sources\boot.wim. Again, details in that linked post.

ONLY if that fails would I suggest that you restore the Acronis image of the Recovery partition. Once you do this, your F4 link will be destroyed for sure. The purpose of restoring that image (despite destroying the F4 link) would only be if your current Recovery partition has been corrupted somehow (making it worthless, even with an intact F4 link). Your only way to access that Recovery after restoring the Acronis image (and destroying the F4 link) will be by adding it to the Windows boot menu.

Once you are able to boot Recovery, I suggest you create the backups described in this guide, most importantly a USB Admin Tool (which can be used to create a new Recovery with working F4, but wiping the disk in the process) and file & folder copies of everything on the Recovery partition (which can be restored to the new Recovery partition without damaging F4). Again, details in that linked guide.

That said, my opinion remains that you are better off simply re-installing Win7, considering the effort required to salvage and re-create your Recovery AND the fact that SRS5 merely contains a bloated factory installation of Win7 -- which can be freely and legally downloaded from Digital River anyway.

I also noted the freezes you mention, and John's response. I wonder if you have a disk defect -- which could cause exactly this behavior as well as the corruption you may be seeing. This thread describes a case exactly like that.