Macrium Reflect

I guess the truly disturbing thing about the problem since it isn't easy to replicate and never did occur regularly is that perhaps the issue will rear its ugly head again, and at a most undesirable moment. I guess time will tell. In the meantime, so much for "set it and forget it." It'll have to be babysat like an untrusted teen.

 

Win10-64 Pro Version 1703 (OS Build 15063.483); MR v7.0.2199. If memory serves MR was updated since I had the initial problem and Macrium hoped something they addressed within the new version would solve the problem. It seems like I posted the version information somewhere at the time I reported the issue but danged if I can find it. But anyway, for now, so far so good... Here's to hoping!

EDIT:
Ahh, found it in the Reflect forums - I actually opened a ticket at Macrium's request. The Reflect version was 7.0.2187. https://forum.macrium.com/Topic14673.aspx. I'm not sure the OS build version at that time.

EDIT AGAIN:
I found the following information in old emails I sent to Macrium support for the ticket I opened with them regarding this issue:
Windows 10 Pro-64 v1703 build 15063.296
12GB RAM
Intel Core i7 3.2GHz CPU

Macrium did ask me to upgrade to an interim version on 06 June with the following information:

Could you please download and install v7.0.2192 of Macrium reflect Home Edition ... This install will update your existing installation to v7.0.2192. This release contains a change to the scheduled backups conflict logic and may resolve the issue that you have experienced. If not, could you please supply the information previously requested so we can continue to investigate.​

In my testing I was unable to duplicate the problem and have not seen it arise since. I did not end up trying out this v7.0.2192 both because I am running Server Edition, not Home Edition, and I was still conducting testing on v7.0.2187 at the time. So I actually jumped from 2187 directly to 2199.

 

Yup, as I said, they really don't seem to have a very firm grasp of the logic governing interactions between task settings using the WTS v2 API and their own MacriumService handling of missed tasks and "order-of-precedence" rules. And they've handed out "interim" installation packages on a trial basis to at least one other individual I'm aware of in their "off-the-main-track" efforts rather than dealing directly with some other issues raised in their forum. Questioning the basis for the rationale (if any) actually being pursued in their doing that is one of the things that got my own posts "moderated" there. In their response to me, direct answers were promised in due course, but I haven't seen any to date in any of those cases.

That kind of "trial and error" approach to programming logic issues and their resolution doesn't exactly inspire great confidence in this user and, as you say, a backup and recovery application that must be "babysat like an untrusted teen" is not what one would hope for either.

 

Every since I updated my PE files, my USB stick will not boot. I had to buy a new Windows Pro USB stick and do a recovery. Any one else seen this. I have BIOS set to USB first like always. I even tried creating the recreating the PE files on the USB and still won't boot. Do I have to reformat the USB stick an create the rescue media again? My last back up img files are still on it. Or copy those backup img's to my hard drive and copy then back after format and media create? Or should I go back to an older PE set of files?
I didn't get to update popup when checking for updates within MR, I got it today when I went to create the rescue media over the top of the existing. Said a never was available.

 

@boredog -- Exactly which "PE Files" did you "update" in what location to make your USB stick become unbootable? Changes to anything on any hard drive would not have any effect on a USB stick's independent bootability.

__
P.S.: When you mention updating, do you mean that you changed to a newer PE version to create the Reflect rescue media build? Or do you just mean that you rebuilt it using the same PE version but with a newer Reflect version release? And, in either case, was the final Reflect "wizard" step completed to copy the rebuild to the USB stick itself. With or without support for "dual booting" both UEFI and MBR? UEFI booting requires a FAT partition.

 

I am still using version 6. When I went to try recreating a bootable USB, The build program popped up saying there was newer files that needed to be updated. I clicked continue and didn't see any setup going on but waited a 5 min and continued on.
on my DEll I can hit either F2 or F12.
their is two options in BIOS. One is boot to removable USB. The second it boot to UEFI USB. Neither work. Boot to UEFI was the way it was always set to before and that always worked.

 

Boredog, when you selected your USB device for burning, did you also CHECK the box below that selection for "Enable MultiBOOT?"

 

@boredog -- You say that you "didn't see any setup going on" when you hit the continue button after it told you that updated files were available for your rescue media WinPE build. Did you not see any Reflect Rescue Media Wizard dialog box as shown under Step 4 of this Macrium KB article? The progress bar at the bottom of that box should have shown you each step (mount WIM, add packages, unmount WIM, etc.) in the WinPE rebuild process. On completion of that rebuild process, it should then have popped up another dialog box as shown under step 5 of that same KB article with Burn Rescue Media options including the "multiboot" (MBR/UEFI USB support) option that both Froggie and I have mentioned in particular.

If you saw and responded to none of that, the rescue media update process was not completed properly and you'd need to check the relevant Reflect PE builder log file to discover why not.

 

I took a screen shot of the update popup.

 

More screen shots. When I click continue after the update popup, it closes and nothing else happens. When go on to install the PE files to USB, I now get an error.
The log file is very long. The last thing in the log is something about error 5.

 

Error screen shot.

