Creating rescue media

To create rescue media:

Insert your blank CD, DVD or USB stick.
From the Backup tab of the task pane, below Other Tasks, click Create bootable Rescue media.
Accept the default Windows PE environment selected by Macrium Reflect.
You can change the Windows PE version. For Windows earlier than Windows 8, choose Windows PE 3.1 otherwise, for Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, choose Windows PE 5.0. We recommend that you accept the default unless you have good reason not to.
Click Next and add device drivers if required.

Note: You can find driver install packages in several places. Most manufacturers create a driver folder on the hard drive of a new PC, often named after the manufacturer. If this is not present, you can download drivers from the device or PC vendor's website. For older PCs, manufacturers of devices and motherboards included driver CDs in the packaging, however, these may not be the latest.
For more information see Adding device driver software to Windows PE.
Click Next and choose where to burn the Rescue files.
Click Finish.
To complete the process, boot from your Rescue media to ensure it works correctly.
After Windows PE loads, Macrium Reflect runs. The Windows PE user interface for Macrium Reflect is identical to that of the main application and offers the same core functions.
If you are using USB media, you can make the Macrium Rescue Environment compatible with multiple computers:
1. Use the Rescue media wizard to create a bootable USB rescue device on one computer.
2. Repeat the process with each other computer in turn using the same USB device.

Once I have created rescue media, will it work on all my computers?

If the hardware for all your computers is supported by the default Windows PE driver set, then the answer is a simple yes. You can confirm this on the Rescue Media Wizard drivers page. If all the drivers listed have the status Device support in WinPE or Compatible device support in WinPE for each of your machines then you only need one rescue media.

If any of your machines require extra drivers, then you have three options:

Create one piece of rescue media for each machine.
Invoke the Create Rescue Media Wizard on each of your machines.
1. Locate all the necessary drivers and progress to the Rescue Media Burn page before canceling.
2. Copy the contents of folder 'C:\boot\macrium\drivers' from each machine to one machine.
3. Burn a Rescue CD on that machine.
Using the Rescue media wizard, create a bootable USB stick, inserting the same device on each machine in turn.

Note: Options 2 and 3 only work if all your machines are configured to use the same version of PE with the same architecture (i.e. they are all 32-bit or all 64-bit).

If my rescue media refuses to boot, what should I do?

Check whether you changed your BIOS settings to boot from CD/USB before your hard drive. Accessing the BIOS varies from PC to PC but you generally see a brief message that tells you how to do this as the PC is starting:

Power on your PC from a full shutdown (not hibernate) and watch the screen carefully
Look for a line of text that says something like, Hit Del to enter setup or Press F2 for BIOS settings. If you do not see a message, check the user guide for instructions.
Once you've found the correct key (generally, Del, or one of the function keys such as F2, F10, F11 or some other key such as ESC), press it repeatedly until you see a BIOS setup screen.
When you've changed the BIOS settings correctly, your PC should load Windows PE quickly.

There are many Internet articles about setting your BIOS to boot from CD/DVD or USB (USB is often called removable device, USB-HDD, USB zip disk or something similar): You can find pictures of BIOS setup screens on a number of websites if you do not have your motherboard manual.

Note: Some old PCs may not be able to boot from USB only CD or DVD.

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