Windows 10: Reflect Restore UEFI boot from USB problem!

Resulting from a bad restore from restore point, I now must restore an image from an external drive currently connected by USB.


The Reflect rescue/boot is on a flash drive that is currently plugged into the machine’s USB.



The problem: figuring out from the F12 boot options (Dell Inspirion 7000 series) which option to choose in order to get the machine to boot from the flash drive. I must say that before UEFI a simple available boot order sure was easy.


This is what I’m presented with (comment by what I’ve tried unsuccessfully):


UEFI Boot:

Windows Boot Manager (thought I’d get a list but the machine booted as normal)
Onboard NIC – Ipv4
Onborad NIC – Ipv6
Other Options:
Setup
Diagnostics
Peripheral Device Setting (OPROM Setting)
Change boot mode setting (I selected this, then Legacy, then USB, but the result was ‘Operational system not found’


I then booted as normal into windows, booted back to the F12 list and that’s where I am?????


Mark

:)

 

installing windows 10

See instructions how to configure your BIOS or UEFI firmware to boot from a USB drive:

BIOS/UEFI Setup Guide: Boot from a CD, DVD, USB Drive or
SD Card

 

msinfo32.exe shows Secure Boot Type as Unsupported -- Restore UEFI Boot?

It is not a BIOS issue. It is an issue of the Windows 10 UEFI bootloader being missing. I can remove the drive with Fedora 22 from the machine entirely, and the problem remains. The Asus UEFI BIOS recognizes the Windows 10 USB Recovery Drive as UEFI,
so it is not an issue of the Asus BIOS. However, the recovery drive does not recognize the problem and does nothing. So, it is an issue of the Windows 10 UEFI bootloader being missing.

The fact that bcdedit returns the following:

C:\Windows\System32>bcdedit

The boot configuration data store could not be opened.

Access is denied.

indicates something is amiss. Further, the fact that msinfo32.exe shows Secure Boot Type as Unsupported and not disabled seems to indicate it is trying to do something, just not succeeding.

So, two questions:

1) Given a BIOS bootable version of Windows 10 (64-bit), is it possible to restore the UEFI bootloader (ie msinfo32.exe reports Secure Boot Type Enabled) using a Windows 10 UEFI USB Recovery Drive or command line tools in C:\Windows\System32?

2) If it is possible to restore a Windows 10 (64-bit) UEFI bootloader, how is it done?

Thanks!

 

Change boot mode setting (I selected this, then Legacy, then USB, but the result was ‘Operational system not found’
- that sounds about the right procedure from what I've read about Dells- someone who has one will probably advise.

Are you sure your USB device is actually bootable? Have you used it before? Did you create it using the option, bottom right?

 

Put the BIOS option back to UEFI, Secure Boot OFF. Make sure Thumb is inserted, it looks for that device when you go thru Boot init. Save and exit, rapid-tapping F12 to get back to Boot Menu Options. You will see an option for USB device. Give it a try, that's how my Dell works and yours sounds similar.

 

I first booted my Lenovo P50 Win10 with the same flashdrive I'm using in the Dell and confirmed it work as advertised.

The P50 is an 8 month old machine but it sure looks like F12 brought up a refreshingly welcome Legacy boot order under Windows Boot Manager as the FIRST screen. The only thing I had to do was arrow down to USB HDD. I thought there would be a sub-menu for the external drive connected to a powered USB hub & the flashdrive USB but the machine just booted into Reflect off the flashdrive.

Back on point--

I did as you suggested. However, F12 brought me back to the same screen as I initially posted. The only difference being at the top it says UEFI: Secure Boot Off whereas before it said UEFI: Secure Boot On.

Previously when I clicked on Windows Boot Manager the machine just booted normally into windows. Do you think turning off the secure boot and selecting Boot Manager now would actually provide a list of boot devices, or?

EDIT: Google search on the machine:
1. Restart the computer and press f2 while starting up. This enters the setup program.
2. Select the Boot tab and change to Legacy Boot, Secure Boot Off.
3. After restarting, this shows the boot sequence and the order can be changed using +/- keys.
4. I then change the boot order to. CD/DVD. USB drive. Hard drive.