 

So, it appears that you did get as far as the dialog box shown under Step 4 of the Macrium KB article and then what? Did the error message pop up immediately at that point, or only after you hit the Next button in that dialog box? And what exactly do the lines around "something about error 5" near the end of the waiklog.txt file say about the error itself and the actions preceding it?

 

Could you check the WinPE.wim is indeed in the default folder as indicated...

207 MB on my system (using Reflect V6).

 

After looking through the log, I never see anything about my ESB stick , only C:

Even though The main MF program kicks out a popup now. The new popup claims I have not created rescue media yet. before was only when I tried to create rescue media.
This is the very first got I got an error but at no time did I see any install of newer PE files.

The last thing listed in the log is an access denied. I am including a copy of that here. My screen shot in my post with three were in order of how it proceeded.

'"C:\ProgramData\Macrium\Reflect\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment Tools\amd64\DISM\imagex.exe" /mountrw "c:\boot\macrium\WA10KFiles\media\sources\boot.wim" 1 "c:\boot\macrium\WA10KFiles\mount"' FAILED - Error 5: Access is denied.
Unmounting the Wim - 8/17/2017 1:27 PM

 

I have no idea (not yet anyhow) about how your USB stick got made unbootable. We haven't reached that point in attempting to analyse the process as you've described it here so far. My method of "logical troubleshooting" may be tedious in requiring very precise and exact information at each step taken, but it's the only method I know.

There is nothing in any of your screenshots to show that you ever reached the point where the new WinPE rebuild would get copied onto your USB stick. It just shows two shots of the same dialog box that is shown under Step 4 of the Macrium KB article and you did not answer my question about whether you hit the Next button there. However, there is no screenshot at all of the dialog box shown under Step 5 and the log information that you did provide seems to indicate a problem with the WinPE rebuild process before you ever got to that next step.

If Reflect was unable to access the c:\boot\macrium\WA10KFiles\mount folder for mounting and unmounting the WIM image, then it never actually rebuilt it properly and any attempt at transferring it to the USB stick (no matter how the attempt was made) would not produce a bootable result. So, before trying to fix the USB stick problem, you first have to fix that WinPE rebuild problem that seems likely to be the result of an access permissions issue. The simplest approach to resolving that would be to completely remove the existing c:\boot\macrium folder and let the Reflect rescue media "wizard" create an entirely new one.

 

It all started the other day when I tried a program called Tweakui. Not sure how that could effect my BIOS. Just uninstalled MF and reinstalled with same problem. In format options I get only 2. NTFS or EXFAT not fat32. I give up. I can't use MF anymore and so guess I am pretty sad about that. After using TweakUI. I was unable to boot my computer. Should have tried it in a VM but didn't. Really can not see how that program could cause none of my USB's to not load on boat.

 

MF = ? Maybe I am completely out of scope but there is an excellent utiliy to format a USB flashkey in many different ways, Rufus. Maybe if you can use it on another PC and format with the correct structure it could help. Even if something tells me it's not enough...

 

arvy's suggestion about Fat 32 was correct. Mweleone's suggestion of using Rufus worked. I was able to format the UDB with Fat 32 and create a bootable USB.Thank you so much for all your help.

 

To create a boot UFD from an ISO is very easy. With most ISOs, Rufus is not needed.

Just format the UFD with FAT 32, mount the ISO with double click, and copy all the files to the UFD.

In particular, this works well with Macrium and Terabyte ISOs.

 

Glad it worked !

 

You're welcome. But I have to admit that I'm completely baffled by the line of logic that you followed here from your initial help request:
"Every since I updated my PE files, my USB stick will not boot."
to
"It all started the other day when I tried a program called Tweakui. Not sure how that could effect my BIOS."
to
"Error 5: Access is denied. Unmounting the Wim."

I strongly suspect that at least some of your problems go much deeper than FAT32 formatting of a UFD alone and remain unresolved, especially since you said in one of your posts in another thread that you were using a 256 GB UFD both for WinPE rescue booting and as a backup imaging destination. But, if you're happy now, I guess that's all that matters ... for the moment, at least.

 

I think when I originally formatted the USB, MF did it and must have used Fat32. Some where along the line the USB became unbootable, corrupt.
When I tried to recreate a bootable version with MF, It must have noticed the USB had already been formatted but didn't notice it was unbootable. Not sure about that though, just guessing. Then when Fat32 was suggested, I noticed I didn't have that option with my machine. Then when Rufus was suggested, I installed that and was able to format the USB with Fat32. Once that was done MF installed the bootable files needed and was able to bot into MF with the USB.
I hope this makes sense.

 

@boredog -- Not exactly sure what "MF" refers to, but yes, a FAT / FAT32 partition is definitely required if you choose to make it UEFI bootable, unlike MBR booting which works fine with NTFS partitioning. On the other hand, FAT / FAT32 partitioning imposes some maximum limitations on the size of partitions (a.k.a. "volumes") and files. So I'm not sure how well that's going to work with your scheme for using a 256 GB USB flash drive as a "dual purpose" (rescue booting and backup destination) device. There may be some hope for the future in Macrium's promise (as yet unfulfilled) to update their rescue media "wizard" to use the PE version based on W10 v1703 for handling multiple flash drive partitions.