Boot Win10 tablet with USB stick and access NTFS C: partition

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I have messed up with C:\Windows\WinSxS directory in a Win10 32 bit tablet. Specifically I renamed "Manifests" dir into "Manifests2" and moved all "x86_*" dirs into a subdir "x86"

Now it won't boot, it goes BSOD (critical process died) a few seconds after the manufacturer boot logo.

All I need to do is to boot with a live pendrive, access C: NTFS partition, rename and move those modified WinSxS dirs and it should be good to go.

Tablet has only one micro USB port, so I'm using a USB-OTG cable to connect USB pendrive, swap it with a keyboard when I need to input commands since I don't have a USB hub atm.

Being Win10 it has UEFI, I can access UEFI shell but I don't think it's much use.

Pressing power+volume button I have access to boot menu where I can boot from file, this must be "bootia32.efi". This way I succesfully live booted a Rufus created pendrive with Kali Linux in text rescue mode, got into shell, fdisk -l gives me all the partitions, windows is on "mmcblk1p3", I try to mount ntfs /dev/mmcblk1p3 on media/win but no luck.

I think the simplest way is find a way to boot a Windows / Dos pendrive that can access directly NTFS C: partition without all that Linux mount thing. A cmd terminal will be enough for the rename / move operations I have to do.

What can I use to build such a USB bootable media?

Ju Tutt

Posted 2018-05-03T07:18:29.287

Reputation: 43

It is entirely possible that the tablet has disk encryption enabled which is why you cannot read the partition. The Windows Media Creation tool should be able to create a bootable Windows USB that you can try and do some recovery from https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10 You will have to create the media on a working machine though.

– Mokubai – 2018-05-03T08:14:16.400

1Out of curiosity, why did you decide to rename the folders? – Mokubai – 2018-05-03T08:14:49.080

I succesfully moved all the msil_* dirs into \msil, moved nearly all x86*_ in \x86, then I was left back with about eighty x86 dirs I couldn't move the first time. After I managed to move even those 80 to the subdir. I think what I had not to do was to rename Manifest. These are my experiments to slim down system (not always successful as you may have noticed...) – Ju Tutt – 2018-05-03T11:17:49.920

Answers

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I managed to solve with Lazesoft Recovery Suite

  • installed on another PC
  • Burn CD/USB Disk
  • Select Windows version (Win 10 32 bit in my case)
  • it will automatically download relevant files*
  • Put a shady 1 GB USB Flash in
  • Create USB bootable media

Then on my tablet

  • got a USB hub**
  • got a USB keyboard
  • got a USB OTG cable
  • boot from file (select USB filesystem)
  • loaded the live environment
  • launched the file manager and did the rename / move operations I knew

*The Recovery Environment footprint on the USB media was around 250 megs, so much less than standard WinPE. Also for this reason the download was fast.

**I tried to do without USB hub, so starting with USB media in, then swapping with keyboard, but didn't work. It worked with Kali Linux altough.

Ju Tutt

Posted 2018-05-03T07:18:29.287

Reputation: 43

But will it work with a non-shady USB stick? – YetAnotherRandomUser – 2018-12-01T01:19:25.523

what do you mean? – Ju Tutt – 2018-12-21T13:34:33.803

You said that you used a shady USB stick, so I was jokingly asking if it had to be a shady USB stick. – YetAnotherRandomUser – 2018-12-22T01:48:34.583

ok, I forgot I used the s word ;-) – Ju Tutt – 2018-12-22T11:35:32.713

Asked: 2018-05-03T07:18:29.287

Viewed: 832 times

Active: 2018-05-03T13:33:20.083