I'm giving it a whirl and will let you all know--

Mark

 

Well, that didn't work either. The F12 boot screen did now show Legacy as an optional category and did have the USB option, booting to same resulted in the same, previous Operational System Not Found. I hit Esc and got <<Start PxE over IPv4>> and then I shutdown and restarted into the OS.

The restore point of the 6th that I had used yesterday resulted in an OS with a non-functioning Start button. That's why I opted for the Reflect restore.

Now I'm trying the next restore point of the 5th.

And this second restore point exhibits the SAME problem. Hover over the start button and it changes color. Right click the start button = the correct commands menu. However, left click on the button and zip, zilch, nothing happens.

Is there some way in the software to wake up the start button or?

I'm going to post the booting problem on the Dell forum.

Meanwhile, if someone here has a bright idea I'm all ears.

Mark

 

- Try another USB port.
- Check in the firmware setup if there is an option to enable/disable boot from USB.
- Build another boot UFD. Use the Macrium program to create an ISO. Format the UFD with FAT32, mount the ISO with double click, copy its contents to the UFD.

 

I tried another port even though I know both of these ports work.

The F2 Boot/Legacy yields USB as an option which obviously didn't work.

You lost me on the following:
"Build another boot UFD. Use the Macrium program to create an ISO. Format the UFD with FAT32, mount the ISO with double click, copy its contents to the UFD. "

What's a UFD? You're saying that Reflect has more than one format of rescue media...create an ISO (not remembering)?

If you're formatting the UFD as FAT32 then I guess you're referring to the flash drive?

I don't get the mounting at all. If Reflect can create an ISO file it'll create it on the flash drive so how am I double clicking the ISO and copying it to the flash drive?

 

A workaround to do now to get your image restored is to add Macrium to Windows boot menu, to be run from RAM disk instead of USB. The TIP box with yellow background after Step 7 in Part Two in this tutorial shows you how: Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect Windows 10 Backup Restore Tutorials

When image is restored you can then try to find out why you can't boot from USB without stress.

 

UFD refers to the Flash Drive. UFD = USB Flash Drive.

You can save the ISO in the internal disk. Then you can mount it. The "double click" method applies to Windows 10. In Windows 7, you can mount it using Virtual Clone Drive.

You can also use Rufus to create the boot UFD from the ISO. In this case, you don´t need to mount it, just point Rufus to the ISO location.

 

>>>A workaround to do now to get your image restored is to add Macrium to Windows boot menu, to be run from RAM disk instead of USB<<<

I'm fairly certain that I left the Dell with Secure Boot Off and the Legacy option On (which doesn't replace the boot order screen but adds the Legacy options). I seem to remember a post from some time ago that if the image was taken when Secure Boot was On (which was the case) then if you restore the image when the BIOS has it Off something not good would happen, like Windows wouldn't load?

So I should reset the BIOSdisabling Legacy and turning Secure Boot back On...or maybe better if there's a 'reset to default' in the BIOS just to be sure I don't screw things up

 

Don't forget to mark the FAT32 partition on the flash drive as Active!

 

Kari,

Your Reflect RAM tip worked great. Now I can figure out why I can't get the Dell to boot off the flash drive. I've received a number of suggestions both here and the Dell forum. It'll take a few days to run them all down. If I still have problems with the USB boot I'll post to a new thread.

One last question. I understand that the RAM restore is great as long as you can get that far with a problem machine. And that you still must have some sort of external boot method w/Reflect. With that as a given, is there any reason not to have the RAM boot option set to popup on reboot on our other 3 machines simply as another line of 'defense'?

P.S. (acknowledged this is against forum etiquette, but a quick answer to a small off-topic problem I just got myself into with my wife's Win7 monitor trying to be helpful...) In the process of using Intel's display wizard (for the first and last time), the d*mn thing automatically changed the resolution to the 'correct' preferred which is not where my wife and I had it set a few years ago. Now I can't remember/get by trial and error where it was. Other than restoring an entire image from last night, or a restore point, is there is less drastic way of getting back to that unknown resolution value that was present an hour ago? I've not had great luck with restore points but if I did roll back would the resolution be restored?

Mark

 

I see no reason not to add Macrium rescue to Windows boot menu. I have it always added, on all machines.