Can't boot into WinPE to restore Macrium Reflect backups

I tried to restore a backup of all system partitions, including EFI and Windows Recovery partitions, made with Macrium Reflect Free, however my laptop couldn't boot into Windows PE environment to perform the restore and I'm getting this error:



I managed to build a bootable USB with WinPE media via MR, where it downloaded all Windows ADK and WinPE files. While it worked and booted this time, differential backups were missing, only an outdated full backup. I swear I looked everywhere but they were just not there, even though they are located in the same directory and are visible on the application on Windows environment.

Two or three months ago, I performed another restore due to malware and could boot into WinPE just fine without external bootale WinPE media, and all differential backups were showing, not only a full one. Then I built a bootable media again but using Windows Recovery Environment this time, but I got the same error, the only difference was the characteristical blue blackground of Windows RE instead of black.

I found an identical report from AOMEI Backupper forums, and users there are suspecting that a Windows Update in June or July might have broken something that is preventing access to Windows PE/RE, which was working fine a few months ago. This error worries me a lot, because now I can't restore recent differential backups. I'm also concerned that next time I need to restore a backup, not even a WinPE media will boot anymore, meaning I would have backups that I cannot restore.


OS: Windows 10 Home Single Language Version 22H2 build 19045.3271
Macrium Reflect version: 8.0 build 7279

edit: I also noticed that after the restore, Windows is taking much longer to boot now, when it only took a few seconds before. Windows is installed on a PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD and the same applications are configured to start with Windows, so I don't get why boot is so slow now.

dalchina said:

Your screenshot suggests you were not even starting to boot from a MR bootable disk.
That's indeed what the sentence following indicates, as you created one AFTER that.
So no surprise there..



Where have you been saving your image files?
Surely not on a disk internal to your PC.

The appropriate method is e.g. to a USB disk - which can then be removed and stored separately, so when something goes wrong, it should always be available.

Turning to your internal disk... start with basics.
Check your (entire physical) disk... e.g. with Crystal Diskinfo (free, portable version available).
Instant report right on the GUI. Post a screenshot of that.

Thanks.

I don't get what you mean by "you were not even starting to boot from a MR bootable disk", because I was. That error screen only shows after going to Windows Recovery Environment and manually choosing to boot from the WinRE USB media. I did the same after building a WinPE media and it booted just fine and I was able to restore a full backup. Like I said, I wanted to try WinRE instead of WinPE in order to see if differential backups became visible, but the machine couldn't even boot from the USB WinRE media.

This is the same stick that I booted WinPE from and which Windows Setup boots just fine if I want to perform a clean install, so I know it's not defective. I save the backups on a different disk on the laptop and immediately copy the backups to an external USB drive for redundancy.

a. I appreciate the advice

b. Here it is:



c. all backups are in the same folder, the differential ones are shown on Windows. But like I said, on WinPE environment, the differential backups were missing, and only full was visible. When I restored a backup a few months ago, the differential backups were also visible, and I could restore one successfully.



- - - Updated - - -

Nevermind, I fixed it by doing a new full backup and a new differential one to it, and now all 4 backups (2 full and 2 differential) are showing on WinPE environment . I swear to the heavens that only the full one was visible yesterday, maybe doing new backups updated something. Thanks for the help anyway.

Out of curiosity
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dalchina said:

Good- so your boot time is normal too?

Recommend you start a new imaging routine using a large enough external disk or disks (some people have more complex arrangements so even all their image files aren't only on one disk- your choice...

When you use an external disk, before you start the first image, assign it a drive letter late in the alphabet for convenience- then it's always that letter. Limit- 1 disk per drive letter.

For interest only - considering my own 2 latpops, both around 8 years old, 1 bought 2nd hand ex -business 5 years ago- I think I've only ever restored an image a couple of times, and never clean installed them a second time.

Lots of programs installed, and I do make changes.

Sadly boot times are still too long, easily twice as long as before the restore.