Macrium Reflect Guide | How to Boot from Rescue Media (and Alternative Methods)

Macrium Reflect's Rescue Media provides a quick and straightforward way to recover your computer in the event of a Windows failure. The Rescue Media can be saved to a CD/DVD or USB drive, and with just a few clicks, you can restore entire disks or specific files.

Don't know how to boot from rescue media, or how to create it? Read on for more information.

What is Rescue Media?

When you power up a computer, it wakes all its components and boots an OS (operating system) installed on the computer's hard drive. Sometimes, though, the OS fails to boot for various reasons.

Macrium Reflect is used to create rescue media, which contains an image (or snapshot) of your Windows operating system and entire drives for recovery purposes. You can use the rescue media to boot your computer and perform the recovery.

The rescue media is stored on a USB flash drive or CD/DVD, and it's simply a pared-down version of Windows that Macrium Reflect helps you create.

Macrium Reflect comes in both free and paid versions. The paid edition includes additional tools and features, such as incremental backups, ransomware protection, encryption, and more.

Boot the computer from the rescue media

If you are an organization or individual with important data on a computer that won't start up, you can use a rescue media to get access to it.

Here's how to boot from a rescue disc:

Step 1. Turn on your computer and press “F8” or the key designated by your computer's manufacturer (usually F2, F10, or Delete) before the Windows logo appears to enter BIOS setup.

Click the "BIOS Setup" page.

**Step 2.** Next, set your USB or CD/DVD drive as the first boot device, and your hard drive as the second.

Step 3: Press “F10” to save your changes and exit the BIOS.

Step 4. Insert the USB drive, or put the CD/DVD with the rescue media in the drive, and reboot the computer.

Your computer will boot from the rescue disc.

How to create Rescue Media using Macrium Reflect?

The above content has shown you how to boot from rescue media. If you're interested in the process of creating rescue media, you can follow the steps outlined here to learn how to create one using Macrium Reflect.

1. Insert the USB flash drive, or put a blank CD or DVD into the drive. 2. Click on the "Other Tasks" button, then select "Create a recovery disk." 3. A default WinPE version of the Recovery Media Wizard will now open. If you need to change the version, select "Change PE version." Confirm your version and click "Next." 4. If any drivers are missing that are required to create the recovery image, you can add them by selecting "Update Drivers." 5. Choose your Windows architecture, either 32-bit or 64-bit, then click "Next." 6. Now, select your device (CD/DVD or USB drive) to burn the boot media, or save it as an ISO image. Confirm your choice and click "Finish."

Create Rescue Media easily with Todo Backup – An Alternative to Macrium Reflect

Todo Backup is a comprehensive backup tool that can be used to back up your computer, create bootable rescue media, encrypt and compress backup images, and more.

Unlike Macrium Reflect, Todo Backup also lets you back up your files to the cloud. You can choose to back up your files to the Tools cloud service (based on AWS) or to third-party cloud providers like OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and others.

Another unique feature of Todo Backup is its Smart Backup, which can automatically back up selected files and folders every 30 minutes. This ensures that important files are always accessible and never lost.

• Backup entire disks, selected files, or partitions.
• Schedule automatic backup tasks to run at predefined times – daily, weekly, or monthly.
• Keep backup copies locally and in the cloud.
• Clone HDD to SSD to upgrade your drive without reinstalling the OS. (Paid feature)

If you're looking for an alternative to Macrium Reflect, Tools Todo Backup is a great choice. You can download it for free below and learn how to create bootable media.

Step 1. Have a USB drive ready that you can write to.

Step 2. Launch and install Todo Backup on computer B.

Step 3: Click on "Tools" and then select "Create Emergency Disk".

Step 4. Choose where to install the boot loader. You can create an ISO file, a bootable USB, or a CD/DVD.

Step 5: Click Create to begin.

Comparing Tools Todo Backup and Macrium Reflect

Which is better for system imaging or data backup, Tools Todo Backup or Macrium Reflect? Learn about the features, pros, and cons of each software before making your choice.

"Resolving Issues with a Computer That Won't Start"

When your computer won't turn on, don't panic. There are several reasons why your computer might not be starting up, and this article will help you troubleshoot the problem.

Connect the power cable properly. Insert the RAM correctly. Clear the CMOS.

1 - Plug in the power cord securely

Sometimes, the power cord might be loose, causing your computer not to receive power. You can fix this by:

• Ensure that the power cord is not loose. If it is, plug it in properly.
• Use a clean cloth to remove any dust from the power cord plug, and then plug it in correctly.

You should regularly clean your computer and its components. If you don't, dust can get trapped and permanently damage your computer parts.

2 - Cleaning and Installing RAM Properly

Misaligned RAM or dust are the most common reasons a computer won't turn on. Your RAM needs to be seated properly in order for your computer to start up correctly when you power it on.

You can try fixing the issue by following these steps:

Remove and reseat the RAM correctly. Blow out any dust from the RAM slots with compressed air. Gently rub the sides of the RAM modules with an eraser a few times – this is another effective way to clean the RAM.

When you're done cleaning, put the RAM back into its slot correctly.

3 - Return to boot settings

If you've powered on your computer and see the Advanced Boot Options menu, you may be able to try Safe Mode. However, if you've tried restarting your computer and attempting Safe Mode multiple times to no avail, you can attempt to fix the problem with the following methods:

Method 1: Run System Restore

In the Advanced Startup options, run System Restore to undo recent changes.

In older versions of Windows, the Advanced Startup options were also called System Recovery Options.

Perform a system restore, depending on which version of Windows you're running.

Method 2: Clearing the CMOS

Even in Safe Mode, Windows might not start if there's a problem with the BIOS configuration. Fortunately, you can fix this by clearing the BIOS memory on your motherboard.

Open your BIOS settings, select the option to reset the BIOS, and then save and exit. This will revert your BIOS settings to default.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I create a bootable rescue media?

You can use Macrium Reflect or Todo Backup, whose free editions let you create rescue media.

How do I use the Windows Recovery Media?

Set your BIOS to boot from the CD/DVD or flash drive containing the Windows recovery media, and save your changes. Restart your computer with the USB drive connected, or with the CD/DVD in the drive. Your computer will boot from the Windows recovery media.

Bottom line

For various reasons, a Windows operating system can fail. You should therefore create a rescue medium and know how to boot from it in case the operating system fails.

But before you boot from rescue media, you should do some basic troubleshooting, like making sure the power cord is connected and checking your BIOS settings. If basic troubleshooting doesn't get your computer booting, it's time to try booting from rescue media.