.................My forgettery is improving day by day.:eek: The less complicated the tool is the better! ..........................

If your mandate is Simplicity rather than Sophistication, then...

To : chipwood

Not sure what did you do to get the error message from MCT.

If you care to, please use the Tech Bench link and follow my simple steps :...

2 sites you can use to download Windows 10 iso files :

Tech Bench ...

To chipwood,
If you are able to login, you can run the image recovery with the method I posted on post #13.
If you cannot login, then you can use your Dell Installation DVD and select Repair option...

Just run it.
Plug in your ext hdd > Start button > Settings > Update & Security >left side, click Recovery > right side, under Advanced Startup, click Restart Now > Troubleshoot >Advanced Options >...

quote from post #6: It is easy to make an image with Windows - it is another matter if you want to recover from that image
quote from post #6 : Nothing is worse than an image that does not work in...

Well, that's your problem with the built-in program
That does not mean it happens to everyone else.
You are writing it off just because it does not perform the way you want. You can do that...

You can swear by Macrium all you want, but don't you ever question whether the built-in image backup will work or not.

I have been using it since first day of Windows 7. I have been using it to...

You are welcome.
If you do not have further questions, please mark your thread as Solved.
Thank you.

By the way, soon you will have people recommending 3rd party programs such as Mcrium or Acronis.
They have better features to offer.
If you like, give them a go.

That's OK. You are fine. You didn't do anything wrong.
There is another way to do the same thing..............
Control Panel > File History.
Both Backup and Restore (Windows 7) and File History...