Windows 10: Windows 10 System Image not recognized for recovery

Hello,

I am trying to restore a Windows 10 system image with no luck. Here is what led up to this situation:

1. Upgraded from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 when it became available the end of July.
2. Made a System Image (ssd m.2 mounted on the motherboard) after I was to a point where everything seemed to be working fine on 8/12/15 and saved the image to a separate hard drive on my system (E: drive).
3. Updated the bios from 2012 to 2501 yesterday and I was no longer able to boot from the ssd drive. Windows would start to load and then give me an error that no operating system was available. Tried everything I could to get Windows 10 to boot from the ssd drive with no luck (after the initial boot manager reached the point where the operating system should begin to load, all drive activity stopped)
4. Performed a System Restore saving all personal data because I could not see the system image I had created or access the original ssd partition the had original Windows 10 on it in a command prompt from within Windows RE (the drive did not exist).
5. Windows 10 now loads less all the programs I had installed.
6. When I attempt to restore the system image from advanced options in Windows 10 RE, it gets to the point of showing me available images for which there are none showing. I copied the image from the original hard drive to a USB hard drive and to a network location. Windows does not recognize the image in any of the locations.

I read in a thread somewhere that in Windows 10, the only way to restore a system with a windows system image was with the actual OS that created it. Since I did the Restore from the original system image from the recovery partition and not the one I had made the image with I am assuming that is why Windows is not showing any image to restore.

I have a custom built system:
Asus P97 Pro mobo
Intel i7-4790 3.6GHz
32 GB RAM
64 bit Windows 10
SSD - Crucial CT500MX200SSD4
Hard Drives x2 - Toshiba DT01ACA300

Any ideas would be appreciated on how to get Windows 10 to recognize the image. I am going to give it about another hour of research and then do a clean install.

:)

 

Recovery drive won't boot in windows 10

See, "Use a recovery drive to reinstall Windows"

Recovery options in Windows 10

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/windows-10/windows-10-recovery-options

Creating a recovery drive

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/windows-10/create-a-recovery-drive

How to Create a System Image in Windows 10

Create System Image in Windows 10

Custom PC Refresh images in future?

Custom PC Refresh images in future?

This is what I see from an Administrator Command Prompt in Windows 10.

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.10240]

(c) 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>RecImg.exe /?

'RecImg.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command,

operable program or batch file.

C:\Windows\system32>RecImg.exe

'RecImg.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command,

operable program or batch file.

Maybe you need third party software to make a custom image in Windows 10?

Windows 10 - Creating custom recovery image

Windows 10 - Creating custom recovery image

 

How do I load a system image located on the hard drive I am using? Restoring windows using system image wouldn't work.

Hi,

You won't be able to reload the system image onto the new hard drive if it is stored there... Only to the old HDD...

Or you could copy the system image to the old HDD or some other USB drive...

A couple of tips...

1) A System Image will not be recognized if it has been renamed...

2) The installation\recovery media you are booting with must be the same version, or possibly higher, than what is on the image, or it will not be recognized...

Not just Win 10, but the same build of Win 10...

 

I had to turn on backup or restore your files before my images were seen.

 

Thanks for the tip.

I turned Backup on and still no luck.

 

I also started to run a backup and restore files and then cancelled it then turned it back off, also make sure system restore is turned on.

 

Before we can go further. May I ask when you are in current Windows 10, does Windows still recognize the m.2 SSD ?

 

That's the exact same problem I had when I first installed until I did the above and then a restart would it read my images on my internal 2tb western digital sata.

 

Windows 10 was originally on the m.2 ssd. Then I did the Bios upgrade and I was unable to reboot. I then tried to do an image restore from the recovery counsel, no luck as it did not see the image I had made. Next a system repair, again with no luck as it did not see the windows install on the m.2 ssd to repair it. Last option was to try system restore from the recovery counsel and that restored Win 10 less all of the programs of course so that I could once again boot from the m.2 ssd. I then tried to once again restore the image from various locations with no luck even after turning backup on, off and on again. I am in the process of reinstalling Win 10 as a fresh install on the m.2 ssd and then I am going to try the system image restore once again.

 

Let us know how you get on because you could have something with the disk not made for this operating system.