No mouse/keyboard when booting into Macrium Rescue media

itm · 23 Nov 2021

When I boot to Macrium v8 Rescue media (ISO burned to a USB stick using Rufus) the boot results in a blank blue screen, then a system shutdown after a few minutes. Keyboard presses cause the blue screen to flicker, but there is no other response.
If I boot to an optical rescue drive (I have tried v5.2 and v6.1 media which were created a few years ago) I can boot to Win-PE/Macrium, but the mouse and keyboard are completely unresponsive. If I use a PS/2 keyboard it responds, but this does not allow any navigation beyond the basic options on the top menu bar, so cannot be used to perform a restore.
The machine is a Gigabyte B450 Aorus Elite.
Could you please advise as to how I can access the rescue environment? (WIndows 10 will not boot, which is why I need to)

dalchina · 23 Nov 2021

When I boot to Macrium v8 Rescue media (ISO burned to a USB stick using Rufus)

Forgive the obvious question- why did you not create this directly from Macrium's own menu? (Assuming you have a PC you can install Macrium on of course..). That way you would get a reliable bootable medium.

If you need additional drivers on the bootable disk- see e.g.
Adding device drivers to Windows PE - KnowledgeBase - Macrium Reflect Knowledgebase
Adding drivers to Rescue Media Manually

About Adding Drivers to WinPE Rescue Media - KnowledgeBase - Macrium Reflect Knowledgebase

itm · 23 Nov 2021

I did create the Macrium Rescue media from Macrium's own menu. I created an ISO (didn't burn it to USB or optical disc at that time). I have access to that ISO from a backup.
Do any of those links explain how to add drivers if you can't actually boot into the Macrium Rescue environment? (assuming that it's drivers that are the reason for no keyboard/mouse access?)

dalchina · 23 Nov 2021

I meant that Macrium can create the bootable fleash drive directly- no need for Rufus.

I've never added drivers myself to a Win PE disk- just know that it can be done.

Macrium is well supported with help information and videos on Youtube.

You need to decide whether your problem is the lack of a suitable driver as you have tried a different keyboard, or something else.

If you have the opportunity, try booting a different PC from you MR WinPE disk just to gain confidence in it and prove it in that situation.

Note: the paid version of Macrium allows you to post to its forum; 50% off presently for Black Friday. (Just a thought!)

itm · 23 Nov 2021

OK this is getting worse...I decided to go for the nuclear option and do a clean install of Windows from the original Windows 10 ISO. I left it running (copying files) and when I returned 5 minutes later there was a blank blue screen - exactly the same as when I tried to boot to the Macrium rescue CD. When I pressed enter on the keyboard the machine shut itself down.
Now what????

dalchina · 23 Nov 2021

Ok, now go back a bit in the sequence, What was it that happened before you wanted to boot from any sort of rescue disk?

Was your PC working normally, then something suddenly went wrong?

Very few posters describe the history of their problem, alas.

If that's what happened, could be a hardware problem... the board is quite new, I think... is this perhaps a new custom build?

itm · 23 Nov 2021

Sorry...to recap...the machine was working fine. I then bought a virtual instrument called Sonivox Harmonica. It installed something called Pace Anti Piracy (for iLok software protection), which I'm pretty sure is what did the damage. I shall of course be asking them for a refund. I can't believe I was dumb enough to install a package which called itself "anti-piracy". These are sometimes worse than viruses :0(

dalchina · 23 Nov 2021

Thanks- so hardware should be ok... disk contents are suspect.

Which takes us right back to the basic question of why you can't successfully boot to a usable boot disk.

the mouse and keyboard are completely unresponsive.

- how are the original items connected? USB3? Wireless?

Do you have a basic wired mouse?

If I use a PS/2 keyboard it responds, but this does not allow any navigation

- so some keys work.. normally you can navigate around menus using tab and arrow keys and 'enter'..

itm · 23 Nov 2021

dalchina said:

- how are the original items connected? USB3? Wireless?
Do you have a basic wired mouse?
- so some keys work.. normally you can navigate around menus using tab and arrow keys and 'enter'..

I have a basic wired USB kb & mouse, connected to USB 2.0 sockets.

My bad re. the previous blue screen - I had left the Macrium Rescue media in the USB drive, and when the Windows install rebooted it rebooted into that. So now I have a new problem...Windows would not install to the original SSD, saying that it was because it had an MBR partition. So I deleted the partition. Now when I try to create a new partition it says "We couldn't create a new partition (Error 0x93501be0).
???

- - - Updated - - -

The keyboard will only let me navigate the top level menus - I can't get access to the main functions of the Macrium program. Apparently this is a known limitation of the Macrium Rescue environment, from reading posts on their forum.

dalchina · 23 Nov 2021

Ah.. that explains it. I've not come across that keyboard limitation personally, but it's a long time since I had to restore from an image, and always with a laptop not an external keyboard.

Now when I try to create a new partition it says "We couldn't create a new partition (Error 0x93501be0).

Windows is installed to unallocated space. No need during a clean install to create a partition manually...
You delete all partitions comprising the previous Windows installation. (If there's a data partition you could potentially leave that in place)

Given what you said above, probably wise to format the disk as well, just in case- which you can as part of normal clean install sequence.