Main User Interface
Macrium Rescue Media Builder provides a simple interface to allow for quick rescue media generation by selecting where the rescue media will be generated and then clicking the Build button.
All options for the rescue media will be suitably defaulted based on existing rescue media builds and a scan of the operating system environment.
- Choose a rescue media target under Select Device
- Click Build
The 'Header' area shows the currently selected Windows PE/RE version and settings. 'Show more' expands the view to show the selected Advanced options.
Rebuilding the Windows Image File (WIM)
If the Rescue media needs rebuilding then this will be indicated in the header area. Reasons for rebuilding:
- A later version of Macrium Reflect is available and needs to be added to the build.
- A later version of Windows RE is available. A Windows update can cause the installed version of Windows RE to be updated.
- Any 'Advanced' settings that have changed since the rescue media was last built. If you click 'Show more' these settings will be highlighted in blue text.
- A 'Custom WIM' file has changed since the last build.
- The '\Boot\Macrium\Drivers' sub folder contains new or changed driver files.
Clicking Build will re-populate the Staging Area, mount the WIM and copy the relevant files before dismounting the WIM and continuing with the build target operation.
WIM Rebuild Override
Overriding the default WIM rebuild behaviour may be useful to create rescue media without updating to a later release of Macrium Reflect, or, to force a rebuild to troubleshoot corrupt or non-booting rescue media or boot menu option.
The default WIM rebuild action can be overridden by pressing the Ctrl key. Once pressed, and if appropriate, the Build button becomes a 'split' button showing either a Skip WIM Rebuild... or a Force WIM Rebuild... menu option, the opposite of the default 'Build' button behaviour.
The override menu is not displayed in the following scenarios:
- The 'Remove boot menu' option is selected. WIM operations are not relevant in this case.
- The WIM needs rebuilding and the 'Current boot menu' option is selected. In this case, the default operation of rebuilding the WIM is the only operation relevant and available.
The 'Select Device' area shows a list of possible ways the rescue media can be created.
| Target | Description |
|---|---|
| Windows Boot Menu | Will either add, update or remove an entry from the Windows Boot Menu, select from the 'Boot Menu Options' for the desired action. |
| USB Flash Drive | Creates the rescue environment on an external USB flash drive. At least one partition is required on the drive with enough space for the rescue media files or the disk should be empty of partitions but be large enough for a new partition to accommodate the rescue media files. |
| USB HDD | Creates the rescue environment on an external USB HDD. As with the USB Flash Drive option a partition must be available with enough space or there should be enough space to create a new partition. |
| ISO File | Creates an ISO file suitable for either burning with third party software or booting a virtual machine from. |
Boot Menu Options
Selecting the 'Windows Boot Menu' device will offer the following options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| No boot menu | Do not add a boot menu option to the Windows boot menu. Note: This option is not visible if a Macrium Reflect rescue environment exists in the Windows boot menu |
| Remove boot menu | Remove the currently configured Macrium Reflect rescue environment Windows boot menu item. |
| Set boot menu | Add the currently selected WinPE/WinRE environment as a Windows boot menu item. A description of the current environment can be seen to right of this option. Also, review the 'Header' area further up in this document. |
| Current boot menu | Retain the currently configured Macrium Reflect rescue environment Windows boot menu item. |
USB Rescue Media Options
Selecting either 'Removable USB Flash Drive' or 'Removable USB Hard Drive' device will offer the following options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Check for devices missing drivers on boot | Scans for Mass storage or network controllers that do not have driver support and show a dialog to assist with adding and loading drivers. |
| Enable Multi Boot (MBR/UEFI) | Enables USB media to boot on both MBR and UEFI systems. |
| Create Portable Technicians Rescue Media | Adds support for running the 'Technicians Portable' form of Macrium Reflect rescue environment. Note: This will require a valid Technicians license key |
ISO/CD/DVD Rescue Media Options
Selecting 'ISO File' or 'CD/DVD Burner' device will offer the following options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Check for devices missing drivers on boot | Scans for Mass storage or network controllers that do not have driver support and show a dialog to assist with adding and loading drivers. |
| Prompt for key press to continue boot sequence | Shows a simple prompt during boot, pressing any key will boot from the ISO media and not pressing any key will boot from the normal volume. |
Advanced Options
The 'Advanced' button opens options to change PE version and choose additional features for the rescue media build.
What version of Windows PE should I choose?
