Information

Macrium Reflect is one of the most popular Windows backup programs. It is available both as a paid for version and as a free version. It is my personal choice, I have tested several other products failing to find one as easy to use and secure, complete solution. I wholeheartedly recommend Macrium Reflect, free version being enough for most private users.

Creating scheduled system image backups is naturally the main function of Macrium Reflect. For installing Macrium Reflect and basic imaging instructions, see this tutorial: Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect Windows 10 Backup Restore Tutorials

This tutorial will show how to use Macrium Reflect to fix Windows boot issues when Windows fails to boot.

   Note

The starting point for this tutorial is that you have already created Macrium Rescue media (USB flash drive or CD/DVD), or that you have added Macrium Rescue Environment to Windows Boot Menu as told in Part Two in Macrium Reflect tutorial.

 Contents

One:	Optional: Dual / Multi Boot systems - Backup Boot Menu
Two:	Fix Windows Boot Issues with Macrium Reflect
Three:	Optional: Dual / Multi Boot systems - Restore Boot Menu

 1. Optional: Dual / Multi Boot systems - Backup Boot Menu

1.1) Open an elevated Command Prompt (tutorial) or PowerShell (tutorial).

1.2) In elevated Command Prompt, enter following command replacing E:\BootMenu_Backup with your preferred storage location and file name (no file extension required):

bcdedit /export E:\BootMenu_Backup


1.3 If using an elevated PowerShell instead, enter the following command:

cmd /c 'bcdedit /export E:\BootMenu_Backup'

   Note

As seen above, when using Windows commands in PowerShell, start command line with cmd /c to tell PowerShell that what follows is a Windows command instead of PowerShell cmdlet or script, followed by command with all its options, parameters and switches as a string within quotes (both single and double quotes can be used, as you prefer).

 2. Fix Windows Boot Issues with Macrium Reflect

   Note

The below method to fix boot issues can also be used if you for any reason lose your dual / multi boot menu being not able to select from all installed operating systems.

A dual boot system with two different version of Windows can for instance occasionally lose the boot menu.

2.1) When Windows can't boot you will see the Recovery screen (screenshot from UEFI based PC, BIOS based machines do not have option to enter BIOS settings):


2.2) On dual / multi boot system, or on single OS system with a recovery console like that of Macrium Reflect added to boot menu, F9 takes you back to boot menu and you can try to boot another OS.

2.3) If the failed OS is Windows 7 or older, the Recovery screen is shown in legacy mode:


Pressing Enter takes you back to boot menu

2.4) If you are not able to select and start any of available operating systems, select Macrium Reflect System Recovery from boot menu:


Alternatively, if you have not added it to boot menu, start your PC from Macrium Rescue media (USB or CD/DVD).

   Note

On some UEFI based computers booting to Macrium Rescue fails if Secure Boot is enabled. If you have it enabled, press ESC on Recovery screen to enter UEFI settings and disable Secure Boot.

You can enable it again when boot issues have been fixed.

2.5) When Macrium Rescue has booted, select Fix Windows boot problems on top left:


2.6) Macrium scans all disks and shows a list of installed operating systems it finds. If you are satisfied, all operating systems found, click Next and continue from step 2.12:

   Note

Macrium Rescue does not find operating systems installed on a native boot virtual hard disk, these you must add manually after boot issues have been fixed and you are able to boot to Windows desktop.

Also if you have copied a boot menu entry of an existing physical Windows installation to be able to use the same OS installation with different settings, the copied boot entries will not be found and need to be manually added later.

For an example, see screenshot above in step 2.4 showing I have four OS entries in boot menu, in addition to Macrium Rescue. Only two of these will be found by Macrium Rescue when selecting Fix Windows boot problems as shown in screenshot in step 2.6 because one of the four OS entries is a native boot VHD (W10 PRO (VHD)), another (W10 PRO (VMware)) being just a copy of my main OS entry (W10 PRO (Hyper-V)) with different settings to allow me to run both Hyper-V and VMware virtualization programs on same PC, on same installation.

2.7) If you want to remove one of operating systems found, just select it and click Ignore:


Selected OS will be ignored and not shown in fixed boot menu. If only one OS is found or left after ignoring all others, no boot menu will be shown after boot records have been fixed, Windows booting automatically to only available OS. Boot menu will only be shown by default when there are two or more operating systems to choose.

2.8) Edit allows you to manually change the path to selected OS, and change Windows version in case it is recorded wrong:


2.9) If you think an OS (Windows installation) which should be present is not found, you can browse your PC to find correct partition ID letter:


2.10) When you have found the path to missing Windows installation, click Add to add it:


2.11) When all operating systems have been found, click Next:


2.12) Macrium shows the summary of operating systems found. Click Finish:


2.13) Macrium will now write new boot records. When done, click Yes to restart PC:

 3. Optional: Dual / Multi Boot systems - Restore Boot Menu

3.1) When back on Windows desktop, restore your exported (see steps 1.1 to 1.3) original boot menu.

Elevated Command Prompt:

bcdedit /import E:\BootMenu_Backup


Elevated PowerShell:

cmd /c 'bcdedit /import E:\BootMenu_Backup'

That's it!

Kari

Related Tutorials

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• How to Run a Startup Repair in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Automatic Repair in Windows 10
• How to Create a Macrium Reflect Rescue Partition
• How to Backup and Restore Boot Configuration Data (BCD) Store in Windows

Windows 11 Tutorials