Windows 10: Restore Windows system & files only from windows data partition no recovery/boot partitions

So I made an oopsie. A big one.



TL;DR:

I have a partition on a hard drive with all my Windows files Program Files, PrefLogs, Windows, Users, etc.. It is the only partition on the hard drive no boot/recovery.

I need to move that partition, or at least the data on it, to my SSD on which Windows is currently operating. I need my registry and all my programs and DLLs to be where they were.





How I got here yes, I'm stupid:

1. I had Windows installed on an SSD and an HDD that had an unwanted, corrupted Windows version installed on it connected to my computer that I wanted to format.
2. I formatted my own boot/recovery data partition was saved though partitions on my SSD instead.
3. I installed Windows on my HDD to have a bootable OS this required me to format the HDD.
4. I moved my data partition from the damaged SSD to the HDD using Macrium Reflect this meant not having a bootable OS on my HDD anymore.
5. I COMPLETELY formatted my SSD using diskpart clean.
6. I reinstalled Windows on my SSD.
7. I used Macrium Reflect again to save an image of the original data partition on my desktop.
8. You are reading this.

My story:

Exposition

I had Windows installed on my SSD, and had an HDD lying around that had an old & corrupted Windows installation on it.

I was trying to format the HDD I wanted to delete ALL the partitions from it.

The built in disk management software didn't let me delete the boot/recovery partitions, so I used diskpart to fully clean the hard drive.

In diskpart, I selected the HDD, and used the clean command:

DiskPart has encountered an error: The remote procedure call failed.

See the System Event Log for more information.

I made a quick Google search to see where the System Even Log is, but it was late so I thought: "OK, whatever. I'll deal with this tomorrow".

I shut down my PC...


The Troubles: Part 1 - **** just happened?

So I boot my PC... and I get a UEFI error. I don't remember what it said exactly, but it was something about how my UEFI settings might have caused my PC to not boot correctly, so they were restored to defaults I think this was due to some MBR/GPT problem on my SSD.

After that I saw in my UEFI that there still was a boot section on my SSD.

I kept trying to boot into my SSD through the boot menu, otherwise it would give me that setting error, but that in turn kept giving me a Kmode Exception Not Handled BSOD, which would also restart my computer automatically after ~10 seconds.

After realizing that messing with the UEFI settings won't help, I inserted my Windows installation media USB stick...


The Troubles: Part 2 - Electric Boogaloo

I tried to use the restore function on the installation media, but it didn't evendetect there was a Windows installation on my PC, so I installed Windows on the HDD I couldn't install it on my SSD or else all the data on it would be erased.After what felt like ayear you never realize just how fast SSDs are untill you don't use one anymore, I finally managed to log in to Windows on the HDD.


At this point, I had a plan:

1. Try to fix the SSD using Windows on my HDD. If it works: Yay! the nightmare is over. If not:
   
2. Move the data from the SSD to the HDD
   
3. Reinstall Windows on my SSD
4. Move back the data from my HDD to SSD somehow

Step 1 failed.

I installed Macrium Reflect I've used it before and it's wonderful on my HDD to move the data partition on my SSD to the HDD.

In order to do so, Macrium had to delete the current system from my HDD, so it created a bootable Windows RE, which would be the one to do the actual transfer.

After an actual year happy new year btw, the transfer was done, I plugged the installation media back in to install a fresh copy of Windows...


The Troubles: Part 3 - Wait did I brick my SSD?

In the partition menu where you choose where to install Windows, there was an error:

Windows Cannot be Installed to This Disk. The Selected Disk is of the GPT Partition Style

It didn't even let me format or delete partitions on the SSD through the GUI.


After a LOT of googling, I finally had a theory of what happened:

When I used diskpart do clean the HDD, I must have mistakenly selected the SSD or the selection might have been canceled somehow when I used the help command a number of times before I actually executed the clean command. The Windows installation error I got leads me to believe that diskpart managed to delete the part of the SSD where its configuration is saved, including the Windows boot partition.

I have no idea how the restore partition got lost, but it did as well.


With this new semi-sensible theory, I was looking for ways to make the Windows installer reconfigure the SSD so I could finally install Windows on it.

I tried many solutions I found online to my problem, butthe one that did the trick had me clean the SSD through diskpart this time it finished the job.

I went on to install Windows on the SSD...


The end?

OK, so now all I have to do is transfer the all data from my HDD to my SSD. Simple, right? No. It isn't.

I've managed to transfer almost all my files except a few Windows system files.

I've tried to restore my registry from a month old backup I exported my registry the last time I browsed it but it gave me an error about how there are apps using the keys that need to be changed and honestly, I didn't want to mess with the progress I made so I didn't touch it again.

I've tried googling the solution but all of them required a restore partition which is understandable, my issue doesn't sound like something common.


Now I'm here, asking for help because I honestly don't know what to do:

I have all the programs "installed" on the SSD but not listed in the program list, some DLLs are missing for the programs "installed", My fonts are gone oddly specific but whatever etc.

I have a mirror of my original SSD both on the HDD in the form of an actual NTFS file system and on my SSD in the form of a Macrium Reflect Backup.

All I need to do is to somehow make the Windows system files that are saved on one of the mirrors my current system files.


I know I could just reinstall all my programs, but that is a last resort solution since it would mean that the progress I had made in some games would be erased, my settings would be gone, and it would take ages.

:)

 

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I will try and cut this short:

So i have this HP pavilion DV5-1987 laptop, that came with windows vista home premium 32bit. A couple of months later i installed a 64bit version, and about a week ago i installed Windows 7 x64 RTM. Both installations was a fresh install on the C partition, leaving the recovery partition intact and alone.
Now i have regrettet and want the original os to be reinstalled. But it doesnt work.
The bios options does nothing, i press ESC to get to boot options, choose F11 for boot to recovery partition, and it goes straight to windows 7.
i search the internet for options and try these suggestions:
Mark drive D as active partition (the rec partition). it still boots to win 7.
boot to super grub from a boot cd, and press "AUTO MAGIC BOOTER" (something like that). it then shows me two identical "vista boot loader" to choose from, and both goes into win 7, and a third (other OS) that gives me and error and returns to grub loader.

there a several other suggestions but either they wont work in my scenario or are another iteration of what i have already tried.

So uh... help? please? if you need anymore information please ask.