Unable to boot from Aomei USB rescue disc

I use MR on my PCs and am very comfortable with it.

A few days was helping an elderly friend sort out some issues on her W10PC (2015 era) and decided to create a system image and recovery USB. As Macrium free is no longer readily available/supported I decided to install Aomei.

After creating an image I created a bootable rescue USB. I tried to boot from it, nothing, "Loading Operating System", flashing cursor, nothing happened. I had to leave then but am going back on Monday.

This morning I had time to follow this up on my home PC. I'm aware that, like me, is of pensionable age but continues to serve me well (everything is doubly backed up). Installed Aomei, didn't bother with creating an image but went straight to Tools/Create Bootable Media. Selected Windows PE, selected the appropriate USB Boot Device. then let it run.

When complete I rebooted, got to the Boot Menu.


Selected USB-HDD and Enter. "Loading Operating System".... nothing, after 15 minutes still nothing.

I then tried the other options:
Floppy, LS120, CDROM, ZIP, USB-FDD, USB-CDROM, Legacy LAN - all loaded standard Windows 10
USB-ZIP, USB-HDD all sat there "Loading Operating System" but achieving nothing.

Trying Hard disk brought up another menu


Selecting SanDisk produced the waiting for ever screen. Selecting Samsung SSD booted the PC as normal.

I'm inclined to suspect that it's something to do with the age of the PCs. Am I not seeing a necessary setting? MR works fine (just checked it).

Is Aomei capable of coping with older PCs?

As Macrium free is no longer readily available/

See e.g.
Download Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - MajorGeeks

Can you boot from a Win 10 install disk successfully?

Just in case, I reformatted the USB stick to NTFS and rebuilt. No difference.

- - - Updated - - -

dalchina said:

See e.g.
Download Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - MajorGeeks

Thanks, now downloaded. I use the Pro version normally.

dalchina said:

Can you boot from a Win 10 install disk successfully?

Haven't tried a W10 install disc, don't actually have one, but can readily boot from various USB bootable discs, including Macrium Reflect, Hiren's.

No point in trying a Win 10 install disk then.

Best option- contact Aomei support.. try a different prog. e.g. Hasleo Backup (Chinese, like Aomei), but said to include MR paid's best features.

SIW2 said:

dont know unless you upload the aomei boot media

curious, can you take a screenshot of the message ?

Here you are

dalchina said:

No point in trying a Win 10 install disk then.

Best option- contact Aomei support.. try a different prog. e.g. Hasleo Backup (Chinese, like Aomei), but said to include MR paid's best features.

I found a couple of Win10 CD images or Repair CD. Neither of them would successfully boot - they'd start and the CD light would flash but no success. Given the rarity of using my CD/DVD drive I wouldn't be surprised if that was the culprit.

Downloaded Hasleo Backup, created a USB recovery stick. That booted impeccably.

So options for Monday seem to be use Macrium Reflect which will probably work (until MS make incompatible changes) or Hasleo Backup. My preference is Macrium as I'm familiar with it.

Thanks for all the thoughts. Always useful.

Pentagon said:

@tpriest

That above screenshot doesn't look like a winpeshl-boot

Whenever you create a boot-stick the boot.wim is created from the WinRE.wim. If that hasn't been updated it might not boot.
Is it possible to boot into your recovery environment?

You selected the PE source and that might be the problem.

I get that message on every boot - normal, Macrium Reflect, Hiren's, etc. Hasleo, etc.

I created the Aomei & Hasleo boot USB sticks taking the same options, the same options as i do for Macrium Reflect.

Have you tried asking Aomei? TBH, seems more a matter of curiosity than need...?