"E_UNEXPECTED 0x8000ffff" error when you try to restore a system by using System Recovery Options in Windows 7

Symptoms

Consider the following scenario:

• You create a system restore point by using the System Restore tool on a computer that is running Windows 7.

• You install the update 2572077, and then you install update 2446710 or update 2518869.

• You start the computer by using the Windows 7 Installation media, or you start the computer in Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE).

• You try to restore the system to the system restore point that you created by using System Recovery Options.

In this scenario, the System Restore tool fails. Additionally, you receive the following error message:

Resolution

To avoid this problem, install the hotfix that is described in this Microsoft KB article on the Windows Imaging Format (WIM) file in your Windows RE environment. To do this, follow these steps.

Note If your computer is in an OEM product-based environment, contact the OEM vendor for more information.

1. Install Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows 7 on the computer. To download Windows AIK, go to the following Microsoft website:
   http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5753

2. Create the Windows RE image (Winre.wim). To do this, follow these steps:

   1. Click Start, click All Programs, and then click Windows AIK.

   2. Right-click Deployment Tools Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.

   3. Copy the Install.wim file from Windows 7 installation media to a folder. To do this, run the following commands:

      md C:\OS_Image
      md C:\OS_Image\mount
      copy D:\sources\install.wim C:\OS_Image

   4. Mount the Install.wim file by using the ImageX tool. To do this, run the following command:

      ImageX /mountrw C:\OS_Image\install.wim 1 C:\OS_Image\mount

   5. Copy the Windows RE image (Winre.wim) from the mounted Windows 7 image to a folder. To do this, run the following commands:

      md C:\winre
      md C:\winre\mount
      copy C:\OS_image\mount\windows\system32\recovery\winre.wim C:\winre\

   6. Unmount the mounted Windows 7 image after you copy the Windows RE image (Winre.wim). To do this, run the following command:

      ImageX /unmount C:\OS_Image\mount

3. Install the hotfix on the Windows RE image (Winre.wim). To do this, follow these steps:

   1. Mount the Winre.wim file that you created in step 2. To do this, run the following command:

      ImageX /mountrw C:\winre\winre.wim 1 C:\winre\mount

   2. Install the hotfix on the mounted Windows RE image. To do this, run the following command:

      Dism /image:C:\winre\mount /Add-Package:c:\TEMP\Windows6.1-KB2709289-x64.msu

   3. Determine whether the hotfix is installed successfully. To do this, run the following command:

      Dism /image:C:\winre\mount /Get-Packages

   4. Commit the changes to the Winre.wim file. To do this, run the following command:

      ImageX.exe /unmount /commit C:\winre\mount

4. Create a customized Windows RE medium by using the Winre.wim file. To do this, follow these steps:

   1. Create a file to make a Windows RE image. To do this, run the following command:

      copype.cmd amd64 C:\WinREx64

   2. Copy the Winre.wim file to the ISO\sources folder, and then rename the file as Boot.wim. To do this, run the following command:

      copy C:\winre\winre.wim C:\WinREx64\ISO\sources\boot.wim

   3. Deploy the customized Windows RE image to any media.

Status

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

More Information

For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

For more information about Windows RE, go to the following Microsoft website:

General information about Windows REFor more information about how to create a bootable Windows PE RAM disk on a hard disk, go to the following Microsoft website:

Walkthrough: create a bootable Windows PE RAM disk on a hard diskFor more information about how to create a bootable Windows PE RAM disk on CD-ROM, go to the following Microsoft website:

Walkthrough: create a bootable Windows PE RAM disk on CD-ROMFor more information about how to create a bootable Windows PE RAM disk on a USB flash disk, go to the following Microsoft website:

Walkthrough: create a bootable Windows PE RAM disk on a USB flash disk For more information about the issue that is described in this article, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

2709289 System Restore tool does not work in Windows RE on a Windows 7-based computer For more information about security updates for the .NET Framework 3.5.1, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

2518869 MS11-044: Description of the security update for the .NET Framework 3.5.1 on Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and on Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1: June 14, 2011

2518869 MS11-044: Description of the security update for the .NET Framework 3.5.1 on Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and on Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1: June 14, 2011

2572077 MS11-078: Description of the security update for .NET Framework 3.5.1 for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1: October 11, 2011