How to test macrium backup

Well shucks, F12 is a no go. Below is what is there.

UEFI Options:
Windows Boot Manager
Onboard NIC (IPV4)
Onboard NIC (IPV6)
Other Options:
Bios Setup
Diagnostics
BIOS Flash Update
Device Configuration
Peripheral Device Settings (OPROM) <-greyed out
Change Boot Mode Setting
Support Assistant OS Recovery

I went to Boot Mode Setting and changed Boot Mode from Secure to not enabled (as suggested above) and no additional options appeared. I set back to enabled

Now in all of this, a new problem has appeared. At night I let my pc go into sleep mode. When I bring it out in the morning, the pc suddenly restarts within a few minutes. This has happened every morning for the last three mornings. All I have done on this pc in the last week is:

Changed to metered connection
Connected via wi-fi ( I have been offline since purchase and installation of pc)
Updated Norton
Updated Dell
Downloaded Macrium Free and installed
Created a Bootable rescue DVD online
Created a disc image
Went back offline
Windows attempted to update but did not have the time, but notified me to download

This restart, brings up a Dell logo screen. If I restart from windows, it simply goes black on shutdown, turns on and back into windows with no Dell Logo.

So now I still cannot figure out how to boot into my DVD and I have an additional problem of spontaneous restart after coming out of sleep.

Any new suggestions?

And thanks for the help so far.

The pc is new last Christmas, an XPS 8920, installed in May, is my recording pc (DAW) and has worked flawlessly, offline always (except for initial install of DAW components.

Bastet said:

You can still use the browse image option. :)
You can also validate the backup automatically after creation, while this is no guarantee I would think it would inform you of any problems with the image.

Thanks so much, I am going to do that yet tonight, although it appears my Dell will not allow a backup from a DVD.

Bastet said:

I backup/image to an external hard drive but within MR you can choose to boot the image with VMi/HyperV although VM is on Windows 10 pro only, there’s also a browse image option, I would think if you can do this then the image is fine.
Usually MR states to test the boot USB - which you should create - so you can assure yourself you can access MR image if Windows cannot boot.

OK I did that, all is good, but I wish I wouldn't have. Now it apparently automatically duplicated the drive image and I'm showing two in the Macrium interface (the same image with different headers) instead of the just one. I don't know if that will complicate matters in the event I need to use this image or not. Right now, with nothing working, I don't need more problems. I think I will delete that image and do that over too.

The issue remains, how do I test my backup, yes my image is fine. Dell will not allow me to boot to my backup.

I suspect my only hope now is

1.) Redo the boot drive, this time on a flash drive instead of a DVD. I went to Dell support manual for my pc (my tech support just expired so I have none) and it says clearly, F12 will take me to the one time boot menu and I know now it does not. It also says in another place, Dell doesnot support boot from a DVD. I might as well try and redo it using a flash drive.

2.) One other thing, dell support youtube tells how to get a F8 prompt via a command line, it is called advanced startup. I might as well as try that. I see now, my pc only has F2 and F12.

I'm no longer hopeful about this, I should never have went down this road. Instead of creating music, I spend all my time trying to do tech support. Six years ago I was given 1 year to live due to salivary gland cancer. God is good and I'm still here, but anyday could be my last. I've been recording since 2005 and it has been wonderful. I started playing guitar in 1968. Maybe that is good enough. So far all I've done is make it worse. Now I've got a pc that spontaneously reboots. Shucks.

Bastet said:

Which suggestion did you do which created a duplicate? Can you post a screenshot?
Usually you insert the DVD/USB & click on the boot key (usually F7, F8, F1 or another depending on your PC) & it’ll show the boot menu, press the down key & choose the DVD/USB. I use a USB as it’s easier to update the Macrium PE.
You can also add the Macrium boot to the Windows boot menu so you receive a choice on Windows boot.

My only two options are F2 & F12 as explained above. neither provide a boot option to DVD as I can see although there is a icon of a DVD , USB drive on the Onboard NIC ipv4 option, whatever that is, click it and nothing happens though, it boots into windows. I am totally mystified, confused and a number of other things as to why this is so hard for something so easy. Why has Dell made this basically impossible. Dell support youtube has a quick via on adding F8 Advanced Startup Options to the lineup via a command line prompt. I can try that and see what happens.

Adding Macrium to the windows boot option sounds good but at this point I feel I am on the verge of hosing my pc since
Dell has obviously made this a secret magical quirk that no one is allowed to know. Maybe there is a sword in a stone somewhere I need to pull out...

PS Sorry for my consternation, I am bummed, I thought I would be in Win 10 pro by now with recording sessions lined up for Monday. Now nothing...

Cool I logged into my pc which has now been restarting spontaneously after coming out of sleep for each of the last three mornings. I brought it out of sleep and got the BSOD. Really cool!

Stopcode: Driver_Power_State_Failure

There have been no changes to this pc for over 6 months. It's been offline and working great.

I decide to upgrade to win 10 pro to control updates and limit the Microsoft forced spyware on my pc.

First I connect via my wi-fi, first time ever, disconnect. Create a metered connection. connect. Update Norton, update Dell. Disconnect. All is good. Wait a few days. Connect and download Macrium Free and get warnings from Microsoft I must download updates. Install macrium, create a rescue disk to DVD and a disk image to ext HD, disconnect. Continue to get warnings from Microsoft. Stay disconnected while trying to figure out how to boot into Macrium. Then get spontaneous restarts for three days. Each time it restarts it takes out my audio, similar to what happened after every update from Microsoft this machine had in the beginning. Disconnect the USB from my pro focusrite audio interface with the latest drivers and reconnect and restore audio. Very common and well reported in the audio world. Microsoft hates pro audio equipment.

So now from a well performing pc with no problems, I have a pc with BSOD, Microsoft angry over updates not installed, a worthless Macrium rescue and disc image and nothing to show for it but a wasted week of crapazola.

Any ideas from anyone is seriously and well appreciated.

I think I will undo the metered connection setting, disable Wi-Fi, hook up my modem, let Microsoft update my pc, end up with a worthless pile of non-working junk and give it away and end my career in recording which has been one of my biggest sources of joy while dealing with terminal cancer. I was once a computer tech working for AT&T, now I hate every second I have to deal with this. I just want to finish my music in the time I have remaining.

So I've gone from a great working pc (used maybe 40-80 hours since brand new) to a pile of junk in one week and all I tried to do is create a macrium rescue disk. But I had to connect to do it and Microsoft said, "we don't like you" and I guess it's over. I do not have the time or money to buy a new pc...