Techie Tuesday: Restoring an image from within the Rescue Media

This article is for Restoring an image from within Windows PE Rescue Media. For restoring an image in Windows see Restoring an image within Windows.

If the image contains only data, restoring it is very simple using Macrium Reflect. You can restore it back to its original location without interrupting the operating system.

Before you begin: You must have a backup image of the disk ready to restore.

1) During start up of your PC on the first image you see press a button that will start a Boot selection menu.

Boot selection button differs from one PC manufacturer to another, best way to find out the Boot selection menu on your PC is to consult the motherboard manual provided by the manufacturer.

Chose CD-ROM drive or a Removable USB device based on the choice of Rescue Media you’ve built and press Enter to load the Rescue Media.

2) When You have loaded into windows PE, select Restore

Backup images will be available to choose from and be restored in the main pane.

3) Select the image you wish to restore and click Restore Image.

If you cannot find the backup image you would like to use in the in the provided list, select “Browse for an image file…” on the menu at the top and look through the windows explorer to find it.

4) This next windows give you the ability to edit partitions prior to the restore.

Moving and Resizing the restored partition

By default, partitions restore to their original locations. However, it’s also possible to select a different target disk and to drag partitions to different locations and resize them to use the available space. Simply drag the source partition to any available partition or free space on the target disk. You can also delete partitions on the target disk to make space. For more destination options and further information, see Modifying restored partition properties.

5) This is the restore summary page, here you can finalise your Restore and if required access the “Advanced Options.”

The Advanced Options include:

Rapid Delta Restore
Copy only changed data blocks to complete the restore process more quickly
See: Rapid Delta Restore — RDR

SSD Trim
Enable TRIM on restore to increase of both the lifetime and the performance of the SSD.
See: SSD Trim Support

Verify Image
To verify the image integrity before restoring.

Master Boot Record
To replace the Master Boot Record (MBR) with the MBR from the backup.
The MBR is a small program that eexecutes when the computer starts up. If this program becomes corrupt then you can have problems starting the computer operating system.
Note: On modern GPT/UEFI systems this option has no effect.

Once you have looked over the summary and you are happy with your restore settings you can click “Finish” and begin the operation.

You can download a 30-day Trial of Macrium Reflect for Home or Business use. Technical support for Trial users evaluating our software is available via email.