Windows 10: System Image and Boot Manager

i'm having two issues.

i created a system image. windows can't find it when i tried to load it. i've done 3 things since i created the image. i marked the systemimagebackup folder as hidden. i moved it to another folder. i shrank the size of the drive the image was created from and extended the drive size where the image was stored. i did some reading and found out you can't have the image in another folder it has to be in the root directory. i moved it back to the root directory and un-hidden the systemimagebackup folder. windows still can't detect the system image. i never renamed anything. did i wreck my system image by marking it as hidden or resizing my drive?

my other issue is i installed a second drive in my system, installed windows on it, and removed it from my computer. when i turn on my computer instead of booting to desktop i now get a boot manager screen that asks me which windows i want to boot. the drive i removed is listed as the first drive in boot manager and windows fails to load cause it's trying to boot the wrong drive. i did check the bios and the drive that was removed is no longer listed in the boot order. is there a way to do 1 of these 3 options......

- skip the boot manager screen and boot straight to the drive?
- remove the uninstalled drive that's listed in the boot manager?
- make the boot manager automatically boot the drive that i want?

:)

 

Error 0xc0000225 - Windows 10

My computer is an ASUS Transformer Book T100TA. When I booted my computer, it booted into Windows Boot Manager. The following attachment is the details of the Windows Boot Manager. It said that the operating system couldn't be loaded because the system
registry file is missing or contains errors. What do I do now?

 

Can Windows Boot Manager boot Linux in UEFI system with GPT M.2 disk?

There are other boot managers, but I like Windows Boot Manager and boot to Windows 10 most of the time. Back when I had a BIOS system with a MBR SSD, dual boot was as easy as EasyBCD. Note that I have and want true GPT, not the hybrid kind-of-have-an-MBR
on a GPT disk.

After a lot of work, I got Windows 10 to boot on this system with just copying partitions and not a clean install. But, the Linux partition right now is just a copy of what was on the SSD. I can't boot to it, although I might if I chose to use rEFInd or
GRUB2 as a boot manager. All the Linux advice I can find predates Windows 10 and says Windows Boot Manager can't do this on GPT drives. I'm looking for an answer from 2016.

For the sake of this question assume Secure Boot and Fast Boot are non issues. If it matters, my preferred Linux distro is Ubuntu 14.04. My processor is from the Skylake family: i7-6700.

 

Regarding the system image problem - that's why we recommend using Macrium Reflect Free instead of Windows built-in imaging.

In regards to the second boot manager issue, click Win + R and run msconfig
Click on the boot tab. Highlight the entry for the non-existent Windows installation and delete it.

 

my computer now boots normally, thank you.

i have read many threads recommending using a third part problem instead of windows. i even read one that said the third party program loaded the image windows failed to detect. i'm sure another program probably has it's advantages. but the truth is i've been using windows image backup for years and never had issue. i don't really want to install a third party program buy a disc and have it laying around my house. the reason it's not working is probably my own fault and windows just wants to be a stubborn B. if i have to re-install everything on my next reload i guess i'll just have to do that but if there is a way to make windows detect this image that would be wonderful.

 

Microsoft recommends that you use another program:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...ll-creators-up

System Image Backup (SIB) Solution
We recommend that users use full-disk backup solutions from other vendors.

 

lol well that blows. now i have to consider if i want to keep using it until they remove it (if they remove it) or use third party software. if anybody has any suggestions to salvage my current image that would be appreciated.

 

@Bree....where are you? *Wink

 

Why bother - just use Macrium Reflect and make an up-to-date backup?

 

i don't want a current image. i've already started downloading and installing stuff. i only make images after a fresh install.

 

This does not make sense, now you are reinstalling.

Regulars will tell you to regularly update your image anyway. If not, you will end up having to reinstall updates. You should always update just before AND after build upgrades. You will save yourself massive grief later if things go wrong.

Macrium Reflect Free has a feature called differential backups.

A good strategy is to a full backup monthly, but do differentials weekly (say). That way you are never more than a week out of date when you restore image.

 

i have no interest in monthly backups. i'm not making images to backup data. i use them to quickly restore my computer to day 1 without having to go through the install/update/driver/programs/settings process.

 

To answer your question, the answer is yes. For security reason, the built in Windows Backup is picky about the location on the HD where you create the backup and save in log file somewhere and read back the info to determine the location.

Can you salvage the backup image ?. The answer is also yes. However, it' a PITA to reconstruct the disk layout and you might have to rebuild the Boot Manager in order to boot. In the backup folder, you will find multiple files with .VHDX extension, each file is a copy of virtual disk partition for each partition such as System Reserved, C partition, Recovery partition, you would have to mount each as a virtual HD partition and copy to a physical HD so it's not worth spending time unless you have personal data file that you want to restore.

With third party software. It is a lot more flexible:

• backup image with only a single file, you can move to another folder/disk
• Selectively restore missing file(s) that you accidentally deleted by mounting the image,
• Selectively restore a single partition such as Boot partition in case you cannot boot into Windows.
• Restore C drive if Windows is infected by Virus.
• etc....

In addition, you actually don't have to install it. Just ask people in the forum to give you a free copy of a Rescue disk ISO (~250 MB) that you can build and boot from a USB/DVD and perform Backup/Restore from it.

There are reasons why people want to make a backup copy after a fresh install of Windows:

• Start fresh without going thru the pain of re-installing drivers, activation, customization etc...
• Isolate problem and determine if a third party software that would not run in current Windows whether due to conflict with other software that already installed or caused by Windows.
• Install evaluation software without affecting your current working Windows. Remember, evaluation software put things in the registry that is impossible to remove.
• Use the same copy to restore to another PC without fresh install. In which case, Windows will re-install the drivers.
• Sell your PC without any personal data left over. etc....

 

sounds like it will be more time consuming trying to salvage my image than it would be to just reinstall windows when the time comes. lesson learned. appreciate the information guys.

will any of these third party programs detect and restore my existing image?

 

You obviously do not understand - it is not data we are talking about. It is the system backup INCLUDING installed programs.

Why would you revert to day 1, when down the line you have had system updates, defender updates etc.

Regulars here will tell you to keep data in a separate partition - you do not need to back that up in a system image, only the C drive and hidden partitions.

You can use all sorts of tools to backup data e.g. file history backup, filesync, or even just manually using file explorer.

If you always revert your system to day 1, it does not include new programs installed since then, cumulative updates etc. You are creating work for yourself by reverting to day 1.