The default Windows PE version selected on a fresh installation:
| OS | Default Rescue Environment |
|---|---|
| Windows XP/Server 2003 | Windows PE 3.1 |
| Windows 7/Server 2008 | Windows RE if available otherwise Windows PE 3.1 |
| Windows 8.0/8.1/Server 2012/R2 | Windows RE if available otherwise Windows PE 5 |
| Windows 10/Server 2016./17 | Windows RE if available otherwise Windows PE 10 |
| Windows 11 | Windows RE if available otherwise Windows PE 11 |
You should ensure that your rescue media can access your System drive and also your backup location. The default option selects Windows RE if available. If Windows RE is not supported or cannot be located then the Windows PE version is selected that is the best match for your Windows operating system (see table above). This enables the rescue media wizard to automatically copy any required drivers for Network, USB or SATA controllers. However, versions of Windows PE that are more recent than your Windows OS may already contain compatible drivers and also offer additional support for USB 3.0.
Note: For Windows 7 systems with USB 3.0 ports it may be necessary to use PE 5.0 or PE 10.0 to enable USB 3.0 in the rescue media
| PE version | Description |
|---|---|
| Windows RE | This is the default choice for Windows 7 and above. Windows RE is pre installed with Windows. If available, this option is best suited for your computer, includes WiFi support if built with Windows 10 and requires no further component downloads. Note: Not available for Windows XP/Vista or for later Operating Systems if Windows RE cannot be located. |
| Windows PE 11.0 | Based on Windows 11. Supports UEFI / secure boot, USB 3.0, Hyper-V Gen 2 VMs and Windows overlay file systems. This is a good choice for Windows 11 systems if Windows RE is unavailable. Note: The Windows PE 11.0 download option is not available if you are running Windows XP, Vista or Server 2003/2008. |
| Windows PE 10.0 | Based on Windows 10. Supports UEFI / secure boot, USB 3.0, Hyper-V Gen 2 VMs and Windows overlay file systems. This is a good choice for Win 8, 8.1, 10, Server 2012, 2012R2 systems if Windows RE is unavailable. Windows PE 10 supports Windows 8.1 WIMBoot technology and Windows 10 'Compact Install'. Both of these installation types are rare but may be used on Windows Tablet PCs with limited disk space. Note: The Windows PE 10.0 download option is not available if you are running Windows XP, Vista or Server 2003/2008 |
| Windows PE 5.0 | Based on Windows 8.1. Supports UEFI / secure boot, USB 3.0 and Hyper-V Generation 2 virtual machines. This is a good choice for Windows 8/8.1 or Windows Server 2012 systems if Windows RE is unavailable. You may also consider this for older systems requiring default USB3.0 support. Note: The Windows PE 5.0 download option is not available if you are running Windows XP or Server 2003. |
| Windows PE 4.0 | Based on Windows 8. Similar to Windows PE 5.0, but based on the Windows 8.0 kernel. This is a legacy option that is provided if you have used previous versions of Macrium Reflect before PE 5.0 was included. Includes support for USB 3.0. We recommend that you use PE 5.0/10 unless your require PE 5.0 features on Windows XP or Server 2003. |
| Windows PE 3.1 | Based on Windows 7. This is the best option for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Server 2003, Server 2008, 2008R2 operating systems if Windows RE is unavailable. Note: USB 3.0 support is not included. Note: Some very early Windows XP systems may not meet the minimum requirements to boot Windows PE. |
| Option | Description | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Choose from 32 or 64 bit. It's only necessary to choose an alternative architecture when creating rescue media to boot a different PC. | ||||
| iSCSI Support | Enables restoration and clones to iSCSI connected disks. Please note that adding these components may several minutes to the creation process. See Adding iSCSI support to Windows PE for more information on using iSCSI in Windows PE | ||||
| BitLocker |
| ||||
| Legacy EFI Screen Resolution | Select this option if you are experiencing very low, less than 1024 x 768, screen resolution in PE 10 or WinRE. Some early UEFI BIOS chipsets are incompatible with Windows 10 Pre-Installation Environment graphics output. Selecting this option will cause the PE 5.0 EFI microcode to be used instead of PE 10 when starting the rescue environment. | ||||
| Copy WiFi Profiles | Select this option to copy WiFi profiles, including passwords, to the rescue media. If possible a WiFi connection will be automatically established when Windows RE starts. Note: This option, and WiFi support, is only available in Windows RE 10. WiFi profiles are encrypted to prevent unauthorised access. | ||||
| Custom base WIM | Use your own customized WIM for the rescue media. This is an advanced topic not covered in this help. |
Update drivers
Mass Storage and Network devices will be listed showing the current state of driver support. Drivers can be added for devices missing driver support as well as updating drivers previously added to the rescue media.
