Macrium add to boot menu - where is the image

jimbo45 · Oct 29, 2021

Hi there
When Macrium is added to the boot menu via "create recovery media" where are the files actually stored - especially if the boot loader is on a different disk to the actual main Windows system - especially if you "dual boot" W10 / W11.

The application boots fine from the menu but I can't see where the files are stored.

Cheers
jimbo

ThrashZone · Oct 29, 2021

Hi,
You'd think it was added to the winpe since that is what engages if you select it to boot too.

RTeeL · Oct 29, 2021

If I enter bcdedit /enum in a Command Window, it shows this location. Hope that helps.

cereberus · Oct 29, 2021

The files are stored on the C Drive on a folder called \boot.

The normal EFI bcd has an entry added which points to the reflect winpe/re files and loads them into a temporary RAMDISK which is why you can recover the C drive even though you overwrite the very files you need to restore.

Wisewiz · Oct 29, 2021

MR offers the option to store the "boot" folder on any active drive you have. I prefer not to have anything on C: that I don't actually need there, so I put my "boot" folder on D:, and I've used my MR rescue thumb drive many times successfully since I decided to put "boot" there.

To each his own.

Open MR > Defaults (in the ribbon) > Advanced Settings (way over on the right) > Macrium Reflect PE Files > choose your storage drive.

(Same reasoning for my decision not to let AdwCleaner put its Logs on C: )

SIW2 · Oct 29, 2021

It is just a pe entry in bcd, sometimes called a wim boot entry . As somebody already pointed out - easy to find.

You can fiddle arund with cmds to do various stuff, this sort of thing

Code:

@echo off
bcdedit -enum -v >bcdinfo.txt
echo.
echo OSGUID                                    Description >bcd2.txt
echo.
for /f "tokens=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 delims= " %%i in (bcdinfo.txt) do (
IF /I "%%i"=="Identifier" set/p=%%j<nul >>bcd2.txt
IF /I "%%i"=="description" echo     %%j %%k %%l %%m %%n %%o>>bcd2.txt
)

:: either type or read notepad
::Type bcd2.txt
notepad bcd2.txt


pause

jimbo45 · Oct 29, 2021

cereberus said:
The files are stored on the C Drive on a folder called \boot.

The normal EFI bcd has an entry added which points to the reflect winpe/re files and loads them into a temporary RAMDISK which is why you can recover the C drive even though you overwrite the very files you need to restore.

Hi there

@cereberus
Thanks for the info

I was getting confused since I have the main "C" drive with no OS on it but just the system amd MSR partitions and the data store for various W11 systems and the WINPE system all on vhdx files and I thought it would be OK to add the Macrium recovery system to the boot menu.

I had to create the recovery system using Windows booted from one of the vhdx files and then I got the menu added to the boot menu on the C drive but was unable to install macrium boot itself to a separate vhdx file. I'm sure it could be done but if you use dism/apply-image from the Macrium media (image file is /sources/boot.wim) it then creates a standard winpe vhdx and not a macrium one.

The disadvantage is that if I delete the Windows system vhdx file containing the Macrium store I won't be able to boot it.
There might be a way of "poolefaking" it by creating a VM just with the Macrium recovery (create a dummy vm with just the macrium iso as the boot device) and then converting that to a real vhdx system but not sure -- I'll have a play with that tomorrow.

I don't want to create a Macrium recovery system for each of my Windows systems on VHDX files -- that would make the boot menu absolutely bonkers !!!

Otherwise any better ideas !!

Cheers
jimbo

SIW2 · Oct 29, 2021

It is just a pe entry in bcd.

You can put it anywhere.

Wisewiz · Oct 29, 2021

Just a footnote to my post #5 above: If you put "boot" on any other drive (than C: ), MR will copy the "boot" folder to the new location. It will not delete the old "boot" folder.

But you can.

Winuser · Oct 30, 2021

Wisewiz said:
MR offers the option to store the "boot" folder on any active drive you have. I prefer not to have anything on C: that I don't actually need there, so I put my "boot" folder on D:, and I've used my MR rescue thumb drive many times successfully since I decided to put "boot" there.

To each his own.

Open MR > Defaults (in the ribbon) > Advanced Settings (way over on the right) > Macrium Reflect PE Files > choose your storage drive.

(Same reasoning for my decision not to let AdwCleaner put its Logs on C: )

If booting Macrium from a thumb drive wouldn't the boot folder be on the thumb drive?

Wisewiz · Oct 30, 2021

@Winuser

Yes. But MR wants a boot folder on a permanent drive as well, and behaves accordingly. If you don't change the Advanced setting, you'll have "boot" on C: . If you do change it, you'll have it where you want it. If you delete it because you've got a boot folder on your thumb, MR will rebuild it. On C: .

cereberus · Oct 30, 2021

Winuser said:
If booting Macrium from a thumb drive wouldn't the boot folder be on the thumb drive?

When booting from a usb drive, all files are on the drive - there is no boot folder as such.

The boot folder is essentially a copy of the winpe/re flash drive files stored on the hard drive.

The boot folder is used when you select to have a boot entry so you can run Reflect in winpe mode without a flash drive.

Wisewiz · Oct 30, 2021

cereberus said:
When booting from a usb drive, all files are on the drive - there is no boot folder as such.

The boot folder is essentially a copy of the winpe/re flash drive files stored on the hard drive.

The boot folder is used when you select to have a boot entry so you can run Reflect in winpe mode without a flash drive.

There IS a Boot folder (as such) on the thumb, my friend. Yes, it is there (on the drive you select, or on C: if you make no change) in case it's needed. MR insists.

Winuser · Oct 30, 2021

Wisewiz said:
@Winuser

Yes. But MR wants a boot folder on a permanent drive as well, and behaves accordingly. If you don't change the Advanced setting, you'll have "boot" on C: . If you do change it, you'll have it where you want it. If you delete it because you've got a boot folder on your thumb, MR will rebuild it. On C: .

Only needed if you are booting from the system drive. When booting from a thumb drive all files needed are on the thumb drive.

Winuser · Oct 30, 2021

cereberus said:
When booting from a usb drive, all files are on the drive - there is no boot folder as such.

The boot folder is essentially a copy of the winpe/re flash drive files stored on the hard drive.

The boot folder is used when you select to have a boot entry so you can run Reflect in winpe mode without a flash drive.

That's why I asked. If the thumb drive had to use the boot folder on the internal drive and the internal drive had a problem the thumb drive would be useless. The boot folder is for when you add Macrium to the Start menu.

Winuser · Oct 30, 2021

Wisewiz said:
There IS a Boot folder (as such) on the thumb, my friend. Yes, it is there (on the drive you select, or on C: if you make no change) in case it's needed. MR insists.View attachment 11883

I think you're confusing the Rescue disk and adding Macrium to the boot menu. Two different things.

Macrium add to boot menu - where is the image

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