The status of a device can be one of the following
| Status Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Device Detected | The device has no drivers and will not function in WinPE/WinRE. If you require this device then drivers should be added. |
| Device support in WinPE | The device has a supporting driver in WinPE/WinRE. Generally you do not need to update this form of driver. |
| Compatible device support in WinPE | The device has a compatible driver in WinPE/WinRE. Again, this driver generally does not require updating. |
| Driver already present in Drivers folder | A driver has been previously added to the Macrium Reflect rescue media for this device. |
| Copy host driver Inject host driver | For Vista based and later operating systems if a device is found without driver support then the operating system will be scanned for a compatible driver. If discovered the host OS driver will be added to the rescue media. Note: If no compatible device is found then the status will remain at Device Detected |
Driver Override
By default, the Rescue Media Builder will attempt to use the most up-to-date and appropriate device driver for your hardware in Windows PE. There are edge cases where this choice isn't the best one and it's necessary to override the default bevaiviour. For example, the host USB driver might not function correctly in Windows PE, or the host driver might be a better choice than the Windows PE driver that's selected by default.
The "Override" dropdown menu lets you override the default driver choice. The selected override is displayed in the 'Override' column in the device list.
Select the device to override the default driver, and click the 'Override' button
| Override Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Use supplied driver | A driver has been supplied by selecting 'Locate a driver...' in the Override pop-up menu |
| Use host driver | 'Use host driver' in the Override pop-up menu has been selected. The driver discovered on the host Windows system will always be used, even if a more up-to-date driver is found in Windows PE. |
| Use WinPE driver | 'Use WinPE driver' in the Override pop-up menu has been selected. The Windows PE driver will always be used, even if a more up-to-date driver is found on the host Windows system. |
| Do not copy drivers | 'Do not copy drivers' in the Override pop-up menu has been selected. This override is only available if there's no compatible device support in Windows PE and prevents any driver being used to enable the device in Windows PE. |
WiFI Device Support
To add your own driver. double click the device in the list or select 'Locate a driver...' in the 'Update Driver' button menu.
This dialog will show the current driver information for a device. To update the driver, click Browse, select a folder and click the Scan button (optionally select to scan subfolders before starting the scan). The folder will be checked for an updated driver based on either version number or date and if discovered, a prompt will be shown for update confirmation.
Once an updated driver has been found and selected, click Apply to save the updated driver or Cancel to retain the current driver.
Macrium Reflect Rescue Media files can be stored on a different volume, this tab allows for selection of the preferred volume. Select a volume by clicking the check box and then Click OK. Rescue media files will now be stored on that volume, any existing Macrium Reflect rescue media files from previous builds will be moved to a newly selected volume.
USB Flash Drive Formatting
| The following partition is required on the USB flash drive for booting the Macrium Reflect rescue media: | ||
| Boot__________________ | Type__________________ | Min*Partition*Size_________________ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-Boot MBR / UEFI | FAT32 | 1.2 x Size of Rescue Media PE files | |
| MBR Only | FAT32 or NTFS | 1.2 x Size of Rescue Media PE files | |
The Rescue Media PE files vary in size dependant on PE/RE version. 1GB will be sufficient for all PE and RE versions as of May 2018. If there is insufficient free space then the build may fail.
Rescue Media Builder will first attempt to non-destructively copy the PE/RE files to an existing partition, then non-destructively create a new partition if necessary. If this is not possible then you will be prompt to destructively format the drive.
The Flash drive is prepared and files copied according to the following steps...
The flash media is first searched for a partition of sufficient size and the required file system type as defined in the above table. If found then the PE/RE files are copied to the Flash drive.
Note:
For Multi-Boot (MBR/UEFI) rescue media the suitable partition is determined in the following sequence:
The current 'Active' partition is checked for suitability.
If not found, the first suitable FAT32 partition is used. This partition is then marked 'Active'
For non Multi-Boot (MBR) rescue media the suitable partition is determined in the following sequence:
The current 'Active' partition is checked for suitability.
If not found, the first suitable FAT32 partition is used. This partition is then marked 'Active'
If not found, the first suitable NTFS partition is used. This partition is then marked 'Active'If no suitable partition/file system is found and the rescue media creation is Multi-Partition Aware then the flash drive is searched to locate unallocated space to create a 1GB FAT32 partition.
USB flash Rescue media is considered Multi-Partition Aware if the host OS is Windows 10 Release 1709 or later and the target Win PE/RE WIM is also Windows 10 Release 1709 or later . In all other cases only a single partition will be allowed on flash media.There can be a maximum of 4 primary partitions on the drive.
If a partition is successfully created and formatted then it is marked 'Active' and the PE/RE files are copied.If the rescue media creation is not Multi-Partition Aware or if the partition in step 2 cannot be created then Rescue Media Builder will prompt to format the Flash Drive. This is destructive and all existing data will be lost on the drive:
Partition and File System CreatedMulti-Partition
AwareType Size Y FAT32 1GB N FAT32 32GB or the maximum size of the flash drive
If a partition is successfully created and formatted then it is marked 'Active' and the PE/RE files are copied.